Create Loop-based Music Tracks With Visual Blocks

Groove Blender 2 http://www.shockwave.com/sw/content/ grooveblender = breakthrough tool Online Tool (Win & Mac) FREE Groove Blender, now in its second edition is an innovative music-creation tool, created mostly for demonstration and promotional reasons. Though very basic in terms of functionalities Groove Blender offers a truly effective alternative approach to loop-based music composition that is highly intuitive and fun to execute. The user is provided with a set of 30 or more loops divided into such categories as Drums, Percussions, Leads, Breaks, Vocals and others, depending on the music genre selected (presently available are Funk, HipHop and Electronica). The loops are represented by very simple icons (star, square, circle, half moon, triangle, etc) differentiated by colors into the categories mentioned above. On an empty canvas sitting in front of the player, the icons are to be dragged and juxtaposed on parallel music lines. The process is extremely intuitive and easy to understand, and most anybody can try out the making of a simple music sequence. Constructing music loops with a visual interface like this one is a fascinating process, especially for people who enjoy thinking and working visually. Often when I showcase new technologies that help people understand how technologies can be effectively employed for learning, I reserve a special section to Groove Blender. The interface design approach used by Groove Blender is an effective approach to music creation because it allows you to rapidly paint music patterns while trying out with ease possible alternatives. Music blocks can be grouped, copied and pasted to simplify the process of creating effective and longer music tracks. Music created can also be saved, emailed and shared with others. For those who find the creation process too time consuming for them or have little time to fully test this tool a "Flip it" button allows the automatic creation of complex sequences at the click of your mouse. While the original Groove Blender was also a downloadable tool, the new version requires logging onto the Internet and accessing the Game section of Shockwave.com. Groove Blender has now become a promotional and advertising tool for a soft drink and in this process it has lost some of its best features including working in full screen mode. Access Groove Blender 2 online at: http://www.shockwave.com/sw/content/ grooveblender