NodeBeat

NodeBeat is a Flash-based audio software application whose purpose is to help you create music in a fun and interactive way. It offers support for different musical scales and key signatures.

The tool can be run directly on your computer without having to go through an installation process. You also run the program on the target computer without administrative privileges as it doesn’t write any entries in your Windows registry and leave configuration data.

What’s more, you can copy it on any USB flash drive or other devices and take it with you whenever you need to generate music.

NodeBeat displays colorful circles which can be moved to any area of the working environment using the drag-and-drop support. The big circles that include the ‘+’ button right in their center are used as generators, while the small circles represent the notes.

The sound is automatically produced when you link small circles to a generator. You are allowed to use multiple generators at the same time, and you can increase or decrease their number using the built-in slider. You may also activate the full screen mode display.

NodeBeat gives you the possibility to alter the number of notes that are displayed on the screen, link the same note to different generators at the same time, adjust the note length, as well as change the size of the lines used for connecting the notes to the generators.

What’s more, you can make the utility move the generators and notes randomly on the screen. If you opt for this particular mode, the tool automatically links notes to generators as they move across the screen. Plus, you can reveal or conceal a spectrum and pause notes in order to create your own beats.

Tests have shown that NodeBeat delivers very good audio quality without producing interruptions or pauses when you link nodes to different generators. However, it eats up CPU and memory, so the overall performance of the computer may be affected.

To sum things up, NodeBeat comes with the right tools for helping you generate music using simple and intuitive actions. The utility is far from being an audio synthesizer but it allows less experienced users or children to play while creating music using different visual elements.