What a Preset Performance Is
A preset is a prepared performance that the experiment can play for you. It is not a tutorial, a score, or a recording of a live singer. The blobs move through a planned sequence while the audience listens, which makes presets useful as demonstrations: they show what the quartet can do before you try to control it yourself. Presets also make the experiment feel like a small show rather than a toy. The important caveat is that the preset list belongs to the Google-hosted interface. Songs can appear, move, or disappear when the project is updated, and the same version may not be available in every region or on every device. If a song you remember is missing, that is usually a change in the hosted experience rather than a problem with your browser.
A Holiday Experiment First
Blob Opera launched in December 2020 as a holiday-themed experiment from Google Arts & Culture, created by David Li in collaboration with the project team. The original presentation leaned into seasonal music, which is why discussions of the experiment often mention holiday songs alongside the four blobs. The playful premise was simple: four characters, four voice types, and a browser interface that let anyone conduct a small vocal ensemble. That holiday framing is part of the project's identity, but it is not the whole story. The experiment later expanded with a world-tour presentation, and the playable quartet remained at the center of both versions.
The World Tour Cities
Google's world-tour story describes the blobs visiting a set of cities. The locations named in the project's public materials include Cape Town, London, Mexico City, New York, Paris, and Seoul. These are presentation themes and locations for performances, not six different quartets: the four voice characters remain the instrument you control. The city list is best treated as a snapshot of what Google has described, not as a permanent menu. A hosted experiment can rotate content, show a subset of locations, or change the visual treatment without publishing a changelog. If your version shows a different set of places, trust the interface in front of you and treat older articles, including this one, as historical context.
- Cape Town, South Africa
- London, United Kingdom
- Mexico City, Mexico
- New York City, United States
- Paris, France
- Seoul, South Korea
Songs Google Has Mentioned
Google's public descriptions of the project mention seasonal classics, 'Frère Jacques,' and 'La Bamba.' Those references are useful because they are documented, but they are not a complete track list. The interface may show additional prepared pieces, and the names may be written differently in different languages. The blobs do not sing lyrics in the way a human choir would; their voices are built around vowel sounds, so a familiar tune is recognizable through its melody and rhythm rather than through words. That is part of the charm. It also means a preset is an interpretation, not a karaoke backing track. If you want to know what is available right now, open the experiment and look at the current controls rather than relying on an article written months earlier.
Why There Is No Reliable Complete List
A fan site cannot publish a definitive catalog of a hosted interface it does not control. Google has not provided a public API, a permanent changelog, or a guarantee that a given preset will remain available. Regional availability, browser support, and seasonal updates can all change what a visitor sees. Search results often mix screenshots from different years, which makes old lists look current. The honest approach is to separate three things: what Google has publicly described, what the interface shows today, and what you can create yourself by playing. This guide can help with the first, your browser can confirm the second, and the third does not depend on a preset at all.
How to Listen to a Preset
A preset is more useful when you listen with a job. Try this sequence the next time one is available:
- Listen once without watching the screen. Identify the highest and lowest voices by ear.
- Listen again and count the phrases. Notice where the music pauses or changes direction.
- Watch one blob rather than the whole group. Describe its movement in three words.
- Listen for a repeated shape. Presets often rely on repetition to make a short piece feel complete.
- Compare the preset with your own free play. What does the prepared version do that you would not have tried?
Turn a Preset into Practice
You do not need to reproduce an entire song to learn from it. Pick one short phrase and treat it as an exercise. Hum the phrase first, then find the starting register with one blob. Move through the contour slowly, and do not worry about matching every note. Once the shape feels stable, change the vowel color and listen to how the character shifts. Add a deliberate ending, then record the result and compare it with the original. This process teaches phrasing and control more effectively than trying to copy a full arrangement gesture for gesture. It also avoids the frustration of chasing an exact reproduction that the interface may not allow.
Can You Add Your Own Song?
Blob Opera is an instrument and an experiment, not a general-purpose song player. Google's public materials do not document a MIDI import, a custom song upload, or a searchable song library. You can perform a melody by ear, and you can shape the quartet around a harmonic idea, but you should treat claims about hidden upload features with caution. Third-party sites sometimes describe workflows that the official project does not support, or they mix up Blob Opera with a different music tool. If a tutorial asks you to install something or enter an account password to unlock a song, stop and verify the claim against the official project page. The safest creative path is the one the interface actually offers: move the blobs, listen, and build your own short piece.
Classroom Ideas
The city list is a natural geography hook, but use it carefully. Ask students to locate the cities on a map and discuss how a presentation can change the feeling of a performance without changing the notes. Compare two presets, if available, and describe one difference in texture, register, or pacing. Avoid turning a city into a stereotype about local music; the world-tour theme is a visual and programming device, not a claim that one city has one musical style. For a longer lesson, pair a preset with the classroom lesson plan on this site and let students create a short response to what they heard.
Frequently Asked Questions
These answers separate documented information from details that depend on the current interface.
What songs can Blob Opera play?
The experiment can play prepared presets and can be controlled freely by the player. Google's public descriptions mention seasonal classics, 'Frère Jacques,' and 'La Bamba,' but there is no permanent public catalog of every preset.
Can I choose a specific song?
If the current interface offers a preset menu, you can choose from what is listed. There is no documented search or request feature for arbitrary songs. You can always approximate a melody by ear with the free controls.
Are the city themes still available?
That depends on the version Google is serving. The world-tour story describes Cape Town, London, Mexico City, New York, Paris, and Seoul, but a hosted experiment can change its presentation. Check the current page rather than an older screenshot.
Does each city have its own song?
The public materials do not document a permanent one-to-one mapping between cities and songs. Treat any such list you find online as unverified unless it comes from the official project and matches the interface you see.
Can I upload a MIDI file or my own composition?
No such import is documented in the official materials. Blob Opera is played through its own controls. For composition work with MIDI, use a tool designed for that purpose and keep Blob Opera for live exploration and performance.
Do the blobs sing words?
They produce vowel-based vocal sounds rather than lyrics. A familiar melody is recognizable through pitch and rhythm, not through text. That is also why the experiment is useful for focusing a listener on timbre and phrasing.
Why did a song disappear?
The experiment is hosted and updated by Google, and content can change without a public changelog. Seasonal programming, regional differences, or a redesign can all affect what appears. This site cannot restore a removed preset.