We’ll concede that we don’t know a great deal about the ‘bytebeat’ scene, which involves creating music out of simple mathematical formulas, but the MMXX T-APE - a bytebeat synth that looks like a cassette - has certainly piqued our interest.
The creator, Phonicbloom, says that it works like a granular sampler, but instead of manipulating pieces of audio, it goes to work on the bytebeat. You can browse, cut and mangle pieces and arrange them into sequences, or simply trigger arpeggios using the eight touch-sensitive keys.
There are a couple of light sensors, too, so Theremin-style playing is also possible.
The MMXX T-APE is so cassette-like in appearance that it actually appears to feature a couple of spools, but these are, in fact, rotary encoders.
We can’t see this being an essential purchase for many people but, equally, the MMXX T-APE’s kooky design is certainly endearing. It’s available for pre-order now for €69, with shipping set to begin soon.
Find out more on the Phonicbloom website.
