Today we released a big update to Hookpad that we’re really excited about! Hookpad is better in three big ways:

  1. Instruments now get permanently cached so you never download the same file twice.
  2. Hookpad now works offline! Visit the web app without a connection and it works!
  3. Hookpad can now be installed on Mac and Windows as a Chrome App (requires Google Chrome browser).

Smart Instrument Caching

Once you download an instrument it will be cached, and when you visit the site in the future it won’t need to be re-downloaded. This saves on bandwidth and load times and makes Hookpad feel generally more snappy.

Hookpad Now Works Offline! 

Open (https://hookpad.hooktheory.com) in your browser even when you don’t have an internet connection. Assuming you’ve been to the page before, it will work (instruments you’ve used in the past will be available for use, etc.). How does this work? It’s based on a new web technology called Progressive Web Apps that allow your browser to store a robust cache of opt-in web pages for offline use.

Hookpad Can Now be Installed on Mac and Windows

 To install Hookpad on macOS or Windows, open Hookpad in Google Chrome (this does require Chrome), click on the options icon in the top right of the browser window (three vertical dots) and you will see “Install Hookpad”. After it is installed it will appear as an app on your computer (you can put it in your dock/task bar, and it will open in its own window).

Band Editor Improved With Progress Indicators and Offline Cache Indicators

The band editor now shows the download progress of each instrument and the overall download progress at the bottom.

The Hookpad band editor now shows the download progress of each instrument and the overall download progress at the bottom.
The Hookpad band editor now shows the download progress of each instrument and the overall download progress at the bottom.

When using Hookpad without a network connection, sounds that have not been cached for offline use have a lighter color.

When using Hookpad without a network connection, sounds that have not been cached for offline have a lighter color.
When using Hookpad without a network connection, sounds that have not been cached for offline have a lighter color.

The band editor now shows if any sound patches fail to load. Below “Bright Pad” and “Dark Bass” failed to load. Clicking the yellow warning icon attempts to load all failed sound patches.

The Hookpad band editor now shows if any sound patches fail to load.
The Hookpad band editor now shows if any sound patches fail to load.

The Band Editor toggle now has a progress bar whenever instruments are being loaded or decoded

Hookpad’s Band Editor toggle now has a progress bar whenever instruments are being loaded or decoded
Hookpad’s Band Editor toggle now has a progress bar whenever instruments are being loaded or decoded

Additional Updates

  • Preferences and MIDI Preferences are first-class menu bar items again. They are still also accessible from the Hookpad menu.
  • A new delete/backspace button has been added to the row of circle buttons (far right). The delete button can be used to delete any selection or delete the note / chord immediately to the left of the cursor.
  • Removed the entry mode toggle circle button. Changing from the default Hookpad 2.x entry mode to the Hookpad 1.x text-based mode is still possible in the preferences menu as well as with the keyboard shortcut ‘m’.

We are so pumped for this release. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to use Hookpad offline and now I can! I’ve already got Hookpad installed as a native app on macOS and don’t know if I’ll ever use Hookpad in the browser again!

Explore more Hookpad updates