The Madplayer is hard to describe: it’s an MP3 player and portable FM radio but also a cross between a Casio keyboard and DJ deck. This device composes music for you and then lets you manipulate it to create your own distinctive tune.
First you have to select a musical genre. On the screen is a representation of a road, divided into six lanes of traffic. Each lane represents a different line of the music — one for the drums, one for the bass, one for the lead and so on. In each lane you can change the speed and pitch of the sample being played or change the sample altogether, gradually constructing your own version of the default tune.
You can then save it to the 32MB SmartMedia card or transfer it to your PC via the USB link.
You use Windows Media Player to rip tracks and USB to get them on to the player. The supplied 32MB memory card is the ideal size for the generative music you compose, as the files’ sizes are small, but it’s woefully inadequate for playing an album’s worth of CD-quality MP3s.
MadWaves Madplayer
Price: $US199
URL: www.outpost.com; www.madwaves.com
