MaterialDistrict

Specdrums: making a musical instrument out of colours

Have you ever wondered what colours sound like? With Specdrums, new app-connected rings, you get to decide! The rings register the colour you’re tapping on, no matter the material, and the app creates the sound you assigned to that specific colour, turning any object into a musical instrument.

By simply tapping a colour, no matter the material, the sound assigned to it will sound from your phone. Whether it is textile, the wall, or sticky notes, anything can be your musical instrument. The plastic ring, which is one size fits all, is USB-chargeable, has a battery life of +2 hours and is able to play an infinite number of colours.

While the name implies drum kits, you can assign any sound to any colour using the app, which is available both for Android and iOS. You can select many types of instruments, such as various keyboards, synths, and drum kits, or choose other collections of sounds, like your own recordings and sound effects. The colour of each sound can be customised to match specific colours you find around you, like your clothes.

With the app, you can create loop short musical snippets called Sloops, which you can create using different instruments and vocal recordings. These Sloops you can share on social media. Outside of the app, Specdrums rings behave as a Bluetooth MIDI Device. This means they can connect to hundreds of other music-making apps. You can even make your own Specdrums application using the open source iOS app or Mac OSX & Linux Python library, such as games or aids for colour-blind people.

Photos: Specdrums

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