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Motion made music: AUUG Motion Synth nearing Kickstarter goal
Imagine being able to play notes and alter sounds through the motion of your hand and arm, using an iPhone or iPod touch. That's the idea behind the AUUG Motion Synth, a unique musical instrument and controller that is getting close to its Kickstarter goal with another eight days to go in the campaign. The developers of the AUUG Motion Synth are looking for US$70,000 in funding and have achieved just over $57,000. The AUUG Motion Synth consists of an app to convert your hand motions to output (either sounds or MIDI actions) and a wearable grip that holds the iOS device and provides tactile feedback for virtual keys on the screen of the device. It supports wireless and cabled MIDI, so just about any musical hardware or external synthesizer can be controlled by hand and arm gestures. There's also a cloud component to AUUG: The company hopes to have a cloud service that will let users share settings and ideas. Some of those settings include presets for the AUUG app to work with other iOS music apps. One of the videos we've attached to this post shows how easy it is to set up the AUUG Motion Synth to work with other apps as simple as GarageBand or as complex as Ableton Live. There are a limited number of backing opportunities available starting at $68 and $78, with one of the aluminum AUUG grips and the software being your reward for backing the project. After the device goes into production, the AUUG Motion Synth will retail for $110. The entire concept makes a lot more sense when you've seen it in action, so check out the videos below for a full idea of how the app, grip and cloud work together with the musician to make beautiful music.
Thom Yorke pulls recent tracks from Spotify in protest against low pay for new artists
The artist famed for fronting Radiohead, and not so much for toeing the line, has withdrawn his solo tracks from Spotify and some smaller streaming services in order to highlight the low payments given to new musicians. Thom Yorke explained the decision by re-tweeting his producer, Nigel Godrich, who had complained that "new artists get paid f^@k all," and that the current streaming model only suits those with an existing back catalog. Yorke added that Spotify shareholders "will shortly be rolling in it," implying that the distribution of wealth is unfair. Some followers reacted badly to his decision, accusing him of "hurting his fans" with a "small [and] meaningless rebellion," but others spoke out in support -- including electronic artist Four Tet (aka Kieran Hebden) who said he'd pulled his music off Spotify for the same reason. Spotify responded to the criticism this morning in a statement provided to TechCrunch, saying that it is "still in the early stages of a long-term project," and adding that "we've already paid $500 million to rightsholders so far and by the end of 2013 this number will reach $1 billion." The spokesperson further went on to say that "we're 100% committed to making Spotify the most artist-friendly music service possible, and are constantly talking to artists and managers about how Spotify can help build their careers." Yorke is hardly the first star to make a stand, but unlike Coldplay, Adele and the rest, his specific focus on industry newcomers (rather than himself) is -- we've gotta say -- quite refreshing.
TUG puts out the call for fan-made music
The game of TUG is all about user creations. The entire concept behind the game is making a world in which players can shape land and social structures according to their desires. So it makes sense that the game is looking to see if the more musically inclined community members would like a chance to get their compositions into the game. Because even if the game has plenty of songs for play, there's always space to fit in some talented fan productions. Currently the team at Nerd Kingdom is gauging interest in the idea, which would play a random selection of fan-made music on the game's menu screen. The piece played would include the composer's name, the title, and a link to where more of the composer's music could be found. It's not payment, but if you think you'd benefit from the exposure, feel free to take a look and express your interest.
Lemur's multitouch music controller now available on iOS
Before the iPhone and the iPad made multitouch screens commonplace, there was the Lemur, a multitouch controller for synths, sequencers, and other electronic music instruments. The device has been used by musicians for quite a while, and it combines a touchscreen controller unit running a version of Linux with all sorts of musical electronic wizardry. Now, the Lemur interface has arrived on the iPad as an app, and it will connect via Wi-Fi to up to eight different computers to run any musical sequencers you happen to have around. I'm sorry to say that I'm not quite musical enough to use or buy an app like this, but I can definitely appreciate the power here. This is the full Lemur interface (used by professional musicians for years) complete with a full editor, custom scripting, custom-made controls, and even physics for those controls (so you can "throw" faders around or bounce dials and switches). The back end sounds really incredible, too. You can connect right out to CoreMIDI or any USB device with the iPad's camera connection dock, or use that aforementioned Wi-Fi connection. Sounds slick. The app is US$49.99, and it actually works on both the iPhone and the iPad. Reviews so far are great, so this sounds like a really cool piece of tech for musicians all the way up to the professional level.
YouTube 'Merch Store' makes your artist channel a one-stop shop for the groupie goodies
Know what beats selling CDs (or USB sticks) and swag out of the trunk of your struggling band's party wagon? Striking a deal with Google to pitch those wares on the interwebs, that's what. Rolling out to official YouTube partners over the next few weeks, the newly created Merch Store will offer fans from all across the globe an opportunity to purchase MP3s, tickets for concerts and gatherings, and, of course, merchandise straight from your dedicated page. Helping ol' Mountain View make these coffer-filling goodies available are a handful of established online retailers like Amazon, iTunes, Songkick and Topspin. So, if you just can't wait for the Rebecca Black arena rock tour to blitz through your small town, keep clicking refresh on that artist channel for the inevitable slew of merchandising, merchandising.
London Science Museum undusts Oramics machine, revisits OG electronic music innovation
Practicing its fist pump and channeling its inner Devo, the London Science Museum will be paying homage to electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram by resurrecting her old synthesizer last used in the '70s -- a device that relies on 35mm film to pump out jams. The classic clunker was found in a French barn last month and will be brought out into the open for the first time in forty years at the museum in old Blighty. "Oramics" operators "draw" music on ten strips of clear film to create a mask. The machine then reads the tape as differences in light and turns it into voltage control, which is used to switch oscillators and control the amplitude of the sound. The effect? A creepy vortex of haunting sounds. Fans of glow sticks and synth sounds can check out the exhibit until December, but if a trip to Londontown's not in your future, there's a video you should ogle after the break.
Griffin Stompbox -- a pedalboard for your virtual effects pedals
You wouldn't necessarily associate Griffin Technology with the latest and greatest in music technology, but having teamed up with Frontier Design Group -- developers of the iShred LIVE virtual guitar effects app -- Griffin has released one of the first accessory pedalboards to complete your virtual guitar effects setup. With the advent of virtual guitar effects on mobile devices, it was only a matter of time before a foot controller pedalboard arrived (logically imitating the traditional setup), allowing your feet to do the effects switching and leaving your hands on the guitar to get on with the business of playing. Before I jump into the review of the Griffin Stompbox (US$99.99), allow me to briefly explain how a traditional electric guitar setup works for those of you who aren't guitarists. First, you have your electric guitar. This guitar is plugged into an amplifier. However, many guitarists enjoy, love, desire and lust after guitar effects that improve and alter the tone and sound of their guitar. These effects come in the shape of digital and analogue pedal effects, or more effectionately referred to as pedals or stomp boxes. They are called pedals because they are turned on and off using your feet -- naturally, your hands are too busy playing the guitar. Traditionally, these pedals are expensive, and when many are used together, they are placed on a "pedalboard." Because many guitarists love to have as many pedals as they can get their hands on, these pedalboards are heavy and rather large. That's where devices like the iPad and iPhone come in. Virtual guitar pedal effects apps have been developed to mimic these traditional pedals, at a fraction of the cost and physical space and weight of traditional pedal effects. However, one problem with these virtual pedals has been that they are, well ... virtual. You've had to use your fingers to turn on and off these effects when traditionally you'd use your feet. You can't stomp your iPad with your feet! As a result, users of virtual effects have had to stop playing their guitars to change their virtual pedal effects -- this is a bad thing for guitarists. That's where Griffin's Stompbox comes in. Design The Stompbox itself feels sturdy and well constructed. It rests solidly on the floor and is easily pushed around, but it stays in place when you're using it as intended. It's plastic feel doesn't imbue a sense of high quality, but neither does it feel cheap or like it's about to fall apart. I have no doubt that it will be able to handle its fair share of knocks, drops and bumps. The four foot switches are metal and pleasing enough to push, but they don't click in or out. It's just a downward compression that pops straight back up again. Four accompanying LEDs light up brightly and clearly to indicate when a switch is activated. A 1-meter cable leads from the Stompbox to connect to your iPad's dock connector (I used an iPad for my review, but of course you can use a compatible iPhone or iPod touch). The cable is durable and strong. On the back of the Stompbox is 1/4'' input socket for a volume or expression pedal. Accompanying the Stompbox is Griffin's GuitarConnect cable ($29.99), used to connect your guitar to your iPad's headphone socket. A nice touch on the GuitarConnect cable is that the output socket, for an amp or headphones, is at the guitar end, not the iPad end. Meaning you have less wires crossing over your guitar, particularly if you're using headphones. Performance Connecting the Stompbox and GuitarConnect cable to my iPad and guitar was easy enough. However, straight away I noticed two problems. First, while the GuitarConnect cable solidly plugged into my iPad, if I knocked it or moved it just a bit it produced an unsavory crack and pop in my speakers, suggesting that perhaps something wasn't as tightly wired as it could be. However, this could be a one-off problem that just happened to be in my review unit. That aside, I didn't notice any undue hum or buzz. Overall, everything sounded very clear and full-sounding. The second problem I encountered is that you can only use iShred Live (the app designed to work with the Stompbox) in portrait mode. It doesn't work in landscape mode. Thinking of using the Stompbox in a musical setting, I immediately went to place my iPad on a music stand in landscape mode. You can imagine my disappointment when I realised it didn't work. And obviously, the iPad won't rest upright in portrait mode with a rather large dock connector cable plugged into the bottom of it. So that leaves two options, place the iPad on a flat surface like a table or the floor (not ideal) or buy the Griffin (or other brand) iPad mic stand mount. (Editor's note -- the IKMultimedia iKlip for iPad/iPad 2 ($39.99) attaches the iPad securely to a mic or music stand.) It's not a huge problem, but surely when most other apps work in both portrait and landscape mode -- including other virtual guitar effects apps -- you'd expect iShred Live to be able to do the same. That aside, the StompBox performed well in conjunction with the iShred Live app. With four banks each containing four channels, totalling 16 fully customizable presets, I had no difficulty working my way round iShred Live's selection of effects, metronome, tuner, recorder and song selector using my feet. There was a short learning curve involved. To activate a bank, simply hold down the respective foot switch. To turn on or off a channel, simply tap the respective foot switch. To exit a bank, hold down the foot switch for the bank you wish to enter next. Just make sure you tap that foot switch dead on and with a consistant pressure. I found that the Stompbox was quite particular about activating a foot switch. A light tap won't do it; you need to be firm and precise, which is probably a good thing. One thing that I wasn't expecting was the intelligent use of the Stompbox's LEDs, which was a pleasant surprise. Of course, they light up when you activate a channel or bank, but enter something like the tuner and those lights become a whole lot more significant. With the tuner turned on, the LEDs indicate if a string is flat or sharp by only lighting up on the left or right side of the Stompbox, and the two center LEDs shine consistantly together to indicate that you've hit the right pitch. Once I got my head around the Stompbox, I'm pleased to say my attention focused on playing the guitar, with the Stompbox simply getting the job done with no distractions. While the Stompbox draws its power from the iPad's battery, I'm happy to say I noticed no dramatic increase in the loss of battery charge. However, with the Stompbox plugged into the iPad, there is no way to charge the iPad. If you're planning a day long rehearsal, it goes without saying that you should make sure your device is fully charged. Other Applications Griffin's website says that the Stompbox will work with other Stompbox compatible apps. However, it doesn't say what these apps are. I know that the Stompbox is compatible with QScript, a text prompter app, but aside from that, I've not seen anything else. I'd love to see the Stompbox working with other virtual guitar effects apps, but whether that will happen is anyone's guess. It would be disappointing to see each major music software developer introduce their own unique pedalboard accessory, tying the users pedalboard to a specific app. Conclusion At $99,99, the Griffin Stompbox isn't particularly expensive -- in fact, it's one of the cheapest virtual effects foot controllers out there -- but when users are paying less than a dollar to buy a pedal effect on their iDevice, it's a big jump to fork out a hundred bucks for an accessory. But then again, the Stompbox does complete the guitar setup circle, bringing pedal effects back to your feet where they should be. Is the Stompbox worth getting? I think if you're a guitarist who has invested in the virtual effects setup on your iDevice, you'll be extremely pleased with what the Stompbox has to offer. If you're a guitarist running a traditional setup and have been holding off getting involved with the mobile device effects scene while waiting for a pedalboard like the Stompbox, I think you'll be intrigued by the Stompbox. You might want to hold off and investigate the next generation of pedalboards to come. For more information on Griffin"s StompBox, visit the Griffin website here. For more information on iShred Live app, click here.
DIY iPad music breakout gives pro-grade stage presence, mixes circuitry with art (video)
If you're thinking this iPad audio breakout dock looks remarkably good considering its DIY origins, then you should know it wasn't put together by any old screwball with a soldering iron. Nope, this was made by Qubais "Reed" Ghazala, a very particular old screwball who's been blurring the lines between circuitry, music and art since the Summer of Love (that's 1967 on a normal calendar). His latest invention is all about getting pro-grade sound connections into and out of an iPad 2 -- much like an Alesis dock or Akai SynthStation, but with that special "I made this" charm and minimal price tag. Key ingredients include a Macally aluminium iPad stand and a 30-pin PodBreakout board. Hit the video after the break to get further instructions and hear Ghazala's "bottomless well of chance music" -- both come at your own risk.
Robot orchestra marries music and machines (video)
It may not be the first go-round for the Karmetik Machine Orchestra, but the automated musicians, fashioned by a group of students at the California Institute of the Arts, took the stage last night to prove that robots can rock. Among the mechanized musicians scheduled to perform at the Walt Disney Modular Theater were MahaDevibot, Glockenbot, BreakBot, and NotomotoN, described as a "duel-head drum with twelve beaters and a mallet orchestra." Each of the robots was built from salvaged parts and programmed by CalArts students, who control the machines from laptops during performances. A description of the show posted to the CalArts website touts music-producing robots suspended from the ceiling that trigger sound activated light shows and animation -- now that sounds like a way to spend a Thursday night. Check out a video of the players and their masters after the break.
Star Wars Galaxies rolls out the Entertainer update
Despite an explosion of titles across the MMOsphere in recent years, Sony Online Entertainment's Star Wars Galaxies is still one of the very few to feature much in the way of non-combat game mechanics. We aren't just talking about one-button crafting, an optional music system, or developer-sanctioned mount racing here, but rather an entire class dedicated to brightening someone else's day. Today's 19.12 hotfix is billed as the Entertainer update, and it's rather aptly named given the lengthy list of tweaks coming to dancers and musicians across the galaxy far, far away. The Entertainer class is receiving a complete expertise tree revamp (and a complimentary reset), new combat buffs, new hairstyles for image design abilities, new dance moves, a new flourish, and several new commands (including a new perform tab). That's a lot of new, but it's not all of it, and you can read the complete list of changes and additions on the official SWG forums.
Griffin adapter attaches iPad to mic stand, calls it Mic Stand Mount for iPad
A few weeks ago we mentioned IK Multimedia's iKlip -- an adapter that attaches your iPad to almost any mic stand. Around that same time, Griffin announced its own version of a similar apparatus at CES 2011: the aptly if not bluntly named Griffin Mic Stand Mount for iPad. Griffin describes Mic Stand Mount for iPad as follows. Mount your iPad on a mic stand Screws onto industry standard (5/8" 27-thread-per-inch) microphone stands Fully adjustable tilt and swivel; locks safely and positively into landscape or portrait orientation Rubber inserts securely grip your iPad on its four corners Full access to volume controls, dock connector and audio jack From the pictures we've seen, these two mounts look very similar in form and function, but -- unless our eyes deceive us -- we're inclined to say the Griffin mount looks slightly more sturdy than the iKlip (but we can't say for sure until we get to try them out for ourselves in the real world). However, there appears to be one significant difference between the two. The iKlip attaches to the neck of a mic stand -- leaving the actual head of the stand free to hold something else (like a mic). The Griffin Mic Stand Mount for iPad, on the other hand, is secured to the head of a mic stand alone. This basically means, if you're a singer / instrumentalist, you'll need a separate mic stand if you go for the Griffin mount. The Griffin Mic Stand Mount for iPad is priced at US$39.99 and will be available later this month. [Via Pocket-lint]
iPodMeister gives you an iPad for your old CDs
Want to get a new iPad but a little short on cash? Trade in a bunch of your old CDs or DVDs to a company called iPodMeister and your problems are solved. Sound too good to be true? It's not, reports the New York Times. iPodMeister was founded by a group of musicians and students who realized that though CDs are virtually worthless in the US, they often fetch higher prices abroad. Their business model is to collect your discarded CDs or DVDs, giving you an iPod, iPhone, or iPad in return, and sell your CDs and DVDs for a profit in other countries. A fringe benefit of this is that your old CDs and DVDs actually get used for something instead of just going into a landfill. The cool cats at iPodMeister do have strict rules regarding what CDs and DVDs are acceptable, but note that if you bought your CDs in a record store, you're probably good to go. They do require both the original jewel case (remember those?) and the original album artwork, however. If you've got binders full of original CDs, but no inserts, you're out of luck. So what will the various iterations of the iPad cost you? The full breakdown's past the link below, but you might be surprised -- an iPad ain't cheap.
MusicSkins slathers Seagate HDDs with famous musicians, Hasselhoff feeling 'left out'
A couple of notes for MusicSkins, LLC. First, Never use the word "bling" in your PR. Ever. Second, if David Hasselhoff hears that you're licensing images from legendary recording artists to "custom-bling" Seagate hard drives and you leave him out of it, you'll soon find your office deluged with phone calls, faxes, and emails from the man, desperate to get in on the action. (And we know all about his tenacity: we've been involved in at least one hot Hollywood project that he's tried to shoe-horn his way into.) Anyways, if you're inexplicably interested, check it out: MusicSkins (known for vinyl covers for laptops and iPods, among other things) has licensed a "vast range" of images from either artists or their crypt-keepers and will sell you one for your favorite Free Agent To Go HDD. Prices range from $15 to $30, although for a limited time one can receive 20 percent off any cover and 35 free songs from eMusic when registering your FreeAgent Go with Seagate. And the best news? The cover is removable, so if you ever move out of the dorms (or stop living like you're in a dorm) you can hide it somewhere.
Bebot turns your iPhone into the cutest instrument ever
I don't think I've ever fallen in love with an app as quickly as Bebot. Not only is it a pretty darn powerful synthesizer with an interesting touchscreen interface, but that robot. That robot! He makes you want to play something, anything, with those cute little closed robot eyes and that dashing tux and that knowing smile. If you just want to make funny robot noises, that's easy enough, but for the musically inclined, there's a really surprising amount of features under the hood, including analog filters, a delay/looping effect, chorus and overdrive effects, and even an autotune system. Oh, and because of the multitouch screen, you can play up to four waveforms at a time. In the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, this thing can be really impressive.It's available from a company called Normalware (any app with that robot in it has basically sold me from now on -- there's even a t-shirt of the guy) on the App Store right now for $1.99.
RIAA petitions to lower artist royalties, weakens piracy arguments
Sure, the RIAA hasn't exactly been on the good side of the general public since, oh, this century began, but it sure isn't doing itself any favors with this latest hint of persuasion. While the agency has fought grandmothers, children, and cash-strapped citizens quite vigorously to "ensure artists are getting due payment," it has seemingly opened up a chink in its own armor by pleading with judges to "lower artist royalties." While we fully understand the need to keep pirates at bay, leading us on to believe that the RIAA was actually acting in the (gasp) artist's best interest was dodgy to say the least, as its currently petitioning the panel of federal government Copyright Royalty Judges to "lower the rates paid to publishers and songwriters for the use of lyrics and melodies in applications like cellphone ringtones and other digital recordings." The RIAA's executive VP and General Counsel Steven Marks even went so far as to proclaim his hopes that rates would be reevaluated so "record companies can continue to create the sound recordings that drive revenues for music publishers." We're surely not ones to judge a man's character (nor an album by its jacket), but it doesn't seem that the dear ole musicians are really the ones atop the RIAA's list of concerns, now does it?[Thanks, Nimro]
Musicians and Macs: Perfect together
The Digital Music Weblog pointed us to a post on Puddlegum, a music news site, naming five reasons musicians love Macs. Those reasons include aesthetics, sex appeal, ease of use, overall cost and peace of mind. Of course those are also the reasons why even the musically inept and tone deaf people use Macs, but it's no secret that creative professionals are more inspired by hardware and operating systems that are more inspired. Then, of course, there's the snob factor - musicians are snobs and so are Mac users (Puddlegum's assertion, not mine) so it's a natural fit. I can't say I agree with that, although a snobby, elitist Mac user reference is always good for a laugh. Speaking of laughs... What's the best way to confuse a drummer? Put sheet music in front of him. HA! I crack me up.
