Beatbox Mixer
Read the story- Brand
- Verizon
- Year
- 2006
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Tech & Telecom
- Mechanic
- Music & Rhythm
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- R/GA
Objective
Verizon could point to broadband being always-on and faster than dial-up, but had no way to show consumers what else it was good for. The Beatbox Mixer was built to make that case visually and reposition Verizon from a phone company into an entertainment platform, backing the "Richer, Deeper, Broader" campaign with a concrete demonstration of broadband as a tool for creating and sharing content.
Solution
Visitors land on a simplified MPC-style beat grid with a timeline running underneath. They pick from five real beatboxers — led by Rahzel of The Roots — and set the tempo and beat type each one contributes; every beat dropped into the sequence plays back with video of that performer laying it down, not just the audio. As the grid fills in, the visitor is essentially directing a short music-video clip, with Baba Israel's voiceover dropping in background on the artists along the way. When the mix is done, they save it and email the finished clip to friends.
- 1
The player opens the mixer page on Verizon's broadband portal and chooses a mode: build a mix from scratch, listen to mixes assembled by the featured beatboxers, or listen to the most popular mixes made by other players.
- 2
An optional guided intro, narrated by New York beatboxer Baba Israel, explains what beatboxing is — rhythms and sound effects produced with the mouth, tongue, and throat.
- 3
To build a mix, the player picks up to three beatboxers from a roster of five (Rahzel, Click Tha Supah Latin, Masai Electro, Butterscotch, Max B), each introduced by video portrait, sets a tempo, and selects from dozens of beat types each performer has recorded.
- 4
These selections load into an assembly player: an MPC-style pad grid paired with a sequencer timeline where the mix takes shape.
- 5
Playing the mix pairs each track with matching video, cutting to whichever performer's beat is currently sounding so audio and footage stay in sync.
- 6
While the mix plays, the player toggles beats on and off, layers in accents, and combines performers in real time, producing what the site calls millions of possible performances.
- 7
The finished mix is saved to the player's account on the site.
- 8
Saved mixes can be emailed to friends, the mechanic that drove the project's viral spread.
- 9
The player can also return to listen to mixes made by the beatboxers themselves and the most popular mixes made by other players.
