Portable sound devices are an accessible and fun way to get into making music – with many devices offering chance and probability settings to change the beat up. The Drumkid is a lofi aleatoric drum machine which uses random numbers to generate unpredictable beats, for live recording and performance! Let’s take a look at this pocket-sized hackable beat box:
The Drumkid is a MIDI-equipped drum machine capable of loading custom samples for playback, meaning it can replicate classic drum machines such as the Roland 909 and 808 – or equally, loaded up with any samples you choose for custom drum kits! It has 16 adjustable parameters, with 36 save slots, and MIDI controls for CCs (Control Changes), Notes and Clock (Tempo). Its probability features give you varying beatmaking possibilities with minute variations and more sporadic playback tuned to your taste.
The Drumkid is available as a kit or as a fully assembled unit – and is ripe for hacking and modifications, being completely open-source. You’ll find all you need to know on the sellers GitHub page, including the latest user manual. Drumkid is perfect for beat making on the move, as its powered by 3 x AAA batteries or via Micro USB cable.
It’s the first product sold by Matt Bradshaw Design who is based in Oxfordshire, England, what a great start!
