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An iOS app can help you create an ambient music masterpiece
Getting into electronic music is a breeze these days with all the great iOS apps out there. Ripplemaker, for example, is a fantastic modular synth app that even newbies can use, while veteran synthesizer manufacturers like Korg, Electro-Harmonics and Moog regularly update their apps with the best in modern and retro sounds. If you're looking for more, you might want to give SynthScaper a look. It promises to turn your iOS device into an ambient music creation studio, with a library of presets that you can customize (or create yourself) to lay down those mellow soundscapes on the go.
Roland founder and music legend Ikutaro Kakehashi dies
It's a tragic time for both music and technology. Ikutaro Kakehashi, best known as the founder of Roland Corporation, has died at 87. The engineer turned corporate leader got his start making electronic drums and rhythm pattern generators, but it was after he founded Roland in 1972 that he hit the big time. His company quickly became synonymous with electronic music effects, and the machines built under his watch didn't just become popular -- they changed the cultural landscape.
Arcano Systems' chiptune synth offers 80s video game nostalgia
Here at Engadget, we have quite an affinity for all things that remind us of what it was like to play video games in the 80s. That includes musical instruments and gear that are capable of reproducing those iconic chiptune sounds we all know and love. Arcano Systems is no stranger to those tones and the company has taken to Kickstarter to fund yet another of its creations. The company has a knack for creating the 8-bit chiptune synths, including last year's NES Chiptune Synthesizer. This time around, it created the Obscura 8-bit Chiptune Synth 2: a MIDI synthesizer that emulates the sounds of games from Nintendo NES, Famicom and Commodore 64.
Roli's quirky musical keyboard is now an iPhone app
When ROLI introduced the Seaboard -- a quirky interpretation of the musical keyboard -- it was hard not be curious. But, at $2,000, that's likely where you remained. Even the smaller, more affordable Seaboard Rise was a little out of reach for many casual musicians wanting to try its tactile trickery (watch this to see what we mean). Today, however, there's a ROLI for everyone, as the British firm has just announced Noise: a virtual Seaboard in iPhone app form. If you want to know why Apple's 3D Touch matters, it's apps like this that will show you -- and Noise is much easier on your pocket (in fact, it's free).
Pulse is a '3D' music controller for the multi-instrumentalist
Tapping out everything from a bassoon to a bass drums with a MIDI keyboard and a sampler is no big deal -- it's been a staple of electronic music for years. But, as anyone who's tried it will attest, that's a long way from "playing" those instruments -- to the point MIDI drumming has become an art in and of itself. Enter Pulse, a versatile hardware controller recently shown off at London's famous Abbey Road studios as part of its Red program, and launching on Kickstarter today. It's modest claim? Being the future of music playing.
ICYMI: Egyptian tomb tech, new fusion reactors and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-20787{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-20787, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-20787{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-20787").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Everyone who ever wanted to be Indiana Jones or just give up on it all and join an archeological dig will be interested in this: A new project called "Scan Pyramids" will use infrared scanners and cosmic ray detectors to search for new tombs inside pyramids in Egypt, as well as attempt to discover the engineering details of how pyramids were constructed. Fascinating stuff! Plus scientists at the Max Planck Institute want to launch a new design for a fusion reactor. It has a twisted shape unlike the traditional donut design, which its scientists believe is safer than the first version.
ICYMI: Jedi sword fighting, Chrysler car hacking and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929278{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929278, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929278{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-929278").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A Chrysler with a smart entertainment system was proven to be hackable and the company is releasing software to patch it. A martial arts company in Singapore is teaching swordplay with light sabers. And a new MIDI device for musicians will let them sync work over Bluetooth.
iOS and Mac musicians can ditch wires with Bluetooth MIDI device
Zivix has a new wireless MIDI device for Apple-centric musicians, but unlike the original WiFi Puc, this time it's using Bluetooth 4.0. The Puc+ is the "first Bluetooth MIDI interface that universally supports any MIDI controller," according to the company. It can handle multiple controllers at once, connect to old-school 5-pin or newer USB MIDI devices, and work with any audio workstation running on a Mac, iPad or iPhone -- including GarageBand, ProTools and others. The company claims it has sub-15ms latency that's on par with cabled solutions, and can control devices up to 40 feet away.
Palette's modular controller is ready to steer your creative apps
Palette crowdfunded its unique modular controller in the hopes of giving you customizable, hands-on control over your creative apps, and it's finally ready to make that technology available to everyone. As of today, you can pre-order Palette kits that scale up depending on just how much tactile fine-tuning you want. The base is a $199 kit with a dial, two buttons and a slider; the $299 Expert and $499 Professional kits throw in more gear, and you can even snag an $899 limited edition in cherry wood. Of course, you can also buy individual parts if you need more. The controller is mostly useful if you thrive in Adobe software like Photoshop and Premiere Pro, but it's also helpful in MIDI music, gaming and most any other program where keyboard shortcuts just don't feel right.
Chrome adds MIDI support for browser-based music composition
Let's say you went all out for Rock Band 3 and bought a MIDI drum kit and the game's keyboard peripheral, haven't used them since, but hate to put that stuff on Craigslist. With the new Chrome update you can use 'em to make beautiful music in your web browser with the Web MIDI API. As VentureBeat notes, this means that websites can access digital instruments and you'll be able to compose tunes without needing any special software. Most (possibly all) of the musical browser experiments we've seen thus far rely on your computer's keyboard to create audio -- like Typedrummer, for instance -- so this should make things pretty easy for folks more accustomed to traditional instruments. Oh, and as previously reported, support to bring legacy websites into the HTTPS fold are in place as well. [Image credit: stshank/Flickr]
Roland adds modular options to its AIRA synths
Just over a year ago, Roland unveiled its successor to the iconic 808 and 909 instruments that have a firm grasp on the modern music landscape. That drum machine, the TR-8, was part of a new AIRA line with the System-1 synthesizer, TB-3 bass synth and VT-3 vocal processor. At this year's Musikmesse in Frankfurt, the company revealed the AIRA Modular: a standalone instrument that can be paired with a handful of external effects or other audio gear. What's more, it's designed to be rackmounted or used at your desk, either with all four of the aforementioned add-ons or one or two at the time. While last year's System-1 offer a more traditional keyboard-driven approach, the AIRA Modular's centerpiece is the System-1m. The unit features Control Voltage (CV) and Gate control needed to produce a range of sounds and plug-out ability allows the System-1m to be used with other classics, like the SH-101 and PROMARS. On board, the modular synth packs in tone, crusher, reverb and delay effects alongside MIDI and LED-lit controls and inputs.
littleBits' synth kit plays nice with analog gear and audio software
littleBits and Korg first teamed up on a kit for aspiring musicians back in 2013, and now the duo is at it again. This time around, the two companies collaborated on MIDI, CV and USB I/O modules, adding to the existing Lego-like DIY audio collection. With the MIDI module, you can control the Synth Kit from a compatible instrument (like Korg's MS-20 mini), or use a littleBits setup to wrangle sounds from gear and software, too. Connecting the USB I/O module adds a way to capture your homemade instrument with recording software (DAW). And as you might expect, it'll allow littleBits controllers, sequencers and effects to tweak any audio coming from a computer.
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.
Watch a robot play the violin better than you can
Wish you hadn't been so quick to give up violin practice as a kid? You may never get to turn back the clock, but retired engineer Seth Goldstein is showing that there's still hope of reliving those musical ambitions through technology. He recently showed off Ro-Bow, a kinetic sculpture that uses robotic fingers (specifically, electromagnetic actuators) to play digital music files on a real violin. While the machine won't have concert performers rethinking their careers, it's probably better with a bow than you were way back when -- it can handle a fast Irish jig as well as a slow, sentimental tune like "Amazing Grace." The Ro-Bow hardware would have to shrink and get a bit of polish to be useful as more than an art project, of course. All the same, it's proof that you don't have to run a giant technology company to build a reasonably adept robotic musician.
Casio's new DJ controllers aim to upgrade your next house party setlist
Casio makes a lot of keyboards. That's the company's primary contribution to music, and while it's a pretty big one, it's also looking to adapt to, well, what the youth have been listening to (and making) in recent years. To that end, it's launching two different devices better suited to dance music, hip-hop, electronica and more. There's the XW-DJ1, with a 7-inch scratch disc, and the XW-PD1, which combines a 16-pad sampler with a synthesizer, sequencer and effector. Both run off batteries, have built-in speakers and connect to your iPhone/iPad, PC or Mac through a proprietary cable. The idea is that it should be all you need to "DJ" for a party, though we'd advise adding some speakers to the arrangement. The XW-DJ1 DJ Controller will launch this month, priced at $299, while the XW-PD1 Groove Center (we'd probably drop the "Groove" there), will be available in early March for a pricier $399. Those looking to upgrade their next party playlist might want to read into the details, which are right after the break.
Interactive album artwork doubles as a DJ controller
Jack White isn't the only act doing amazing things with vinyl releases. Inside DJ Qbert's Extraterrestria, one of the jacket inserts doubles as a controller for Algoriddim's djay iOS app. After connecting to a mobile device via Bluetooth, Novalia's printed MIDI tech makes the album art the console, complete with scratching and a smattering of other tools. What's more, it'll work with Apple's desktop OS, too. The album was funded by a Kickstarter campaign, and most of the copies will go to those who committed ahead of time. Unlike White's Lazaretto release, it's not the record itself that's the main attraction here, but rather the packaging -- not that it makes the project any less awesome. Jump down past the break to see it in action.
You can trick a 3D printer into playing 'The Imperial March' from 'Star Wars'
When we first went hands-on with Makerbot's Replicator in our office, we said that it sounded like a washing machine with a handful of rocks thrown in. But now thanks to the internet, your 3D printer can churn out teacups or chess pieces to something a little more refined -- like "The Imperial March" by John Williams. As 3DPrint notes, just about any model can do this, you just need to hack a MIDI file and convert it to the language 3D printers read (Gcode) to get the stepper motors and other moving parts into musical sync. If you aren't up for doing that yourself, a few programs exist to help automate the process. There are a handful of other nerdy tunes available, too, including the classic Super Mario Bros. theme. But, if you'd rather stick to sci-fi, you can grab the Star Wars Gcode directly from Thingiverse or watch the video after the jump.
iRig Pads offers multicolored MIDI control for iOS and more
It's no secret that we're fans of handy audio gear here at Engadget, and if you're looking to kick off that DJ habit, IK Multimedia may have a compact option for you. The company's new iRig Pads brings a 4 x 4 grid of multihued touchpads (as the name suggests) for MIDI control of iOS, Mac and PC apps. Those 16 rubber pads are also pressure sensitive while flashing red, green and orange. What's more, a smattering of buttons and a slider are programmable to handle custom presets alongside onboard edit controls. At less than an inch thick, the outfit says it's the smallest of its kind available at the moment, and it grabs power from whatever device it's tethered to via either a Lightning or USB cable. As you might expect, this latest iRig offering plays nice with IK Multimedia's suite of audio apps (SampleTank, DJ Rig, etc.) as well as popular MIDI-friendly options like Ableton Live, GarageBand and more. If you're itchin' to start composing those trance grooves, the gadget is now shipping worldwide with a $150/€120 price tag.
Native Instruments reveals new keyboards for 'Komplete' freaks
First came synths, samplers and drum machines. Then computers caught up, and could do much of the same stuff, for much less money (and in much less space). But, humans like to "play" things, so we then we got MIDI controllers. Now, the circle is closing -- the current trend is software-specific controllers. Example? The new Komplete Kontrol S series of keyboards from industry giant Native Instruments. Komplete is the company's, erm, comprehensive music production software package (drums, sample, sounds, synths... everything). It contains some of the most used virtual instruments on the market (Massive, for example, is behind a good chunk of Dubstep sounds).
IK iRig MIDI 2 brings updated features, Lightning connector compatibility
IK Multimedia's iRig MIDI 2 (US$99.99) is a universal MIDI interface for Mac and iOS. IK's original iRig MIDI was compatible with Apple's 30-pin dock connector, but not Apple's newer Lightning connector interface. The updated iRig MIDI now supports both connectors as well as USB for connecting to Mac. I reviewed the original iRig MIDI back in 2011, so it's great to see a revamp of this portable MIDI interface. Features include a re-designed, smaller, pocket-sized form factor with a rubberized, sturdier enclosure, standard-sized MIDI ports, power provided from host device, detachable cables that are bumper / case friendly, and, of course, Lightning connector compatibility. IK also offers a host of iOS apps to work with MIDI instruments. SampleTank Free is a comprehensive sound workstation with high-quality instruments and patterns. iGrand Piano FREE is a high-quality sampled grand piano. Finally, for Mac users, SampleTank 3 SE is a free desktop workstation with instruments and patterns. All apps can be upgraded with more sounds and features via in-app purchase. The only downside to the iRig MIDI 2 is that it cost $30 more than the original iRig MIDI. However, with the improved features, design and higher-quality enclosure -- the original one was on the tacky side -- the iRig MIDI 2 should be a worthwhile investment for iOS MIDI enthusiasts.
