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Tenori-on-style virtual instrument
Audiotool is Andre Michelle’s day job, but he also makes parts of the bigger app available separately through his personal website. Tonematrix is our favourite, a virtual instrument which draws inspiration from Yamaha’s groundbreaking Tenori-on. Think of it as a polyphonic step sequencer triggering a simple sine wave-based instrument.
Tonematrix is as simple as it gets. Use the 16x16 grid of buttons to program repeating patterns, then mutate and develop them as they loop. Copy and paste functions allow patterns to be stored and recalled, while the space bar wipes everything if you want to start from scratch.
The simplicity means that Tonematrix works incredibly well as a standalone tool, with absolutely no musical knowledge or experience required to get started. Don’t be surprised to realise you’ve wasted a couple of hours just creating and developing melodic ideas.
