Music meets gaming in the Beat Machine, the world's first music-making arcade machine

The team behind social music creation platform Endlesss have announced the release of a full-sized music-making arcade machine called the Beat Machine. 

The Beat Machine houses a 24" touch screen and is controlled using retro-style arcade buttons, a joystick and a 5" touch pad XY controller. The arcade machine runs custom-designed software that's based on Endlesss, a collaborative music-making app developed by the company of the same name. 

The machine operates using three modes: Studio, Open Mic, and Arcade. Studio mode allows the Beat Machine to be integrated into a music-making set-up, allowing the user to host VST3 plugins, record instruments, map MIDI controllers and import and export audio through companion apps. 

Open Mic mode enables a user to log in using their smartphone and connect their session to the Endlesss social network, before jamming away using the machine's music creation tools. Arcade mode features a suite of gamified music-making missions.

Each Beat Machine is outfitted with its own speaker system, but audio can be routed elsewhere using built-in outputs. They're also equipped with a Neutrik XLR/jack instrument input and two USB-C ports for hooking up external controllers.

Endlesss are claiming that the Beat Machine will become "today's answer to the grand piano", acting as a kind of studio conversation piece that can sit at the creative heart of music-making spaces and invite spontaneous collaboration. 

The first prototype of the Beat Machine was designed last year by a member of Endlesss' online community. Once built, the project caught the attention of high-profile artists, including Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Imogen Heap. 

"As creativity is set to be disrupted by AI, real-world experiences that bring us together and prove our humanity will become more and more important," Endlesss founder Tim Exile said in a statement. "The 21st century needs its answer to the piano in the living room or local bar, the instrument that brings everyone together whether you can play Chopin or Chopsticks or are just there to enjoy the masters at work."

"Right now each Beat Machine is hand-made with a lot of love and bespoke componentry which is why we’re introducing a small number of units as premium collector’s items. It’s an opportunity for 25 people to receive the first ever Beat Machines, be part of the genesis story and support us in our mission to transform music from a product we consume alone to an activity we gather to do - online, in real life, in real time."

The first 25 Beat Machines are available for pre-order now at $9,999.

Find out more on Endlesss' website.