This article was published on May 31, 2011

Make music, Sim City-style with Isle of Tune


Make music, Sim City-style with Isle of Tune

Isle of Tune is a great example of what’s possible within the humble browser these days. This music sequencer lets you create songs by adding roads, buildings, trees and and other urban objects to a map.

Once your map is laid out, you can drop up to three cars onto the landscape. As the cars pass different objects, they make different sounds. It’s a simple and fun idea and you might just lead to you spending hours tweaking your audio masterpiece as the cars drive round and round. Once you’re happy with your composition, you can share it with other users.

Currently available on its website and as a Chrome app, and with an iOS version on the way, Isle of Tune is still a work in progress. You can’t change the speed of the cars, so the tempo of music can’t be changed, and having just three cars can feel a little limiting at first.Still, some of the music created with the app is simply stunning.

Amongst the top shared ‘cities’ at the moment includes one that plays out a loop of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’. While that’s far from my favourite song, it’s damn impressive to see played out by little vehicles in my browser. Similarly, renditions of Michael Jackson’s Beat It and Salt’n’Pepa’s Push It (direct links to cities aren’t possible yet) inspire me to spend more time with this quality Web app.

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So, go build a tune (literally) and share it with the world! You can find out more on the Isle of Tune Facebook page.

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