Yamaha brings Tenori-On Orange to US soil for $700, dares you to rock your own socks off

Here's hoping you didn't pay your British bud to bring you one of those fancy Tenori-On Orange music makers over the holidays, 'cause if so, you just paid an absurd premium to get it a few months ahead of time. Oh, and now you've got an AC adapter that's bigger than your face. Nice. At long last, experimental musicians here in America are being treated to a native version of the Tenori-On O, which is the "more affordable" sibling to the also-shipping Tenori-On W. Functionally, the new O model is exactly the same as the original W model, except it can't be operated with batteries, its 256 orange LEDs are only visible on one side of the unit and it's encased in plastic; Yamaha's marketing the O to producers and studio hounds, whereas the W is made more for live performances. Whatever your fancy, the O should be available in a matter of moments for around $699.99 on the street, while the W can be had for around $300 more.

[0android0 Posted Feb 19th 2010 3:07PM]

Ok, here's the thing. Sure, it's cool, but for $700 (or $1000) doncha think we might be looking at a unit with, oh, some type of GRID LOCATION IDENTIFIERS???

You know, like a black dot on every 4th beat? Come on.

Minimalism like this was cool for about 44 seconds. Get over yourselves, Yamaha.

I want to get two of these; one, to throw around in a rage of poser-mangling fury.

The other, to paint my own damn dots on.

Oh yes; I went there.

[Ghen Posted Feb 19th 2010 5:03PM]

@0android0

or just play it online for FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE
http://lab.andre-michelle.com/tonematrix

right click and paste my code: 10242,12292,10248,12304,10282,12352,10378,12564,10516,12426,10304,12330,10256,12296,10244,12290

[Ghen Posted Feb 19th 2010 5:03PM]

@Ghen

stupid engadget doesn't wrap text :(

[oproski Posted Feb 19th 2010 5:45PM]

@Ghen

Better yet: http://www.hobnox.com/audiotool

[paul34 Posted Feb 19th 2010 5:49PM]

@Ghen That rocks, thanks dude.

[anonymouspam Posted Feb 19th 2010 6:37PM]

@Ghen

958,3594,99202,98304,126910,100512,102334,0,4030,100386,102306,122880,101310,98312,2964,34

Is much better.

[Mr Higgens Posted Feb 19th 2010 3:12PM]

I think this is great.... but until it can do something that I can not make my monome 256 do with Max. Im going to have to pass. but I am glad to see the price is coming down

[bloomin feeling Posted Feb 19th 2010 3:15PM]

bleep bloop beep beep bloop

[iWade2point0 Posted Feb 19th 2010 3:24PM]

Oh look...a Lite Brite

[robomatic Posted Feb 19th 2010 3:27PM]

for me the lack of markings is not a problem.. the price is though. It's a cool gadget, but it's expensive for what it does (random-notes type of music with midi like sounds). If I got one I might use it a couple of times then get bored with it and throw it on a shelf..

[Plexus Posted Feb 19th 2010 3:47PM]

@robomatic

Nobody cares about what YOU would do with it, what's important is what creative artists can and will do with it.
I have had one for the last 4 months and there's never been a single day I did'nt feel compelled to spend some time with it.

[mattblade Posted Feb 19th 2010 4:35PM]

@Plexus And do you ever actually do anything with it other than play around? Nice toy, but can't see it working as a proper musical tool... Just mho, but I've been there too many times before...

[Red Posted Feb 19th 2010 5:31PM]

@mattblade http://www.youtube.com/user/littlebootsvideos#p/u/9/QotFwZs_2F4 look at that

[robomatic Posted Feb 26th 2010 4:02PM]

@Plexus it's just my opinion! I'm not saying you're stupid for paying $700, but I can do way more complex things with software I have.. for me it's just an overpriced toy. Look here:
http://www.hobnox.com/audiotool

[notfred Posted Feb 19th 2010 3:45PM]

This'll make an excellent $10 iPad application....

[traceroute Posted Feb 19th 2010 4:54PM]

I used to get high and watch the inventor demo this on repeat like two summers ago.

[traceroute Posted Feb 19th 2010 4:58PM]

@traceroute

lol I still had the link saved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE-lJzKIzDE

[paul34 Posted Feb 19th 2010 5:50PM]

Say, does anyone remember this small noisemaker type toy they had in the early 90s... I think it was a small black box with various colored buttons on it (I think they were bright or neon colors). Each button made a noise through a speaker.

That's pretty much all it did, but I've been looking for it ever since. I didn't even know what it was called.

[Joshua Przygocki Posted Feb 19th 2010 7:47PM]

Now make a bigger one to play Conway's Game of Life.

[Yoshi1080 Posted Feb 19th 2010 8:35PM]

I'd love to see a Tenori-On app on the iPad! Would pay up to 200$ for it. All the clones for the iPhone really lack in features.

[PDAisAok Posted Feb 20th 2010 3:46AM]

I have one of the original ones and I love it. Here is a vid of me using on live. Song was made with Tenori-on and Kaoss Pad 3

[PDAisAok Posted Feb 20th 2010 3:47AM]

Apparently can't embed videos. Here is a link to the video of Tenori-On being played live. It is the 3rd video down

http://www.myspace.com/sigmundandfreud

[PDAisAok Posted Feb 20th 2010 3:48AM]

Ok I guess embedding doesn't work. Here is a link to the vid of Tenori-On being played live.

http://www.myspace.com/sigmundandfreud

It is the 3rd video down