Attention fellow beat makers, are you looking for the next big gadget to add to your list? The Oddball is a new drum machine that operates by bouncing and tapping it. It’s way more advanced than your average bouncy ball and be customized using a specialized app on your phone. The device is simply a MIDI controller with a percussion trigger inside that connects to your device using Bluetooth. You can listen to your beats with headphones or a connected Bluetooth speaker.
Oddball can be thrown at any surface creating different sounds depending on how hard you throw it. Basically, the ball is pressure sensitive and will convert the force hitting the ball to the power of the note. The app is just as complex, providing audio libraries that allow you to choose what type of sound/instrument the ball will produce. Additionally, you can create loop beats, connect multiple Oddballs, and even share your beats with other users.
“We wanted to give everybody the opportunity to create music the same way musicians do.”
Creators Nathan Webb and Pasquale Totaro designed the ball so all people can produce sounds and beats they might not feel comfortable or skilled enough to do otherwise. It’s also very compact, meaning you can use it while camping at music festivals, walking down the street, or while waiting for the bus to arrive like seen in their video.
Currently, the Oddball is available to be backed at Kickstarter. 854 people have backed the new device, pledging a little over $80,000 so far. If you’re interested in getting your hands on an Oddball, pledges start at about $77 and rise up to $431. This isn’t a bouncy ball you can afford to lose by having it roll into the street or down a storm drain! Estimated delivery is schedule for January 2019.
Check out their official Kickstarter page here.
