Wii Loop Machine

Insanely popular music simulation games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band may make you feel like you're some kind of musical master, but they are just that, 'a simulation'. Commercial music creation software, on the other hand, was all the rage in the last generation with releaseases such as Music on PsOne and the eJay series on PC.

Today, however, these titles are irrelevant as the idea of 'faux' musicians becomes all the more appealing; lest we forget that playing music games is generally less hard work than learning Spanish folk guitar for real. Into this context, Yann Seznec and enters with his wonderful Wii Loop Machine software which puts the fun back into music creation.

An alumnus from the University of Edinburgh, Yann's programme is the result of a lot of hard graft and passion for music. It makes full use of the Wii's motion sensor controller and lets you remix your favourite tracks in realtime via your movements.

Yann said, "I'm originally a musician, and I perform a lot using laptops and electronic music software, which has always frustrated me in terms of interface. I love to dance around while I play music but traditional electronic music interfaces (keyboards, mixers, and now laptops) are really not conducive to movement, and (by extension) human expression."

So, Loop Machine is all about getting up on the floor and cutting loose, yet this is no mere gimmick or shallow dancing title. There is great depth here in terms of what you can do with the simple interface, so even beginners can remix their favourite songs to their heart's desire.

Borne from a project for his Sound Design course, Yann placed a free version of the software on his website and the results were overwhelming. Says Yann, "I got tens of thousands of hits within a week, and press interest from around the world. I realized that this was a piece of software that could be developed into a commercial product, so after I finished my thesis I set up Lucky Frame Limited."

Lucky Frame is the name of Yann's business and, as the market is opening up to the idea of independent developers getting their work out into the marketplace, Wii Loop Machine couldn't have come at a better time. You can buy the software on his website, but Yann has his eyes on another potential opportunity.

Yann Says, "The WiiWare platform is definitely my target for the moment. It seems like a very good way to get into the console game market: it is certainly cheaper and way easier than it has ever been. Nintendo talks a lot about giving innovative game ideas and developers a chance to get their games on to the console, but the reality is a bit tougher."

However, with unprecendented levels of software downloads, media and word of mouth interest and a recent appearance on Dragon's Den under his belt, Yann is confident his software will be an even bigger success as the popularity of the Wii grows.

Yann says, "Millions of people around the world are intimately familiar with how the Wii remote works, which is a godsend for music software designers! How often does that happen?" - We checked...The answer is not very often, which is just one of the reasons why the Wii Loop Machine is set to rule.