Is anyone else waiting (hoping?) that Activision will expand beyond music? What about, say, Baking Hero? Accounting Hero? I mean, if we’re trying to make sure we appeal to all interests here, maybe we should think about expanding. Just a notion, Activision. You don’t have to thank me.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m just kicking back and waiting for the YouTube videos of kids playing DJ Hero, Guitar Hero, and Drum Hero all at the same time through creative use of appendages not typically employed for playing music. It’s gonna be epic.

[via Joystiq]

Watch MsFrizzyHair flutin’ out on Avenged Sevenfold’s Afterlife on Expert. Yeah weird choice right? But is there a song in Rock Band that would go well with a flute?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

98%! Nice. Also, notice how she can’t seem to keep her eyes open when she talks? She must be a silent driver.

[via Neatorama]

It even comes with a magnetic pick for some strumming action, and an awesome mini amplifier that has “Think Geek” written on it using the same font that Marshall uses on its amps. Aside from controlling the volume, the amp also has a tone knob.

Ready to go beyond randomly waggling your fingers when you’re rocking out to your favorite song? Then get the Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt at ThinkGeek for just $30 (USD). Requires 4 AAA batteries, not included.

As you may have guessed from its looks, the Tape Express is also a portable cassette tape player. So if you just can’t let go of your tapes even after recording their contents, you can still use them with the Tape Express. Pop in a couple of AA batteries and take it with you wherever you go, just like old times.

You can get the Ion Tape Express at Firebox for £50 (approx. $80 USD). Nostalgia guaranteed.

[via popgadget]

Created by Amidio – the same folks who brought us the amazing noise.io iphone synth. According to the Amidio guys, Touch DJ is a serious live performance tool, and not just an audio toy like many other iPhone apps.

The app not only can mix two MP3 tracks, it lets you apply audio effects, pitch-bending, equalization and looping without ever leaving the intuitive visual interface. Each track is automatically color coded to correspond to its frequencies to make it even easier to match beats. Check out the video clips below to see (and hear) a sneak preview of Touch DJ in action.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Once released, Touch DJ will ship with 25 dance tracks from DanceMusicHub that you can immediately create music with, and I assume that additional tracks will be available for download in the future. Amidio also plans on releasing a Touch DJ sync application that lets you send your own MP3s to your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Keep in mind that the audio processing is very processor intensive so Amidio recommends using Touch DJ only on the iPhone 3GS or newer iPod Touch models with faster CPUs. There’s no word yet on when Touch DJ will hit the app store. All Amidio says on their site is “ESTIMATED AVAILABILITY DATE: ??? (ASK APPLE!)”. Hopefully, that means soon. For now, follow them over on Twitter to be notified when Touch DJ is released.

These pint-sized electronic steel drums can be played with a simple touch of your finger, with each pad representing a distinct note from the major scale. The mini drums can even record and play back your musical compositions – as long as your composition isn’t any longer than 25 notes. With the full Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do in its arsenal, you can improvise a reggae (or is that ragga) version of your favorite jams with ease. Heck, check out some of the tunes the Vat19 guys cranked out in this here vid clip:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Hmm, I can’t decide if I like that steel drum Mario Bros. or reggae Biz Markie better. You be the judge.

Ready to be jammin’, mon? Just head on over to Vat19 and bang out a pair for just $18.95(USD).

Some of the songs that the sometimes bewildered citizens heard were from Bob Dylan, Death in Vegas and the Guillemots. And some Mastodon in the morning. I’m kidding. I don’t think any of the music was heavy or aggressive, what with the sheep and snow.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Did you watch it? Which is more awesome – the concept of the ad or Seydisfjordur? I want to live there. Seems like a laidback, sleepy town.

[via swissmiss]

DJ Hero is packing in an awful lot of variety here, from classic rock to all sorts of hip hop and pop music, to some really unexpected tracks.

• 2Pac – “All Eyez On Me” vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra – “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)”
• 50 Cent – “Disco Inferno” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”
• 50 Cent – “Disco Inferno” vs. InDeep – “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”
• Afrika Bambaataa – “Zulu Nation Throwdown” vs. Freedom Express – “Get Down”
• Beastie Boys – “Here’s A Little Somethin’ For Ya” vs. DJ Shadow – “The Number Song (2009 Version)” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” vs. Blondie – “Rapture”
• Beastie Boys – “Lee Majors Come Again” vs. Daft Punk – “Da Funk” (Produced and mixed by Cut Chemist)
• Beck – “Where It’s At” vs. DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
• Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” Beat Juggle
• Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” vs. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
• Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” vs. Cameo – “Word Up!”
• Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction” vs. Tiësto – “Elements Of Life”
• Billy Squier – “The Big Beat” vs. N.E.R.D. – “Lapdance” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow” vs. Benny Benassi – “Satisfaction”
• Bobby “Blue” Bland – “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. 2Pac – “How Do You Want It”
• Bobby “Blue” Bland – “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. Connie Price & The Keystones – “Fuzz And Them”
• Boogie Down Productions – “Jack Of Spades” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – “Bustin’ Loose” vs. The Zombies – “Time Of The Season” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers – “Bustin’ Loose” vs. Young MC – “Bust A Move”
• Common – “Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)” vs. Masta Ace – “Jeep A** Gutter (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir ” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Cypress Hill – “Insane In The Brain” vs. Classics IV – “Spooky”
• Cypress Hill – “Insane In The Brain” vs. David Axelrod – “The Edge”
• Daft Punk – “Around The World” vs. Young MC – “Bust A Move”
• Daft Punk – “Da Funk” vs. N.A.S.A. – “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip”
• Daft Punk – “Megamix 1″
• Daft Punk – “Megamix 2″
• Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” vs. Hashim – “Al Naafyish (The Soul)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” vs. Queen – “We Will Rock You”
• Daft Punk – “Short Circuit” vs. Boogie Down Productions – “Jack Of Spades”
• Daft Punk – “Technologic” vs. Gary Numan – “Cars”
• Daft Punk – “Television Rules the Nation” vs. No Doubt – “Hella Good”
• David Axelrod – “The Edge” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President”
• Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. DJ Shadow – “Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)”
• Dizzee Rascal – “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. Justice – “Genesis”
• DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)” vs. D-Code – “Annie’s Horn”
• Eminem – “My Name Is” vs. Beck – “Loser”
• Fedde Le Grand – “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn – “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
• Foo Fighters – “Monkey Wrench” vs. Beastie Boys – “Sabotage” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Foreigner – “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs – “DJ Hero” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Foreigner – “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs – “DJ Hero” (DJ-Guitar mix, produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” vs. Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones, Pt 2″ (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
• Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.” vs. Blondie – “Atomic”
• Grandmaster Flash’s – “Boom” vs. “Tap” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, DJ Demo – “Here Comes My DJ” vs. Gary Numan – “Cars” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
• Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. InDeep “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
• Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl” vs. Rick James – “Give It To Me”
• Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” Beat Juggle
• Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” vs. N.E.R.D. – “Lapdance” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• InDeep – “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” vs. Cameo – “Word Up!”
• Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
• Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life”
• JAY-Z feat. Pharrell – “Change Clothes” vs. 2Pac – “All Eyez on Me”
• JAY-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Eminem – “My Name Is”
• JAY-Z – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back”
• JAY-Z – “Excuse Me Miss” vs. Rick James – “Give It To Me”
• Jean Knight – “Mr. Big Stuff” vs. Masta Ace – “Born To Roll”
• Jurassic 5 – “Jayou” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat”
• Jurassic 5 – “Jayou” vs. Herbie Hancock – “Rockit”
• Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite” vs. Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”
• Kool Moe Dee – “How Ya Like Me Now” vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman – “I Like To Move It”
• Little Richard – “Tutti Frutti” vs. Shlomo – “Beats” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
• M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” vs. Wale – “Lookin’ At Me”
• Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”
• Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
• Motörhead – “Ace Of Spades” vs. Noisia – “Groundhog” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• N.A.S.A. – “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip” vs. Isaac Hayes – “Theme From Shaft”
• Noisia – “Groundhog” Beat Juggle (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Paul van Dyk – “Nothing But You” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn – “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
• Public Enemy – “Shut ‘Em Down” vs. Beck – “Where It’s At”
• Public Enemy ft. Zakk Wylde – “Bring The Noise 20XX” vs. Justice – “Genesis” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde – “Bring The Noise 20XX” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Q-Tip – “Good Thang” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
• Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Beastie Boys – “Brass Monkey” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Daft Punk – “Da Funk”
• Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. Kid Sister – “Control”
• Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. The Killers – “Somebody Told Me” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Rihanna – “Disturbia” vs. The Trammps – “Disco Inferno”
• Shlomo – “Beats” vs. Billy Squier – “The Big Beat”
• Street Sweeper Social Club – “Fight! Smash! Win!” vs. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. DJ Shadow – “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
• Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. Eric B. & Rakim – “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• Tears For Fears – “Shout” vs. Eric Prydz – “Pjanoo”
• The Aranbee Pop Orchestra – “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)” vs. LL Cool J – “Rock The Bells” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• The Scratch Perverts Beats and Pieces (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• The Killers – “Somebody Told Me” vs. Eric Prydz – “Pjanoo”
• Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” vs. MC Hammer – “U Can’t Touch This”
• Vanilla Ice – “Ice Ice Baby” vs. Paula Abdul – “Straight Up”
• Wale – “Lookin’ At Me” vs. Black Eyed Peas ft. Tippa Irie – “Hey Mama”
• Weezer – “Beverly Hills” vs. Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys – “Fresh Rhymes And Videotape” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music” vs. Gang Starr – “Just To Get A Rep” (DJ-Guitar mix)

Now all you need is the right outfit, and you can be rocking (mixing?) out like this.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Joystiq]

Whoever designed Splitterbot has some wicked, Brando-style imagination.

Ouch. You can get your own Splitterbot for only $8 (USD) at ThinkGeek.com. But know this: our actions won’t go unpunished.

[via Notcot]

Designed as a collaboration between Ableton and Novation, the new Launchpad is a dedicated controller that offers a 64-button grid of backlit buttons which can be used to create and display music sequences using the same sort of interactive interface you might find in a Monome or a Tenori-On.

What I really love about the Launchpad is its easy-to-understand layout, along with bright, colorfully-lit LED control buttons to make it perfect for either a studio or live performance setting. It’s also nice and portable, measuring in at just 9.4″ x 9.4″ and less than an inch thick.

The portable controller lets you easily launch musical “scenes” which are basically groups of presets within Ableton. Each light on the interface of the Launchpad provides an indication of the status of that particular track. Orange means a sound is loaded, green means a sound is playing, and red means sounds being recorded. And the compact Launchpad can be switched between modes that either control audio clips, or act as a virtual mixing board too.

Check out the videos below to see the Launchpad in all it’s glory…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

As an added bonus, you can string up to six Launchpads together and use them with a single computer for over 400 assignable control buttons. Sweet! And if you don’t already have Ableton Live, that’s okay, the Launchpad ships with a special version of Ableton Live 8, tailored for Launchpad users. Sure it’s a bit stripped down from the full version, but still a great way for budding electronic musicians and DJs to get into the scene.

Expect the Launchpad to hit stores in early November, with a retail price of just $199 (USD) / $149 (EUR). For more information, head on over to Novation’s Launchpad page.

[via fubiz]

MusicSkins doesn’t have that many designs, and some of them don’t look so hot – to me at least – but the good thing about MusicSkin is that they don’t just make skins for laptops, gaming devices and iPods. The Interpol skin featured above for example  - $30 (USD) for the 17″ laptop version – has a ton of other versions, like for Sansa Disks, Blackberries and even Seagate’s FreeAgent Go external hard drive.

As I said, the selection isn’t that varied; I’m also curious as to how the company decides which artists to feature, because their selection is a bit odd. But there are gems in there, like the Sex Pistols skin featured above ($20 USD for the Nintendo DS lite version), as well as non-music related – but still decent – designs, like the explodingdog design you see below ($20 for the PSP Slim version).

And if you think that all of MusicSkins’ offerings suck, you can upload your own images and design your own skin. I think I’ll make me a Three Wolf Moon skin for my Macbook.

[via Chip Chick]

Each speaker measures 7.87 x 5.51 in. LaCie backs up Poulton’s design with French audio company Cabasse’s technology. Sound² speakers are equipped with a Class D digital amplifier, magnetic shielding and a peak output of 30 W (15 x 2), as well as Cabasse’s Wide Band ICF Driver with a frequency response of 80Hz – 20kHz. Not that I understand any of that. Here’s more technobabble! Maximum Acoustic Level : 95.5dB@1m! And did you know Signal Processing & Frequency was 16-bit / 48kHz?

The Sound² comes with a power adapter, but if for some reason you don’t want to bring the adapter with you, the speakers can also run off the power that it gets from your computer via the built-in USB cord. You can buy the Sound² at LaCie’s online shop for $100 (USD).

[via Everything USB]

The ten songs slated for inclusion are:

• “Another One Bites the Dust”
• “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
• “One Vision”
• “Fat Bottomed Girls”
• “I Want It All”
• “I Want to Break Free”
• “Killer Queen”
• “Somebody to Love”
• “Tie Your Mother Down”
• “Under Pressure”

The Queen pack will be available October 20th. This is a great month for Rock Band DLC (but a bad one for your wallet), with Queen later and other much-needed holes being filled by The Raconteurs and Alanis Morissette October 8th.

[via Zergwatch]

Each speaker is a whopping 36″ tall. So why are they called Little Horn? Because there’s an XL Horn, 8-feet tall beasts that have earned multi-talented musician Andrew Bird’s approval. Little Speaker’s horns are made of fiberglass, while the base – which houses the driver – is made using “heavy, void-free Baltic birch plywood.” Damn all these classy words and their vague meanings. Little Horn speakers are equipped with Fostex full-range drivers, the FE-103E and the FE-108 Sigma.

The regular price of Little Horn Speakers is $1,850 (USD), but you can get them for $1,500 at Specimen Products’ website (Paypal only; contact the company for other payment methods). The speakers come in various colors, but buyers can also specify their own custom colors. Little Horn speakers are compatible with any stereo system, but if you want to pair them with your DAP, Specimen Products suggests that you also get their tube amplifier, pictured above along with a pair of black-and-gold Little Horns and a classic black, crappy sounding iPod. The amp will set you back another $2,200, so you better start saving now.

[via Unplggd]

Unfortunately we don’t have specs on the speakers, but judging from the picture I don’t think we can expect top-quality audio from them. The yellow-green bag pictured above was already sold out as of this writing, but you can still score the classic black version.

You can get the bag at Kitsch-U-Like for £30 (approx. $50 USD). The shop also has other retro audio player-themed bags, but no cat hats, groovy glasses or violet tracksuits. Thank God. Actually I kinda like the cat hat.

[via 7Gadgets]

The mp3 grenade is Matt from NYC Resistor’s baby, as well as his childhood dream – or so he claims. I really can’t imagine grenade + music = smiley face entered his head as a child.

Wherever or whenever the idea came from, Matt really did bring it to life – but not before giving his workmates a scare after forgetting to mention a box of hand grenades would be arriving at their office. After clearing things up, Matt got to work. First, he fitted the grenade’s pinhole with a 1/8-inch jack. Then, after hacksawing the body open, he replaced its grenadey guts with a Sansa 2GB mp3 player, which apparently called for “a session of intense soldering onto very tiny soldering points.”

A few legally purchased mp3 tracks later and viola – instant mp3 grenade.

[via Geek.com]

I’m seriously  wondering if the speakers will break if it plays stuff like Children of Bodom or Lamb of God.

But if by “acoustically dead” it means that porcelain and cork don’t absorb sound, then metalheads can enjoy their favorite bands with these babies. Can someone explain the acoustics of porcelain to this poor writer?

gSelect sells the porcelain speaker set for $500 (USD); unfortunately it’s out of stock as of this writing. You may want to head on to its product page anyway so you can leave your email address and be notified when the product is available again.

[via likecool]

Every letter also has a corresponding doodle, so as you combo the beats you create shapes like the ones above. For some reason though the craymachine will only accept lowercase letters. I’m not making sense am I? Just go to the site and type type type.

Auto-tune not included.

The on-the-go version includes a variety of songs, and may even support DLC–no confirmation yet either way. Game modes will include Quickplay and Tour Mode, and even multiplayer, for those who are ready to rock in groups. Here’s the list of included tracks:

• 30 Seconds to Mars – “Attack”
• 30 Seconds to Mars – “The Kill”
• AFI – “Girl’s Not Grey”
• Angels & Airwaves – “It Hurts”
• Beastie Boys – “Sabotage”
• Blink-182 – “All the Small Things”
• Blondie – “Hanging on the Telephone”
• Finley – “Tutto E’Possibile”
• Foo Fighters – “Learn to Fly”
• Foo Fighters – “Everlong”
• George Thorogood and the Destroyers – “Bad to the Bone”
• Jethro Tull – “Hymn #A43″
• Joan Jett – “Bad Reputation”
• Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Simple Man”
• Motorhead – “Ace of Spades”
• Rise Against – “Give It All”
• Silversun Pickups – “Lazy Eye”
• Smashing Pumpkins – “Cherub Rock”
• Steve Miller Band – “Take the Money and Run”
• Squeeze – “Tempted”
• The All American Rejects – “Move Along”
• The Go Go’s – “We Got The Beat”
• The James Gang – “Funk No. 49″
• The Pixies – “Debaser”

Sadly, there will be no tiny plastic instruments. That would have been pretty awesome.

[via Game|Life]

The Ketron SD8 differentiates itself from the keyboard pack by offering a keyboard that isn’t based on the traditional 88-keyed piano, but instead on the chromatic scale that you might find on an accordion.

There’s 120 keys on the left side, and 52 keys on the right for a total of 172 keys. The synthesizer has a built in multi-track sequencer with editing capabilities, and four individual audio outputs too. There’s also an on-board drum machine, with a variety of catchy acoustic and Latin loops. Also along for the ride is a complete multi-effect DSP which lets you crank out all sorts of effects on top of your chromatic stylings.

This polyphonic synth is designed to produce a variety of musical styles, but definitely is best suited to Latin and maybe the occasional Polka. Here’s a couple of fun video clips of the SD8 in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Damn. Now I want to dance the Pasodoble. Too bad I have a complete lack of rhythm or coordination.

I haven’t been able to find any U.S. retailers who currently stock the SD8, but a quick Google search of “Ketron SD8” turns up plenty of suppliers in Europe who are ready for you to plunk down about €3500 (appx. $5000 USD) for yours. Expect to pay a couple hundred extra bucks for one with a built-in hard drive.

Weird Al needs one of these.