Fan + Walkman = Turntable
Nice idea using a few simple and cheap components. More info on the project homepage.
Culture Lab Visit + Waves VJ
I visited the Newcastle Culture Lab in Newcastle last week to work on a set of Cultural probes with Madeline Balaam as part of the PATINA project (more info about the probes on the PATINA blog!).
While I was there I was given a demo of the Waves VJ multitouch system by Jon Hook. It’s a synthesis based VJ system where multiple generative elements are added and combined to create complex 3D images. I was impressed by the ‘jog-roller’ on the left of the screen that lets you cue and play the synthesised patterns in time with the music. More info here and on Jon’s homepage.
video link: YouTube – Waves – Multi-Touch VJ Interface
codebending
CodeBending looks like a lot of fun, especially with the patching and arcade buttons…
[illucia project homepage]
Carbon Turntable Sequencer
Liking the look of this turntable sequencer by Daniel Skoglund. There’s some more of his music on his myspace page (“kretsar” has a nice pops’n’clicks ambient vibe).
[via: Synthtopia]
Novation Launchpad Patches
A couple of patches by Sebastian Tomczak (LittleScale) show how Novation’s Launchpad can be used for other purposes. I’m looking forward to getting one to try these out!
little-scale: Novation Launchpad: Waveform Editor
little-scale: Novation Launchpad: Linear Sequencer
Hawtin’s Traktor Setup
via ResidentAdvisor
Interesting video of how Richie Hawtin sets up a four-deck mix. This is relevant to the mapping problem in tangible interface research, and how to use physical controls without ending up with a complex mess.
Paper and Pen Instrument
Nice video by Charlie North that combines some of the main elements of my PhD – Sketching, Interaction Design, Tangible Interfaces and Music. I particularly like the way that the scrunching up of the paper relates to the low-pass filter… would be great to see a fully functional version of this type of interface!
Spotted on: Create Digital Music
Metal Drone Instrument
Nice video on a very physical musical interface. We were aiming for this kind of thing when we designed the DAMPER (also known as the Edgetrimmer).
via: Make: Online : Tristan Shone’s Dub and Drone Machines
David Merrill’s Siftables
Spotted David Merrill’s Siftables project in the New Scientist yesterday, then came across this talk he gave at TED. I like the idea of using the Siftables as a music controller/instrument, but I think too much functionality is being packed into each device. Perhaps the music-Siftables will get really interesting when each block is smaller and cheaper, so that you could use a few hundred of them at the same time.
Below is a video of just the music application:
Siftables Music Sequencer from Jeevan Kalanithi on Vimeo.
Rhythm Ring
The Rhythm Ring is an interesting project by Brian Yung & Hanson Jiang (of Cornell University) that was partly inspired by my BeatBearing project. In their own words:
“The Rhythm Ring interactive rhythm sequencer is an engaging musical device that enables the user to create a plethora of rhythms and beat patterns with the touch of their own fingers.
Besides being fun to play with, the Rhythm Ring provides a tangible method of arranging a musical rhythm. In our design, the user can arrange beats and modify them in real time by moving steel ball bearings between holes—a physical representation of notes on a musical staff. The Rhythm Ring continuously loops up to three tracks, each with its own voice. A central ring of LEDs provide the user with live feedback for current “playhead” position, and bright LEDs pulse when a note is played due to a detected bearing. The three tracks allow the playback of three different percussion sounds: snare, hi-hat, and bass drum.”
I’m really pleased that one of my projects has inspired another musical instrument to be designed and built. If anyone else is doing anything similar, then please get in touch!