Cool web-based drum machine

This online drum machine functions by way of mouse clicks on the image keys, or keystrokes on your actual keyboard.

TIPS:

1. The sinister face up top plays a drum loop, and I'm pleased to find that if you click it repeatedly in succession, the loop will build up out of synch into a squall of static. Sweet!

2. If you hold down each letter key, you'll get rapid-fire looping of each sound. All RIGHT!

This turns out to be the work of Ron Winter, a director, animator and music producer who's worked on lots of stuff that's, like, famous.

I'm A Hunter : World of Warcraft video

I was drafted to sing and mix the vocals for this video, put together by a World of Warcraft guild led by a friend of mine who goes by the name of Frostheim in Warcraftistan.

I don't play WoW myself, so I have no idea what I'm singing about.

My fiance Jen sang the backup vocals. The Hunters Union is going for 500,000 hits on this puppy, so check it out! Thanks for supporting local music.

Monkey Music

An interesting (though not particularly surprising) article on MSNBC's Cosmic Log relates a recent experiment:

"Cotton-top tamarin monkeys grew calmer after they heard music based on their own calm, friendly calls. But the monkeys became more agitated when researchers played music that contained elements of their own threatening or fearful calls."

From the mp3 samples provided, it sounds like they're using granular synthesis to make randomized loops of the audio.