Air Drum in 7 min (No coding required)

What is this project about?

This project demonstrates how Grablo can transform complex motion-controlled music creation into simple, intuitive building. We're creating a responsive air drum kit using an accelerometer sensor that detects drumstick swing direction and plays realistic drum sounds.

Why did we decide to make it?

Creating motion-controlled musical instruments involves multiple complex challenges: managing sensor data processing, implementing real-time audio synthesis, handling MIDI protocols, setting motion thresholds, debugging hardware timing issues, and making everything work together without latency. With Grablo, you simply think "play different drum sounds when drumstick swings forward, left, or right" and arrange blocks to make it happen.

What You'll Build

A complete air drum kit with:

• Motion-triggered drum sounds with realistic audio synthesis
• 3-axis accelerometer detecting drumstick swing direction
• Three different drum sounds (center, left, right) based on motion direction
• Real-time acceleration monitoring dashboard
• Instant response for natural drumming feel

See it in action:

Quick Start

• Mount MPU-6050 securely to drumstick
• Set up hardware connections
• Click Project Link
• Connect your controller
• Hit RUN!

Build Process

Logic

Control 1: Continuous Sensor Reading

Create a control that continuously reads accelerometer data from MPU-6050

• Condition: Always running
• Action: Read MPU-6050 accelerometer data across X, Y, Z axes with ±4G range - Store acceleration values in three separate variables for real-time processing

Control 2: Select Drum Instrument

Create a control that sets up your drum sounds once at startup

• Condition: Once at startup
• Action: Configure built-in synthesizer with drum sound font - Select bank 128, preset 0 for standard drum kit sounds - Choose MIDI notes: 38 (center), 47 (left), 57 (right)

Control 3: Play Drum Sounds

Create controls that detect drumstick swings and play appropriate drum sounds based on direction

• Condition: Z-axis acceleration > 2g
• Action1 (Sub-Control): X-axis between -0.6 and 0.6 → Play center drum (MIDI note 38)
• Action 2 (Sub-Control): X-axis < -0.6 → Play left drum (MIDI note 47)
• Action 3 (Sub-Control): X-axis > 0.6 → Play right drum (MIDI note 57)

Dashboard

• Acceleration Widgets: Display live X, Y, Z acceleration values

That's It!

Your air drum kit is complete! You've created a motion-controlled musical instrument by simply arranging visual blocks. Grablo handles all the technical complexity - you just focus on your creativity.

Expected Results

When you run your project:

• Swing drumstick forward → Center drum sound
• Swing drumstick left → Left drum sound
• Swing drumstick right → Right drum sound
• Real-time motion detection with instant audio response
• Dashboard shows live acceleration data

Video Tutorial

Watch the complete 7-minute build process

What's Next?

Expand your project using more blocks:

• Use two drumsticks for realistic dual-hand drumming experience
• Switch to different instruments like piano, guitar, or synthesizer sounds
• Add visual feedback with LED strips that light up with each drum hit
• Velocity-sensitive volume based on swing force

Resources & Support

• Official Website:https://grablo.co
• Web Application:https://app.grablo.co
• Documentation:https://doc.grablo.co
• Free Sound Fonts:https://archive.org/download/free-soundfonts-sf2-2019-04
• Support Email:support@grablo.co