Makers Faire pick #2: Spinning drum machine 1

This system used a chip with pre-written MIDI drum samples. The way the MIDI sounds were triggered were determined by a light sensor: while it received no light, it would play the MIDI sample. To block the light, the maker used a plastic disc and a marker. By making different patterns on the disc using the marker, you can create various combinations of drum samples. The fact that it used such a simple variable, and it integrated a visible “pattern” for drums that one could easily make for themselves was what caught my attention.