Xbox 360
Insanely popular music-performance simulation games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band may make you feel like you're some kind of musical master but, in the end, they are only simulations. Commercial music creation software, on the other hand, was all the rage on the last generation of hardware, with releases such as Music on PSOne and the eJay series on PC.
Today, titles similar to these are almost non-existent, as the idea of faux musicians becomes all the more appealing and fewer people are willing to put in the time to learn Spanish folk guitar. Enter Yann Seznec and his wonderful Wii Loop Machine software, which puts the fun back into music creation.
Seznec is a 2007 graduate of the University of Edinburgh, where he first began working on the program. Loop Machine makes full use of the Wii's motion sensor controller and lets you remix your favourite tracks in real-time through your movements.
Seznec explains: "I'm originally a musician, and I perform a lot using laptops and electronic music software, which has always frustrated me in terms of interface. I love to dance around while I play music but traditional electronic music interfaces (keyboards, mixers, and now laptops) are really not conducive to movement, and (by extension) human expression."
So, Loop Machine is all about getting up on the floor and cutting loose, yet this is no mere gimmick or shallow dancing title. There is great depth here in terms of what you can do with the simple interface, so even beginners can remix their favourite songs to their heart's desire.
Borne from a project for his Sound Design course, Seznec placed a free version of the software on his website and the results were overwhelming. "I got tens of thousands of hits within a week, and press interest from around the world,” says Seznec, “I realized that this was a piece of software that could be developed into a commercial product, so after I finished my thesis I set up Lucky Frame Limited."
Lucky Frame is the name of Seznec's business and, as the market is opening up to the idea of independent developers getting their work out into the marketplace, Wii Loop Machine couldn't have come at a better time. You can buy the software on his website, but Seznec has his eyes on another potential opportunity.
"The WiiWare platform is definitely my target for the moment. It seems like a very good way to get into the console game market: it is certainly cheaper and way easier than it has ever been.” Nevertheless, it has been far from simple: “Nintendo talks a lot about giving innovative game ideas and developers a chance to get their games onto the console, but the reality is a bit tougher."
However, with unprecedented levels of software downloads, media and word of mouth interest and a recent appearance on Dragon's Den under his belt, Seznec is confident his software will grow ever more successful as the popularity of the Wii increases.
"Millions of people around the world are intimately familiar with how the Wii remote works which is a godsend for music software designers!” Seznec exclaims, “How often does that happen?"
We checked. The answer is not very often at all. And that's what makes Wii Loop Machine so special.