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Jack White's Third Man Records now has its own synth and amp
Jack White has been know to go all out for Record Store Day events with his Third Man Records imprint. This year, in addition to transferring Elvis' first recording from acetate to vinyl for release last weekend, White and his label revealed a synthesizer/amplifier combo that offers some stellar retro aesthetics. The pair, which includes the Septavox synth and Terz amp, was designed and built by Brooklyn instrument company Critter & Guitari. If the synthesizer looks familiar, the same outfit also makes a more compact Pocket Piano instrument. For the Third Man version, though, a metal enclosure houses 41 maple keys alongside seven modes and seven tones. That adds up to 49 different sounds, combining electric organ, vibrato and more. There are controls for tweaking parameters, tuning and volume alongside MIDI input/output, too.
Despite its looks, this 3D printed violin (probably) won't kill you
It might not be a Stradivarius, but the violin you see above is pretty impressive on its own merits. For starters, it's 3D printed and only has two strings. And that's to say nothing of its appearance; this thing looks like it'd be right at home on The Citadel in Mass Effect. The Piezoelectric Violin (as it's officially called), was concepted by a pair of architects who tell BBC that the impetus for its creation was realizing that the challenges of their day jobs aren't all that different from those faced by composers and musicians. It's still playable by "anyone" too, despite its wild looks. One of its designers tells BBC that the difference between how it and a traditional violin sounds is akin to that of a classical guitar versus an electric Gibson Les Paul. That is, similar, but still pretty different.
Artiphon's Instrument 1 crams most of the music store in one gadget
We first caught up with the folks behind Artiphon at NAMM 2013, and after taking the time to redesign its Instrument 1, the company is hoping to crowdfund the device. For those that may not remember, the gadget not only handles the functions of multiple instruments, but it adapts to the musician's skill level as talents progress. The Instrument 1 also serves as an input device for a truckload of music-making apps (like GarageBand or Animoog) on iOS, and thanks to a USB and Lightning jacks, can fill in as a MIDI controller, too. And if you're looking to make a custom instrument for specific results, the Aritphon app will allow you to do just that, in addition to serving up an arsenal of different music-making options. Need a piano? It's there. A violin? No problem.
Hal Leonard PlayAlong has wealth of interactive sheet music
Hal Leonard PlayAlong is an interactive sheet music app that provides powerful tools for learning, playing and recording a wide variety of music. Everything from Adele to Frank Sinatra to the Frozen soundtrack is available in the integrated Sheet Music Direct store. Plus, once you have your music ready, the app is ready to guide you along the music as you play and offer a multitude of customization options to help you perfect your sound. The app is free for iPad with in-app purchases. First things first, if you have a Sheet Music Direct account, I recommend logging in or perhaps creating an account to stay organized and in sync. Otherwise, tap "Sign in as a guest" to jump into getting started. The app includes 15 demo songs and all together it's a pretty good selection to start, from oldies but goodies like "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen to "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban and of course, "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. Each demo comes with a handy audio preview as well. Tap the song you want to learn to open the sheet music. The demos only include the first page of the song. The Record button is up at the top, but to the right there are a number of customization options to play around with. The first icon is for recording with sliders for the backing track and microphone, plus four others - reverb, delay time, delay length and delay amount - if you insert headphones. Under Audio Settings, you have further sliders for the backing track, click track, speed and options for the count-in. There's also a slider for the pre-recorded instrument, which is cleverly dynamic for each song. For "A Thousand Years" it's the violin. Song Settings has some basic options like note size on the display and transposition. Finally, the last two icons are for creating annotations anywhere on the page or going full screen with the sheet music and eliminating the toolbars. When you're ready to record the piece, tap the Record icon and a cursor moves along the sheet music to help time each note perfectly. There's also options for playback and repeating specific sections of the score of your choosing. When you finish a recording, it saves under the "My Recordings" tab on the main screen. At the bottom of the screen are icons for adding the music to a set list if you're playing more than one song and additional tools like a metronome and tuner. The music and recording tools are plentiful for most casual users. It lacks any type of professional editing, but PlayAlong isn't geared toward that type of use anyway. If you're a professional, chances are you're already looking elsewhere. The icing on the cake is really the breadth of music in the store, both new and old. Browse by type of instrument, artist, genre, best sellers and more. It's superb. Audio only is an in-app purchase of US$0.99 and the full score with audio is $4.99 - some solid pricing for what you get. Hal Leonard PlayAlong is perfect for the average musician looking to get some recording done on an iPad. The tools and options are sufficient, music selection is excellent and the pricing is right. I'd like to see the app get an update soon with a visual overhaul more akin to iOS 7 and iOS 8, but feature-wise it's effortless to recommend. The app is free with in-app purchases for iPad.
The Werkstatt-Ø1 is an affordable, educational synth kit from Moog
Oh Moog, you make so many wonderful, noisy and (of course) expensive toys. So you can imagine how excited we were to see the Werkstatt-Ø1, a $329 analog, monophonic synth kit that retained that signature Moog sound. The Werkstatt actually began life as part of a VIP workshop at Moogfest 2014. One of the company's product developers led a two-day event where 125 participants actually built this small analog wonder. The response was so great that Moog actually felt compelled to create a commercial version. The retail kit doesn't involve any soldering however, and we'd hesitate to slap the word "kit" on it as well. Basically, you're just screwing the pre-assembled synthesizer into a case and closing it up. Still, it's more work than your buddy put into that Sub Phatty.
Someone made machines that play music with pint glasses
Forget skimming the edge of your pint glass to make music -- how about some real alcohol-inspired instruments? Inventor Andy Cavatorta has built the Chalice Symphony, a quartet of devices that use Stella Artois' signature drinking glasses to produce some decidedly uncommon sounds. Each of the instruments is surprisingly technology-laden. The Star Harp can use robotics to play itself, while the Pyrophone you see here relies on software-controlled torches to create flute-like notes. The Hive (a keyboard-driven cluster of bells) and the Violina (a spinning string-like instrument) also use complex machinery. There are currently just a few teaser videos to hint at what the symphony can do, but you'll get an earful soon -- Cold War Kids will release a track in early March that was performed using the glass-based gadgets. We have a hunch that it's worth waiting for the song, even if you're not a fan of Belgian pilsners.
Make the world your instrument with Mogees and a smartphone (video)
It's been awhile since we heard from the Mogees camp, but the device has finally hit Kickstarter. As a refresher, Mogees is a musical tool that uses a special mic to pick up surface vibrations and translate them into sounds via a mobile app. It's sensitive enough to register everything from light finger drags on glass and coins moving around on a table, it comes in Android and iOS flavors and you can attach it just about anywhere to start crafting tunes. The basic setup runs £40 (about $67) and includes the app's "classic" version and the microphone hardware. If you're really into the idea and want to incorporate it into live performances or professional recordings, jump up to the "pro" version. This backer tier runs £60 (about $100), adding a slew of different audio settings within the software and a higher-precision mic. Just remember, use your judgment before tapping on whatever's in sight -- some will likely be annoyed that you've made the world into a drum machine.
This kit lets you build a musical instrument from just about anything
Wish you could easily craft a musical instrument out of whatever you have lying around the house? You'll get that opportunity if Yuri Suzuki's team at Dentaku brings its crowdfunded Ototo kit to market. The synthesizer turns any conductive material into an instrument, changing its sound based on the nature of the object. An eggplant will carry a different tune than tinfoil, for instance. You can take greater control of your performance through optional light-, touch- and even breath-sensitive sensors; the gadget also connects to computers through USB if you'd like to use it as a MIDI controller. It will take a minimum £45 pledge ($74 plus $8 in shipping) to reserve Ototo ahead of its planned launch in June, but it may be worth the expense if you're tired of conventional music-making.
Moog's Theremini suits all skill levels with adjustable scale correction for its space-controlled tunes
Sure, Moog is known to many for cranking out stellar analog synthesizers, but the outfit also has a knack for building a stable of Etherwave Theremins. In fact, founder Bob Moog started tinkering with the space-controlled instruments back in 1954. If you're a bit unfamiliar with the devices, theremins use two metal rods to control pitch (vertical) and volume (horizontal) based on the proximity of the user's hands to each end, without ever touching the unit. At NAMM 2014, the North Carolina-based company unveiled a prototype of the Theremini: a $319 offering that has assertive pitch control built in for all skill levels. This feature allows you to dial up or down the scale correction, making it impossible to play a wrong note in when it's turned up to the max. For more advanced users, turning that dial all the way down offers no assistance. There's also a tuner for visual feedback of each note, displaying how it stacks up to the perfect spot. Inside, an analog heterodyning oscillator is paired with Moog's Animoog engine and built-in stereo delay for creating the range of tones. On-board presets allow you to choose from a library of patches, store scales, set ranges and create patch-specific delay settings. To enable playing just about anywhere, a speaker is tucked inside the Theremini with headphone jack and audio outputs alongside connections for pitch, gesture and MIDI control. Unfortunately, there's no word on when the device will ship, but if you're in a hurry to grab a theremin now, there's always the DIY route.
Gittler's all-titanium guitar has no neck or body, demands more than the intro to 'Stairway' (video)
"An out of this world guitar playing experience." That's what Gittler promises from its aircraft-grade titanium axem and has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund production. Based on Alan Gittler's original 1978 design, which is now housed at MoMA, it maintains the same simplified structure, coming from the mantra to strip away "all that is unnecessary and redundant." That's resulted in a guitar body that lacks both a neck and body -- although an acrylic guitar neck can be added, if needed. Guitar enthusiasts that pitch $2,000 into the Kickstarter coffer will land one of 250 "classic model" Gittlers, although they'll have to follow that up with another $1,995 payment to receive the instrument. There's no volume controls, although the makers have managed to squeeze on knobs for both bass and treble. The funding goal stands at $80,000, although it's hard to put a price on good shredding.
Roli Seaboard Grand up for pre-order, bendable music starts at $2,000
We were pretty impressed with what Roli showed off at SXSW back in March, and now the company's rubberized keyboard is up for pre-order. The instrument is built in a standard piano configuration, with a soft surface that allows you to directly bend pitch and add vibrato and other effects to the notes as you're playing them -- sort of like bending guitar strings. The Seaboard Grand comes in three price configurations that hit a pretty wide spread, starting at $2,000 for the 37-key Grand Studio, all the way up to $8,888.88 for the massive 88 key Grand Limited First Edition. Only 88 of the latter will actually be sold -- a vaguely superstitious pricing scheme, it seems. That one will be shipping in December of this year. The others will start arriving in fall of next year.
Make beautiful, fiery music with Adafruit's DIY MIDI-controlled flame organ (video)
Eyebrows in the way? Singe them off with Adafruit's DIY flame organ, debuting just in time for the holiday weekend. If fireworks aren't enough to put the sizzle in your Independence Day party, all you need to light up your very own MIDI instrument are a few relays, solenoid valves, a digital music workstation (Adafruit recommends Livid Instruments' BASE paired with Ableton Live and Pure Data) and a blatant disregard for your own mortality. The official tutorial is still in the works, but you can watch the flame organ blaze with a patriotic tune after the break. If you're brave -- or foolish -- enough to attempt to build one of your own, just promise us that you won't drink and DIY.
gTar opens up iOS and Javascript SDK, adds Ableton Live compatibility
It's been a while since we've heard anything out of the gTar camp -- nearly half a year in fact, when the company announced pre-orders the week of CES. This morning the Kickstarted instrument manufacturer broke the silence by announcing that it'll be opening up its SDK for both iOS and Javascript, letting developers create apps for browsers and Apple's mobile operating system. The learning-friendly instrument already has a bit of a head start, as it's presently compatible with more than 150 apps, according to the company. Compatibility also extends to Ableton Live, via an "unofficial custom script" that makes it possible to use the gTar's fretboard as a control panel for the popular DJ software.
Roli's Seaboard is a rubber-keyed piano that may redefine the way you play
Synths are nothing new, of course -- so what makes Roli's digital piano so novel? The instrument has a patent-pending rubberized surface that lets you bend and twist the keys as you play, freeing you from fiddling around with knobs, so you can directly, physically affect the way it sounds. Think of it as the difference between bending a string on a guitar, rather than stepping on the wah-wah pedal. It's the sort of thing you really have to see in action to appreciate -- thankfully, we've got the instrument's creator Roland Lamb giving us a demo after the break.%Gallery-181387%
The Artiphon Instrument 1 uses an iPhone, Engadget tries it out
Artiphon unveiled its Instrument 1 late last year when it released teaser images that hit the internet like wildfire. Now that the multi-instrument device is nearing launch, the company has given Engadget a private tour of the device at NAMM 2013. Designed and made in Nashville, Tenn., the unique instrument combines the beauty of a traditional wooden instrument with the flexibility of a digital music-driven device. The instrument is crafted of African hardwood and powered by an iPhone 5. It includes two integrated speakers and a built-in battery, making the Instrument 1 a truly portable device. It works with any core MIDI-enabled apps and is meant to replicate a wide variety of musical devices including guitar, violin, banjo and more. The Artiphon 1 will soon be available for pre-order from Artiphon's website and will cost under US$1,000. You can watch a quick hands-on in the Engadget video embedded below.
Artiphon's 'Instrument 1' is an iPhone powered multi-instrument, we go hands-on
Music, MIDI and mobile? Seen that before, right? Well, yeah, but sometimes something comes along that surprises everyone. Artiphon's Instrument 1 is one such thing. And after all, there's more than one way to crack a nut. Artiphon's method involves creating a high-quality muli-instrument device that uses an iPhone or iPod touch as its brain. So, this is no plastic (bear with us) "appcessory." The Instrument 1 is made out of special quality African hardwood, and centers around an intentionally ambiguous design. There is a pair of high-quality custom speakers that give impressive 30W onboard sound. There is, of course, a line out and MIDI in / out too. The prototype we saw today doesn't have a built-in battery, but final production models will, making this a truly portable, complete solution. Dr Mike Butera, the firm's founder, was keen to explain to us that this is intended not to replicate one specific device (though it does a great job of guitar, violin, banjo and more), but rather to enable musicians to be able to work in a way they want to. The Instrument 1 works with any core MIDI enabled app, but there are plans to release a companion app for more detailed / custom mappings in the future. We got a private tour of the device, to tip-toe past the break for more.
Jamstik portable MIDI guitar lets you play and learn on the iPad wirelessly
We heard from our friends over at TechCrunch (thanks, John Biggs!) that a company called Zivix has been showing off a cool little MIDI guitar at CES, so here it is! Dubbed the Jamstik, this digital instrument serves the same purpose as the already-available You Rock, except this one comes with real guitar strings, works wirelessly over WiFi, features a lower latency (under 10ms instead of about 20ms, according to Zivix's lab test), and it also has a shorter neck plus a much smaller body for the sake of portability -- even for some casual plucking on the plane. The Jamstik also supports string bending thanks to the way it detects finger movement on the neck -- the rows of infrared lights and sensors under the strings make the magic happen. Of course, you'd need a PC or an iOS device (with CoreMIDI-compatible apps like GarageBand and Animoog) to get the audio, and for the latter, Zivix will be offering three apps: JamTutor guitar teaching suite, JamHero game (very much like Guitar Hero and Rock Band) and Jam Live music remixer. We had a go using a wired prototype Jamstik, and apart from the slight delay between our strumming and the audio output (which will be further fine-tuned before going retail), we had a lot of fun with it. Check out the demo videos after the break, and expect to see the Jamstik hit the market this summer for somewhere around $249 to $299.
MR-808 recreates Roland drum machine with robot instruments, puts them in an 808 State (video)
Music lovers will often tell you that Roland's TR-808 gave birth to modern music. Acid house, rap, techno and other genres owe some of their original (and even current) sounds to that synthetic beat. Moritz Simon Geist appreciates the effort, but has built a solution for those who think the drum machine is a little too perfect: his MR-808 installation has robot limbs playing all the equivalent real-world instruments, right down to the cowbell. A laptop musician at the helm sends MIDI input to an Arduino controller that then triggers the robot's instrument motors and matching lights. The effect is a unique mix of flawless cues with imprecise, almost organic sounds -- imagine 808 State or Kanye West replacing each and every machine with a live band and you've got the idea. Although the sheer size of the MR-808 sadly nixes chances you'll ever see one at the local nightclub, it could give any of Geist's recorded music one of the more distinct vibes we've heard.
Onyx Ashanti's beatjazz music machine does everything, looks good too (video)
Onyx Ashanti has sent us over a demo of his beatjazz controller, and we have to marvel at the direction he's taken with this custom electronic music machine following more modest efforts. Onyx's 3D-printed interface receives inputs from a voice / breath-operated synth in the headgear, while the two handheld controls incorporate accelerometers, joysticks and pressure-sensitive buttons. Using this kit and his own software, Onyx is able to create live digital music with an amount of control you would only expect from desktop-based production software. We've embedded two videos for your attention after the break -- a demo of his latest flashy build complete with lightsaber-like effects, and an earlier live performance that really shows what the beatjazz controller can do.
Futulele goes live for iPad, ukelele serenades just went multi-touch (video)
Futulele has come a long way since we saw it in March; it's now on the App Store and has put on a lot of sheen in return for slipping past the original April release target. Along with a few more flowers to reinforce the Hawaiian vibe, Amidio's definitive ukelele app has since gained the requisite support for the new iPad's graphics and a fully automatic mode, just in case you're not yet a virtual Jake Shimabukuro. If your ambitions do involve playing for yourself, you still have access to the promised maximum 132 chords (12 per set) with the flexibility to adjust chorus, delay, EQ and reverb in addition to recording those plucky creations. We're still waiting on the Futulele Remote app (and matching case) to choose chords more like we would on the real deal, but you can do it all on the iPad for now if you're willing to spend a fiver at the App Store. A flower necklace and an impressionable young lover are optional.
