Planet Arduino

Hearing live music is certainly enjoyable, but if the musician is using a drum machine, things can eventually get static. To add a bit more spontaneity into this class of robo-musician, Matt Bradshaw has created DrumKid — a handheld, battery-powered unit that uses random numbers to determine the rhythm and sound of a beat.

The device goes through a drum sequence, with a series of LEDs to indicate its progression, but also inserts randomly generated drum hits to the original beat. It features a variety of controllable parameters to alter how it sounds when played live via four knobs and six buttons.

The DrumKid was developed on an Arduino Uno and breadboard, then transferred to a PCB for the final version that will be for sale later this year. More info on the build is available in Bradshaw’s project write-up, while code and design files are on GitHub if you’d like to make your own!

When you need a distraction, or perhaps even now, you may turn to tapping on your desk. While a good way to keep your hands active, or pass a few uninteresting seconds, if you want to get serious with your finger drumming, then the “Arduino USB Drum” by creator colonelwatch may be just the thing.

The 3D-printable device hooks onto the edge of the table, and reads taps on its pads with a pair of strain gauges. Signals are amplified and passed along to an Arduino Uno—including tap intensity—which sends MIDI data to a computer via serial. 

Code and other build info are available on GitHub, and you can see a video of it in action here.

There are a wide variety of ways to create electronic music. For a capable machine that fits in the palm of your hand and is loud enough to use outdoors, however, it’s hard to imagine a battery-powered device cooler than Bitty from Curious Sound Objects. 

The pocket-sized drum machine and synthesizer, currently on Kickstarter, was prototyped using an Arduino Nano and will be fully Arduino-compatible when released. This means that in addition to changing the sound and interface around with readily-available sound packs—which include Theremin Bitty, Techno Bitty, Basement Bitty, Trap Bitty, Lofi Bitty, and Beach Bitty—it can be programmed with the Arduino IDE. The device can even run sound software written for other Arduino boards.

Bitty features four sample trigger buttons, a pair of knobs, and a speaker. Designed for entry-level EDM enthusiasts and studio musicians alike, you can play the drums and melodies manually, as well as trigger patterns to produce dance music or hip hop beats. These can be chosen via the left knob, while the right knob handles pitch, note selection, and arpeggiation.

Check it out in action below!

Vito Caiata got his Arduino to talk to his computer sound card via MIDI, then connected a pull-type solenoid to bang on an improvised drum.

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British artist Alex Allmont built this elegant one-motor Lego drum machine with a Arduino, a proto shield on top wired with a Lego Power Functions power connector, a Digital Delay pedal, and a Drumcomputer MFB-522.

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Circuit bender Dr. Bleep built this sweet Arduino-compatible drum machine, the Bleep Drum, with four sounds, four selectable sequences, tap tempo, record and playback, and more. Of course it’s open source and eminently hackable. Filed under: Arduino, Electronics, Music

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Moritz Simon Geist has made a physical version of the famed TR-808 drum machine.

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