Clock Signatures
Why does a clock tick and tock?
This was a phrase I read in a short story that stuck with me. I had an intuition for what it might be, but I wasn't sure.
The short answer is that it's sound from an escapement, with different sounds being produced on the swing and return.
This made me wonder about different ticking patterns. 60 divides cleanly by 2,3,4,5, and 6.
How weird would it be to have a clock that accented the tick every 3 beats? Or 5?
So I vibed up this part-clock / part-metronome. It's not particularly useful, but I did enjoy staring at the patterns getting in and out of sync when all clock signatures were enabled. Also, there is audio as well, if you care to leave the volume on.
Interactive demo (click to start audio):
click inside to start audio