MusicalInstruments
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Beamz laser instrument gets upgraded to please hardcore laser rockers and gamers alike
The demonstration of four-player Rock Band Mobile at Samsung's CES 2011 press conference was pretty slick, but to the folks at Beamz, that kind of music gaming is still so amateur compared to its laser switch-activated jam sessions. That's because they've redesigned their original product to be more living room-friendly thanks to a black paint job and a slimmer profile. They've also tried to appeal more to the gaming set by expanding the Beamz song library beyond the original 80 developed by independent artists to include "top hit jams" - aka cover versions of top 40 tracks -- and 35 licensed "video songs" from Disney and EMI. So if you'd like to laser thump the bass to Blondie's Heart of Glass music video, you can. Additionally, the Beamz software has been upgraded to support up to three laser instruments on the same track and recording for a real band experience -- though it still only runs on PCs. For $200, we don't expect these to fly off shelves, but for those who've mastered the whammy bar, it's at least another way to get your faux music-making fix. %Gallery-113166%
3D printed concert flute rapidly prototypes sound (video)
The world's first store for 3D printed goods just opened in Brussels, and while we imagine they've already got a fair selection of prototyped merchandise to choose, might we suggest they invest in a few production runs of this fabulous new flute? Amit Zoran of the MIT Media Lab -- yes, the same soul who helped dream up a 3D food printer early this year -- has now printed a fully-functional concert flute with a minimum of human intervention. Directing an Objet Connex500 3D printer (which can handle multiple materials at the same time) to spit out his CAD design, dollop by tiny dollop, in a single 15-hour run, he merely had to wash off support material, add springs, and assemble four printed pieces to finish the instrument up. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, of course, so how does it sound? Find out for yourself in the video below.
Best Buy nabs exclusive Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster
If you're in the market for a new Rock Band axe, it looks like you'll be heading to Best Buy very, very soon. That's right, the Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster is seemingly a BB exclusive. The $280 peripheral, which requires the MIDI PRO-Adapter to function, will hit shelves on March 1st. Until then, we'll just have to be happy with the Mustang Pro.
Diago's Little Smasher puts a 5W guitar amp in a tiny carbon steel box (video)
Sure, you can always plug your axe into a computer (or even an iPhone) and make sweet, sweet music with software. But what about those times you need an honest-to-goodness amplifier? Diago's Little Smasher is a full-fledged 5 watt guitar amp head that is only roughly the size of an effects pedal. The thing's quite stripped down -- active bass and treble (which gives you more control of the tone than passive EQs), gain, volume, 4-16 ohm output impedance (should work with any speaker cabinet), and that's pretty much it! We should probably also add that the carbon steel enclosure is a nice touch, and one that will be appreciated when you're fighting off a stage invasion at the next Lilith Fair. But you probably want to hear how it sounds -- and for that, we direct you to the video placed after the break. Available for $250 this January.
New York band plays a subway gig using nothing but iPhones
Last week, a band you've probably never heard of sang a likely unfamiliar tune, as part of an impromptu concert on a New York City subway train. Nothing all that unusual there, except for the instruments Atomic Tom used -- on that day, each and every member of the band jammed on a iPhone. Whether it's a legitimate indie creation or clever viral marketing, the result is the same: an amazing video awaiting you right after the break.
World's smallest violin uses MEMS, plays only for you (video)
You might not have heard of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), but there are likely a bunch in your new smartphone -- they make possible the tiny accelerometers and gyroscopes needed to detect motion as your device swings around. However, last week students at the University of Twente demonstrated a brand new micrometer-scale system: a tiny musical instrument that plucks strings (those "folded flexures" above) one-tenth of a human hair wide. Six microscopic resonators fit on a microchip, one resonator per musical tone, and series of the chips can be combined into a MIDI interface to play entire songs. Though the micronium needs to be amplified 10,000 times before they're audible through standard speakers, the instrument's the real deal -- watch it play a wide selection of tunes (including some Mario Bros) in a video after the break. One burning question remains, however: is this nano-violin open source?
Found Footage: The iPad Orchestra
The iPad is gaining a solid reputation as a musician's infinite instrument, and nothing demonstrates this better than this video of The iPad Orchestra by Alex Shpil. Four musicians, all using the Seline HD app on amplified iPads, play a piece called "Sweet Dream" composed by Ilya Plavunov. The quartet consists of cello, flute, violin, and clarinet. The result is... magical. Thanks to Toyo for the tip!
Eigenharp Alpha's biggest fan pens 11,000 word guide
Earlier this month, lucky musician Geert unboxed an Eigenharp Alpha for the whole world to see. Now he's jotted down a few thoughts on the 132-key digital instrument... oh hell, let's just call it a primer. Calling out years of musical study as proof he knows what he's talking about, the man delves into enough detail about the mind-blowing multi-instrument machine to teach Eigenharp 101. If you want to know whether dropping £3,995 on the musical creature would be worth your while, you'll find all you need to know at the source link, but be aware the sheer complexity here may serve to daunt some would-be casual learners. If you need to regain your enthusiasm afterwards though, there's no quicker way than watching an Eigenharp jam session -- we recorded one at the company's London HQ, and you'll find it after the break.
Korg debuts pocket-sized Monotron analog synth, and we want it (video)
Don't take this the wrong way -- we're glad to be in Las Vegas with all our friends at CTIA, playing with new handsets from Samsung and Motorola. But as you know, we also love us some new music gear, especially when it sounds good -- so we wouldn't exactly mind being in Frankfurt for Musikmesse right now, either. Currently on display at Korg's booth, Monotron is a two AAA-powered, pocket-sized analog synth featuring a ribbon keyboard, VCO, VCF, and LFO controls, and the same analog filter found in the Korg MS-10 and MS-20 -- and it sounds great. Check it out in the gallery below and in the video after the break to see / hear the thing in action. Look for it in May for about $67. %Gallery-88925%
NAMM Show 2009 round-up highlights: keytars and more!
The big NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show is going on through this Sunday in Anaheim, California, so we thought we'd bring you a few of the highlights debuting there. Among the beauties on offer is Native Instruments' Maschine Groove Production Studio, a hard / software combo loaded with 5GB of samples, 16 illuminated pads for making beats and patterns, two high resolution displays, and eight rotary encoders. The Stealth Pedal maraudes as a wah, but acts as an assignable expression pedal, with a double footswitch and the option to add a third pedal via USB, with a 24-bit USB audio interface and software. The Akai APC40 is a MIDI control surface designed in conjunction with Ableton to work out of the box with Live on a PC or Mac. Last (but surely not least) Roland's resurrected the AX-7 with the updated and delicious AX-Synth "shoulder keyboard" AKA keytar. This bad boy's got 49 keys, 7 LEDs, tons of control options, and a 128-voice polyphonic sound engine which is editable with included software. Check the gallery of each glorious item -- and yes, we know that Edgar Winter's not playing an actual keytar in the video (it's just a giant keyboard strapped to his insane body), but seriously, who cares?%Gallery-42392%Read - Maschine Groove Production StudioRead - The NAMM ShowRead - Stealth Pedal Read - Akai APC40Read - Roland AX-Synth
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Playing Guitar Hero could make you want to do something besides play video games
Sure, some studies have shown that excessive gaming can lead to less interest in things like studying and doing homework, but it turns out that, pretty unsurprisingly, playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band might actually lead children to want to learn... to rock out on real instruments, anyway. That's right, according to a truly shocking report in The Times of London, roughly half of the 3 to 18 year-olds in the UK have played a music game, and one fifth of them have been motivated by their playing to give a real instrument a try, which has led to 2.5 million new budding Ted Nugents (or Jared Letos) springing up. So it's true, the kids aren't exactly studying, but at least they're doing something that could maybe eventually lead to them standing up or... something. School's out forever, dude.[Via TechDigest]
Zoybar open-source DIY guitars for Steve Vai-types only
If you've ever thought about building a guitar for one second, you know that it's so insanely complicated that it's almost not worth the effort. The Zoybar kits aim to reduce a lot of those complexities -- the components are all open-source, extremely customizable, and modular. They boast seemingly endless options for the guitar (or whatever you choose to build), not to mention the possibilities of the special effects displays. It looks like it's going to be pretty simple to get creative with the kits, but it's a little hard to tell. There's no word on what the components or kits are going to cost, but they claim to be launching in December. Looks like we know what we're getting cousin Yngwie for his birthday! Hit the read link for several insane videos of the extremely wild, ingenious results.
New technology provides greater control to paraplegic pianists
Technology allowing paraplegics to operate the right pedal of a piano has been developed by a team of scientists in Heidelberg Germany, trumping earlier systems which didn't allow for half pedal or flutter variations. The device consists of a tiny remote module that's placed inside the pianist's right cheek, and a wireless transmitter and motor attached to the pedals of the piano. A small battery in the left cheek of the user provides up to twelve hours of power. The player grits their teeth when they want to control the pedal -- the module is sensitive to different amounts of pressure, which allow the pianist greater control over footing than previous tools. From the sounds of it, this thing would work just as well on a wah pedal, right?
Midiator lets you use a PS2 controller as a MIDI controller
We've seen plenty of attempts to use game console hardware as MIDI controllers, but they've usually involved complicated hacks and strange software kludges, so we're pretty curious to see if Curious Inventor's Midiator actually works as promised. The nondescript black box is supposed to map virtually any PS2 controller -- including wireless models and partial support for Guitar Hero axes -- to various standard MIDI controls, including use of the analog sticks as pitch bends and modulators. Not only that, but if you don't feel like buying the assembled kit for $79, you can get the schematics for free, and if you're handy with a soldering iron, you can even earn some cash by adding requested features like pressure-sensitivity and direct USB support to the unit. Check it all out at the read link, and make sure to cruise past the break for the sweet demo video.[Via MAKE]
DIY musical gear: just add talent
While browsing the 'net recently, we came across three separate DIY / mod articles (all stemming from our friends at Make) related to musical instruments, and realized that if combined... it's almost a band (or at least the White Stripes). The first is a step-by-step guide to making your own Rock Band-esque drum triggers that can interface with your PC, allowing you to perform freestyle -- though you can still bang away at games with them. The second experiment lets you add USB to a standard electric guitar, thus enabling you to record directly out of your Firebird (or other axe) straight to disk, reducing your time in the studio and freeing up your schedule for rehab. Finally, if you've got a USB guitar, you'll probably want some effects as well -- we suggest making them yourself using the handy kits in the link below. Okay, so it's not technically a band quite yet, but with a little elbow grease, questionable hairstyles, and a cash-embezzling manager, you'll be on your way to a Behind the Music (or passing reference on Pitchfork) in no time.[Via Make, Make, and Make]Read - Electronic Drum Set with ControllerRead - How to Build a USB GuitarRead - Build your own effects pedal
