Results for DIY

Some interesting things I found recently:

# JAZARI (YouTube)

One human, three machines, rhythm.

# Beatseqr

Beatseqr is an arduino mega based computer interface by Steve Cooley.

It is aimed at electronic musicians and visualists. By itself, it connects to a desktop app that runs on mac or windows and can send out OSC messages to arbitrary network ports. However, combine beatseqr with a tightly integrated sequencer like Dajis Systems' Steppa (included in the price) and you have a powerful interface to create a MIDI loop which you can use to control sounds from pretty much any music software that accepts incoming midi data.

We've tested it out with Logic, Live, Reason, Quartz Composer, Max/MSP, PureData, and Processing. It works great!

# Bliptronome v2 w/ ADCs complete! – Bliptronic to Monome Conversion (YouTube)

The final working version of the Bliptronic 5000 hacked into a low cost Monome clone, with Bliptronome V2 firmware.

More info at Stray Technologies

# Pressure Controller "Hubert"

Hubert is small but powerful device to use with your modular synthesizer.

On each hand side there is one force sensing resistor turning applied pressure into a steady CV output. Each channel has three outputs: CV Out, Inverted CV Out and Gate out. Each side is capable of holding the current voltage on CV Out, whereas the inverted CV appears on Inverted CV Out. If a CV is held in the CV Out you still can use the inverted out, even switching from positive to negative voltage as often as you want without disturbing the held CV output. In addition each of the two channels fires a gate signal every time pressure is applied to the pressure pad. The CV can go from 0V to +/- 8V and can be controlled in sensitivity.

# TAPETRONIC demo video 2009 (YouTube)

# Reaktor Modular Sequencing, Pt. 2

John Fisher writes:

Well, looks like my weekend project has been working on my modular sequencing application for Reaktor.

I’ve detailed what this is all about in my previous blog. I’ve updated the sequencer and added some detailed comments on all the GUI elements to help people get up to speed with using it.

Some interesting things I found recently:

# Meet Marv (Marv), a MIDI Actuated Robotic Vibraphone.

Marv can play music of high complexity, far more complex than a human player could ever achieve, as Marv is capable of striking any and all keys simultaneously, as well as damping each key individually. Marv can play much faster than a human vibraphonist, repeating single notes as quickly as 25ms apart. Marv can play with sensitivity and feeling limited only by MIDI programming effort. Marv is a platform for further research on musical automation and real-time musical interaction.

# Record grooves under an electron microscope

Via SynthGear:

Chris Supranowitz is a researcher at The Insitute of Optics at the University of Rochester. Along with a number of other spectacular studies (such as quantum optics, trapping of atoms, dark states and entanglement), Chris has decided to look at the relatively boring grooves of a vinyl record using the institute’s electron microscope. Well, not boring for me.

A single record groove, magnified 1000 times

Awesome images! Lots more on Chris’ website (note to those who are entomophobic; includes ladybug and fly images).

Some interesting things I found recently:

# Handmade synth senses wireless activity

From Make:

Yoshi Akai's Wireless Catcher analog synth derives control input from nearby wireless signals picked up by an onboard antennae. As if that weren't interesting enough, the copper control panel sports some elegant decorative flourishes typical of his impressive body of work.

# nofi – Elsewhere (album preview)

A full preview of the new Nofi album, 'Elsewhere,' to be released on March 4, 2010. This is a return to a more abstract, ambient, chilled-out, laid-back, space lounge sound, featuring six extended pieces:

The music on 'Elsewhere' was created using Ableton Suite 8 with Max for Live, Nodal generative music software, Native Instruments' Reaktor modular sound studio and Massive virtual synth, on an Apple MacBook Pro with Novation ReMOTE ZeRO and Monome greyscale 64 controllers, and a Presonus Firebox audio interface.

Note: This exclusive preview will be available for steaming on SoundCloud only until the album is released.

# The Superplexus

This is the three-dimensional spherical labyrinth that challenges the limits of your manual dexterity and spatial understanding as you maneuver a 5/8" wooden marble through its entire course.

The Superplexus is a complex network of chicanes, multi-planar hairpin turns, spirals, and staircases–even a vortex. Hand made from 3- and 6-ply Finnish birch that form the track, over 400 hours are involved in its construction. The labyrinth is set inside a 36" diameter acrylic sphere affixed to a Jatoba base using a stainless steel gimbaled mount that allows you to tilt the sphere in any direction to guide the marble.

This lovely puzzle can be yours for a mere $30,000 USD.

Some interesting things I found recently:

# The Virtual Piano for Songwriters, Singers, Producers and aspiring musicians

Not Only is The Virtual Piano a Virtual instrument that you can play chords and melodies on, it also shows you how to play all the chords (triads) in all twelve keys.

It's an excellent tool for you to learn to play piano, to transpose songs into any key or for writing songs.

# In-Depth Review of Percussa AudioCubes in Use with Ableton Live

Mark @ Modulate This! reviews Percussa's AudioCubes in Ableton Live:

Back in November I purchased a set of four Percussa AudioCubes. I've spent quite a bit of time working with them as a an interface to Ableton Live.

In this hands-on review I'll explain what they are, how they work, how I'm using them with Live and also offer some tips along the way.

# SIDstick – 100,000 chiptunes in your pocket!

The SIDstick is a pocket-sized chiptunes player featuring:

• Removable Storage supporting microSD cards, 1 card can hold 20,000 songs
• 20+ hour battery life
• Super Hi-Quality hardware-based playback at 31kHz sample rate, >16 bit resolution
• Completely Open, hardware and software are available under the MIT license
• Upgradable with connections on the board

# Nebulophone Kit Pre-Order

Now available to pre-order from Bleep Labs:

The Nebulophone is an Arduino based synth with a Stylophone like keyboard. It has adjustable waveforms, a light controlled analog filter, LFO, and arpeggiator that can be clocked over IR.

This is a beginner kit and does not require an Arduino programmer board.

# Multichord Hybrid Musical Instrument, a single-stringed instrument that plays multiple notes via varied tensioning rather than fretting.

From the project page:

The Multichord musical instrument is an acoustic stringed instrument with a single string, constructed from wood, a hard drive, 20-lb monofilament, and assorted electronic components. It was the culmination of a project to build an acoustic instrument capable of playing multiple notes without fretting or manual, time-consuming retuning. The Multichord achieves this by attaching a hard drive read/write head assembly between the resonant string and a tensioning spring to adjust the tension of the instrument's string. Careful adjustment was made to the tension of both the string and the spring with the hard drive head in a neutral, unpowered position to ensure a bipolar application of voltage within the safety ratings of the hard drive's coil could cause the string to cover a full musical octave. In the end, the Multichord was tuned to a C-major scale (no flats or sharps) running from A at 220Hz through (but not including) A at 440Hz.

Some interesting things I found recently:

# bassdll – An arduino piezo buzzer sound engine by Drew Crawford.

Source code available at github

# Charting the Beatles – Exploration of Beatles music through infographics.

Charting the Beatles – Authorship and Collaboration

Michael Deal writes:

These visualizations are part of an extensive study of the music of the Beatles. Many of the diagrams and charts are based on secondary sources, including but not limited to sales statistics, biographies, recording sesion notes, sheet music, and raw audio readings.

# MISA digital guitar

The MISA digital guitar is a minimalistic looking MIDI controller.

# Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 Instrument: Hands-on, Videos, Why it’s Different

Teenage Engineering OP-1, portable synthesizer and controller

Peter Kirn spent some hands-on time with the current prototype of the OP-1 and had a talk with the developers of Teenage Engineering.

# mtXcontrol

mtXcontrol by Tobias Bielohlawek is an editor written in Processing to easily create image sequences for several output devices containing multicolor LED matrix.

mtXcontrol Editor auto detects and connects to your device. Once connected, you can draw points, lines & rows in different colors, create multiple frames and manipulate them. Add, delete, move, fill, copy & paste of frames is supported. Play all frames by different speed, realtime update the device and save your work as image file. If supported (e.g. Rainbowduino), update the sequence on your device and run it standalone. One special feature is typing letters and numbers. Future versions aim to support multiple devices, different color depth and many more.

Some interesting things I found recently:

# Reactableton

reactable final Prototype, used with ableton didnt need ir filter or any of that, light does not hinder the pick up of the fiducial by way of blocking out the light with frosted plexi. , made out of cardboard , plexi and christmas lights!

# Stompolin – Mike Rotondo's Stompolin is a digital instrument created at a Physical Interaction Design workshop at CCRMA.

It is designed to allow the player to create music by involving their whole body, instead of focusing on the hands as many traditional instruments do. My goal was to accurately capture the emotional content of full-body movements, whether gentle or vigorous, and transmit it as music.

# The free RTAS plug-ins list

Stiff @ ProToolerBlog has listed a collection of free RTAS plug-ins:

I have compiled a list of all the free RTAS plug-ins I could think of. The list is nowhere near as long as a free VST list would be but nonetheless there are quite a few handy plug-ins here. Needless to say, while this is an RTAS plug-in list, most of them should be available in VST and AU as well.