Engineering notes, app deep-dives and field reports from the gato platform.https://gato.to/en-ushttps://gato.to/blog/soundbox-web-audio-tone-presets/https://gato.to/blog/soundbox-web-audio-tone-presets/Line-cited map of AudioEngineService.trigger, unlock(), ToneService localStorage, and ExportService WAV — read next to soundbox/src/services/.Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappssoundboxweb-audiosynthesistechnicalgato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/unbundle-software-pay-for-what-you-use/https://gato.to/blog/unbundle-software-pay-for-what-you-use/Most SaaS bundles make you pay for features you’ll never touch. Here’s the case for modular tools — and how gato lets you keep the parts you love without renting the rest.Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTproductivitypricingsoftwareopiniongato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/calendar-google-calendar-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/calendar-google-calendar-alternative/Google Calendar is fine for personal scheduling. Here's the calendar we use instead — events that link to deals, tasks, and invoices automatically.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappscalendarproductivitygoogle-calendar-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/crm-hubspot-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/crm-hubspot-alternative/We needed HubSpot features without the $800/month tax. Here's the CRM we use instead — pipelines, contacts, deals, and actual data ownership.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappscrmsaleshubspot-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/doc-notion-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/doc-notion-alternative/Notion is great until your docs disconnect from your work. Here's the document editor we built — linked to tasks, deals, and files by default.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsdocproductivitynotion-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/drive-google-drive-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/drive-google-drive-alternative/Google Drive is convenient until you read the privacy policy. Here's the file manager we use instead — your files, your control, integrated with your workspace.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsdrivestoragegoogle-drive-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/grid-airtable-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/grid-airtable-alternative/Airtable's pricing scales with your data. Here's the spreadsheet app we use instead — unlimited rows, real formulas, and no per-record fees.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsgridproductivityairtable-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/invoice-quickbooks-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/invoice-quickbooks-alternative/QuickBooks charges $30–$200/month for invoicing. Here's the billing app we use instead — professional invoices, payment tracking, no subscription fees.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsinvoicebillingquickbooks-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/kanban-trello-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/kanban-trello-alternative/Our sales team ditched Trello after the pricing changes. Here's the kanban board we built instead — it connects to deals, invoices, and calendar events.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappskanbanproductivitytrello-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/recruit-ats-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/recruit-ats-alternative/Enterprise ATS tools charge $500+/month. Here's the recruiting app we use instead — job postings, candidate pipelines, and interview scheduling, all free.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsrecruithiringats-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/slide-google-slides-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/slide-google-slides-alternative/Google Slides works until your client doesn't have Gmail. Here's the presentation app we use instead — professional decks, presenter mode, no account required.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsslidepresentationsgoogle-slides-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/soundbox-pulses-graph-threejs/https://gato.to/blog/soundbox-pulses-graph-threejs/Concrete walkthrough of Soundbox transport beats, PulseFlowService, edgeTiming labels, and RenderSceneService — cite the repo, not vibes.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappssoundboxarchitecturethreejsaudiogato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/soundbox-visual-audio-overview/https://gato.to/blog/soundbox-visual-audio-overview/Soundbox in gato: graph + Web Audio in TypeScript — open these repo paths beside the post so every claim maps to real code.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappssoundboxmusicaudiogatogato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/whiteboard-miro-alternative/https://gato.to/blog/whiteboard-miro-alternative/Miro's free tier gives you 3 boards. Here's the whiteboard we use instead — unlimited boards, shapes, sticky notes, and real-time collaboration.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappswhiteboardcollaborationmiro-alternativegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/musica-app-overview/https://gato.to/blog/musica-app-overview/Honest post: Musica is not a real streaming product yet. It is a React scratchpad where we learned most platforms block in-app playback; SoundCloud was the only reliable embed path.Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsmusicamusicstreaminggato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/musica-discovery-playlists/https://gato.to/blog/musica-discovery-playlists/Playlist and search notes for Musica—not a streaming product. SoundCloud worked in-app; other links are mostly collection + outbound search.Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsmusicadiscoveryplaylistsguidegato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/musica-streaming-architecture/https://gato.to/blog/musica-streaming-architecture/Technical notes on parsers and embed targets in Musica — mostly an experiment; platforms block third-party playback; SoundCloud was the reliable iframe path.Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTappsmusicaarchitecturestreamingtechnicalgato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/invoice-app/https://gato.to/blog/invoice-app/Inside gato’s Invoice app: QuickBooks-style billing built into the platform with line items, taxes, recurring schedules, and payment tracking.Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMTappsinvoicebillinggato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/slide-app/https://gato.to/blog/slide-app/Inside gato’s Slide app: presentation studio with templates, a slide canvas, speaker notes, and presenter mode — built into the platform.Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMTappsslidepresentationsgato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/crm-app/https://gato.to/blog/crm-app/Inside gato’s CRM app: HubSpot-style pipelines with drag-and-drop deals, contacts, companies, tickets, and calendar integration — all owned by you.Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMTappscrmsalesgato engineeringhttps://gato.to/blog/recruit-app/https://gato.to/blog/recruit-app/Inside gato’s Recruit app: an applicant tracking system designed for hiring teams who want a real ATS without the enterprise tax.Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMTappsrecruithiringgato engineering