Free Buddha Machine iPad app

The Buddha Machine is a fantastically-fun little gadget that plays loops of experimental music. It's very low-fi, simple, inexpensive ($23!), and still wonderfully entrancing. Of course, there's also a Buddha Machine iPad app and I'm told that for the next 5 days, it's free!

Buddha Machine - iPad edition

Buddha Machine (Forced Exposure)

Of course, my favorite of the Buddha Machines is the limited edition Gristleism model, filled with loops composed by Throbbing Gristle.

• [buddhamachine]

  amazon link to Gristleism seems to be bad. more info can be found here: http://gristleism.com/

• [Ambiguity]

  Call me a purist, but if you’re going to go for a Buddha-box, go for the real thing!

  Digital Buddhist Jukebox in Tibetan

• [gracelovescostumesandhabaneros]

  Oxymoron

• [Bodhipaksa]

  It’s coming up as 99c rather than free.

• [Bodhipaksa]

  Oh, ignore the comment. That’s for the iPhone app. Perhaps the iPad version is free after all. (Runs to grab iPad.)

  • [David Pescovitz]

    Correct. The iPhone version is .99. The iPad version is free. Follow the link above.

    • [Bodhipaksa]

      I didn’t follow the link in the article because I prefer to download apps direct to my iPhone/iPad, rather than downloading to a computer and then synching.

• [Tom Cox]

  It is interesting, but seems to produce a very annoging ring/humm in the high register.  Any instructions with this?

  • [buddhamachine]

    tom. which version are you using? the physical machine is 8bit audio, which comes with a healthy dose of hi-frequency personality. iphone and ipad versions use better quality audio, but our music is pretty lo-fi so there is always a bit of natural hiss… we recommend using the built-in speaker. minimum volume gives maximum pleasure.

    • [Bodhipaksa]

      I’m getting the same ringing with the iPad app. It sounds like a cricket.

    • [Jim Schmidt]

      As am I. On my 1st gen iPad, with all sliders up to the top, there’s a shrill warbling that is generated; it’s much more pronounced with the built-in speaker than on (Apple) earbuds. Oddly, if I start that “song” with volume down, the warble doesn’t come in as hard on the built-in, even if I turn the volume back up. Volume changes on earbuds don’t change the intensity of the warble.

      • [buddhamachine]

        wow… thanks for letting me know this jim… i cant replicate it on my 1st gen.. wondering if is something to do with different speaker components? does this happen with all loops? or just when all the sliders are up (first loop)…

• [Bodhipaksa]

  It’s a gorgeous app. Go download it now!

• [caipirina]

  Why is only the iPad version free? (I am still waiting for the 3rd Gen) … so .. i guess I go and get the iPhone version .. although I have the 1st G Buddha Machine … in glorious orange :) 

  • [buddhamachine]

    iphone version was free last year around this time! this year, its the ipad’s turn… hope to get 3rd Gen (chan fang) loops into the mix soon… but need to find a new developer! mine always get so busy with more lucrative projects…