Zuke Music Player

A modern web-based music player inspired by the Microsoft Zune, built for control, nostalgia, and personal expression.

Music Found is a self-hosted music player designed to let you manage and enjoy your collection your way. It combines a personal library with hybrid streaming discovery, allowing you to upload your own music, customize metadata, organize playlists, and seamlessly integrate tracks from SoundCloud. With an integrated EQ, instant waveform visualization, and a secure API, it's a passion project bridging the gap between nostalgia and modern web tech.

Why I Built This

I have the music I love, but I wanted a way to enjoy it that felt more personal and tactile than streaming services. Zuke is my attempt to create that experience. One where you can upload your own music, tag it with your own metadata, and associate it with visuals that mean something to you. Only I know what a song does for my mood. I miss being able to adjust the frequency values, album art, or the ability to customize my player. So many things have been given up in the move to streaming. Music lost its taste. I want to feel comfortably numb again.

Looking Forward

This player is fun to play with here in the Lab, but is a feature for Soundscape. Soundscape is a social music platform where both music and digital artists can share music with friends, and discover new music from others. Think of it as BandCamp meets Deviant Art. I picture a new social experiment where young music artist and digital artists of images and video collaborate to create a new kind of music experience.

Technical Stack

• Backend: Ruby on Rails (API + Admin)
• Frontend: Turbo Frames, Stimulus, HLS.js
• Database: PostgreSQL (metadata)
• Storage: AWS S3 + CloudFront CDN (streaming)
• Audio Processing: audiowaveform (C++) for peak generation
• Integration: SoundCloud API
• Deployment: Heroku (Docker/Aptfile configured)

Features

• Hybrid Library: Mix local uploads with SoundCloud tracks
• Instant Waveforms: Server-side pre-calculation for zero-latency visuals
• Optimized Streaming: Byte-range requests and CDN delivery
• Parametric EQ: Fine-tuned frequency control for all audio sources
• Smart Metadata: Custom editing, auto-tagging, and credit management
• Visuals: Associate images, GIFs, or video clips with tracks
• Mobile PWA: Installable as a native-like app
• Auto Advance & Shuffle
• Admin Dashboard

Zuke is a love letter to the way music should feel: personal, tactile, and yours.