Beatbox – a do-it-yourself drum machine in a cardboard box

Beatbox – a do-it-yourself drum machine in a cardboard box

Beatbox is a new DIY project which allows anyone to build their own drum machine MIDI controller – no soldering required!

Beatbox is an all-new do-it-yourself project that is so simple, you should be up and running in under an hour! It’s so easy to assemble, the creators reckon a 10-year-old can do it! The package will ship as a full kit with all the components you need to assemble your own drum machine.

The controller is made up of 16 arcade-style trigger buttons and a further 8 arcade-style control buttons which can be assigned. There are 4 potentiometers and an X/Y joystick control along the top – which you can also assign to various parameters.

Beatbox is a MIDI controller not a standalone system, however it does have some very nifty features for using it alongside the mobile app. It’s battery-powered and has built-in speakers, so you just need to hook it up to a smart device and you’re good to go.

Beatbox has a mobile app that you can connect to, with a variety of built-in sound packs and tutorials.

Are there any plans for a more robust chassis option?

The creators want to keep the package as cost effective as possible, so they’re planning on sticking with the cardboard box for the time being. However, they do plan on releasing the die-lines which will allow anyone with access to a 3D printer, wood workshop or CNC machine to create their own robust chassis for the Beatbox.

The Beatbox Kickstarter campaign will be kicking off in September, and if all goes well, they plan on officially launching the product in the US Spring 2020. They haven’t announced the price yet, however I’m sure it will be affordable. For more information check out the Beatbox website here, and sign up to the newsletter to get notified when the kickstarter goes live.