Using LEGO to Build a Wildly Unique Rotary Drum Machine

When using a drum machine, you simply set a tempo and then select the beats on which you’d like the machine to play a sound. Typically, you’ll have several simultaneous tracks or channels, each with their own unique sound (like bass, snare, hi-hat, and so on). Almost all drum machines have you select the beats using buttons or a digital interface. But Redditor zomb23 found a far more unique way: LEGO studs on a rotary canvas.

At this time, zomb23 hasn’t shared many of the technical details, but the concept is already absolutely fascinating. The physical setup consists of a cylinder lined with rows of LEGO nibs. Those are all green and make up the blank canvas. Each row has 12 columns, each of which corresponds to a track or channel with a specific associated sound. There are at least 16 rows, arranged radially, which are the beats.

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