The Minimalist Drum Machine
I created an easy-to-play drum machine that didn't look or feel like a traditional piece of music equipment. I wanted the overall design to be simple and not hampered by screens, menus, and tons of text or writing on the surface. I also wanted to keep the internal circuitry straightforward. I worked out the design on the computer using Illustrator, then built the case out of Luon and wood glue scraps. I drilled out eight openings on the top lid; each opening represents a touch-sensitive zone that triggers a different drum sound like a bass drum, snare, or cymbal. My goal was to make it simple and not constantly upload Arduino code to change the sounds, so I used the Touch Board by Bare Conductive. I created all the sounds from field recordings, processed them in Ableton Live, and loaded them onto the Touch Board via a micro SD card.
Each drum sound is played by touching one of the black circles (zones). Each black circle was created using conductive paint and copper tape, which connected the circles to the Touch Board. The conductive paint is used to create large-scale capacitive sensors, meaning when you put your hand on or near one of the circles, it will trigger the Touch Board to play a sound sample.
I showcased this prototype at the 2019 Philly Maker Faire and encouraged visitors to play and create their own original beats and rhythms.
