midi
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Where in the world is Image of Archmage Vargoth?
This might take a little bit of effort, but if you're as big an Archmage Vargoth fan as I am, you'll appreciate it. Groovy on the forums links to a Tripod page (sorry) with a blaring midi file (sorry again-- mute before clicking), that shows some low resolution screenshots of Archmage Vargoth everywhere in the world! I tried to mirror the .gif on our site here so you wouldn't have to brave your way through the midi, but unfortunately, animated .gifs don't play well with our system.It amuses me, anyway-- when I first posted about Archmage Vargoth, I imagined exactly this happening. It's too bad it's such low quality-- hopefully someone out there will take the idea and run with it, so we can have a "where the hell is Matt," Archmage Vargoth style. And considering he emotes as well, maybe something even more complicated can be done with him.
Beat Blocks melds wood and MIDI in rhythmic harmony
No doubt we've seen quite a few attempts to mesh MIDI with, um, just about everything, but Jess Hoefs' Beat Blocks creation certainly brings back fond memories of our childhood days. Based around basic wooden blocks, colored with blue tape and adorned by bottom-mounted sensors, the system functions when a block is placed into a sensor-laden cube on the board, sending a signal to generate a specific loop. The "tangible interface for a rhythm sequencer" utilizes MIDI and contacts in order to generate sound signals, and by re-arranging the blocks on the fly, users can mix up the beats and create quite the musical masterpiece whilst reliving their days of innocence. Jeff is looking to ramp up two different flavors, with one being of a smaller, more performance-oriented design, and a larger matrix board to accommodate "multiple users." So if you're still curious just how fiddling with toy blocks can actually create musical delight, be sure to hit the read link and surf over to the video demonstration.[Via OhGizmo]
Next-gen audio welcomes the MIDI format... wait... no way...?
While bored last weekend, I found myself fiddling around with RPG-Maker 2003 on my laptop, trying desperately to understand even the most basic of conditional trees... or variables... or whatever. Some success was had, but mostly I was revisiting some of the old MIDI files a friend composed for me. See, a long time ago, a group of people and I wanted to make a game based on two of my books, but we didn't have the time or resources. All we got are a few high-res 2D characters and a handful of MIDI music files. Oh well, the fact is this: Dolby says that the MIDI format is going to be the next big thing -- again.Dolby claims that the MIDI format is new and improved. Thanks to the power of next-gen consoles, MIDI samples can attain a fidelity comparable if not superior to sounds achieved on dedicated synthesizers. Also, load times would be significantly shorter and file sizes significantly smaller. Now, don't get us wrong, we're as interested in this idea as the next musically inclined individual, but... well... there's just one thing. If there was one thing I would say stood out from Rygar more than anything else, it would be the musical score. An entire symphony. Even if MIDI files grew that good, you can just... tell. Sounds foolish, sure, but there's something to be respected about an entire symphony performing a song instead of a guy in a chair fooling around with a music program. What do you guys think?
MIDI is the future of game audio
Jason Page and Michael Kelly spoke to GDC attendees about creating next-generation audio on the PS3. In a surprising discussion, Sony's Jason Page admitted that the future of video game music may be based in technology that's considered antiquated by most: MIDI. Many developers have been moving away from MIDI to pre-recorded, orchestrated background music, but in the process, the interactivity of game music has been sacrificed. The incredible processing power of the next-generation consoles has changed the rules of MIDI: gone are the days where MIDI sounds like R2-D2 singing. MIDI samples used by consoles can be just as good, if not better, than the samples used on dedicated synthesizers. Because MIDI loads in real-time, it retains the interactivity that composers like Koji Kondo would need, and it would allow games to load more quickly. MIDI in the next-generation could potentially retain the same fidelity that an orchestrated score might have. With the increasing need for interactive 5.1 and 7.1 music and audio in games, the sound of "chip music" may change quite drastically in this new console generation. [Update 1: Corrected name source: Jason Page is from Sony, not Dolby.]
Wow your friends with your very own MIDI concertina
All of the little music nerds will be so jealous of you and your homemade MIDI concertina. They'll be all like "oh man, look at that awesome MIDI controller that looks like a Hayden Duet Concertina, an instrument well known for its easy playability and chording. We're so jealous." And you'll be all like "yeah, I know, it's awesome. I built it based on the design by Paul Everett, and though it lacks the actual accordion type velocity control of an actual Hayden Duet Concertina, it is still quite playable and responsive." It's going to be so great.[Via Make]
Akai MPC-1000 drum machine drops a beat, plays Pong
Cram any sort of retro game onto a machine clearly not designed to play it and you'll probably color us impressed, and just as the off the wall Doom installations, MIDI hacks, and Wolfenstein ports have gone down, Japan's own JJ has struck a cord with vintage folk everywhere with his latest tweak. Reportedly, the hacker / entertainer re-wrote the actual operating system for a $999 Akai MPC-1000 drum machine, added a few features from the more expensive MPC-2500, and got the MIDI all setup precisely like he wanted -- all to play a little musical Pong. Aside from the snazzy custom loading screen, the game itself looks to work fairly well, and also triggers samples of your choice to loop in the background while gaming. The good news is that the Pong upgrade will only set you back $30, but the bad news is that would require you to actually already own the Akai machine, and just in case your wallet can't handle anymore abuse whatsoever after this past Monday, just click on through for a (gratis) YouTube demonstration.[Via Joystiq]
Nintendo DS doubles as wireless MIDI keyboard / controller
Joining the nearly endless amount of Nintendo DS hacks already in the wild is TobW's DS Sampling Keyboard, which "uses the DS's microphone and touchscreen" to interface with a software-based sampling keyboard. A close contender to join our Music Thing series, this wonderous hack takes advantage of the wee machine's excellent X / Y-axis controls as well as its built-in WiFi to beam the MIDI commands wirelessly. The program has been tested with Wifi, GBAMP, and M3, so "it should work on pretty much anything," and provides a much less expensive alternative to those dedicated offerings. While musical gizmos are always more effective when seen heard rather than just heard about, be sure to click on for a front row seat to the YouTube demonstration.[Via MusicThing]
Make MIDI music with DS, wirelessly
German homebrewers Tobias "0xtob" Weyand and Collin "TheRain" Meyer are currently developing DSMidiWifi, a tool that allows DS to exchange MIDI data with a PC. The exchange works both ways, so users can tap out tunes on their touchscreens (using an accompanying keyboard app), while PCs receive and output the data; or, more sophisticated tracks can be composed using a MIDI sequencer on PC, and then beamed to DS for playback.Don't miss a special performance of "We Will Rock You" embedded below.[Thanks, Tom]
The DS makes beautiful music
This demo for a new application, DSMidiWiFi, just looks incredible. Though the program is still in early stages, the potential for music creation is vast. DSMidiWiFi turns any DS into a wireless MIDI controller that can interact seamlessly with a computer or other DS units running the application. So take a few musically-inclined souls, arm them with a DS, and voila! DS MIDI band. Now we just need to get some people together to reproduce some Phoenix Wright jams ....Check out the demo video after the jump, which also includes a quick glance at some of the other functions of DSMidiWiFi.
Music Thing: Novation's ultra-cheap synth/soundcard/interface
Each week Tom Whitwell of Music Thing highlights the best of the new music gear that's coming out, as well as noteworthy vintage equipment: Wait! Come back! Stop scrolling! Why should you read about a boring-looking grey synthesizer? I'll tell you why. This week, music geeks have been talking about two things. The first is the Bleep Labs Thingamagoop, the tiny, cute, handmade-in-America noise box with a strobing LED tentacle and surprisingly reasonable $100 price tag. The Thingamagoop represents one end of what's interesting in music gear at the moment -- fun, handmade, not necessarily very practical analog gear put together in garages by Make magazine readers.Then there's this grey plastic synth. It's Novation's new Xio, which represents the other big thing happening in music gear: astonishing value for money. This thing is a USB audio interface, with phantom power and a pre-amp, so you can record using real professional microphones. It's a MIDI controller for racks and soft-synths, with a cool touchpad and joystick and lots of knobs. It's a nice-feeling (if short) semi-weighted keyboard (there's also a 49-key version). And, it's a real stand-alone analog-modelling synth, which you can tweak in your deckchair while it runs off 6 AA batteries. The Xio costs £229 (Maybe $350-$399 retail), significantly cheaper than it's nearest rival, the 3 year-old MicroKorg, which has mini keys and no controller or USB audio features. It's amazing.Chinese manufacturing and cheap DSP chips have revolutionised the music gear business. Sure, this stuff doesn't have much soul, and it probably won't be collectable in 20 years, but it's making the average dorm-room studio a far more exciting place to be. Anyway, you can always invest the change in a small family of Thingamagoops.
RoombaMidi hack makes your Roomba dance and sing
Sure, Roomba cockfights are a real hoot, but how about giving your robo vac a chance at a little bit of artistic expression? RoombaMidi aims to do just that, allowing your Roomba to light up, emit musical tones and move to the groove, all from MIDI commands sent from a hardware or software keyboard. The software can support up to 16 roombas, so we're looking forward to some Roomba symphony action. You'll want to throw together that Bluetooth control hack to give Roomba real freedom of expression, but after that it doesn't seem like there's much trouble in setting up RoombaMidi control, and you can even use the software as a mere remote if you're not feeling like a song. Be sure to check the vid for Roomba's interpretation of the Mario theme.[Via Music Thing
How-To Control Csound with a Custom Midi Controller: Introduction (1 of 2)
Csound is a free language for sound synthesis and processing. It has a rich history and is still used today by musicians, composers and sound designers including Brian Eno, Richard James (aka Aphex Twin), NIN, DJ Spooky, and many more. Why is Csound still in existence today? It is a simple language which veers quickly to complex auditory experiences. This coupled with a quick learning curve has kept Csound a popular audio synthesis language since its creation in 1985 by Barry Vercoe. This How-To is one of a two part installment. Part One is an introductory leap into Csound. Part Two next week will have you building a physical interface to control a Csound environment via Midi. Please note that this intro is a small daub of paint in the universe that is Csound creation. Many books, entire webpages, and courses have been taught on Csound. This introduction is meant to offer a glimpse into the rich world of audio creation and to hopefully inspire the reader to invest more time in Csound.
