Monkey Machine is definitely the coolest, most fun thing I've seen all day. It's also one of the best uses I've seen recently for the rapidly-aging Java programming language. What is it? It's a really, really nice, simple drum machine, with lots of cool features. It's very easy to use, and it's almost irresistible; once I launched it, I was compelled to play with it!
You begin with a looping pattern -- by default it's 16-beat, but you can make it longer or shorter (like I did for the screenshot). Each position on the pattern can be set to "off," "medium," or "strong."
The TAP button you see there lets you set the tempo by tapping along with your mouse. Tap slow, and it slows down; tap faster and the BPM rises accordingly.
The Shuffle control is one of the coolest features. I lack the musical terminology to properly explain what it does; it seems to randomize the intervals a bit, and add some nice groove to your pattern. It just makes it more fun.
Once you've finished working on one pattern, you can add another pattern and start playing with it. Your two patterns will play in a loop, one after the other. Once you're done, you can export your beat as a MIDI file. You can also download existing beats that other users created -- there are over 11,000 of them!
All in all, Monkey Machine is an awesome find.
Monkey Machine is an awesome Java-based drum machine originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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