Specdrums lets you play beats and other sounds by wearing wireless ring controllers

With the right technology, all the world’s a drum kit, and the latest product to prove this is Specdrums. The brainchild of a student startup that originated at Cornell University and is now at CU Boulder, this enables you to tap out beats by wearing Bluetooth-enabled rings.

The sound that’s produced from a tap is determined by colour, and you can play on any kind of coloured surface (an appropriate colour-coded keyboard comes supplied). You can decide what colour will trigger what sound in an Android or iOS app; this features not only drum kits, but also keyboards and synths.

It appears to be as simple as that if you want it to be, though you can also use the Specdrums rings to send MIDI data to any other application. The iOS app is open-source, and there’s a Mac OS X and Linux Python Library for developers.

Specdrums is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, and has already reached its funding target. A pledge of $34 will get you one ring, with $74 securing a pair.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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