Bitty is a pocket-sized endlessly customisable pocket-sized drum machine and synth

Yeah, we know: another tiny synth/drum machine. But wait, because Bitty ($88) is something special. Its lo-fi looks are at odds with modern tech, resembling something thrown together in a garage. Yet the built-in speaker – usually used in car door panels – has enough oomph to annoy the neighbours. 12-bit output harks back to crunchy ’80s and ’90s sounds as you prod the four buttons, and twiddle knobs to select patterns, ‘scratch’ sounds, and fire up arps, all while strapping torches to your face so you can pretend you’re the secret third member of Orbital. Arguably the best bit: Bitty’s endlessly extensible. Because it’s based on Arduino, you can swap out the sounds (it comes with a pile of packs, which you can squirt across via USB) – or even the software, right down to writing your own.

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.