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Tone Matrix

Andre Michelle, the genius programmer who is also responsible for the fantastic Hobnox Audio Tool (I wrote about it frequently last year), has come up with a new, nifty audio-game: The Tone Matrix!



Tone Matrix is a simple flash-based sinewave synthesizer triggered by an ordinary 16step sequencer. You have a square filled with more squares which you can activate and de-activate by clicking them. This way you can easily create "gamelan-esque" sequences or minimal rhythms that you can vary constantly. The pattern can be totally hypnotising and playing with this thing is seriously addictive.

After coming up with a bunch of geometric patterns I soon began to write words into the grid just to see how text patterns might sound.


This simple idea is apparently based on the fantastic Tenori-On by Yamaha. Thanks Andre for providing these amazing toys for free!

Bachelor Pad Muzak: The Hobnox Audio Tool mk2

Exactly a month ago I posted a piece about the great Hobnox Audio Tool.

David Noel, one of the guys (or maybe the only one?) behind this sexy flash simulation wrote me a comment that the legendary Roland TR-808 would be added soon to the line-up.
Mmmh, the 808! The sound of pure aural geek sex!
A sound that is so pure, powerful, yet tender, organic and totally artificial at the same time. It´s no wonder that the (reported) first use of the 808 in a studio recording was on Marvin Gaye´s "Sexual Healing", a record that set the template for every R&B track that followed. Marvin can croon and swoon as much as he likes (and he likes it a lot) but - without a doubt - it´s the flowing, pulsating and percolating rhythm of the 808 that is repsonsible for many babies who were conceived to its warm groove which was programmed by Japanese technicians.
They should have never given one to Phil Collins, though.

So, now we have the 808 next to the 909 and two 303 simulators and two new effect-boxes.
To make it short: It´s the BOMB! The 808 sounds are as pristine as the other instruments and the f/x work very well. I can listen to this for hours without end.

It´s still not possible to save anything you do, but the Hobnox-guys are busy working on it. Maybe on June 12 I can make another update.

Get it NOW!

The illustration was done with my gimmick-du-jour

2 after 909: Hobnox Audio Tool Emulator

Remember the nifty Roland TR-909 Drumcomputer simulation I wrote about a while ago?

The Hobnox Audio Tool will take it to the next level.
In its momentary demo stage you can program a simulated TR-909, two TB-303´s, put them through a combination of nine effect-boxes such as flanger, reverb, equalizer and delay and then you can plug all of this into a mixer! If you think this sounds great in theory, wait until you hear it!


The 909 has five pre-programmed patterns but you can program many more. The two 303´s are also pre-programmed. If you press play on the bottom of the page you will only hear the 909. You will have to plug in the 303´s by clicking their output jacks and drag the appearing cable into the input of the mixer or you plug them into the effect-boxes, which you can interconnect as you wish. Make sure to scroll around the site to see everything. I found the mixer on top of the page quite late.

In it´s post demo-stage you will be able to save your creations. A TR-808 simulation is also in the works and the possibility to jam online with other users sounds like a great idea.

Download the demo here, but be warned: It´s highly addictive and you´ll find yourself spending hours in Acid-heaven.

EDIT: The Audio Tool is updated! Read more about it!