Technabob » sequencer

Maschine Mikro Electronic Groove Composer Kicks Out the Jams Without Killing Your Bank Account

Technabob — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:30:07 +0000

Electronic musicians, here’s another new gadget you might just have to add to your arsenal of music-making toys. The Maschine Mikro is a moderately priced, but professional-grade music composition tool, designed for use in the studio or in live performances.

Based on Native Instruments’ Maschine groove composer, the Mikro is its new little brother. Running the same acclaimed sequencer, effect and sampler software as its older sibling, the Maschine Mikro lets you easily access the vast majority of the software’s capabilities using the hardware controller itself. It also includes a massive 6GB sample library for you to play with, and works with both Windows 7 and Mac OS X (10.6 or greater) computers.

The compact box offers 16 backlit performance pads, each sporting velocity and after-touch sensitivity, along with a variety of smaller buttons for controlling software functions remotely over a USB connection. Here’s a couple of videos showing off the Maschine Mikro in action.

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The second clip is defnitely worth watching if for nothing more than watching the prowess of the fleet fingers of Jeremy Ellis.

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The best thing about the Maschine Mikro is its price. While the original model sells for $669, the Mikro will sell for $399 (USD)/349 € just including both hardware and software. It’s expected to launch on October 1, and you can find more information and demo videos here.

Isle of Tune: SimCity Sequencer

Lambert Varias — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:12:11 +0000

Digital audio workstations like Reason, Ableton Live and Apple’s GarageBand have made it relatively easy and cheap to make music. But even though these programs enable users to create tunes literally at the push of a button, their interface can be quite intimidating. Which is why I’m quite intrigued by a quirky web app called Isle of Tune. It tries to make the act of creating music more approachable… by making it less intuitive.

Above is an example of an isle of tune. Doesn’t look intimidating right? It kind of looks like one of Zynga’s Facebook games. But at the same time it’s not readily apparent how it makes music, because it kind of looks like a Facebook game. And yet it does make music! But how? In Isle of Tune, you lay down roads, which dictate the length and the progression of your musical piece. Then you place the “instruments”, which as you may have guessed are the flowers, streetlights, houses and other roadside figures.

Here’s another example:

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Weird right? It looks like a game, but it’s not. It’s actually a music sequencer, but it’s not a very intuitive and natural one. But I have to admit that it looks fun, and like casual games, Isle of Tune could serve as a gateway software of sorts for people to learn how to create music via digital means. The people behind it are working on an iOS app, but for now you can use Isle of Tune online. Feel free to share the landscape and music you make in the comments.

Apple ][ Gets a Brand New Synthesizer

Technabob — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:25:00 +0000

I still remember my first Apple computer. It was an Apple ][ with a whopping 16k of RAM and it didn't even have a floppy drive. So the sounds that come to mind when I think of my old ][ are the squeals of program data loading from cassette tape. But the later models in the Apple II line actually could make their own music too. Now, thanks to the work of a couple of enterprising chiptune musicians, there's a brand new synthesizer app that you can run on the Apple II series.

Created by M.J. Mahon and 8-bit Weapon, the Digital Music Synthesizer (D.M.S.) is the only wavetable synth for the Apple 8-bit machines that I've heard of. While it won't run on the original ][ or ][+, it works great on Apple //e, IIc, and IIc+ models.

D.M.S. can crank out up to 8 voices, which you can play from the keyboard. The app includes a variety of retro-modern sounds including acoustic piano, vibraphone, acoustic guitar, electric bass, trumpet, clarinet, square wave, sawtooth wave, sine wave, and of course, banjo!

Crank up your volume and click here to enjoy a short sample of sound from D.M.S.

You don’t even need a monitor hooked up to use this synth. Just put in the floppy, wait for it to finish loading, and start mashing on keys for some 8-bit audio delights.

Got an old Apple II lying around? You can get your hands on DMS over at 8-bit Weapon for $19.95 (USD). Naturally, it ships on a 5-1/4″ floppy. Woot!

Vj Fader’S Fadertouch Touchscreen a/V Interface Lets Audience See What He’S Playing

Technabob — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:12:41 +0000

Live audio-visual artist VJ Fader tipped me off about this cool visual interface he built for manipulating music and images in real-time.

The faderTouch 3.0 isn’t just your run-of-the-mill sequencer. Nope, the unique portable device features an innovative rear-projection system that allows not only VJ, but his audience to watch the on-screen action. By installing a bright projector inside a briefcase, and aiming it at an angular projection screen, the display can be viewed from either side.

In addition to the projector, the screen has an infrared touch panel overlay which allows him to interact with his custom performance interface which was programmed using Processing, and acts as a MIDI controller for Ableton Live. Here’s a couple of videos showing off the system in action:

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And if you check out the next clip, you can see the faderTouch being used in a live performance at the recent Wham Bam Thank You NAMM show- very cool indeed.

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Like what you saw and heard? You can check out a whole bunch of VJ Fader’s performances over on his YouTube page.

Ableton Novation Launchpad Controls Music With Lots of Lights and Buttons

Technabob — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:45:55 +0000

For digital musicians who have longed for a performance controller for Ableton Live, you’ll be totally stoked to check out this cool new control pod that lets you interact with Ableton Live in real time.

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…

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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]

Microsia Makes Molecular Music

Technabob — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:48:00 +0000

Here’s a cool little PC program for creating ambient electronic music. And it sure looks purty while it’s doing it.

The setting for Andreas Illiger’s Microsia is inside of a virtual “plant cell” of a leaf. As you move your cursor around, you touch “cellular particles” which will be used as triggers for the ambient sounds.

Microsia may look a bit like Flow, but it’s not about gameplay this time – it’s all about making music. Sounds are created by manipulating the position of the particles, then turning them on to initiate sequences of sounds. Some of the particles set tone, while others modulate sounds or tempo. It’s really pretty cool once you actually read the instructions.

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If you’re intrigued by what you saw in the video clip, you can download the demo version of Microsia here. The full version normally retails for 19.95 (appx. $29 USD), but is currently on sale for 9.95 (appx. $15).

Blinkm: Arduino Programmable Leds Let You Control the Pretty Colors

Technabob — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:00:59 +0000

Want to do something creative with color-changing LEDs? This new programmable LED module might be just what the doctor ordered.

The BlinkM from ThingM (I just love saying that) is a compact module that contains an ultra-bright RGB LED and a microcontroller that you can program from your computer.

You’ll need an Arduino I/O board to program your BlinkM, plus a 5-volt power supply to juice ‘em up. The ThingM guys have alread created a handy drum-machine-like sequencer application for Macs and PCs so you can easily program each one to any color, or to a color sequence of your choosing. There’s full 24-bit color control, and you can program up to 49 commands in sequence. And with a single two-wire network, you can connect up to 127 BlinkMs together to do you bidding. There are even 18 built-in light sequences, so even if you’re not that creative, you might already have one that does what you want.

There’s also source code available for you to do custom-programming to your heart’s content. Here’s a video of a couple of cool lighting effects ThinkM’s Tod Kurt put together using a bunch of BlinkMs:

BlinkM LED modules are available now over at the Adafruit store for $13 (USD) a piece. What’s the most creative thing you would do if you had a bunch of these modules? Me, I’d build an ultra-low res television.

[via Adafruit Blog]

The World’S Most (Face) Shocking Videos

Technabob — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:36:10 +0000

What do you get when you take four of your closest friends, attach electrodes to their faces, and then fire off small jolts of electricity to the beats of electronica? Video genius, I say.

Tokyo electronic artist / programmer / composer /DJ Daito Manabe connected each of his four friends to the business-end of his “Face Visualizer” device, which shoots computer-controlled myoelectric charges through the wires. Each shock results in an involuntary muscle twitch on its recipient’s victim’s face.

While Daito previously has subjected himself and some his cohorts to this torturous-looking procedure, this video has to be my favorite, offering four times the fun of his others.

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I also enjoyed this one, in which Daito attempted to “copy” his facial movements onto his friends. Creepy, but fun to watch nonetheless.

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You can check out more about Daito’s experimental works over on his website, and more video clips over on his YouTube page.

IPhone Drum Machine Kicks Out the Jams

Technabob — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:53:21 +0000

Already sick of playing the piano on your iPhone? Maybe it’s time to hit the drums.

Developer MooTheCow has created this homebrew drum machine application called “Drummer” that runs on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

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Drummer can play up to 15 unique audio samples (one on each finger touch pad), and takes advantage of multi-touch capabilities, so you can play up to five sounds at once. You can even let your MP3s play in the background and provide your own accompaniment. There are pre-installed Rock, Dance, Electro and two Jazz sound sets, but can be easily updated with your own sound samples.

The application is currently in private Beta, so you won’t be able to get your hands on a copy for your jailbroken iPhone quite yet. In the mean time, you can read more over on MooCowMusic.

[via QJ.Net]

Windows Xp and 98 Make Beautiful Music Together

Technabob — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:33:13 +0000

So what happens when you take the system sounds from Windows XP and Windows 98 and carefully arrange them in a music sequencer? Something pretty unexpected, I’d say. This is truly a case where the whole is definitely greater than the some of its parts.

UK electronic music hacker Robbi-985 managed to take the usually annoying system sounds, painstakingly sequence them with ModPlug Tracker and turn them into a composition that’s actually not half bad.

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While it’s certainly no Beethoven’s 9th, it is pretty amazing that he managed to get all those sounds to work so well together.

I can hardly wait for the Vista version to come out.

[via Cynical-C via Neatorama]

Bubblegum Sequencer Chews Through Tunes

Technabob — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:03:04 +0000

This music sequencer takes the same basic interface concept as the ball bearing sequencer I recently showed you, and makes it deliciously chewable. Instead of shiny metal spheres, this sequencer uses a bunch of colorful candy-coated gumballs to make a beat you can dance to.

Designed by Hannes Hesse, Andrew McDiarmid and Rosie Han – students at UC Berkeley’s School of Information, the Bubblegum Sequencer identifies the locations of strategically-placed gumballs to create rhythm tracks.

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Simply place the appropriate color-coded gumball into the position in the sequence you want, and a computer takes care of generating sounds to match their placement. A camera underneath the table detects the position and color of each gumball, then automatically maps the colors to notes and the appropriate audio samples in the computer.

The best part – when you’re done jamming out, you can chew on your creation and blow some bubbles.

Music Sequencer has Balls of Steel

Technabob — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:16:15 +0000

Here’s an interesting new tangible interface design for a music sequencer. Rather than using an array of buttons or a 2-dimensional control screen on a computer, this one generates rhythmic patterns using ball bearings.

Sequences are composed by placing the metal orbs in a grid of receptor cups which represent the different rhythm tracks (kick, snare, hi-hat and cowbell) along the vertical axis, and beats along the horizontal.

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The BeatBearing sequencer interface was designed by Peter Bennett, a researcher studying for his Doctorate at the Sonic Arts Research Center in Belfast. Peter’s thesis studies have been focused on new interaction techniques for digital musical instruments.

It’s an elegant interface solution for music sequencing, but I’d be afraid I’d lose half the ball bearings by the second night of the tour. Peter gets extra credit for including a cowbell track, since I’ve got a fever… and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Gameboy Octopus Music Controller Mod

Technabob — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:45:51 +0000

What’s got 8 tentacles and the brains of a Nintendo GameBoy? It’s an 8-bit music maker’s dream, that’s what. Electronic musician Joey Mariano (aka “Animal Style“) took an old GameBoy Color system and built a custom controller for it that uses 8 individual foot pedal controllers to jam out on the device.

Using a series of GameBoy audio sequencing hacks, the foot pedals allow for live improvisation with all sorts of electronic beeps and blips.

Animal Style has recorded a number of digital chiptune tracks using old video game systems as his primary sound source. Be sure to check out his discography and sample tracks here.

[via Nerd Arts via MAKE]

Reactogon Interactive Sequencer Reminds Me of Star Trek

Technabob — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:03:13 +0000

I recently came across this rather cool user interface for a music sequencer called the ReactOgon. Looking like something you’d find on the deck of the Starship Enterprise, the instrument uses a large tabletop multi-touch interface to create music sequences in real time.

The creators of the ReactOgon call it a “chain reactive performance arpeggiator”, which dynamically shifts its patterns and sequences based on coded discs placed on the flat-panel interface.

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Each hexagonal cell on the surface represents a fixed note on the harmonic table. The placement of the discs influences the whether or not a note is played, as well as its placement in the sequence. By stringing together a number of directional discs, an entire musical sequence can be created. Special discs can also initiate multiple sequences, for more complex patterns. A bank of touch-sensitive sliders are then used to change volume, timbre and rhythm of the notes.

There’s no word on if or when the developers of this technology plan on commercializing the concept.

Box Generates Dance Music With Press of a Button

Technabob — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 12:07:52 +0000

Australia’s Mungo Enterprises has engineered the “Infinite Horizon“, a concept device capable of programatically generating modern dance/trance music with, literally, the push of a button. Just press the BIG RED BUTTON, and out comes a track.

There are a handful of additional controls to influence the direction of tracks, such as when to kick in bass, leads, and chords. Since the device is a sequencer, it doesn’t generate the sounds themselves, but rather relies on external synthesizers for that. If these guys were to build a portable version of this, it could be all the rage with the kids.

[via Gizmodo]