Patatap takes a familiar conundrum — being supremely bored in front of your computer — and saves you from backsliding into the rabbit hole of wonky cat gifs and "Which Lindsay Lohan Are You?" quizzes. Instead, it encourages you to open your browser, get free-associative, and create something.
The means? Your keyboard, of course, which Paratap turns into an eclectic musical instrument, something between sampler and synth. Tap any letter A to Z and you'll be met with a wide range of sounds — a drum break, a heavenly synth pad, an explosive Rorschach pitter-patter. And, obviously, the magic is in the mixing. You can get crazy and sequence the sounds however you want, while an array of abstract imagery plays across the screen, synchronizing with your sonics. Unlike with actual music software, there's no UI logistics or performance pressure to grapple with — it's a foolproof self-destructing sketchpad for whimsical kicks alone.
Patatap designer Jono Brandel worked with music composers Lullatone to make the modestly described "portable animation and sound kit," which is meant to embody the phenomenon of synesthesia — the wonderful experience of senses bleeding into each other. (As with ASMR, you're likely either wired this way or you aren't — neurology is a beautiful mystery!) Tip: Hit the spacebar to mix up the sights and sounds even more. Try it out below, and go to Patatap.com for the full surreal effect. (The Verge)
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