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Client
Coca Cola & Sprite
Partner
WØRKS
Description
Turn recycling into rhythm with our digital beat machine, crafting unique sounds from bottle recycling processes. View Project

Recycled Records

The Case

“Recycled Records”, a user generated content campaign for Coca-Cola & Sprite

The “Recycled Records” campaign marks Coca-Cola's switch from green to clear plastic bottles for Sprite, Fresca and Seagram as part of their overall sustainability strategy. Various sounds recorded during the bottle recycling process are the starting point for an innovative musical experiment resulting in a digital beat machine to make your own records.
In just 5 weeks both WØRKS and Merlin created "Recycled Records". A beat sampler built purely on web technology that allowed users to create their own 16 bars beat with sounds from Sprite's recycle facility. The beats were produced live, and could be exported into a video live on the platform. This project was the first of its kind to see an on-device video generator created at Merlin.

View Website

Key Objectives

  • Create a beautiful website: We created a Dynamic Templating system on top of DatoCMS with NextJS (React) and animated content with Framer Motion
  • Create a beat sampler: We used Tone.js to create a beat machine, this was new for us as nobody had audio-creation experience. We created a customizable 16 bar beat machine with many effects, BPM slider, presets and more within 4 weeks.
  • Create an audio visualisation: As icing on the cake, we created a WebGL powered audio visualisation that animated based on values extracted from the sound. This gave a synchronous feeling to the experience and allowed us to export the video with a unique visual for every user.
  • Create a video export tool: We developed a tool that enabled for on-device video generation and exports. This negates the need for a server and thus is more secure and does not yield any costs.
  • Ensure WCAG Level 2 compliance: To ensure accessibility and to follow the US law, we tested and applied various accessibility measures

Beat Machine
Beat Machine

the sonic experience

A step-by-step tutorial takes you through all the features of the beat machine. Once you know the drill get mixing, chopping and looping with the samples available.
The plastic like particles give you a equalizer of feedback on the beat you are creating. All of this works as smooth on mobile too.
Vinyl
"This virtual beat machine made it possible for thousands of people to make a cool beat. The export functionality allowed for socials to take over and make the campaign a success"
Mees Rutten, Founder @ Merlin Studio
MadLib drinking a Sprite

Results & Ongoing Partnership

The website got traction from news sites and saw a lot of activity. After the campaign duration ended, the site was taken down.
Together with WØRKS, we look back on an amazing project that kickstarted our ongoing collaboration for several years.

More projects

_ erthos® with WØRKS