The MIDI Association has made significant progress this year in developing two Profiles focused on electronic drums and drum machines.
The Default Drum Map Profile defines a MIDI-CI Profile for a default mapping of specific drums to specific Note Numbers. The note map used in this Profile was established by many products in the 1980s as a commonly used set of note assignments for drum sounds and that was later standardized in General MIDI.
Many drum machines, grooveboxes, keyboard workstations, portable keyboards, digital pianos, and software synthesizers (many of which do NOT support the full GM specification) have drum kits that utilize this drum kit mapping because of the vast quantity of MIDI data available that will play properly with these drum maps.
Electronic Drums are one of the most successful categories of MIDI instruments.
Most electronic drums from different manufacturers share a common set of features (standard MIDI messages including velocity, pan,etc.) as well as more drum specific features (choking of cymbals, positional sensing of cymbals and drums, etc). However, the MIDI messages used to control these features have not been standardized and mainly rely on manufacturer specific SysEx. A MIDI-CI Profile would define far greater interoperability, unifying the industry behind a common set of MIDI messages.
Steve Fisher- Director – Drums Product Development Medeli
Ben Israel- Research and Content Design Manager -Yamaha
Mike Kent- Chair of MIDI 2.0 WG/MIDI Association Executive Board.Drum Profile Chair Co Founder Amenote
Mike Snyder -Innovation Manager, Electronic Instruments at Avedis Zildjian Company
Ikuo Kakehashi- Founder of BAC Audio a team of master electronic instrument engineers who worked on Zildjian’s new ALCHEM-E series electronic drum kits
Watch the promo video on YoutubeMIDI Association Hall A Booth 10302Three Days of Educational Sessions about MIDIMap of The MIDI Association booth and MIDI Association Members Booths In The MIDI Showcase
MIDI Association NAMM Booth Events Thursday, January 23
MIDI Association Lifetime Achievement Awards 2025
Thursday, January 2311:00 AM-11:45 AM 45 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
The MIDI Association will present John Bowen, Karl Hirano, Tadao Kikumoto, Tetsuo Nishimoto, Chris Meyer, Jeff Rona and Brian Vincik with MIDI Association Lifetime Achievement awards for their contributions to MIDI from 1983 to 1990.
MIDI 2.0 Network (UDP) Transport Specification
Thursday, January 231:00 PM- 1:30 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
The Network MIDI 2.0 (UDP) Transport Specification defines a way to connect home studios or performance venues via Ethernet and wireless LAN on a local area network using MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0 UMP packets.
TamiX interviews Innovative Chinese MIDI Companies
Thursday, January 23 3:30 PM- 4:00 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
Tang Nan (artist name TamiX) who runsMidifan, the largest Music Production website in China will interview Hotone, Medeli, MIDI Plus and Robkooabout the latest developments in MIDI technology in China.
The Music Accessibility Special Interest Group
Thursday, January 234:30 PM- 5:15 PM 45 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
The Special Interest Group on Music Accessibility allows artists, researchers, and others in the music production community to interact directly with MIDI Association companies and provides a forum for discussions surrounding music accessibility and MIDI.
Riverside City College MIDI Jam
Thursday, January 235:30 PM- 6:00 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
Come see what this group of talented young music production students have been inspired to create with MIDI. Special thanks to Artiphon, Caedence, Jamstik, Playtime Engineering, Robkoo and others for their donations to the all-MIDI jam.
MIDI Association NAMM Booth Events Friday, January 24
Latest MIDI 2.0 Developments in Apple, Google, Linux and Microsoft Operating Systems
Friday, January 2410:30 AM- 11:00 AM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
The MIDI Association and its members will provide updates on the latest developments in the major operating systems. If you are a developer of MIDI products, this is a presentation you won’t want to miss.
DAW Control Profile-Replacing Mackie control
Friday, January 24 11:30 AM- 12:00 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
With MIDI 2.0 support already beginning to appear in Digital Audio Workstations, plugin developers are benefitting from the work being done by the MIDI Association member companies that develop those plugin formats – Apple (Audio Units), Avid (AAX), Bitwig (CLAP) and Steinberg (VST). The DAW Working Group is working on a DAW Control Profile which would supersede proprietary control protocols like Mackie Control and Logic control with a true industry standard for controlling DAWs via external hardware and software.
Build Your Own Audio and MIDI Plug-ins Using JUCE
Friday, January 24 1:00 PM- 1:30 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
Senior JUCE developer Anthony Nicholls will show you how you can use JUCE to create your own, unique, audio and MIDI plug-ins that you can make available to other people.
Plugin Formats Open Source Support for MIDI 2.0
Friday, January 241:30 PM- 2:00 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
The MIDI Association member companies that develop plugin formats – Apple (Audio Units), Avid (AAX), Bitwig (CLAP) and Steinberg (VST) are working together to develop open-source software that will enable plugin developers to quickly and easily interface with external MIDI gear without the need for any in depth knowledge of MIDI 2.0 or MIDI-CI.
MIDI 2.0 Piano Profile Progress Report
Friday, January 242:30 PM- 3:00 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
At NAMM 2024, we showed off a working prototype of the MIDI 2.0 Piano Profile.
This year we focused on two other important parts of the Piano Profile- DAW Plugin support and implementation guidelines with accompanying Audio and MIDI files.
MIDI 2.0 Drum Profiles
Friday, January 243:30 PM- 4:00 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
The MIDI Association has made significant progress this year in developing some Profiles focused on electronic drums and drum machines.
MIDI In Music Education and SAE Mexico
Friday, January 244:30 PM- 5:00 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
SAE Mexico has been selected to begin work on The MIDI Association’s MIDI In Music Education curriculum by the NAMM Foundation.
They will provide the curriculum materials in both English and Spanish under a Creative Common license and have a unique relationship with Coursera, the massive open online course provider.
Digitaize – Transforming strings with the power of MIDI
Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, United States
Digitaize takes a completely new approach to augmenting acoustic instruments. This innovative technology uses a unique sensor system to acquire real-time playing data from musical instruments. In this demonstration, the Digitaize Module uses software instruments from Spectrasonics, Moog, and Audio Modeling, a hardware from CME and Roland to showcase its versatility.
MIDI Association NAMM Booth Events Saturday, January 25
MIDI Association Open Meeting
Saturday, January 2510:00 AM- 10:45 AM 45 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
Please join us as we introduce the new MIDI Association Executive and Technical Standards Boards, review the previous year’s progress and take a look at what we want to accomplish in 2025.
MIDI Innovation Awards 2024
Saturday, January 2511:00 AM- 11:30 AM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
Join Jean Baptiste Thibeaut from Music Hackspace and Martin Keary (host of the 2024 MIDI Innovation Awards Show) as they introduce the winners of the 2024 MIDI Innovation Awards.
Innovators Meetup with Rock Paper Scissors
Saturday, January 2511:30 am – 12:15 pm AM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
Meet all the musical instrument, software and app innovators at NAMM! Everyone gets the mic in this networking session. Give your 30-second introduction, connect faces to names around the room, then break to network one on one. Leave with connections to collaborators, customers, allies, and friends.
Riverside City College MIDI Jam II
Saturday, January 254:30 PM- 5:00 PM 30 minutes (America/Los_Angeles)
MIDI Association Booth 10302 (Hall A)
In-Person Only
Come see what this group of talented young music production students have been inspired to create with MIDI.
Special thanks to Artiphon, Caedence, Jamstik, Playtime Engineering, Robkoo and others for their donations to the all-MIDI jam.
I’ve always been excited about music and technology. My piano teacher set up a simple MIDI studio in the 90’s, with a Dell computer, MIDI keyboard, and a KORG Audio Gallery GM Sound Module, which at the time was many times better than the soft synth sounds coming from Windows’ MIDI playback. We used software like TRAX and Midisoft Studio, and the MIDI demo songs were incredible and inspiring. I was amazed at how much potential there was to create music on the computer, with 64 tracks playing together at once. That’s when I first got into MIDI, learning how note on/off, velocity, and controller signals could control the expression of my music.
I would later continue my passion of music and technology to learn about DAWs and software instruments, and study Composition and Technology in Music and Related Arts at Oberlin Conservatory, and then Music for the Screen at Columbia College Chicago. As an adult, I would continue to follow those interests in music and tech working as a software engineer, film composer, conductor, inventor, creative technologist, and artist.
In 2020, my friend Federico Tobon and I created a musical robotic sculpture, Four Muses, using a repurposed Rock Band keyboard with MIDI out to control four electromechanical musical sculptures to create a robotic band. That’s when I started to learn MIDI at a lower level, reading the MIDI note from the keyboard from an Arduino, packaging that up into a message and sending that with an NRF24L01 transmitter, reading that note with another NRF24L01 receiver, and then triggering a corresponding solenoid or motor to strike an instrument wirelessly. One of the instruments used motors spinning at different frequencies to translate to pitch instead. Using Arduino I also programmed several modes for the keyboard and LED matrix, such as a live interaction mode, a playback mode, a sequencer mode, and a teaching mode.
Four Muses Musical Robotic Sculpture
I travel a lot, and am often writing music on the road. I had a Yamaha QY70 in the 2000’s which I used to love tracking songs on. But I’ve always wanted a tiny MIDI keyboard for my laptop. Even portable keyboards like the Korg nanoKEY were too big for me to use with a laptop on a plane, and took up too much space in my luggage. I also wanted something super portable that I could run warmups on with my chorus, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, before gigs.
I started tinkering with the SeeedStudio Xiao, a tiny, quarter-sized microcontroller that is cheap and extremely powerful, arduino compatible, and able to handle HID (Human interface Device) emulation as well as MIDI over USB. I made a breadboard prototype based on my learnings from Four Muses, adding some simple Arduino logic for supporting octave functions (simply add or remove multiples of 12 to the current note), sustain (send a control change) and modulation (another control change). I open-sourced my code here:
In a manufacturer’s components website, I sorted through hundreds of buttons and switches for days, sorting them by size and by newton force to find the smallest and lightest tiny buttons.
I decided to make a credit-card sized daughterboard for the Xiao that would have 18 keys on it, octave buttons, sustain, and modulation functions. Since the buttons weren’t touch sensitive, I added more buttons for setting global velocity levels (P/MF/FF). I also learned how to multiplex inputs and outputs into rows and columns, giving me 25 inputs from 5 rows and 5 columns using only 10 I/O pins, and diodes to filter out ghost notes. I learned how to use EasyEDA (free PCB Design software), built my first schematic and PCB design, and ordered my first PCBs.
The first batch I got back was a failure. It turns out the diodes I picked had too big of a forward voltage drop, killing my signal flow. ChatGPT was very useful for this, helping me troubleshoot what I’d done wrong, and helping me understand datasheets better to pick the right type of diodes.
I ordered a second batch, and they worked! I had the manufacturer assemble the boards, and then I manually hand-soldered the Xiao microcontrollers onto them, and programmed them in Arduino. I now had a tiny, USB-C MIDI keyboard that I could take anywhere with me, and since it was class compliant, it would work with phones and tablets too.
I started selling them online, and there’s been a lot of enthusiasm for these little boards. I’ve continued to iterate with them too. The next version I designed, the MidiCard Plus, has 25 keys, which I could do by combining the 3 velocity buttons into one button with a toggle function to toggle between P/MF/FF. It also has larger, sturdier buttons.
I’m working on future versions of the MidiCard as well with multiple color options, and just using a bare SAM D21 chip instead of the full Xiao module. This will prevent me from having to hand-solder each board and will give them a slimmer profile. I’m also designing cases for the MidiCard, and am open to other suggestions. (Maybe wireless or MIDI 2.0 features!)
If you’re interested in purchasing a MidiCard, they can be found at:
At the MIDI Forum, there were a number of technology presentations and one of the most fascinating was from Robin Zhang about the open source software he developed called Digishow.
Robin runs a creators’ collective in a beautiful old building that used to be the home of the Lester School and Technical Institute. They get diverse people from different backgrounds (musicians, lighting, artists, designers) to work together and create unique pieces of art using Digishow.
DigiShow is a lightweight control software designed for live performances and immersive show spaces with music, lights, displays, robots and interactive installations. It serves as an easy-to-use console for signal controlling, also enables signal mapping between MIDI, DMX, OSC, ArtNet, Modbus, Arduino, Philips Hue and more digital interfaces.
With using DigiShow LINK app, there are some scenarios assumed:
Producers: For live music or theatre performances, DJ or producers can arrange show lighting cues and stage automations on MIDI tracks alongside the music tracks in Ableton Live or other DAW. At the show, press the button on the Launchpad, the music loop and lighting effects will be instantly played in sync.
Ableton Live with tracks programmed for Digishow
Picture of magnetic and MIDI demo with lightshow
Performers: When playing MIDI instruments like drums or keyboards, DigiShow can trigger dynamic lighting changes and even robotic movements by MIDI notes following the beat or the music. Sensors can also be added to acoustic or DIY instruments to automatically generate MIDI notes.
Artists and Designer: For building interactive art installations, the creators often need to make software that works with the hardware. DigiShow provides OSC, ArtNet, WebSocket pipes for inter-application communication. Designers can create their interactive content in some creative software like TouchDesigner, Unity 3D, P5.js and access the hardware easily through DigiShow. Developers can also program using Python or JavaScript to connect DigiShow and extend interaction logic.
Storefront Display programmed by Digishow and simulated in Touch Designer
Makers and Hobbyists: DigiShow is for all show makers as well as hobbyists with little professional skills. Make digital shows for your own party time, or just make your house into a mini ‘disneyland’.
Join MIDI Association President Athan Billias, artiphon’s Emma Supica and Oddball’s Pasquale Totaro for a discussion of playful (and round) products that use MIDI from the June 2022 NAMM show
Follow the bouncing ball as it sends out MIDI messages and learn how music teachers in Anaheim are getting kids to express their emotions with MIDI.
Join MIDI Association President Athan Billias, Big Ear Games Aviv Ben-Yahuda , Playtronics’ Sacha Pas and Playtime Engineering’s Troy Sheets for a discussion of playful products that use MIDI from the June 2022 NAMM show.
Sorry, it took awhile to get this interview up. But it was an entertaining conversation. Just remembering how great it was to get everyone together at the June NAMM show has us looking forward to April NAMM 2023 and the 40th anniversary of MIDI!
Sam Battle (LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER) released a new MIDI creation just in time for Christmas- “The Santasizer.” It’s a choir of toy Santas that can be played from a MIDI keyboard. Add some MIDI and modular synths for the sound track and you have everything you need to have a very MIDI Christmas.
Happy Holidays to all and sincere wishes for a joyous New Year in 2022!
We have always been a big fan of Berlin-based Playtronica. They have done MIDI installations for Hermes and Issey Miyake.
A real laboratory became alive in the upcoming new Hermes shop, in Manhattan, New York.
Each objects of new Hermes’ Home and jewelry collection became a musical instrument on which Playtronica’s musicians performed improvisations parts during 3 hours.
Back on Labor Day 2020, we covered the Watermelon jam from MEZERG that used Playtronica to turn watermelons into MIDI controllers.
Sometimes you just need to relax and do something cool. So on Labor day weekend 2020 we shared this video from MEZERG enjoying some cool watermelon, some bright sun and a dip in the pool. Oh yeah, and MIDI of course!
Orbita is a truly playful way to create music because it is so visual. People of any age can enjoy it and the more you know about music and tech the more you can do with Orbita. The user interface is simple, You place magnets on a spinning disc and synths and samples are triggered from Playtronica’s proprietary Web App.
There are four track “orbits” and a”scratch mode” and timing can be adjusted with the spinning wheel like a classic turntable pitch control.
But Orbita is also a USB-C compatible MIDI Controller that works with all MIDI compatible music software. There is even an extension that will convert the MIDI into Control Voltage so you can integrate Orbita with your modular synths.
In Playtronica’s universe, everything should sound. Our past products, TouchMe and Playtron, let people turn any object into an instrument – even touching another person. With Orbita, we bring sound to color through a device that can be used for education, performance, meditation, or just jamming with friends
by Sasha Pas, founder of Playtronica
Blast from the past
Anyone remember this MIDI product- The Yamaha DJX BII
Is okay to say “What goes around comes around” when talking about a turntable?
You can make Johan Von Konow’s new modular synth for about $6!
“I have designed a keyboard, drum pad, chord keyboard, arpeggiator and a step sequencer. One special feature is that the units have RGB LEDs for each key, enabling playback visualization (so each device is both MIDI out and in). This is helpful for music training and editing, but it also looks great. They can be used as input devices to any computer with a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like Ableton, Logic, Cubase, Garageband etc. It will run on Windows, Mac or Linux (including Raspberry Pi). They can even be connected to your mobile phone (Android or iOS), providing a tactile super portable music development platform.”
by Johan Von Konow
The devices are easy to build and anyone with a 3D printer and basic soldering skills should be able to replicate them. They are designed to use few components that are easily accessible and affordable (one keyboard cost around $6).
3D printed core (3DPCB)
Everything is open source and built with the easy to use Arduino framework.
Sourcecode written in the free to use Arduino IDE.
For more information on how to build this project, check out Johan Von Konow’s website.
Respiro is a new generation software synthesizer using physical modelling that contains a “state of the art” sound engine able to reproduce the sound and behaviour similar to wind-instruments. It has sonic capabilities of woodwinds and can also create ‘never heard before’ sounds. It turns your breath and/or touch into a unique experience, providing amazing musical vibrations!
by imoxplus
Overview
Respiro is available as Standalone, AU and VST3 64-bit plugin for macOS and Windows.
It is designed to work with MIDI controllers that can send Pressure (Breath) via AT, CC02, CC11 etc… and note on/off including:
Sometimes you just need to relax and do something cool.
So on Labor day weekend 2020 we shared this video from MEZERG enjoying some cool watermelon, some bright sun and a dip in the pool.
Oh yeah, and MIDI of course!
Want to try it yourself ? Playtronic makes it possible
Playtron is a new type of music device.
Connect Playtron to fruits and play electronic music using online synthesizers or use it as a MIDI controller with any music software and conductive objects.
Buy Playtron or Touchme, two gadgets that lets you play music on any object. We are an international studio dedicated to creating meaningful interactive audio experiences, in collaboration with brands, marketers, museums, galleries, and artists.
Hi everyone! In this article I will teach you how to build your own Arduino powered MIDI controller. MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and it is a protocol that allows computers, musical instruments and other hardware to communicate. If you follow each and every step of this tutorial you will be able to make music with an Arduino!
What you are going to learn from this article:
Chose the right components for this project.
Sketch an interface with the right dimensions and build it.
Read the circuit schematics and connect/solder every component to the Arduino.
Chose the right software to connect the MIDI Controller with the DAW you are using.
Mapping the MIDI Controller.
Make sure you watch the video because it´s more illustrative. Subscribe to my Youtube channel so you don´t miss out on new project and to help me grow!
Step 1: Gather All the Material
Here is a list of the material and tools we need to complete this project:
Material to build the case ( I decided to build a wooden case )
I chose the Arduino Starter Kit because this kit provides a lot of useful material for this project such as resistors and all the wiring and connectors. Also, if you are a begginer like me, other material with this kit can help you getting started with electronics
I bought the Arcade Buttons from the link above but if I were to buy again, I would buy THESE BUTTONS instead because I wanted to give a pattern to the interface and it was impossible with single colored buttons so I had to paint them.
Tools you will need:
Hobby file
Sand paper
Screw driver
X-acto knife
Caliper
Ruler
Wood bits
Spade bit
Jumper wires
Insulation tape
Varnish
Paint
Wire stripper
Wire cutter
Saw
Power drill
Mini Axe Saw
Dremel
Super glue
Soldering Iron
Solder
Soldering paste
You can check the pictures for more details.
Step 2: Sketching and Building the Interface
I highly recommend sketching your interface so you are sure of the dimensions you need to build the case.
I projected my interface on a A4 sheet, using a pencil a ruler and a compass. You can see the result in the picture below. By sketching the interface, you get to know the dimensions you need to install all the components. My Push Buttons have a 29.7mm diameter so I am going to drill a 30mm hole to install it. Every hole is spaced by 10mm. Basically each circle center is spaced by 40mm (diameter = 30 + space = 10).
Pot Knobs have a 10mm diameter. It is recommended to drill with increasing diameter bits to make sure not to crack the wood. I also left a 10mm space between buttons and pot knob potentiometers.
And finally, the sliding potentiometers. From the data sheet I know their travelling distance is about 80mm. You should use a Dremel to open the slots to fit in the sliding potentiometers, a.k.a. FADERS. If you don´t have this specific tool you can always do it as I show on the video. Think about a slot with 80mm length and 3mm wide.
This was my COVID-19 quarantines project. I was determined to find a productive way to spend my time and the Arduino that was left in a drawer came to mind. I went to my local store to buy wood to make the enclosure and as I bought it I was told they weren´t cutting wood because of the lack of personnel and due to this whole self-isolating/lockdown. So, I decided to buy the wood and cut it at home with the material I had available.
After removing the splinters with sand paper and preparing the surface I applied varnish paint. Two coating were applied. After I chose a color to paint the enclosure. You can check the pictures to see the result!
Step 3: Circuit Diagram and Connections
I decided to Illustrate the circuit diagram instead of drawing the conventional circuit diagram because it can get very confusing. I used several colors to separate jumper wires so you can understand where each wire belongs.
The chip used on the Arduino contains internal pull-up resistors, so there´s no need to wire resistors for each of the arcade buttons. This greatly simplifies the controller wiring.
All we need to do is choosing one leg of the Arcade Buttons to be the ground, the other will be power, which will be connected to one of the digital inputs on the Arduino board.
Faders have three legs, the first one (counting from the bottom) is the ground (-), second is power (+) and the third one is the signal.
For the Pot knob potentiometers its the following: left leg is ground (-), middle leg is the signal and right leg will be power (+).
The Arduino is going to be the brain of the MIDI Controller. It is going to send MIDI instructions to the software, depending on the button pushing input.
The interior is going to get very messing because of all the wires, I would advice you to structure the soldering process. For example, I decided to solder all the ground wires first, the power and finally I soldered the signal jumper wires.
After soldering and connecting all the pins to the Arduino board, we can close the enclosure. Have a look at the pictures to see the final outcome!
Step 4: Softwares and Programming
You will need three pieces of software in order to be able to make music with your Arduino.
First, you need to download the Arduino IDE software to start writing your own code and upload sketches to the Arduino board.
Secondly, you need to download the LoopMidi software which is essentially a virtual midi cable.
Finally, to send your midi serial data to the LoopMidi software you will need the Hairless Midi to Serial Bridge software. This software is great to let you know if your wiring is correct because you can see the data flux exchanged between the MIDI Controller and the Hairless Midi Serial.
First step is opening the Arduino software and the code I am attaching to this Instructable (called MIDI_Controller). Credits are given to the Author Michael Balzer. You should not need to modify the code. Just verify the sketch which is kind of like a “debug” and when you get the message that the compilation is complete you can send it to the Arduino board.
Then head to the LoopMidi and chose a new port name. Once you chose one just press the plus button which will create the new port. After this step open the Hairless Midi Serial Bridge and start by selecting the MIDI In port that you have just created. Then select the same MIDI Out port. Finally chose the serial port of your computer (usually COM#). Congratulations, you have just enabled your MIDI Controller to communicate with the computer!
Step 5: Mapping the MIDI Controller
If you got this far Congratulations!!! You are just a few steps from start making music with Arduino and playing with your MIDI Controller!
Now you want to head over to your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and set the settings to recognize the external input which is your MIDI Controller. The example I am providing is with Ableton Live. You need to go to
Options >> Preferences : The Input Midi Port should be the one you defined earlier and you need turn the track and remote toggle button on.
Now if you press any button on your MIDI interface you should see a light flashing at the top right corner of the DAW which means the software is receiving the midi signals you are sending! To map the MIDI Controller just click on the “MIDI” button and the DAW color should turn purple. Now click over any slot and then press any button, you will see a note/control associated to it which means the button is mapped!
And you are done! Congratulations! Great project and great job! Let me know if you made it!
On its mission of creating the right MIDI device for those who feel more comfortable with 6 strings than with 25 keys, Jammy Instruments is launching a compact stringed MIDI controller Jammy EVO that allows playing any instrument like playing guitar.
The Kickstarter campaign is already live on the link. Jammy EVO raised the goal of $50,000 in just one hour, and $100,000 in two days.
Jammy EVO translates the guitar skills into any instrument to create in any genre by connecting to a laptop or smartphone with DAW. So anyone with even basic guitar playing skills can play the whole orchestra using just one device. And in self-isolation times, Jammy EVO is more relevant than ever, allowing music enthusiasts to be a one-man-band.
Yet another thing that makes EVO stand out is its portability: being disassembled in half, the device is only 17″. With its new collapsible frame design, EVO can be even more compact than its predecessor, so it can be used on the go, or when not played, it doesn’t take up much space in the bedroom studio. Further, improved ergonomics with more comfortable neck profile, optimized string spacing, more reliable construction of latch mechanisms make playing extremely delightful.
Jammy EVO is going to have a set of next-gen optical sensors that will reduce the MIDI latency to 8—10 ms, and also improve MIDI tracking. New mappable hardware controls will be added to the current push knob and accelerometer. Also, there will be a long-awaited lefty version.
Jammy Instruments – a music tech start-up, focused on building and bringing to market innovative musical hardware and software solutions aimed to make music practice and creation mobile and accessible. Jammy Instruments has achieved its initial success with their first product — Jammy Guitar. It has raised more than 260.000 USD during its 2017 crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo and received Best In Show award at the Summer NAMM 2018 — the world’s largest music trade event. Now, equipped with feedback from the Jammy Guitar users’ community, Jammy Instruments is ready for the new endeavor.
Elk releases open source version of award winning Audio Operating System and Development Kit for Raspberry Pi.
We’ve covered ELK innovations on the site before. Check out these articles on Steinberg and the Elk Powered Retrologue desktop synth and the collaboration between Fishman, Arturia and MIND Music Labs and the band MUSE.
British mega band MUSE is currently on tour promoting their latest album Simulation Theory performing in sold out stadiums all over the world. Each night frontman and guitarist Matt Bellamy brings out a one of a kind guitar with a special history to
MIND Music Labs announced the continuation of the official partnership with music and media production products provider Steinberg — by bringing a brand-new, co-developed desktop synth prototype with full MIDI support to SUPERBOOTH19 in Berlin, May 9
Elk Audio OS is the award-winning Audio Operating System from Elk (formerly known as MIND Music Labs) that allows you to run existing VST and other plugin formats on hardware instruments and audio devices in real time with ultra low latency.
A beta version of the Elk Audio Operating System is being available under a Dual licensing model (open-source & commercial). The Elk Audio OS SDK & documentation is available and is free for anyone to start using.
Also available on is an Elk Audio OS Development Kit for Raspberry Pithat includes a customElk Pi Audio Hat.
The Elk Pi Hat alone is one of the most advanced pro Audio Hats in the markets with down to 1 ms latency, multichannel and support for Raspberry 4 coming up in the very near future.
“The idea behind the Elk Audio OS is to make a whole new generation of connected musical instruments possible. Instruments that can connect people around the world and spur new kinds of musical creativity. We believe there are so many potential instrument makers out there who could create fantastic things if they just had the right tools, and it is for them we have created Elk. So today I’m very happy to announce that we have reached a major milestone in our company, when we can make Elk available to everyone through the open source release.”
by – Michele Beninicaso CEO at Elk (former MIND Music Labs)
Code & packages for Elk Audio OS. *Disclaimer*: only docs & SDK available now, binaries for the RPi and source code repositories will come soon. – Elk Audio OS
Elk is an ultra low latency OS (down to 1ms round-trip) that is officially supported in the VST3 SDK. Elk has additional support for JUCE and is available under a dual license (open-source & commercial).
The KMI K-Board Pro 4 started off as Kickstarter campaign in 2016 and quickly got to its funding goal of $50.000. What sets the Pro 4 apart from other controllers is KMI’s patented Smart Sensor Fabric technology which is a unique and proprietary conductive material that changes resistance as it is compressed.
KMI’s patented Smart Sensor Fabric technology
Expressive
KBP4 has Smart Fabric Sensors under each key bringing five dimensions of expressivity to your playing
Playable
KBP4 is configured like a traditional keyboard, giving you a familiar playing surface so you can start expressing yourself immediately.
Programmable
The KBP4 Editor Software works with Mac, Windows, or in a web browser to fully customize every element of the KBP4 playing experience
Every K-Board Pro 4 ships with a free license for Bitwig Studio 8-Track
Bitwig Studio 8-Track, the trim and effective digital audio workstation to start producing, performing, and designing sounds like a pro. 8-Track includes a large selection of Bitwig devices for use on up to eight project tracks with audio or MIDI. Plug in your controller, record your instrument, produce simple arrangements, design new sounds, or just jam.
Bitwig Studio 8-Track is the sketch pad for your musical ideas featuring the acclaimed workflow of Bitwig Studio.
Bitwig Studio 8-Track is available exclusively through bundles with selected partners.
K-Board Pro 4 , BitWig and MPE Expressions
KMI put together a tutorial to show how to setup the K-Board with Bitwig to take advantage of MPE’s advance MIDI expression capabilities,
David Skulina from Edinburgh, United Kingdom founded Skoogmusic and in 2015 ran a successful funding campaign on Indiegogo and released it’s first original tactile music interface, Skoog. Skwitch is Skoogmusic’s newest offering and it is has a unique approach. It clips on your iPhone and uses onboard magnetic sensors to create a very low cost MIDI controller.
Skwitch: It’s a one button controller
Skwitch has a unique tactile interface. The 20mm of squeezable depth is let’s you press on the button for expressive control.
Skwitch: It’s expressive
Skwitch uses patented magnetic sensing technology allowing you to vary your sound using filters and effects, or pitch-bending between notes and chords.
Skwitch: Comes with an app
Skwitch is powered by the Skwitch Music app. It’s where you pick how and what you want to play. Choose songs, create riffs, set up your button, or get creative with other apps and devices. Whatever you choose, our app makes it easy and fun!
by Skoogmusic
Skwitch: It’s an MPE MIDI controller !
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL HARDWARE CONTROLLER
The Skwitch Music app lets you connect to other devices using Bluetooth MIDI so that you can use Skwitch as a wireless hardware controller for apps, DAWs and plugins. With separate MPE, modulation and fx control modes, it’s easy to create a fully customised hardware-software setup.
Skwitch is compatible with the leading Bluetooth MIDI compatible apps and DAWs:
by SkoogMusic
Skwitch: For more information, check it out on Indiegogo
Exclusive opportunity to influence new features & apps for this ready-to-ship | Check out ‘Skwitch: the one-button music-making gadget & app’ on Indiegogo.
Creative Console is a MIDI controller and much, much more
Creative Console integrates with all your typical DAW software
Logic Pro X
Cubase
Ableton Live
FL Studio
Reaper
But it also features native integration with the most popular graphics programs including:
Adobe Lumetri
Premiere Pro
After Effects.
Lightroom Classic,
Photoshop,
Capture One by Phase One
and more.
Orbiter- A first-of-its-kind input device designed for expressive and precise control of 2D and 3D interactions
Orbiter
Pressure Sensitive Disc
Dual Tilt/Press mechanism: tilt for expressive and confident control in X/Y directions, or press down as a large pressure sensitive plate in Z direction
Monogram M3D™: patent-pending sensing technology detects sub-millimeter disc deflection and is immune to dust and debris, where trackballs require cleaning
Ergonomic hand position: low-profile height and no more trackball flicking
X and Y axis individually assignable functions
Adjustable sensitivity and range
Flexible setups: combine multiple Orbiters or just use one for quick edits on set
Portable: easily take apart and take with you
Infinite Encoder Ring
68mm (2.7″) diameter ring: designed for fine adjustments and smooth scrolling
High resolution optical encoder
Adjustable sensitivity
Soft touch finish: comfortable non-slip grip
Internal 47mm industrial-grade ball bearing: weighted, smooth and oil-damped feel (yes we know it’s overkill)
Example Applications
Video editing: color wheels, jog & timeline navigation, clip position, animation
Calvin Chu is raising funds for Monogram: A Modular Productivity Tool For Creative Pros on Kickstarter! Simple. Powerful. Adaptable. Monogram is a versatile creative console flexible enough to fit your workflow and boost productivity
Tristan is an acoustic musician and a coder so he combined his skills in this musical performance.
What worked and what didn’t
Tristan tried a number of different types of motors for his robot including Car Door Locks, Stepper Motors and Solenoids, but they were all too noisy for the acoustic application he was going for.
He finally settled on Hitec HS-311 servos normally used for RC cars/airplanes.
System Diagram
The key thing here is that the Arduino controller maps MIDI note values to servo angles, and midi velocity values to the speed at which we move to those angles. For example if I sent a MIDI message (note: C2, velocity: 120), then every 1ms the controller will step the servo towards the C2 angle using some increment size determined by the velocity value.
by Tristan Calderbank
For more details…..
Tristan has more details of his project on his web page and has made the Arduino code available on his Github.
Play acoustically, with or without the application running. It’s a regular recorder.
Play digitally (you can mute it with the supplied mute-plug) silently and use the sounds of the app’s library, alone or play with up to three other friends! This will allow you to to practice everywhere, day and night, without annoying anyone!
Use the re.corder as a MIDI wind instrument controller. The re.corder features BLE wireless MIDI connectivity
The breath sensor is an high performance pressure sensing device, that can measure the strength of your blow, and transform this information into an expression parameter. This is used by the app, and most softwares, as a modifier for modulation or other sound characteristics. The mouthpiece of the re.corder can also sense your lips, understanding when you really want to play or not!
Under every note hole there’s a single or dual touch sensor that detect your finger and the note that you want to play. The software can be modified to swap fingering styles or to allow impaired mobility players to have their own custom fingering map.
We didn’t left out anything and in fact, to allow extreme expressivity and many other applications, we implemented an inertial platform with a 3D accelerometer MEMS. This sensor is capable of interpreting the movement and the attitude of the product, opening the possibility of modifying the sound following the player’s gestures.
by artinoise
Different ways to be expressive
With breath and lip sensors plus a 3D accelerometer has plenty of expressive capabilities as MIDI controller. Here a few examples of what you can do with the re.corder.
For more info, checkout the re.corder kickstarter page.
Artinoise is raising funds for the recorder, re.invented on Kickstarter! A modern take on one of the widest used educational instruments in school. Stimulating music learning and creation.
There are lots of websites that offer information on DAWs and music production. Audio Assemble takes a unique approach by offering articles, videos, reviews, interviews and information on schools that offer degrees in music and music production.
Audio Assemble has a lot of articles about Pro Tools, but they also cover a lot of MIDI topics especially in their list of top MIDI products for different categories.
Audio Assemble Top MIDI keyboard controllers for 2020:
The latest release of Native Instrument’s flagship MIDI controller, the Komplete Kontrol S88, brings a plethora of new additions to the already elite system. Some of the improvements are long-awaited quality-of-life changes, such as the ergonomic pitch and mod wheels, a unique touch strip for advancing tracks and tweaking synth elements, and Smart Spring memory foam damping for the fully weighted 88 hammer keys.
In addition to the smaller improvements, NI’s real innovation comes with the newfound access to all of your production tools, right at your fingertips. With this latest release, the Komplete Kontrol S88 now has two high-res color screens- allowing for visualizing, mixing, and editing, all from the hardware.
The dual screens allow for in-depth sound design and creative applications, such as a sampler on one display and a synthesizer mid-tweak on the other. For those who know of the convenience of using dual screens in everyday production, this elite system will quickly become the center of your production setup.
In addition to the 1:1 keyboard experience, the Komplete Kontrol S88 comes pre-loaded with the Komplete 12 Select Bundle- containing Massive, Monark, Drumlab, Phasis, Replika and more. Three sound packs are included with said bundle, offering the “True School,” “Velvet Lounge,” and “Deep Matter” sound packs.
Lastly, the Komplete Kontrol S88 offers out-of-the-box integration with MASCHINE, Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Cubase, Nuendo, and GarageBand. For users of FL Studios and other DAWs like Reaper, only a few driver downloads are required before you are ready to master your production.
Keybed: 88-key hammer-action Fatar keybed with a real piano feel
Pitch Bend / Modulation: two rotary wheels with anti-slip coating are featured above the pads.
Pads: 16 velocity-sensitive RGB backlit drum pads with out-of-the-box Ableton Live integration.
Build: Lightweight, low profile.
Knobs: eight 360 degree fully-customizable knobs.
Faders: None.
Pedal Inputs: expression pedal and footswitch inputs.
Octaves: Up and Down.
Extra Features: Comes with KOMPLETE 12 SELECT: 14 premium instruments and effects, including THE GENTLEMAN, Massive, Monark, Drumlab, Phasis, Replika, Reaktor, and more.
Here is an example of what an Audio Assemble MIDI Pad review looks like.
iRig Pads [$149.95]
Pioneers in the “making music with iOS” category, IK Multimedia has a host of midi controllers for iPads or iPhones. One highlight in its iRig collection is the iRig Pads. The iRig Pads is a fully-functional pad controller with a 4×4 layout with multiple programmable peripherals.
This lightweight chromatic keyboard controller from Keith McMillen Instruments packs everything you need for a dynamic MIDI experience into a sturdy one-pound unit. When plugged into your on-stage setup via MIDI or connected using USB, this versatile device brings a whole new level of functionality and energy to your performances. Use it to control MIDI interfaces, sound modules, and soft synths throughout each show, taking advantage of the velocity-sensitive pedals to create a variety of unique tones. Bright backlighting makes it easy to see the controls onstage so that you’re always in control of your effects.
With the capability to store up to five notes per key, the 12 Step can crank out multiple complex chords on demand. Enjoy endless musical possibilities with the dozens of factory presets and the ability to create many more of your own.
Genki Instruments announced that they were shipping Wave, the ring that lets you control sound with motion. With three easy-to-use buttons, Wave allows musicians to easily change sounds, parameters and effects using gestures. Since being funded on Indiegogo, many well known musicians have used the Genki Wave on stage and in the studio.
Bergur Þórisson used the Wave on the Björk’s Utopia Tour in 2018.
“Wave adds a new dimension to musical creativity. It took me a while to realize that the best thing about Wave is not only that it can replace some of the tools you already have to control stuff when you are making music, but that it can make you control stuff in a completely different way, therefore making decisions that you would have never made without it. It’s a cool tool for all creatives and I can definitely recommend adding it to your workflow, whether you use it to replace your old techniques or invent new ones.”
by Bergur Þórisson
Richard Devine, electronic musician, producer and sound designer also uses Wave along with Wavefront, the Eurorack receiver also developed by Genki Instruments.
Wave has 6 functions you can use individually or mixed together to control your sounds.
Four different motions allow you to control any parameter in a new way. By tapping any surface you can trigger notes or samples. Easily accessible buttons on the ring allow you to cycle between presets, send commands and simply pause Wave so you can move your hands freely without changing anything.
You can easily customize each function to suit your setup. You can for example customize
Movement range
Sensitivity of taps (how hard you need to hit the surface)
CC values of output
Which note values are sent out by taps and button clicks
Hello everyone, my name is Diego Leroux. I´m from Buenos Aires, Argentina and I would like to share with the community a new product I’ve been developing for the past 3 years.
It’s called Bitmi, a USB MIDI velocity sensitive drum pad. Bitmi was designed to be simple and effective as a tool to record percussive MIDI tracks.
It’s class compliant so no drivers are needed. Works with PC, Mac and iOS devices (Apple camera kit needed)
They are hand assembled at my shop and they are built to last. The case is made of solid wood and then lacquered in three choices of finishes, black, red and green. You can also mount it on any 8mm cymbal stand.
2 year warranty and shipping worldwide with Fedex.
MMA Member Blokas releases a USB to MIDI router with built-in MIDI processing
Midihub has 4 MIDI DIN inputs, 4 MIDI DIN output ports and a USB port for power supply and/or communicating with the PC and its software. Using the dedicated Midihub Editor lets you customize Midihub’s processing as well as setup and store detailed MIDI routing between all the connected devices.
Here is some of what can you do with the processing inside of the Midihub.
Midihub Editor
You can download the Midihub editor and look at all the possibilities on the Blokas website. Here what you can put together, but of course the effects don’t work until you have connected the Midihub. One of the very cool things about the MIDIhub is that once the effects have been programmed and stored into one of the eight selectable Presets in the box, you can just take the MIDIhub to your gig without the need for a computer. It’s like a programmable MIDI effects pedal.
Midihub Youtube videos
Here are two Youtube videos. One from Blokas is an overview of the Midihub and the other is from Loopop and shows how you can use the Midihub to emulate some of the ideas that Olafur Arnalds has developed in his work.
Ólafur Arnalds didn’t start out playing keyboards. He started out as a drummer in hard rock bands. He is not alone. Yoshiki from the legendary Japanese hard rock band X Japan comes to mind. Many people forget that the piano is classified as a percussion instrument along with marimbas and vibraphones.
He has unique approach to music that combines technology and a traditional almost classical approach to composition. He also is one of the few people still using the MOOG Piano bar, a product developed by Bob Moog and Don Buchla (now discontinued) to turn any piano into a MIDI device.
Photo: Richard Ecclestone
What’s behind bleep bloop pianos
In many interviews, Ólafur says that his acoustic pianos bleep and bloop.
In these two Youtube video, he explains how MIDI technology is a core part of his creative process. What is is interesting is how organic and emotional the resulting music is. The technology nevers get in the way of the art and only compliments it.
This video explains how the three acoustic pianos are connected by MIDI.
I am in constant search of new ways to approach art with technology, interaction and creativity.
by Halldór Eldjárn
Halldór Eldjárn is another Icelandic artist who worked on the All Strings Attached project and developed some robotic MIDI instruments for the project.
Ólafur Arnalds on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts
To see a complete performance of this unique use of MIDI processing, listen to this performance on NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts.
How to Bleep (and Bloop) yourself
Arnalds has released a library of sounds for Spitfire Audio recorded at his studio on his ‘felted’ grand piano along with added content in the Composers Toolkit.
Recently MIDI Manufacturer Association member Blokas released the Midihub, a MIDI router and processor. In our article on the MIDIhub, Loopop explains how to use the Midihub to create some Olafur Arnalds inspired MIDI effects of your own.
The newest Jamstik, the Studio, is a full-size, MIDI-capable electric guitar allowing producer-guitarists to create seamlessly in DAWs and music apps.
Guitarists and piano players have an equal appetite for music production, but guitar players have been left wanting due to previous technological barriers in the digital guitar market. Jamstik, leaders in innovating and modernizing the MIDI Guitar market, today share plans to expand its product offerings with the Studio—a MIDI-capable, DAW compatible electric guitar.
“When Jamstik was founded in 2009, our goals were to educate the next generation of guitar players, and open up the creative potential of MIDI compatibility to the world of guitarists,” said Matt Cannon, Jamstik’s Director of Growth. “While we’ve made strides in both areas with our existing Jamstik portable guitar controllers, the Studio is a product we’ve wanted to launch since the beginning; and one we know many customers and partners are equally excited for.”
The Jamstik Studio edition has 24 frets with standard 25.5″ scale-length, but its headless design and minimal body put it at about 3/4 the size of a standard electric— making it studio and travel-friendly.
The Studio MIDI Guitar includes the following features:
Dual Electric-MIDI Capabilities: Record audio, track MIDI, or do both simultaneously.
Analog Audio: Includes standard 1/4” to plug into amps, pedals, and interfaces as usual.
Versatile I/O Ports For MIDI Processing & Charging:
USB C for MIDI Out & Charging
3.5mm TRS-MIDI Out option
Bluetooth Wireless Connectivity for BLE-MIDI In/Out
DAW Compatible: Works out of the box with all MIDI capable DAWs and plugins.
Dedicated VST: Jamstik will provide a custom-built VST which will include a curated library of specifically designed sounds for the Studio guitar (also compatible with previous Jamstik models).
Product Backstory: The Studio full-size MIDI guitar has always been a dream of the team of developers at Jamstik. Having recently completed a crowdfunding campaign for the Jamstik 7 and Jamstik 12, advances in digital signal processing gave the team a choice: press on with the 12 as designed or move the technology into a truly powerful, full-size instrument. The decision was made to move ahead with the time-honored full guitar format. All Jamstik 12 backers will be receiving the upgraded Studio model upon release.
Pre-Order Coming Soon: Join the email waitlist at jamstik.com/studio to reserve your spot. Additional information and assets are available on the Jamstik Press Page and on Vimeo.
About Jamstik
The Minneapolis-based team has created a new format for guitar learning & music production; helping grow the digital channel of the traditional guitar market. The evolving company looks to capitalize on profound changes in technology and culture—to support innovative classrooms, studios, and stages. Learn more at jamstik.com
Media Contact: Meredith Cannon: meredith@zivix.net
British mega band MUSE is currently on tour promoting their latest album Simulation Theory performing in sold out stadiums all over the world. Each night frontman and guitarist Matt Bellamy brings out a one of a kind guitar with a special history to play the song “The Dark Side.” While Bellamy is happy with the result, reporting that “the guitar works great!” the story of how this guitar was conceived and built is just a few short weeks is very interesting.
Matt Bellamy, being the perfectionist that he is, wants the sounds he created in the studio on stage as much as possible. One essential part of his sound is the Arturia Prophet V synthesizer. Being a user of Fishman’s TriplePlay MIDI guitar pickup & controller, both on stage and in the studio, he wanted to continue to use that to play the Arturia synth live, but without distance, range, cables and a computer getting in the way of his stage performance.
When Matt told me he absolutely wanted to use the Prophet V softsynth live on tour but still be able to move around the stage without any restrictions, I knew we had to find a new kind of solution that would take the computer out of the picture.
by Muse guitar tech Chris Whitemyer
Chris Whitemyer was aware of Swedish music tech company MIND Music Labs and how their ELK MusicOS could run existing plugins and instruments on hardware. Thinking MIND might be the missing piece of the puzzle he approached them at the 2019 NAMM Show. Together with Fishman and Arturia, a first meeting was held in the MIND Music Labs booth on the show floor. That meeting, which took place just a few weeks before the start of Muse’s 2019 World Tour, kicked off several hectic weeks resulting in the three companies producing a new kind of guitar just in time for the tour’s first date in Houston, TX.
Going to that first meeting at NAMM I didn’t know what to expect, but as soon as we plugged in the guitar with our TriplePlay system in the Powered by ELK audio interface board, it was pretty clear that the Fishman and ELK systems would be compatible.”
What was clear after the first meeting was that the reliability of the Fishman TriplePlay MIDI Guitar Controller in combination with ELKs ability to run existing plugins inside the guitar could open up a new world for performers like Matt Bellamy. And with the tour just weeks away, a plan was hatched to get the system finalized and ready for use in the most demanding of conditions – a world tour of arenas and stadiums.
Only days after the closing of the NAMM Show, MIND Music Labs CTO Stefano Zambon flew to Fishman’s Andover, MA headquarters to figure out how to get a powered by ELK audio board inside a guitar, that not only plays well enough to satisfy a world class performer, but could also control the Arturia Prophet V at extremely low latency. In short, redefine the state of the art for synth guitars.
Getting three different companies to join forces on a special project like this does not happen very often, so this was truly special. To go from a first meeting at NAMM to a functioning system in just weeks was a mind-blowing achievement. It required the special expertise and focused efforts of all three companies to pull it off – I can still hardly believe we did.
To see one of our V Collection classic products like the Prophet V on Stage with Muse is very exciting. The fact that it is that same plugin running in the guitar as you use in the studio really makes all the difference. I mean, Matt Bellamy even uses the same preset in the studio!”
by Arturia CEO Frédéric Brun
On February 22nd, just 4 weeks after the first initial meeting at NAMM, MUSE went on stage in Houston in front of a jam-packed Toyota Center. Seven songs into the show Chris Whitemyer handed Matt Bellamy the new guitar for the song “The Dark Side”
When all the guys got together to build this, we didn’t tell Matt that a new guitar was going to be built or maybe not built. I just gave it to him for the first show and told him he could walk as far as he wanted on stage. He just said ‘Oh, Cool!'”
I had no doubt in my mind it would work and it performed flawlessly. When I first got the guitar one week before the first show I tested it very thoroughly, leaving it on for four hours, turning it off and on fifty or more times, and jumping up and down with it and bouncing it off a mattress. It passed all the tests. The guitar is rock solid! Matt and I couldn’t be happier. It does everything I hoped it would and it’s on stage every night.
by Muse guitar tech Chris Whitemyer
If you want to see this unique guitar in action it will be on MUSE’s Simulation Theory World Tour in the U.S. through May, then in Europe all summer and in South and Central America this fall.
BLOCKS is a modular music making system made up of 5 components
Seaboard Block Super Powered Keyboard
Multi-award-winning Seaboard interface
5D Touch technology
24 keywave, two-octave playing surface
Hundreds of free sounds
Suite of music making software for desktop and mobile
Wireless and portable for making music on the go
Connects to other Blocks
Lightpad Block Expressive Musical Touchpad
Touch responsive soft silicon playing surface
LED illumination reconfigures Lightpad M for different notes and scales
Adaptable surface can become a drum pad, fader bank, effects launcher and more
Hundreds of free sounds
Suite of music making software for desktop and mobile
Wireless and portable for making music on the go
Connects to other Blocks
Perform with the Live Block
The Live Block is for performance. The buttons let you switch scales and octaves, trigger chords and arpeggios, and sustain notes in real time.
Touch Block-Add Expression Faster
Touch Block helps you adjust the expressive behavior of your Seaboard Block and Lightpad Block. Turn up or turn down the responsiveness of the surface to the Strike, Glide, Slide, Press, and Lift dimensions of touch. Maximize the depth of expression available through pressure, or minimize the pitch-bend effect of sideways movements. Customize your control of any sound in real time and on the fly.
Loop Block-Produce Faster
Loop Block helps you produce a track faster. Record loops and play them back. Set your tempo, and quantize your loops so they’re always in time.
ROLI Dashboard
Customize BLOCKS and the Seaboard RISE for your workflow
Blocks become open-ended MIDI control surfaces through ROLI Dashboard. Customize the LED-illuminated Lightpad Block by loading different apps, including a note grid, a bank of faders and more. Use Control Blocks as CC controllers for your favorite DAW.
MIDI Controller/Audio Interface for mobile musician
The iRIg Keys I/O comes in two version a a 25-key MIDI controller version and a 49-key MIDI controller version. Both feature built-in audio interfaces with 24-bit/96kHz sound quality, a Neutrik combo input, and phantom power and eight touch-sensitive RGB LED backlit drum pads.
iRIG I/O 25
iRIG I/O 49
Complete suite of music production software included
The iRig Keys I/O 25 comes with all the software you need to start creating music. Ableton Live Lite is the perfect DAW to get started with and IK Multimedia adds RackS Deluxe with 10 i mixing and mastering tools and SampleTank 3 with 4,000 rinstruments, 2,500 rhythm loops, and 2,000 MIDI files. If you are mobile musician, SampleTank iOS for iPad and iPhone is a full-featured mobile sound and groove production studio.
Ableton Live lite
Sample Tank 3
T-RackS Deluxe
IK Multimedia iRig Keys I/O 49 Features:
MIDI controller with 49 full-size, velocity-sensitive keys
8 touch-sensitive RGB LED backlit drum pads for beat creation
Touch-sensitive sliders and buttons plus touch-sensitive rotary controllers for controlling soft synths and other apps
Built-in USB audio interface features excellent 24-bit/96kHz sound quality
Neutrik combo input with phantom power handles nearly any microphone or instrument
Stereo line output and headphone jack provides ample monitoring options
With K-Board Pro 4 we’ve taken the format of a traditional keyboard and updated it for the 21st Century. With our SmartFabric™ Sensors underneath each key you can tweak any synthesis parameter in real time by moving your fingers while you are playing. The MIDI MPE Standard is the future for expressive controllers and we have designed the K-Board Pro 4 to be the ultimate MPE Controller.
by Keith McMillen
Multidimensional Expression
The Keith McMillen Instruments K-Board Pro 4 is a 4-octave MIDI keyboard controller with multidimensional touch sensitivity in each key. K-Board Pro 4 supports MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) that allows additional gestures individually on each key. You can wiggle your finger horizontally to generate MIDI CC commands, slide vertically to open up a filter, or apply pressure to control volume. For non-MPE synths, the K-Board Pro 4 provides fully featured polyphonic aftertouch. The data from each gesture is completely assignable and sent individually per note.
Keith McMillen Instruments K-Board Pro 4 Features:
Provides a level of expressiveness previously attainable only with acoustic instruments
Support for MPE (MIDI polyphonic expression) protocol
SmartFabric sensors underneath each key
Transmits attack and release velocity and continuous pressure, as well as horizontal and vertical position data
48 resilient silicone keys and no moving parts for superior durability
USB powered; class compliant
MacOS/Windows, iOS/Android compatibility
SmartFabric sensor technology
Under each key is Keith McMillen Instruments’ patented Smart Sensor Fabric technology which let you tweak any synthesis parameter in real time simply by moving your fingers while you are playing.
The K-Board Pro 4 is USB powered and class compliant to ensure compatibility with MacOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, as well as all MIDI-enabled hardware.
Editors in OSX, Windows and Web MIDI formats
Keith McMillan Instruments provides editors for OSX and Windows, but you can also edit and update your K Board Pro 4 directly online using Web MIDI.
Bluetooth LE MIDI Pedalboard for controlling iOS and Mac apps
The IK Multimedia Blue Board uses the new BTLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) MIDI specification so you can control your music apps wirelessly with your feet!
If you’re using iOS apps such as IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube, you can now send control messages to them for up to 32.8 feet via Bluetooth MIDI connection.
There are two expansion TRS jacks for expression pedals to give you more control over your sound.
IK Multimedia iRig BlueBoard Features:
Wireless Bluetooth technology that functions up to 10 meters (32.8 feet)
4 backlit control pads with additional LEDs that light when the pad is active
2 expansion 1/4″ TRS jacks for additional expression pedals
As one of the inventors the Musical Instrument Digital Interface, Roland has continued to push the boundaries of the now 36-year old protocol(!) by continuously developing MIDI-based applications which bring totally new creative opportunities to musicians. One such application is the Roland AE-05 Aerophone GO, a unique digital wind instrument which uses MIDI (and Audio) over Bluetooth to dramatically expand the playing experience.
Connecting to a compatible iOS or Android mobile device using Bluetooth allows the Aerophone GO to interact with a range of apps including Roland’s own Aerophone GO Plus and Aerophone GO Ensemble.
With Aerophone GO Plus, a player gains 50 new sounds triggered by MIDI over Bluetooth and can jam along to their favorite songs from their smartphone. In addition to an integrated metronome, the app also allows for customizing the connected Aerophone to suit the player’s technique, with all changes being communicated by MIDI over Bluetooth.
A second app, Aerophone GO Ensemble, connects up to 7 players with a single mobile device for group performance using a common bank of sounds, all facilitated by MIDI over Bluetooth. Whether the application is a lesson with teacher, a duo performance, or a complete ensemble, MIDI over Bluetooth supports a unique wireless playing experience that would have been difficult to imagine 30+ years ago!
Not only the volume but also the sound itself is dynamically affected by the force with which you blow into the mouthpiece and the strength with which you bite it, providing a natural and richly expressive sound.
by Roland
The Aerophone has tons of internal sounds and built-in speakers, but it is also a great MIDI controller. Here are some of the parameters you can control on the Aerophone AE-10. The Bite Sensor can control pitch and vibrato. The strength of your breath effects not only volume, but other parts of the sounds
At SXSW 2019, Moritz Simon Geist performed and presented several workshops on using robots and MIDI. His new EP is created completely with MIDI controllers controlling robots he created himself.
A latency control concept for midi driven mechanic robotic instruments
Geist is deeply into MIDI. His blog details a proposal for how to overcome the latency caused by physical movements of robots using MIDI and Cycling 74′ Max.
Group of passion electronics and musicians created DrumSpider – the device to learn how to play the drums in 5 minutes.
They just launched Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
DrumSpider is the device which mounted on your drum kit will show you exactly how to play any song you wish. 8 ultra bright LED diodes fixed on flexible legs will highlight the drum kit component which needs to be hit in that time. It comes with application which allows you to play any popular song from MIDI format with possibility to adjust the song tempo to your individual needs. Playing the drums was never so easy before.
Drum Spider is the MIDI – light interface.
You can use it with any DAW program or any application to play MIDI files. When you connect / pair it wireless with your computer, tablet or smartphone it will be recognized as standalone MIDI device.
MIDI is the standardized format to save the music in digital format as notes used e.g. for Karaoke.
You can generate MIDI Files e.g. from tabs.
You can also find hundreds of thousands free MIDI files in internet. There is almost every song there.
You will get free sample database of very popular rock songs with DrumSpider.
It comes also with DrumSpider application which allows you to play MIDI files with possibility to adjust the speed/tempo.
The MIDI file or only selected section of it can be played both on DrumSpider and your headphones at the same time so you can see and hear what to play.
DrumSpider is using different colors to show you what exactly should you do with hi-hat (open/pedal/closed) and ride (middle/bell) .
Ultra bright LED diodes will highlight all of your drum set components very well in proper time.
If you want to see more information or support the campaign it’s available under link on the top.
Geert Bevins’ watch app lets you wear your MIDI controller on your wrist
Geert Bevin (who was one of the main people who developed MIDI Polyphonic Expression) recently released MIDIWrist. MIDIWrist truns your Apple Watch intoa MIDI controller.
Here is a pre-release demo using the Moog Model D iPhone app (Geert does a lot of work for Moog).
The Apple Watch has some real advantages as a MIDI controller because it provides haptic feedback (the use of touch to communicate with users).
MidiWrist turns your Apple Watch into a wireless MIDI controller.
The tactile feel of the digital crown combined with haptic feedback, gives you control over any MIDI synthesizer by touching your wrist, even when you’re not looking.
MidiWrist makes no sound on its own and requires an Apple Watch to function.
Any CoreMIDI application or device can be controlled by MidiWrist. This includes Virtual MIDI, Network MIDI, Bluetooth MIDI and Physical MIDI Devices through a supported MIDI hardware interface.
Features:
• Four knobs can be controlled with the digital crown
• Macro control over multiple synth parameters from the Digital Crown
• Remotely Play / Stop / Record / Rewind your DAW from your Watch
• Knobs can be controlled individually or simultaneously
• Knobs can be linked to preserve their offsets
• Four buttons can be toggled by tapping the Watch
• Buttons can either be stateful or momentary
• Program changes through the digital crown or by tapping the Watch
• Transport control over MIDI Machine Control (MMC) or Mackie Control Universal (MCU)
• Scrub transport with the digital crown
• Save / Undo / Toggle Cycle / Toggle Click through MCU
• XY pad with individual messages for each axis
• Optional haptic feedback for all Watch interactions
• Optional value display on the Watch
• Configurable colors for all knobs and buttons
• Configurable labels for knobs and buttons
• Configurable MIDI channels and CC numbers
• Hide the Watch pages that aren’t needed
• Save your configurations to preset for easy retrieval
• MIDI learn for easy controller configuration
• MIDI input to sync the state of the controllers with the controlled synths
• Advertise as a Bluetooth MIDI device
• Connect to other Bluetooth MIDI devices
• Monitor the last MIDI values on the iPhone
• Low latency and fast response
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by Geert Bevin
SIRI voice control coming soon
Soon MIDIWrist will allow you to control SIRI bringing voice command control of MIDI to your DAW. We always find it amazing how MIDI adopts to the newest technologies to always stay relevent.
Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about MidiWrist. Download MidiWrist and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
World’s First Alexa Controlled Digital Piano Translates Alexa Skills to MIDI Commands
At CES 2019, Roland announced the first MIDI digital musical instrument able to be controlled by the Amazon Alexa.
Like all Roland GO products, the Roland GO:PIANO features both audio and MIDI Bluetooth connectivity. With built-in speakers, battery power and built-in Bluetooth, the GO:PIANO lets you connect to your smartphone, store your performances to the cloud and practice and perform music on the GO.
The Roland GO:PIANO with Alexa Built-In was one of the “Top Innovations” of #CES2019.
By combining the GO:PIANO with Alexa Built-in digital piano with Roland’s powerful Alexa Skill, aspiring musicians at any level can enjoy simple voice operation of their instrument while their hands play music. Additionally, Alexa Built-in and Roland’s Alexa skill open up a world full of cloud-based creative possibilities, from enjoying libraries of play-along music across the widest variety of genres to sharing recorded personal performances with family and friends around the world. Moreover, Roland will continue to update and expand the capabilities of the Alexa Skill to embrace new instruments and new benefits for novice and experienced musicians alike.
by Roland
GO:PIANO, Alexa Skills and MIDI
At CES 2019, we caught up with Corey Fournier, Market Development Mgr. at Roland and he shared how Alexa and MIDI work together to provide hands free, voice controlled MIDI.
Roland is also looking at updating their Piano Partner app to utilize Alexa skills and translate those Skills into MIDI commands.
Piano Partner 2 Smart Phone App
The Piano Partner 2 app for iOS and Android mobile devices has a host of features to help you practice and record music.
DigiScore Lite show the piano’s internal music collection on your device’s display,
Rhythm and Flash Card help you build your musical skills.
Recorder and Diary functions store your practice times to the cloud and help you evaluate your performances and keep track of your daily practice activities.
If you want to use MIDI with either pre-MIDI analog synths or with modular Eurorack analog synth systems, you need to convert digital MIDI signals into analog voltages. Fortunately, there are lots of options.
We’ve selected the top 5 MIDI to CV convertors, but there are tons of choices. The first three are Eurorack solutions. So you’ll need to a Eurorack to use them. The Kenton PRO SOLO Mk3 MIDI To CV Converter is a standalone box so it can be used with pre MIDI monophonic anlaog synths as well as in other studio situations.
Polyend Poly MIDI and USB to CV/Gate Eurorack Module
The Polyend Poly module is a polyphonic MIDI to CV converter Eurorack module and is one of the most complete MIDI to CV converters on the market. It has USB and 5 Pin DIN MIDI inputs and lots of CV outputs
It has three performance modes. First and Next mode are designed for use with an external controller while Channel mode is designed for use with external sequencers or your DAW
Polyphonic universal MIDI to CV converter Eurorack module
Supports the MPE standard for use with innovative controllers like the LinnStrument, the Seaboard series, and more
Inputs include MIDI DIN, USB A (5-volt), and USB B
8 Gate outputs (0–12 volts)
8 Pitch outputs (0–12 volts, V/oct)
8 Velocity outputs (0–12 volts)
8 Modulation outputs (0–12 volts, CC value can be set 0–127 via dip switches on back panel)
The Midi 3 Midi to CV converter has mono and duophonic midi response modes, assignable CC and dedicated velocity outputs. Monophonic has several different keyboard modes – Last note priority, low note priority, and high note priority and all are available with and without gate retriggering.
Ir also has a built-in Arpeggiator that can be clocked using tap tempo, midi clock, or external gate.with lots of features. . Speaking of the clock, the Midi 3 Module has 3 Clock Modes:
Internal Clock – The Midi 3 clock has a tap tempo button to change the tempo of the internal clock.
External Midi Clock – The external midi clock responds to midi start/stop messages and midi tempo from an external midi clock source.
External Gate Clock – The external gate clock responds to gate signals patched into the CLOCK jack. The external gate clock is used to clock the arpeggiator.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF THE MIDI 3:
Assignable Midi Channel – The Midi 3 can be assigned to respond to all channels or any individual midi channel.
Assignable Pitch Bend Range – The range of pitch bend can be set to +/- 2 notes, +/- 5th, +/- 1 octave, +/- 2 octaves.
Control Change Output – CC response of 0-5v.
Assignable Control Change Channel Assign – Assign the midi CC channel the Midi 3 responds to.
Velocity Output – Velocity response of 0-5v based on active note.
Doepfer A-190-4 Eurorack USB/MIDI to CV/Gate/Sync Interface Module
The A-190-4 module offers MIDI In, MIDI Out, USB, CV1, CV2, Gate, Clock, and Reset ports.
Kenton PRO SOLO Mk3 MIDI To CV Converter
If you are looking for something standalone that doesn’t need a Eurorack ( for example if you just want to control and pre MIDI mono analog synth. The Kenton PRO SOLO Mk3 may fit the bill.
Here are the features from the Kenton website.
Designed to control all types of mono-synth
Super-fast response time
Rugged brushed aluminium case
CV output uses high specification 16 bit D/A converter for rock-steady pitches
Runs from standard 9 volt power supply, 2.1mm centre positive
CV/Gate/Aux outputs on 3.5mm jack sockets (3.5mm to 1/4″ cables are available in our cables section)
MIDI IN socket
MIDI THRU socket can be switched to become Sync 24
Any MIDI channel can be selected
Switchable for V/oct & Hz/V & 1.2V/oct scaling systems
Fine tune & scale are controllable using the edit buttons & settings can be stored
Transpose (coarse tune) – up & down 12 semitones
Adjustable pitchbend range
Programmable Gate V-trig (up to 15v) or S-trig (with or without pull-up)
Old notes are remembered to facilitate trill effects and increase playability
Portamento – fixed rate or fixed time modes
Auto Portamento mode selectable (where legato playing turns on Portamento)
Portamento Controller is selectable
Three programmable Aux variable analogue outputs, controllable by any MIDI controller
Programmable LFO – 9 wave shapes inc. random
LFO can modulate pitch &/or Aux 1 output
Separate Controllers for LFO to CV and LFO to Aux 1
LFO can be synchronised to MIDI clock
LFO sync point can be selected
Key-on can reset LFO
Aux outputs can output clock, with two individual dividers to choose from
All parameters are controllable in real-time by SysEx
32 setups can be stored in non-volatile memory for easy recall
MIDI Analyser mode – for easy MIDI troubleshooting
Power supply included – UK / EU / USA / Australian types available
What’s new or different about the Mk3?
Aux 2 & Aux 3 are now continuously variable analogue outputs and are presented on 3.5mm jack sockets
Expanded selection of Controllers available for the Aux outputs
The Aux outputs now have adjustable slew rate (rise/fall time) to enable you to smooth out any controller jumps
Built-in ADSR envelope generator (the controls for which can be assigned to MIDI CCs)
Drum Trigger mode – Aux outputs can be set to produce a velocity-variable trigger pulse for drum synths, each with its own dedicated trigger note
Dual clock dividers, which can be used simultaneously on different outputs, including the DIN socket when not used as MIDI out
Variable gate-off time for re-trigger (multiple trigger)
32 program memories which can store and recall setups
MIDI Program Changes can be used to recall setups
Pre-loaded setups for many of the most popular synths
Pitchbend range increased to 48 notes up & down
Flash upgradable using SysEx when updates become available
32 bit ARM processor
Brushed aluminium case with black text
DIY MIDI to CV
If you want the least expensive MIDI to CV option and you’ve got some DIY chops, you can build one yourself. There are many DIY MIDI to CV projects on Maker and other DIY sites, but we found this DSP synth site from Jan in Sweden.
Officially supports Xbox 360, PS3, PS4 and Aimpad controllers
Standalone and VSTi in 32 and 64 bits Run it Standalone or in your DAW or choice.
Control any MIDI-capable Hardware or Software
Control your favourite hardware and software, simply and easily! Control Music software, hardware instruments, your favourite VST plug-ins, Light system, you name It…
Improved looks, code, functionality and compatibility
v2.5 is now more powerful than ever, now supports Xbox, PS and even Generic* *Support in Generic controllers is NOT Guaranteed
After seeing the energetic guitar playing of Muse’s Matt Bellamy, I wanted to give electronic musicians a tool to achieve similar playing style with high visual impact. Easily, without years of training. And make them move.
What’s in a name? Apparently, a lot.
Chara is Greek noun which describes a feeling of inner gladness, delight or rejoicing. Kara rhymes with Finnish word for guitar, “kitara”. Of course, there’s karaoke.
Reinventing The Wheel
In early concepts player would start a sound by rotating a wheel. Rotational speed would define the velocity for the sound. The rotation could be stopped by palm muting. The direction would define MIDI channel.
As the note layout of a guitar fretboard is quite complicated for many, the conventional keyboard layout was copied and mirrored.
Scratch That
After numerous design iterations, coding and testing sessions, breadboard connections, deformed 3D printed parts, PMMA fumes from laser cutter, layers of paint, wasted adhesives, PCB rats net corrections, capacitive touch calibrations and CNC machining hours… Kara prototype was finally ready in May, 2018.
Trigger Happy
The notes are selected from fingertip-sized pits. The prototype has a four-octave Pitboard.
With Note Triggers, the selected notes are played by strumming or tapping.
Strummed notes are sustained indefinitely. There’s no need to touch them any longer; player can freely select new notes without affecting the strummed ones. If nothing has been selected from the Pitboard, strum action repeats the previously selected notes.
When tapping, player touches one or more Note Trigger(s) and the selected notes are played via the touched channel(s). If there are strummed notes playing on the channel, tapping stops them.
When Motion Trigger is touched, data from motion sensor is read.
Touching a Note Trigger, selects the associated MIDI channel.
The note layout was designed for easy memorization and for effortless selection of basic chords.
Command and Control
The usage of Note Triggers made a dual role for the Pitboard possible. The controller can recognise whether player has selected notes for playing, or values for MIDI Control Change messages.
Hence, double-tapping a pit sends various MIDI CC messages as described in the image below. After the initial double-tap, only one tap is needed.
Octaves 1 and 2 are reserved for sending values from 0 to 127 for MIDI CC number 60. Octaves 3 and 4 are “switches” for MIDI CC numbers between 70 and 81.
To access a specific channel, MIDI CC messages from Octaves 1 to 3 are sent via the selected MIDI channel.
As DAWs have some global functions such as starting a recording, MIDI CC messages selected from Octave 4 are always sent through channel 5.
Show – Don’t Tell
To see the novel features in action, there’s a video below. For some reason, that performance gave me a 60s live concert vibe.
To see videos with less noise and not so frantic drummer, please visit: http://www.deomo.com
Here are some points of interest.
In the beginning, percussive sounds are played on MIDI channels 1 and 2 by tapping. Then, Raging Bass from Waldorf Nave on channel 3 is added to the mix.
At 0:33, Breakbeat loop clip is launched by double-tapping a pit. The double-tap sends a MIDI CC message that has been mapped to the Breakbeat loop slot. Later, at 3:39, the clip is toggled off in similar manner.
Starting at 1:22, Pitch Bend and MIDI CC 76 messages are sent based on data received from motion sensor.
Around 3:00, moving Kara does not affect the sound. Only after touching Motion Trigger at 3:04, the values from motion sensor are used.
At 3:32, strumming a note so that it stays on. There’s no need to reach for that Panic Button, this is by design. 🙂
In the end around 4:21, no, Kara is not altering the sound although it looks like it.
It always amazes us that you can find a MIDI version of almost any instrument. So we decided to look at what’s available for MIDI bagpipes.
There are actually a good number of choices.
The technochanter
The Technochanter is portable and fits its in your pocket. It’s also battery powered and runs on one standard AAA 1.5V alkaline battery or one AAA 1.2V NiMH rechargeable battery. It includes authentic onboard bagpipes sounds including drones sound with different drone configurations
You can listen to the sounds and built-in metronome via the headphone output so you can practice bagpipes anywhere without disturbing anyone.
Redpipes
The drones, the chanter and the overblowing function of the Redpipe are pneumatically controlled by pressing the bag. The leather bag is stuffed with filling material.
Sounds:
Scottish Great Highland Bagpipes
Smallpipes
Medieval Bagpipes
Gaita
Fingering: Open Half open (GHB) Extended (chromatic) Renaissance Medieval Bagpipe in minor Gaita
Other features:
Metronome.
Pitch adjustment.
MIDI output so you can control software instruments such as Studio Piper.
The capability to switch from just scale to the well tempered scale.
Ability to overblow by 1/2 Octave by opening the upper thumb hole or by putting more pressure on the bag.
Realistic vibrato playing has been implemented.
Switchable between the mixolydic and the ionic mode.
Runs on two AA 1,5 V Akali-Mangan-Batteries.
MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface
This app is a Irish/Scottish Bagpipes fingering based MIDI control surface for the iPad that can be used to play your hardware MIDI synthesizer/sampler modules or other MIDI apps.
The chanter fingerings are based on either those used for the Irish Uilleann or Scottish Highland bagpipes.
The app doesn’t produce any sound on its own, it is designed for playing hardware and software VST-style MIDI synthesizers via a CoreMIDI compatible interface connected to the dock connector or virtual MIDI instruments like Roland Sound Canvas for iOS, Universal Piper, or Sonosaurus ThumbJam running on your iPad.
The app supports sending data on two independent MIDI channels, one for the chanter and the other for the drones.
Universal Piper
Universal Piper is a software synth dedicated to bagpipe that claims to have the largest bagpipe library available. It’s available as OSX Audio Unit and VST and Windows VST 32 and 64 bit as well as on iOS. You can try it for free and one license allows you to use the software on any platform.
New MIDI Manufacturer Association member RnD64 funded their development of the Jammy MIDI controller via Indiegogo and raised $218,872.
Jammy is a super portable steel string digital guitar that fits in your backpack. – 15-fret extensive sound range – Onboard guitar FX – ¼” and ⅛” direct audio outputs to your headphones or an amp.
It’s also a MIDI controller. You can connect MIDI via USB or via a wireless Bluetooth connection.
The Jammy won Best of Show at the Summer NAMM 2018 show.
Just take it out of your backpack, plug your earphones in and play—no additional equipmen | Check out ‘Jammy – Super Portable Digital Guitar’ on Indiegogo.
Kickstarter has been a place where some of our favorite MIDI controllers started whether it’s Mogees or the Artiphon (one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of all time).
Our friends at A3E, the Advanced Audio + Application Exchange sent us a link to this new Kickstarter about Oddball, a ball you cab bounce with a purpose-built app that also can be used as a Bluetooth MIDI controller.
Making music is an incredibly powerful way to use your imagination. Musicians are very lucky in this sense, but not everybody has the opportunity to make music.
We wanted to give everybody the opportunity to create music the same way musicians do. With OddBall, making beats is easy, intuitive, fun and can be done where ever you are.
To get all the experimental musicians excited, we made it possible to use Oddball as a velocity sensitive Bluetooth MIDI controller, so you can connect it to any DAW software on your laptop (such as: Ableton, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, etc.) and control your favourite plugins.
A new Kickstarter called Oddball is aiming to put a new spin on making music. Comprised of a ball about the size of a lacrosse ball and an accompanying app, the ball behaves as a percussion trigger, making noise whenever it’s bounced off a surface.
I created the Plastic Pitch Plus (PPP) to experiment with microtonality. My primary design goal was to create a physical interface that gives immediate and independent control of pitches in a scale. One way of doing microtonality involves generating lists of frequencies or ratios. In contrast, I wanted something that would naturally engage my ear and provide an intuitive way to experiment with pitches.
Here are some technical details. The PPP provides two microtonal scale modes.
1) A twelve-tone scale mode in which the twelve knobs are used to tune up or down each of the twelve notes in a scale.
2) An equal divisions per octave mode in which the keys of a MIDI keyboard are remapped to an integer number of equal divisions per octave between 5 and 53.
The two scale modes are implemented in two ways.
1) Using MIDI pitch bend. This is somewhat of a MIDI hack intended to support microtonality with any MIDI keyboard. In short, each key is mapped to a microtonal pitch as specified by the knobs. The PPP listens for incoming MIDI notes and sends out MIDI pitch bends and notes that correspond to the microtonal pitches. To support polyphonic playing, the outbound pitch bends and notes are carefully distributed to multiple MIDI channels so that each note can have its own pitch bend value.
2) Using the MIDI Tuning Specification. This is my first time playing with this relatively new specification. (It works great!) The PPP acts as a controller–no MIDI input is required. When the knobs are turned, corresponding SysEx messages are sent out to retune the synthesizer’s internal tuning table.
See my website for more information and how to buy one.
Gridi is a large scale physical midi sequencer (2.80 X 1.65 Meters) with embedded LEDs. It was created by music producer Yuval Gerstein with the simple aim, to allow visitors to create a musical composition in an accessible and intuitive way. GRIDI translates the methodology of composing electronic music inside a computer software, into an interactive physical installation. It could easily act as a permanent stand alone installation, as well as part of an art exhibition or event. GRIDI could also have a role in music education, as a tool for learning musical concepts in a non threatening, intriguing way. Visit GRIDI for more info: http://www.gridi.info
Credits: Yuvi Gerstein – Creator Michael Zeron – Electronics & Programming Ronen Peri – Programming Max/MSP Nadav Vainer – Industrial design images by – Andreas Mueller
SoulPedal® (SP) is a wearable controller that slips inside your shoe (as an insole) and wirelessly controls effects for musicians. In this YouTube demo, local Beta Tester and Musician, Kody Raine of Chandler Arizona, explains how he’s using MIDI Change Control messages from SP’s wireless controller to modulate his own gear. Not so obvious in the video is that he’s a Guitarist (with a great voice). And I thought MIDI was for keyboards… what do I know.
SP isn’t likely going to market until 2019, but we’ve got a couple functional Beta units on hand if you’re the right people in the neighborhood, as these are still mostly hand built at home. It’s all about usability and engaging with other creative types who like to move around on stage or add a new degree of control to their show. (Musicians don’t like control, do they?) But don’t think of this as just another MIDI controller or another thing just made wireless because we could. I honestly believe every band member could up their game on stage here, and that’s not just another cliché marketing comment as you might be thinking. I can’t wait to see what vocal artists will do with this (and the crowd won’t even know they’re in control). Really, any automation is fair game. The combination of Control, Expression, and Mobility are what what makes this unique.
This whole project started one day in 2011 because my old 120 VAC Morley Wah fried a light bulb and I couldn’t find a replacement in time for band practice. So I wired in an FSR (Force Sensing Resistor) to replace the light sensor, taped it inside my shoe, and it worked! So then Jimmy, our rhythm guitarist said… “That’s cool, you should make it wireless!” (Sometimes I wish he hadn’t encouraged that thought.) As inventor, my original goal was to move away from a rocker type pedal to allow for improved expression on stage… anywhere on stage. It just made sense to lean into a string bend or volume swell, and it turned out to be a very easy and natural movement for a better show. Oh, and with MIDI of course.
True story, when we designed the Alpha unit in 2014, there were three keyboardist friends that insisted on MIDI. I had no idea why, so I contacted the founders at Source Audio but they couldn’t really tell me what features I should include either. It was almost like everyone had it, just in case. I thought, why would any keyboard player need a wireless pedal when standing right there at their keyboard? Perhaps a Keytarist? And what guitarist used MIDI? But we had already hacked out the code so it became an experiment. Creator Brockett Parsons of the Piano Arc (with Lady Gaga)… ya, he liked it. REO’s keyboardist Neal Doughty – nope, but he was curious. My keyboard friend thought it would might nice because his pedals could annoyingly slide away, but then someone came out with a clamp for that. MIDI just had that standard format to hook up to whatever. I was up for “whatever” and this demo was just my first result. I also didn’t expect the comment “I love that I don’t have to look down to find my pedals when I’m getting into a groove.” I didn’t expect that either, so the experiment continues.
In the beginning, the prototype was a total hack using a Texas Instrument Chronos Watch encapsulated by an insole made from a glue gun, a torch, and a putty knife. (Arduino wasn’t mainstream and I just wanted a CPU and Radio in a single chip to make it small. So it’s still in the Sub-1 GHz radio frequency, and may eventually have Bluetooth for configuration management. Turns out lower frequencies have better range so we’ll see.) For now, it’s got some cool knobs that shape the control response “feel” (offset and curve), along with some unique analog features on the Wah (thanks to posts from Anderton). I’m now redoing the Wah PCB by adding Buffered Drive, Volume Swells, and Exp Out as a 10K pot (and all analog is opto-isolated). It uses foot gesture recognition to turn on/off but I can’t wait to open that capability up for some real integration like tap control for Tempo. Foot tracking is something I’ve experimented with several times so multi-pedal control is definitely possible, but it’s too soon for that just yet.
Funny thing, I first engaged with this MIDI organization at NAMM in 2015 where I sat down with President Tom White who liked the idea and had this advice: “In the music industry, it’s got to work really well and you probably won’t make any money.” The Indiegogo crowd-funding launch later that year was our first clue that he was right, but then Shark Tank called me up for an Audition. Having a lack of sales made it a tough road for that stage without at least an emotional story and we had neither. Since that “learning experience”, our team went from seven members to just three with only myself actually working on it. I did take two years off to create other stuff at Tech Shop, but I kept coming back to SP with a few more tools in my chest.
What’s different is this whole time, we never actually had someone use it outside our circles, and willing to pay for it. That’s mostly because it had to work really well as one hick-up on stage and it could be game over. After all, what could possibly go wrong with a wireless product while jumping up and down on the electronics? Not to mention a good fit that’s also lightweight and low cost. I think the only reason this isn’t already on the market is because of these Engineering challenges and associated risk with big change. Plus it’s just not for mass market (yet) because we all know people love their gear and a $69 Wah or Effects Controller is just fine for most, or is it? Who woulda thunk people would trade-in their Honda Accord or Civics for a $59K Model 3 Tesla? Ya that just happened – in numbers. (Ya, I’m Elon inspired.)
You can check out some SoulPedal® history and updates on Facebook and visit SoulPedal.com to hook up. It’s just way too cool to quit now. If all goes well, the plan is that Kody will be using SP on stage next weekend (Sept 2018), MIDI controlling a Boss DD-500 for delay at will. We can figure this out together.
SoulPedal® is “The Pedal that Moves with You! “™, CleanStage LLC, Patented, Copyright 2014, all rights reserved.
The Tirare is a custom performance interface. In Italian, Tirare means: (to) throw, (to) to pull. The name refers to the primary performative action employed in order to generate sound. Initially, I was trying to create a form of MIDI concertina. I wanted to pull and push the interface to generate sound, similar to a concertina. I also made the intentional choice to not use a myriad of interface sensors like buttons, switches, sliders, etc. My goal was to create a simple interface that could handle all operations without the need for excessive methods of control.
I decided to use a Gametrak as the primary hardware for this interface (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gametrak). I have used the Gametrak in previous performances as a controller. This time I set out to assimilate the pieces of the Gametrak into a new interface. I used only one of the joysticks in my final design.
The Gametrak is a video game controller created by In2Games. The Gametrak controller consists of two three-dimensional (3D) joysticks. Each joystick generates X, Y, and Z data (when the string is pulled out of the interface), so each joystick control works like three faders that are interdependent of one another. Each joystick can be manipulated on its X, Y, and Z axes. Each axis outputs an integer. The uniqueness of the Gametrak lies in the three-dimensional joystick. The handle on both 3D faders is connected to a string-pot that pulls out of the box. A string-pot is simply a potentiometer that is turned by pulling a long, spring-wound spool of string. This pulling of the string-pot turns the potentiometer which outputs data. According to In2Games, the mechanisms can determine position, “to an accuracy of 1 millimeter anywhere within a 3 meter cube around the unit, with no processor overhead or time delay.”This level of responsiveness and precision was essential for the controller’s original purpose — to control a virtual golf swing! This level of precision and responsiveness is also well suited for use as a real-time performance interface.
I disconnected the main logic board in the Gametrak and connected one of the joysticks directly to the analog inputs on an Arduino Pro Micro. Since the Arduino’s ADC is 10-bit, the values genrated by the joysticks range from 0-1023. I scaled these values in the Arduino software to a range of 0-127 to conform to MIDI 1.0. Each axis of the joystick outputs two MIDI CC values. I programmed this feature to allow the Tirare to function with MPE software.
The next step was to reassemble the pieces into a new form. I looked for an old concertina thinking I could insert the Gametrak pieces but this search was unsuccessful. After several attempts to create my own bellow for the Tirare, I realized copying the physical form of a concertina would not work because there would be no way to keep the bellow from resting on the string. I decided to find a new physical form to house the Gametrak pieces. Ultimately, I chose to use two small round pieces of wood (craft store), basic drawer handles (Home Depot), and a small strainer (dollar store). I initially intended this design to be a working prototype and not the final product. However, I have yet to find a better way to embody the joystick.
I used the flywheel from the unused joystick to reroute the string from the potentiometer. This was necessary because I wanted the joystick as close to the center of the piece of wood as possible. However, the size and shape of the wood and the parts left me few options for assembly. It was important to route the string from the bottom of the joystick becue the IC board on the joystick prevented any other way of routing the string.
Data is generated when the joystick is moved or the string is pulled. The Arduino scales the incoming data and generates MIDI CC values. The Arduino sends MIDI data over USB to MaxMSP. I use MaxMSP to receive the MIDI data from the Tirare and route that data to Kyma to generate sound.
The string-pot also generates MIDI CC values during performance. I use MaxMSP to detect the direction the string is moving at any time, and I map that data to different destinations. I basically get two unique data streams from a single movement. In MaxMSP, I set thresholds at various points along the movement of the string in order to generate events that are used to trigger notes (see photo below), CC values, and control messages for Kyma.
My software is very simple. I use the view on the left (below) to initialize the Tirare and turn on the three axes. I use the view on the right (below) during performance to monitor the values from each axis and to monitor where the string values are in relation to the triggers I set up for controlling notes, expression, and control for Kyma.
The Tirare is only a controller and does not generate sound. The combination of physical interface, software mapping layer, and sound production software make up the entire Data-driven Instrument for live performance.
The next step for this projects is to allow for MIDI over USB or Bluetooth. I am currently working on a Max patch that will allow the Tirare, when connected, to change the way it transmits MIDI — USB or BLE. I also still have hope that I will dream up a better physical form for the Tirare.
We have started our project to find a way how to build full-featured organ console out of available MIDI instruments. One of our project goals was to extend the coverage of the “virtual organ” from software also to the hardware. We have turned it into “virtual organ console”.
Virtual pipe organ technology (VPO) has been well established and accepted by the market. It has many tremendous benefits, to name a few:
Many sample sets of famous natural pipe instruments are available
Acceptable organ setup costs
No organ maintenance costs applicable
No organ accessibility issue
Flexibility of adjustments and configurations
Easy hardware expandability
The VPO software generates organ sounds from waveforms. Sampling method processes registers, pipe-by-pipe, and creates a sample for each note. Modelling method simulates air movement in a pipe, so the waveform is a result of the computation. Variation of physical parameters in the algorithm creates different pitch and colour of the sound. Nearly the same approach is used during real organ voicing and intonation.
With our device the user may connect available MIDI keyboard, guitar, sequencer, etc. and use them as a console of the organ. It is important to add: the console is able to control ensembles of different instruments. It applies organ function principle and manages communication between instruments the same way as digital or modern pipe organs do. For example, couples octaves of one instrument together or plays a melody on all devices. The only thing needed is a central connection and control module and we have developed it.
Virtual Organ Console Unit: connections, functions, design
VOCU
Figure 2: VOCU – rear panel
Description
The presented device is a four-manual organ console controller. It supports Great (HW), Choir (CW), Swell (SW) and Pedal (PW) divisions. Push buttons toggle functions, usually available in every pipe or digital organ. They are octave couplers, unison off, tutti, bass, melody, manual couplers, and general cancel. There are, of course, other features demonstrated on the videos later on.
We have designed VOCU to recognize all types of MIDI messages. It processes and routes MIDI data from four inputs. Internal logic elaborates incoming MIDI messages and distributes them to outputs. “Unused” commands are not lost; the unit forwards them to outputs unchanged. VOCU holds information about all playing notes in each organ division. It generates extra commands required, for example, if a new coupler is toggled while a chord is played.
External Connections
The unit has MIDI input/output pairs. Connect your instruments to inputs to control dedicated division. For example, piano controls Great division and other keyboards control Swell and Choir. You may connect divisional outputs to separate sound generators or other MIDI instruments.
USB Serial Interface
Figure 3: USB interface connection diagram
You may connect the unit to your PC using the USB/Virtual-COM port. The bus speed is set to 115200 baud, which is four times higher than the native MIDI interface speed. It is a preferred connection if a virtual organ simulator is used. USB output transmits commands coming from all instruments and pushbuttons. The composite MIDI data provides all required information to organ simulator.
The module has a composite MIDI output, which merges all divisional outputs together. This output connects the module to a single sound generator, sequencer or voice bank. The information on this output is exhaustive. Each note event is transferred while pushbuttons commands are not. They may not be recognized by the external hardware, so the best solution is to send the really played key events.
The divisional MIDI outputs are used with dedicated MIDI sound generators – each organ’s division has a standalone sound generator. They send data from corresponding inputs and coupled events. This is required when each division should get a dedicated sound production and amplification system. For example, when the virtual console is a part of the geographically spreaded stage equipment or stays in a big concert hall or a church.
Implementation
The VOCU is a completely custom design. The core processing component is based on a field programmable gate array chip. We avoided the usage of microcontrollers or platform modules to get clock-cycle-accurate control over timing and physical resources of the chip. We had to cut latency and synchronize data transmission from different MIDI queues. Standard devices usually do not have enough number of UARTs for MIDI interfaces or free pins to control push buttons and LEDs.
We have developed and manufactured two prototypes. The first one has a limited number of controls but all interfaces to keep PCB size as small as possible. This device was used to check the idea and prove the ability of the FPGA chip to fit the complete design.
Functional Prototype
Figure 6: Prototype #1 – front view
Figure 7: Prototype #1 – rear view
Figure 8: Prototype #1 – Internals
Pre-production Prototype
Figure 9: Prototype #2 – front panel with illuminated push buttons
Figure 10: Prototype #2 – connections and processing PCBs
Figure 11: Prototype #2 – central processing board
Summary
Virtual organ console unit extends a set of MIDI instruments. It brings pipe organ functions to them maintaining their natural behaviour. The VOCU adds organ principle to home, studio and stage equipment.
It is not easy to achieve an organ usually. It is a real challenge to find an instrument to practice. The VOCU solves this problem as well. You may use it with any digital music instruments.
The unit helps to play the organ without heavy investments. Professionals, beginners and even children may use it easily and extend their performance. The module also increases creativity. It can change the sound of a small ensemble with the genuine sound of a big pipe organ without bulky equipment.
The module is compact and takes a little space. It is flexible in operation with organ simulation software. We tested it to work with Hauptwerk and GrandOrgue packages.
The unit also provides many connection possibilities. Parallel and composite MIDI outputs and USB interface cover major user requirements.
Further unit descriptions and demonstration videos are available on YouTube.
We are open to questions, comments and requests. Feel free to visit our website and follow us on Twitter OandV_Systems to get recent product updates and announcements. We look forward to your comments and proposals. If you are interested in obtaining products or discuss other cooperation possibilities please contact us using email address info@oandv-systems.com.
XT Synth-The expression of a violin, the playability of a guitar, with the power of a MIDI controller that shines.
“The XT Synth is a mix of guitar, violin and midi controller. My inspiration was to make an instrument that could be played like a guitar, with the expression of a violin, with the sounds of a synthesizer. The neck has 4 soft potentiometers that can be played similar to an string instrument. They can be tuned however the player wants. Because instead of strings it has soft pots, the instrument is not tempered, like a violin, allowing vibratos, portamentos, and microtones.”
This custom-built instrument is called Curve, and is named after the shape and contour of the interface itself. I wanted to create something that had a myriad of different sensors and ways of controlling different musical parameters, while also maintaining the functionality and traditional idioms of other controllers, interfaces, and instruments that are around today. It’s kind of my take on a grid/keyboard/controller hybrid, or something along those lines, but that has far more options and possibilities for musical control and expression. I wanted it to be ergonomic as well, hence the final shape and layout.
I designed and fabricated Curve over the course of about 6 months, from the initial 3D model (done in Blender, https://www.blender.org) to the final version that you see now. The physical interface consists of one large laser-cut piece of clear 1/4″ acrylic to which I have adhered 20 FSR’s (force sensitive resistors, aka pressure sensors, https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9376), two touch-potentiometers (faders, https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8679), a keypad (https://www.adafruit.com/product/419), and a 9-degrees of freedom motion sensor (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13944). I have also affixed 60 RGB LED lights (DotStars, https://www.adafruit.com/product/2240) that are individually addressable and correspond to various inputs from the sensors for an added layer of visual feedback. The black cubes that cover each of the FSR’s are made out of a semi-dense foam which when attached to its corresponding FSR allow me to have a far greater range of pressure and interaction than I otherwise would have had with just the FSR on its own. Each of the sensors, lights, and keypad are connected to an Arduino Mega microcontroller (https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction, https://store.arduino.cc/usa/arduino-mega-2560-rev3) that allowed me to completely customize the programming and functionality of each individual sensor and light.
Software-wise, I programmed all of the electronics using the Arduino IDE, which then connects via USB serial to Max/MSP where all of my data-mapping and data-processing happens. From Max/MSP, the data is then sent as MIDI data to Ableton Live, where all of my sound design and musical composition was done. I relied heavily on Max for Live instruments and devices for the majority of my sound design, leaning heavily towards a synth-based musical soundscape for my first piece with Curve.
It is important to note that while the hardware controller itself does not generate sound, Curve is nonetheless a comprehensive instrument in its own right when coupled with the customized software that I have designed in Arduino, Max/MSP, and Ableton Live. The individual components only form the complete instrument when they are all working together, similar to the way that a modular synthesizer operates. Curve (as an instrument) consists of the hardware, data-mapping, and sound design layers all functioning together as a complete package.
My Étude No.1, for Curve is the first of many pieces I hope to write for Curve. Being the first ever composition using this new interface, it imbued a unique set of qualities to the compositional process; accordingly, I am calling this piece an étude. To study and explore the control, performative possibilities, and affordances that this new interface offered me, I needed to study the options that Curve provided. However, I did not simply want to compose a study using the interface, but a substantial musical piece in its own right. To that end, the piece is broken up into four different sections, each highlighting a specific and unique performative technique that I developed for the instrument. Each section is denoted by a different method of physical interaction with the instrument, as well as a unique lighting mode designed to correspond and emphasize each performative technique.
We recently sent out a MIDI Message newsletter and asked people to describe their favorite MIDI project. Harry Williamson from the Federation Bells in Melbourne, Australia sent us this message.
Favorite MIDI Project- The Federation Bells, Birrung Marr, Melbourne. 39 Bronze up-turned bells play compositions 3 times daily from a MAX/MSP driven schedule from playlists comprising works composed and sent in by the public, and professional composers alike. I chose MIDI as the final driver language because its ubiquitous, simple and hard to crack. We designed and built the 16 channel bell controllers, the fft audio analysis program that listens to bells and tells us if they are working well or not, and many many other specialised functions in Python and other public domain languages. The free Federation Bells app for iOS and Android allows the user to play the bells locally via WiFi (and down the chain, MIDI) when schedules are not playing. It’s a world first interactive musical instrument/sculpture. Check it out. Write something on the app’s sequencer/player and send it to us. If we like it we will play it publicly.
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by Harry Williamson
So here is our challenge to MIDI Association members. Download the free app and compose a song for the Federation Bells. The app let’s you share your MIDI file via email so you can send it to us at info@MIDI.org. We’ll collect up all the entries from The MIDI Association and send them to the people who run the bells and maybe your composition will be played live in Australia!
Here is the links from the Federation Bell website.
The bells are controlled by a computer located on-site. Musical compositions composed via this website are coded in MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). Each composition is a computer file that is scheduled to play at an allocated time. The MIDI data is converted into a series of electronic pulses that are delivered to each of the 39 bells. Within each bell is a solenoid that triggers a hammer to strike the inside of the bell.
Are there any others like this?
There are many sets of bells throughout the world. Typically called carillons these sets of bells are played by a single player via a keyboard. However, the Federation Bells are unique as a set of public bells that are played via a computer. The Federation Bells can also be played via a smartphone or tablet (from 2015), or by plugging in a MIDI keyboard.
On May 26, we held the very first MIDI Live! chat with a panel of MPE specialists.
We recorded the session and it is presented here as a podcast.
Listeners were not only able to send in questions via text but were able to actually join the discussion and interact directly with the panelists. Roger Linn demoed his Linnstrument live from his studio in Los Altos.
DIscussions included the differences between the original MPE spec and the final MMA specification, MPE checklists, and test sequences, and the requirements for obtaining an MMA MPE logo that is under development.
We’ve already started planning for the release of the MIDI-CI speciffications so stay tuned to the MIDI Live! channel for future events!
Last Sunday we were looking at bookmarks we had made while searching the Internet for blog topics. We had booked marked Mixtela.com a few months ago because of all the cool MIDI DIY projects. But then we found WaitingForFriday’s website and decided to do an article on the MIDI Stylophone first. Imagine our surprise we we dicovered this on the Mixtela website this week.
It’s not just a business card, it’s a fully functional Stylophone MIDI controller!
Printed Circuit Boards as a business card are a great gimmick. I’d seen ones with USB ports etched into them, which enumerate as a keyboard and then type a person’s name or load up their website. It’s just about possible to build them cheap enough to hand out as a business card, at least if you’re picky about who you give them to.
A couple of years ago I took a stab at making one for myself, but I didn’t want it to be pointless. I wanted it to do something useful! Or at least entertain someone for longer than a few seconds. I can’t remember quite how I got the idea of making a MIDI-stylophone, but the idea was perfect. A working midi controller, that’s unique enough in its playing characteristic to potentially give some value, while at the same time costing no more than the card would have done otherwise, since the keyboard is just a plated area on the PCB, as is true on the original stylophone.
by Tim Alex Jacobs
Tim even referenced the WaitingForFriday’s website is his complete description of the process of making his stylophone business card. Tim has some of the most amazing MIDI DIY projects we’ve ever seen and also does incredibly detailed posts on exactly how it does his intricate engineering projects and usually includes assets.
MIDI Music Box
In March, Tim created a MIDI Music Box. You can drive the music boxes’s tines with a paper tape with holes punched in it. This concept is identical to the rolls from Player Pianos described in this article. The MIDI Music Box is really an amazing piece of engineering and you can read all the details on the Mixtela website.
World’s Second Smallest MIDI Synth
A number of people have claimed to make the world’s smallest synthesizer. It’s a pretty silly ambition because at this level the size makes it extremely impractical, and fiddly to pull out of the socket. Nevertheless, I have created something which is just about as small as a midi synth could ever be. It’s physically smaller than an ordinary midi plug!
by Tim Alex Jacobs
Fro more details on these projects and others ( Midi Monotron, Touch Screen as a MIDI Ribbon Controller, Mini Pitchbend Joystick and more) check out the Mixtela.com website.
The Dubreq Stylophone was invented in 1968 by Brian Jarvis. It was originally designed as a toy, but the fact that it was portable and easy to play and it’s distinctive synth sound soon made it popular with some of the most iconic musicians of the late 60’s. David Bowie used it on the track ‘Space Oddity’ and it made it’s way on to recordings by the Beatles, Kraftwerk, Queen, Vangelis, The Osmonds and more.
The thing that really sets the Stylophone design apart is plated circuit board touch-pads that you play with a stylus, thus the name Stylophone.
David Bowie with his Dubreq Stylophone
In 2003, Dubreq Ltd, a British company was formed to keep the legacy of the Stylophone alive and you can buy Stylophones at almost any large music store.
They have even come out with BeatBox version. This demo by British comedian Brett Domino got 1.8 million hits on Youtube.
The Stylophone Studio 5 with MIDI
But at MIDI.org, we are only interested in MIDI instruments, so we were happy to find The Stylophone Studio 5 on the website WaitingForFriday.
The Stylophone Studio 5 is a project to recreate the original 1968 Dubreq Stylophone which sounds and reacts just like the original (and even contains a replica of the original circuitry) however it also fully supports both MIDI in and MIDI out over USB and can be controlled by studio software such as Cubase.
Everything you need to make your own MIDI controlled Stylophone is available on WaitingForFriday’s website including a zip file containing the AVR Studio 5 firmware project and the Eagle CAD board and schematic files for the project.
Nick Demopoulos started out as a jazz musician and played with legends like Chico Hamilton. But then he began exploring the possibilities of using MIDI and that led him to a new path as a DIY maker and creator of some fascinating and unique MIDI devices.
HIs website (Smomid.com) is named after the first instrument he ever built. Smomid is an acronym for String Modeling Midi Device.
Nick also created software that works with his instruments and allows him to approach music in a totally unique way, from the samples and sounds used, to the way beats are played, to the way loops are recorded and manipulated.
by Snomid.com
Here is an example of the music Nick makes with his DIY instruments. All of the sounds are made by instruments of his own design. He has released several recordings with Exegesis, a group that mixes jazz and electronic music. In 2008, the band toured Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, U.A.E and Kuwait on behalf of the State Department. You can hear the influence of that trip on this piece, Smoment in Time.
When we saw this YouTube video of Daði Freyr using the Genki wave MIDI controller, we knew we had to post it right away.
The Wave MIDI controller from Genki has been …. well making waves.
“Wave adds a new dimension to musical creativity… It’s a cool tool for all creatives and I can definitely recommend adding it to your workflow, whether you use it to replace your old techniques or invent new ones.”
by Bergur Þórisson, recording engineer, producer, and live musician (Björk, Sigur Rós, Damien Rice, Ólafur Arnalds, Jóhann Jóhannson)
It’s a great example of how a new MIDI specification ( BTLE MIDI) can spark a new generation of innovation.
MIDI Bling with wireless rings There are a number of MIDI rings on the market. IK Multimedia makes one and so does Enhancia . Here are links to articles on those. The Enhancia Ring MIDI Controller was at CES 2018. ; The newest entry is Genki Wave Ring.
At SXSW, we got a chance to check out the Cabor MIDI cahon. Cabot is a project of UTSUWA, Inc., a Kyoto, Japan based tech start-up.
The Cabot percussion robot was conceived by Hideaki Iio, Director of the Cabot development team and guitar player/singer.
“I wanted to create a product that would rev up my solo performance.”
by Hideaki Iio
The Cabot team went through a long process of prototyping and improving the design. At SXSW, they showed a new prototype that looked much closer to a production version. You can subscribe on their website for updates on a launch date.
Cabot’s target market is solo perfomers who want to add cahon accompaniment to their live solo performances. A foot pedal allows you to select different MIDI patterns in realtime.
The Cabot has a 4 pin DIN plug on its body which is not a standard MIDI connector, but it sends and receives standard MIDI messages.
There are two ways to program patterns for the Cabot. There is an iOS app that is under development and you can also connect the Cabot to your DAW.
Here are some videos of the Cabot MIDI Cahon in action
There were some interesting new MIDI products introduced at SXSW. One of them was the wireless BTLE MIDI controller for DMET Product Corporation.
It can control sound, DJ Video software, and lights. Of course, it is all done by mapping MIDI signals and in some cases translating them to different protocols.
Here is a video of the Air DJ in action at SXSW.
It’s amazing how many Bluetooth MIDI products have been developed since the new BTLE MIDI spec was made official a few short years ago.
AirDJ, a wearable controller that will change the style of performance.Simply by your motion, this palm sized device lets you control music, visual and lights.See you at SXSW 2018!
For the past several years a MIDI product has always been in the Best of CES product list including the Roli Seaboard and the Zivix JamStick.  It seems that MIDI and innovation naturally go together.  2018 was no exception with a number of
One of the most interesting types of MIDI controllers are ones that you can wear.  From pants to jackets to rings and watches, get your MIDI fashions here in a roundup of wearable technology.  The iRING from IK Multimedia IK Multimedi
But there are a number of unique things about the new Genki Instruments Wave. It was designed in Iceland and was first used on stage at the at the Iceland Airwaves music festival. Genki is also the only Icelandic music company with a Japanese name (Genki means healthy in Japanese!).
Wave is an Indiegogo project and has already passed it’s funding goal. It’s scheduled to ship in December 2018.
Wearable MIDI controller to control sounds, effects and send commands with the motion of your | Check out ‘Wave – control sounds with motion’ on Indiegogo.
For the past several years a MIDI product has always been in the Best of CES product list including the Roli Seaboard and the Zivix JamStick. It seems that MIDI and innovation naturally go together. 2018 was no exception with a number of unique new controllers introduced at the CES show.
The Enhancia Ring MIDI Controller
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The Enhancia Ring is one of the generation of controllers that use advanced sensors with accelerometers to allow more natural control of MIDI via gestures. Enhancia is part of that trend as new sensors provide more data to control MIDI with several different gestures at once. For example, wiggling from side to side will produce vibrato and moving up and down can mapped to control volume or filter cutoff.
We wanted to create the shortest path between musical intention and musical creation“
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by Damien Le Boulaire, CEO and one of Enhancia’s four co-founders from Grenoble, France.from an article in Engadget.
Enhancia consists of a rubber ring that you wear while playing the keyboard, connected to a larger hub. Its purpose is to augment whatever tune you’re playing w…
Enhancia is developing a connected ring that revolutionizes your relationship with music. It interprets the subtlest movements of your hand in order to enhance control of your digital instrument
We got several entrees for suggested content from the December 2017 MIDI Association newsletter. One was for an article on CTRLCap from Edwin Joassart. We did a little more research and decided to do an article not just on CNTRLCap, but on the developers behind it -Herrmutt Lobby.
Herrmutt Lobby has created not just music, but hardware and apps to allow people to interact with music. After all, their mission is Empowering Real-Time Electronic Music.
They have four major projects-
Playground-Music At Your Fingertips
BEATSURFING-The Organic MIDI Controller Builder
Le U (20syl)-The Interactive Skateboarding Ramp
CTRLCap, the cap you squeeze to control FX
Founded in 2003, Herrmutt Lobby is a collective of musicians, handymen, and programmers. Since 1997, the individual members of the group have released music on various labels – DUB, Studio !K7, Vlek, Eat Concrete, Thin Consolation, Catune – and across genres.
Alongside music, they’ve also devised and built various softwares, controllers, and apps that help musicians perform live with the freedom to express at the moment’s inspiration/instinct.
Their ever-changing musical universe grows through encounters with musicians from diverse horizons, most recently the Belgian jazz player Stéphane Mercier and UK rapper Lord Rao.
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by Herrmutt Lobby Website
CNTRLCAP-The cap you squeeze to control FX
Ever tried to add FX while scratching without breaking your flow? With both hands busy controlling the fader and the record, it’s pretty much mission impossible… Unless you own a CTRLCap.
With its cutting edge technology, CTRLCAP adds an expressive touch to your fingertips!
This Application lets you to draw a 3-dimensional controller which you can use, like any other, by tapping. But Beatsurfing allows more: you design your own paths until they suit you, follow routes, take turns and cuts with your fingers and collide with objects along the way, triggering melody, beats, effects . Movement is what it’s all about.
It can control any MIDI-enabled device (Software, Hardware, or even selected iPad apps), features a very intuitive in-app editing system and integrates seamlessly in any existing Studio or Live setup. Objects Behaviours can be set to link objects together and multiply the available commands on the surface of the iPad.
LE U – Interactive Skateboarding Ramp by 20syl
Skateboard culture and electronic music, those are the two mail components of 20syl’s artistic construction. He has practiced these disciplines for twenty years or so and has never stopped building bridges between them. Today, along with La Région des Pays de la Loire and les salles de musiques actuelles(places dedicated to modern music VIP, Stereolux, Chabada, Fuzz’Yon, 6par4, Oasis), he presents a project which could be the achievement of this crossbreed: a Sound Ramp, a “U” turned into a sensitive and visual surface allowing the skater to perform music that the artist has composed.
We want to thank Edwin Joassart from Herrmutt Lobby for reaching out to us and hopefully you enjoyed this quick tour of the many Herrmutt Lobby MIDI projects. MIDI is often at the heart of these kinds of innovative projects.
Tech company OWOW just launched a new wireless motion controlled instrument for singers. Named the Wiggle Kit, it consists of a mobile App and a small white remote controller which turns gestures into vocal effects. By twisting and moving the Wiggle in different directions, singers can add digital effects to their voice and control the intensity.
For home use, the Wiggle Kit comes with a dedicated app. By simply holding the Wiggle close to a phone or tablet, it automatically connects to the app via Bluetooth. Users can pick one of the 20 plus built-in effects, ranging from simple reverbs and delays to the most complex auto-tune and vocoder effects, sing into the built-in mic of a phone or headset and share their creation with the world.
The Wiggle Kit is now available on Kickstarter and already reached 75% of its funding goal. With only 8 more days to go, there’s still some time left to get your Wiggle Kit for an Early Bird price of €79,-.
OWOW is raising funds for Wiggle Kit – A New Instrument For Singers on Kickstarter! The first truly wireless instrument which enables singers to control effects on their voice through expressive movements.
We collected up links to the top MIDI DIY resources from around the web. Links are embedded in the logos, the pictures and the text in blue. Clicking on a link takes you to the site’s search engine with the keyword MIDI so the latest MIDI DIY projects will always appear.
From electronics to crafts to robots with a side of drones, the Make: edit team picks the latest products, projects and tools to make you a better maker.
What if you could control MIDI with your brain? Does that sound like science fiction? Actually there are lots of people who have been exploring how to connect brain waves Electroencephalography (EEG) to MIDI.
Let’s take a look at how that works.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record electrical activity of the brain. Typically electrodes are placed on the scalp to measure voltage fluctuations caused by ionic current within the neurons of the brain.
Delta is the frequency range up to 4 Hz. It is usually the highest in amplitude and the slowest It is seen normally in adults in deep sleep and in babies. EEGs are different for different ages, but we are focused on adults
Delta wave
Beta is the frequency range from 15 Hz to about 30 Hz. Beta activity is related to movement and beta waves with multiple frequencies is associated with busy thinking and active concentration.
Theta wave
Theta is the frequency range from 4 Hz to 7 Hz. Theta is associated with relaxed, meditative, and creative states in adults
Beta wave
Alpha is the frequency range from 7 Hz to 14 Hz. Alpha waves are directly related to relaxation, and attenuate with mental exertion.
Alpha wave
So what does all this have to with MIDI. Years ago EEG machines were really expensive, but recently there are wireless EEGs like the Mindset and the Muse that are inexpensive and wireless
Brain2MIDI convert brainwaves into MIDI signals. Apply filters and algorithms to the frequencies and generate MIDI to control your favourite music production software, synthesizer or visual effects software.Brain2Midi is an Android software that produce Midi notes and controls change signals using brainwaves. Midi is transmitted from an Android 4.4 device using either a USB to MIDI cable to any compatible physical input, or using Wifi or Bluetooth to a computer on the Windows 7 platform. The Muse headband from InteraXon is used as an input source for brainwaves, then informations are analyzed and converted into melodies or CC parameters. Brain2Midi can be used to create music that is influenced by the state of mind of the person wearing the headband or it can be used to create visual animations in any Midi compatible VJ software.
by Brain2MIDI
The OpenEEG project is a website with resources for making plans and software for do-it-yourself EEG devices available for free (as in GPL). It is aimed toward amateurs who would like to experiment with EEG.
MindMIDI is a revolutionary way of making music, with your brainwaves, in real-time. Brainwaves are like radio stations, with each station working on a different layer, and all the stations are always playing. MindMIDI works like a radio, allowing you to hear your brain’s amazing electrical symphony. The music can be influenced with intention, and you can hear the immediate musical feedback. The MIDI can be routed to any DAW so you can have realistic sounding sampled musical instruments, or synthesizers. You can have multiple instruments, and each instrument can be controlled by a different band of the brainwave spectrum. For example, your Delta and Theta waves could be controlling a cello, Alpha waves could be controlling a piano, and your Beta and Gamma waves could be playing a violin. Best thing is MindMIDI is free!
With the boom in open-source electronics platform like Arduino and the growth of 3-D printers, it’s become easier and easier to create your own MIDI controller. We wanted to introduce you to some of the people and companies who helped create the DIY MIDI revolution.
Moldover- The Godfather of Controllerism
Moldover is the acknowledged godfather of controllerism. He has been a long time supporter of The MIDI Association and we featured him as a MIDI artist in 2016. He was one of the first people to develop his own DIY MIDI controller.
Shawn Wasabi has 574,651 subscribers and 54,314,415 views on his Youtube channel. He started combining multiple 16 button MIDI Fighters together and combining them with game controllers. Eventually he convinced DJ TechTools to make him a 64 button version of the MIDI Fighter with Sanwa arcade buttons.
Livid Instruments has been at the forefront of MIDI controller experimentation since 2004. They have a number of manufactured products.
minim- mobile MIDI controller
Guitar Wing MIDI controller
Ds1 MIDI controller
But Livid also makes some great components for DIY projects like the Brain V2.
Easily create your own MIDI controller with Brain v2. Brain V2 contains the Brain with a connected Bus Board for simple connectivity. Connect up to 128 buttons, 192 LEDs, and 64 analog controls. Components are easily connected with ribbons cables and we’ve created the Omni Board to allow dozens of layouts with a single circuit board. Brain v2 supports faders, rotary potentiometers, arcade buttons, rubber buttons, LEDs, RGB LEDs, LED rings, encoders, velocity sensitive pads, accelerometers, and more.
by Livid
Links to MIDI.org resources for DIY MIDI projects so you can DO IT YOURSELF!
IntroductionThe Arduino UNO is a popular open-source microcontroller that, in many respects, is a perfect complement to the extensible nature of the Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) protocol. Microcontroller platforms such as Arduino, Teensy
Instructables is a site which hosts DIY projects and is a platform for people to share what they make through words, photos, video and files. We have gone through the many MIDI DIY projects  and picked our some of
Companies and products listed here do not imply any recommendation or endorsement by the MIDI Manufacturers Association. MIDI Processing, Programming, and Do It Yourself (DIY) Components These are just examples of such products — we make n
One of the biggest recent developments in MIDI is MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE). MPE is a method of using MIDI which enables multidimensional controllers to control multiple parameters of every note within MPE-compatible software.
In normal MIDI, Channel-wide messages (such as Pitch Bend) are applied to all notes being played on a single MIDI Channel. In MPE, each note is assigned its own MIDI Channel so that those messages can be applied to each note individually.
The newly adopted MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) specification is now available for download By MIDI Association members.
MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) Adopts New MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) Enhancement to the MIDI Specification
Los Angeles, CA, January 28, 2018− Today marks the MIDI Manufacturers Association’s (MMA) ratification of a new extension to MIDI, MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression). MPE enables electronic instruments such as synthesizers to provide a level of expressiveness typically possible only with acoustic instruments.
Prior to MPE, expressive gestures on synthesizers—such as pitch bending or adding vibrato—affected all notes being played. With MPE, every note a musician plays can be articulated individually for much greater expressiveness.
In MPE, each note is assigned its own MIDI Channel, so that Channel-wide expression messages can be applied to each note individually. Music making products (such as the ROLI Seaboard, Moog’s Animoog, and Apple’s Logic) take advantage of this so that musicians can apply multiple dimensions of finger movement control: left and right, forward and back, downward pressure, and more.
MMA President Tom White notes that “The efforts of the members (companies) of MMA has resulted in a specification for Polyphonic Expression that provides for interoperability among products from different manufacturers, and benefits the entire music industry.”
Jean-Baptiste Thiebaut of ROLI concurs. “The MPE specification paves the way for a new generation of expressive controllers and music software, providing many creative opportunities for live musicians and producers. MPE remains fully compatible with MIDI.”
The MPE specification will be available for download in the coming weeks. To obtain a free copy, join the MIDI Association, the global community of people who work, play and create with MIDI, at www.MIDI.org.
(Reprinted from the MIDI Manufacturers Association MPE Specification document’s Background Section) (Note: not all devices may support all features)
The MPE specification aims to provide an agreed method for hardware and software manufacturers to communicate multidimensional control data between MIDI controllers, synthesizers, digital audio workstations, and other products, using the existing framework of MIDI 1.0.
These proposed conventions define a way of distributing polyphonic music over a group of MIDI Channels, making multiple parameters of different notes separately controllable. This will enable richer communication between increasingly expressive MIDI hardware and software.
Briefly, what is defined is as follows:
— Wherever possible, every sounding note is temporarily assigned its own MIDI Channel between its Note On and Note Off. This allows Control Change and Pitch Bend messages to be addressed to that particular note.
— A Registered Parameter Number is used to establish the range of Channels used for sending or receiving notes. Two messages control the division of MIDI Channel space into sub-spaces called Zones, so that multi-timbral playing is still possible using only one physical MIDI interface.
— When there are more active notes in a Zone than available Channels, two or more notes will have to share the same Channel. Under such circumstances, all notes will continue to sound, but will no longer be uniquely controllable.
— Each Zone has a dedicated extra Channel, called the Master Channel, which conveys common information including Program Change messages, pedal data, and overall Pitch Bend. These messages apply across the entire Zone.
(The MPE specification also defines how to handle Pitch Bend, Aftertouch and CC messages to provide maximum interoperability.)
The full MPE MIDI specification will be available soon for download in the Specs section of the site.
The following products support one or more of the features of MPE:
Digital audio workstations (DAWs)
Bitwig 8-Track & Studio
GarageBand macOS
Logic Pro X
Reaper
Steinberg Cubase
Steinberg Cubasis 2.6
Tracktion Waveform
Software synthesizers
Admiral Quality Poly-Ana
Cycling ’74 Max
Equator / Equator Player
FXpansion Strobe2
KV331 Audio SynthMaster
Madrona Labs Aalto
Madrona Labs Kaivo
MainStage
Native Instruments Reaktor
Softube Modular
Spitfire BT Phobos
Stagecraft Addiction and Infinity
Symbolic Sound Kyma
UVI Falcon
Mobile apps
NOISE
Seaboard 5D
GeoShred
GarageBand iOS
Moog Model 15
AniMoog
Hardware synthesizers
Artiphon INSTRUMENT 1
Audiothingies MicroMonsta
Axoloti
Deckard’s Dream
Endorphin.es Shuttle Control
Expert Sleepers FH-1
Futuresonus Parva
Haken Continuum
MOD Duo
Modal Electronics 001 / 002 / 002R
Modor NF-1 / NF-1m
Polyend Poly
Snyderphonics MantaMate
These DAWs and synthesizer plugins can be used with certain MPE Controllers by following the setup guides provided by the MPE Controller maker:
Ableton Live
Audio Modeling SWAM Engine
Digital Performer
FL Studio
iZotope Iris 2
Native Instruments Kontakt
Pro Tools
Spectrasonics Omnisphere and Trillian
Studio One
U-he Diva
Le Sound Reshape
MPE Live Chat
On May 26, 2018, we held the very first MIDI Live! chat with a panel of MPE specialists.
We recorded the session and it is presented here as a podcast.
Listeners were not only able to send in questions via text but were able to actually join the discussion and interact directly with the panelists. Roger Linn demoed his Linnstrument live from his studio in Los Altos.
DIscussions included the differences between the original MPE spec and the final MMA specification, MPE checklists, and test sequences, and the requirements for obtaining an MMA MPE logo that is under development.
Bitwig Studio is a multi-platform music-creation system for production, performance and DJing, with a focus on flexible editing tools and a super-fast workflow.
Pens and stylus’ have been employed as computer interaction devices for quite some time now. Most commonly they were used along with peripheral graphics tablets to give a more natural flow to the artist or designer than a mouse could muster. With the release of the Surface Pro hybrid laptop by Microsoft in 2012 they brought a digital pen along to party that could work directly on the screen. It was intended to bridge the gap between the demands of desktop software and the tablet touch screen form factor. In a mouse and track-pad free computing environment how better to access the finer details that your thick fingertips couldn’t manage.
The advantages for the artist become quickly apparent. As the Surface Pro has evolved the graphical power has gotten to the point where it’s a completely competent sketching, drawing and design platform. But there’s another group of artists for whom the digital pen has an awful lot of potential, and that’s the musician.
This is probably most joyously demonstrated by the Windows 10 app Staffpad. Staffpad takes the idea of writing music completely literally and presents you with a blank sheet of manuscript paper and asks you to start writing. Combining the digital pen with hand writing recognition Staffpad is able to interpret your hand written notes into digital MIDI information directly onto a score. It can then be played back through a virtual orchestra. It’s a stunning piece of work and remarkably fluid and creative to use.
Most of us approach music creation in a more sequenced format. The pen has a lot to offer here as well. Entering notes into a piano roll immediately comes to mind, as does the editing of notes, the trimming of clips or moving blocks in an arrangement. Consider drawing in track automation, with a pen rather than a mouse. How much more fluid and natural could that be?
In many ways the pen feels like it’s simply replacing the actions of a mouse – but it doesn’t quite work like that. The Surface Pen works through a combination of technology in the pen and a layer of corresponding technology on the screen. It’s not just touch-screen technology, you can’t take the Surface Pen and use it on another brand of screen, it will only work on Surface products. While that affords the technology a great deal of power it can also trip up software that isn’t able to interpret the technology properly. In many cases the pen works just like a mouse replacement, but in others it can cause weird or no behaviour at all.
When PreSonus first released their new touch-enabled version 3 of Studio One the reaction to the Surface Pen when running on the Surface Pro 3 was to get quickly confused and then lock up. In Cakewalk Sonar, again touch-enabled, there were areas in the software that completely refused to acknowledge the presence of a pen on the screen. Both of those DAWs have far better support for it now. Ableton Live appeared to work with both touch and the pen without any trouble except that when grabbing a fader or knob control the value would leap between the maximum and minimum making it impossible to set it accurately. Adding support for “AbsoluteMouseMode” in a preferences file cured that particular oddity.
Where it’s been most unflinchingly successful is within Steinberg’s Cubase and Avid’s Pro Tools neither of which has expressed any interest in touch or pen interaction – but it simply works anyway. From entering and editing notes to drawing in long wiggly lines of modulation and automation the pen becomes a very expressive tool.
However, for the full immersion that the pen can offer, this tends to mean eschewing the keyboard. When you are leaned in, as I mentioned earlier, having to then pull back to use a keyboard shortcut can be rather jarring and interrupting to your workflow. There’s a certain amount you can do with the on-screen virtual keyboard but it can completely cover what it is you’re trying to edit, so it’s not ideal. This highlights what I see as being the current flaw in the Surface Pen workflow – the lack of a relevant, customisable toolbar.
When editing notes or an arrangement with the pen the ability to do simple tasks such as copy and paste become cumbersome. You can evoke a right-click with the squeeze of a button and then select these task from the list, or you can glide through the menu system but neither of these options are as elegant as a simple Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V. You can quickly extend that to other actions – opening the editor, or the mixer, duplicating, setting loop points there’s a whole raft of commands that are hidden away behind menus or keyboard shortcuts that are annoying to reach with just the pen for input. Adding a simple macro toolbar with user definable keyboard shortcuts would greatly enhance the pen’s workflow. It’s possible to do this with third party applications but it really needs support at the OS level.
This is something Dell have considered with their Canvas touch-screen and digital pen system. They have incorporated floating “palettes” that are little toolbars to access useful keyboard shortcuts. Some DAWs, such as Bitwig Studio and PreSonus Studio One, have fingerable toolbars that can perform a similar function – but something more global would be helpful.
With the release of the Surface Pro (2017) Microsoft have introduced an improved Surface Pen with 4 times the resolution of the previous version. Although more relevant to the artist who draws, it’s interesting to see pen support improving in many DAWs. It’s usefulness is becoming more apparent and if you consider the Dell Canvas and the iPad Pro Pencil, along with the development of the Surface into the larger Surface Studio and laptop form factors, it’s also becoming more widespread.
At the time of writing only one DAW manufacturer has stepped up to push the digital pen into more than just emulating mouse tasks. Bitwig Studio has some special MPE (Multidimensional Polyphony Expression) functionality that allows you to map the pen pressure to parameters on MPE compatible virtual instruments. More on that in another article, but hopefully more creative uses will emerge as this gains popularity.
The digital pen offers many creative opportunities. It unhinges you from the mouse/keyboard paradigm and pushes you into a more natural and fluid way of working. It lacks support in some software and there’s some work to be done on optimising the workflow by combining it with a toolbar, but it offers a different and creative approach to musical computer interaction.
Here’s a video of me reviewing the Microsoft Surface Book for music production which has a lot of pen use and examples in it. There’s plenty more on the YouTube channel:
This is an article that was originally posted on the Cakewalk blog and they kindly gave us permission to excerpt it here on MIDI.org.
Greetings! My name is Mike Green, Music Product Specialist at Zivix, we make the jamstik+ portable SmartGuitar & PUC+ wireless MIDI link. I’m primarily a guitar player, and in my 15+ years of musical composition, MIDI has enabled me to write and record quickly. In full disclosure; I’m a lousy keyboardist. The jamstik+ and Bluetooth MIDI’s availability for Windows 10 has revolutionized what used to be a point-and-click endeavor. Now I can use virtual instruments in Cakewalk’s SONAR software controlled by the jamstik+ digital guitar so I can enter in data wirelessly via Bluetooth MIDI – using the guitar skills that come most naturally to me.
by Mike Green, Music Product Specialist at Zivix
Make Sure Your PC is Bluetooth 4.0 Compatible.
With recent updates in the Windows 10 OS, SONAR’s DAW takes advantage of using Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (BLE) to connect Bluetooth enabled MIDI devices. Now, almost all operating systems have this capability, so the performance is only going to get better from here, and more controllers will start “Roli” ‘ing in (haha). Check the specs on your PC (look for Bluetooth in Device Manager) to see if your PC is Bluetooth 4.0 compatible. If not, you can always try various BLE Dongles like this one by Asus.
Connecting is easy
Pair to Windows 10
Open SONAR
Enable your MIDI Device In/Out Check-boxes in Preferences
Select your Soft-Synth
Play!
For more on Sonar, Zivix and BLE-MIDI, check out the full article below and look for links to special deals.
There has recently been a surge in robotic MIDI devices as Arduinos and low cost CPUs make it easier and easier to develop MIDI-controlled robotic components.
At Super Booth 2017, there were a number of significant MIDI robot introductions.
Felix Thorn
From a very early age Felix was inspired by both visual and sound arts. He studied both drawing and painting and piano in his formative years, but he never seemed to be able to settle on more traditional artistic paths and was always looking to combine sonic and visual arts together. Felix creates new experiences that combine real objects, music and design.
Felix’s Machines are not intended to replace human-made music, but like Conlon Nancarrow, Felix focuses on how machines can exceed human’s ability to perform because of their mechanical nature.
“Although my medium focuses on the development of acoustic sounds, I am continually inspired by electronic music – the countless abstractions act as blueprints for the construction of its acoustic counterparts. I aim to build a space where artificial and dream-like environments can become a reality.
by Felix Thorn
Bastl Instruments
Okay, technically this isn’t MIDI, it’s control voltages, but we just didn’t think it was right to have a piece on robotics and not include Bastl. In any case, their new Thyme effect is MIDI controllable and it’s a sequenceable robot-operated digital tape machine.
DadaMachines
Inspired in part by Felix Thorn, Johannes Lohbihler created a Kickstarter to develop DADA Machines. The dadamachines automat toolkit lets anyone create robotic orchestras with everyday objects. Automat is open source, hackable and Arduino compatible.
The center of each toolkit is the automat controller. Plug in your favorite software or hardware MIDI input directly into the controller. For output, automat controller has 12 universal DC outputs to connect motors, solenoids, LEDs – whatever you want to start playing. The automat is plug & play – offering unlimited possibilities. Simply connect your favorite MIDI hardware device, music App or DAW and trigger the actuators of your choice to create a composition.
by Dada Machines
Prototypes of DADA Machines were used in this German production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Johannes Lohbihler is raising funds for dadamachines: music machines for everyone! on Kickstarter! The dadamachines automat toolkit enables you to tap, move and bang to make sound with the world around you. Hackable & open-source!
Polyend was only started in 2015, but they have been working hard on their ideas to expand musicians’ creativity
PERC PRO, a MIDI-controlled device that mechanically plays any percussive surface. It make a drumming machine out of anything.Aphex Twin, Daedelus, and Dan Deacon have all utilized the Perc Pro in their work. Any percussion instrument you strike with a stick or your bare hands works with PERC PRO. Open yourself up to new possibilities. Congas, xylophone, sauce pan?
Each PERC PRO kit includes: – 3 beaters (you can choose silicon, aluminum or wooded striker for each beater) – controller (capable of playing up to 3 beaters) – 3 clamps – USB cable – Power cable
PERC Controller IN/OUT: •1x MIDI DIN in •1x MIDI USB in •3x Drum Gate in •3x CV Velocity in •1x MIDI DIN thru •1x MIDI DIN out •3x PERC Ball out
At Super Booth 2017, Polyend introduced tempos so fast for the Perc Pro that the drum rolls became audible pitches.
Yamaha reface robot
Yamaha also showed a robot at Super Booth 2017. Designed in collaboration with Anno Labs, a design company from Fukuoka, Japan. Here is a little bit about the reface robot and annon labs and then a couple of Youtube videos about the reface robot project.
“#refacerobot”. Custom-made robot for reface CS dynamically controlling all sound parameters. From it’s fierce and full-blast performance you will experience unheard sounds freed from conventional two-handed tweaking.
by Yamaha
“#annolab”. anno lab is an emerging creative group focused on media art and interactive design. Most of their works aim at inspiring curiosity and fun for people in their daily life.
Two months ago, I was tasked with presenting a talk on the Web MIDI API to an amazing crowd of music-loving web developers. Obviously, I wanted the presentation to be exciting, so my first idea was to find a cool MIDI controller that I could use to demo the API with. What kind of controller could fit the bill? What about an old… keytar? Yes, that would be awesome! Nobody’s using those anymore so they will be dirt cheap, right? So I hit eBay and here’s what I found…
An original Yamaha KX-5 carefully laid out on purple velvet. It couldn’t get any more perfect than that, could it? But wait, are they really asking 350$ for it? Plus 130$ for shipping! That’s 500$ US dollars… which means about 630$ in Canadian dollars! Whoaaa, there is no way I’m spending that kind of money on a 45-minute presentation.
What then? Hmmmm.
This is when I remembered the era before I became a web developer when drumming was my whole life. More importantly, I remembered that I already had a cool MIDI controller in my possession: my good old Roland Octapad II. The Octapad is an eight pad percussion controller made by Roland starting in the 80s. How about using that for the demo? That would be cool. But where on Earth did I put this thing? After a few hours of searching, I finally found it hidden in the garage. I plugged it in and it powered up. Oh yeah! I started playing it and then I realized that time had taken its toll. No matter how hard I stroked the pads, the hits barely registered. Damn, this thing is busted. Should I be surprised? After all, this device is at least 25 years old and has been sitting in a damp garage for over 10 years.
But still, it would be so cool to use it for the conference demo. So I started digging around on the Internet to see if this thing could be revived somehow. After an hour or so of reading outdated forum posts and barely-related blog articles, I stumbled upon a post from this guy who said the problem is easy to fix. The piezos are dead he said. Just get new ones and you will be good to go. What have I got to lose, right?
A bit of Googling tells me that piezos are simple vibration-sensitive sensors, precisely the kind you would expect in a percussion controller. Because I had no idea what kind or size of piezos I should buy, I decided to open the unit up. Surprisingly, this was very simple. All it took was a Phillips screwdriver and I was in.
I soon realized that it was a good idea to first check inside. Being an 8-pad controller, I was expecting to buy 8 piezos. However, as you can see on the picture above, 10 piezos are needed. I’m guessing the extra 2 are used to counter any crossover that could happen between the pads through the casing. Furthermore, opening it allowed me to measure the size of the piezos. In the end, I ordered twelve 35mm piezos from Digikey. I bought an extra 2 to be on the safe side.
While getting inside the unit wasn’t hard, getting to the piezos was a little bit harder. As you can see, two of the piezos are hidden under a board which needs to be removed in order to gain access to them. As a matter of fact, the whole unit pretty much needs to be dismantled to be able to extract the old piezos and put in the new ones. If you are attempting this operation, I urge you to do as I did and take pictures all the way through the operation. This way you will know which screws (there are various types and lengths), connectors and daughterboards go where. I’m soooo glad I did!
The dismantling operation wasn’t hard but I was extra careful in the way I handled all the various pieces. I didn’t want to lose anything or forget where something was going. Then, at one point, I realized that the only way to go further was to actually desolder the piezos from the central board strip (a.k.a. Pad-8 Sensor Board). This was the point of no return. As you can see in the picture below, in order to remove the sensor board and get to the pads, you must desolder the piezos, there’s no way around it. So I did.
Note that all the white wires are connected to the board’s center strip while the black wires have their own strip leading to separate cables on the left side. This makes sense: one common ground for all and separate signal wires for each pads.
Once the sensor board is removed, you can unglue the piezos from the pads. This can be quite scary. Especially when all you are left with is a pile of dead piezos and the conviction that you are never going to be able to put all this back together…
As you can see above, the piezos are affixed to the pads using some sort of double-sided tape. I had no idea which kind of tape was appropriate so I bought Scotch-Brand 3M 1″ Permanent Mounting Squares (cat. 111C). If you use them, you will want to trim the corners of the squares so they fit snuggly inside the center circle of the piezo. The idea is for the outer ring to vibrate freely.
Obviously, you also need to solder the new piezos to the sensor board. The piezos I bought came with short and flimsy wires which I did not trust. So I opted to use sturdier wiring. I had some speaker wires on hand so I used that. Just be sure to make the right connections. The inside ring of all piezos should be connected to the shared central strip on the sensor board while the outer rings of each piezos should be connected to their own individual strip. In the end, my soldering job was a bit messy but I made sure the connections were solid and not touching other conductive strips (this is very important!).
I then put the Octapad back together, plugged it in and crossed my fingers… Guess what? It worked. In fact, it might now be working better than ever before. Nice.
Obviously, I used it during my talk and I had a blast. Attendees also had a great time witnessing how a 25 y/o piece of hardware (brought to this world before the Internet was even invented) could trigger sounds and visuals inside a web page running in Google Chrome.
The moral of the story, I guess, is that well-designed and proven technologies can, and often do, withstand the test of time. They might need a little love along the way but don’t we all?
If you are musician paying the bills doing web development work, I urge you to dust off your old MIDI devices and hook them up to your browser. You will be amazed at what can be done with the Web MIDI API. If you are curious to know how this is possible, check out the library I created that makes it very easy to use the Web MIDI API. You can also take a look at the slides from my presentation.
The Arduino UNO is a popular open-source microcontroller that, in many respects, is a perfect complement to the extensible nature of the Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) protocol. Microcontroller platforms such as Arduino, Teensy, and others, make it relatively easy to develop custom MIDI controllers that respond to light, pressure, sound, and many other forms of input. In this way, microcontrollers provide a unique way to expand the possibilities of MIDI into the physical realm. MIDI musicians can now envision and create an astounding array of custom hardware devices from custom controllers to algorithmic composers and beyond.
Note that this article focuses on the basics of MIDI output on an Arduino UNO. Future articles will cover MIDI input on the Arduino and Teensy platforms as well as the use of potentiometers, switches, and other components for real-time MIDI control.
Transmitter Circuit
It is necessary to utilize a MIDI interface in order to send MIDI messages from an Arduino to a synthesizer, Digital Audio Workstation, or other MIDI device. Fortunately, it is easy (and inexpensive) to create a simple circuit that can handle MIDI output. The circuit can be mocked up on a solderless breadboard for experimentation or a permanent version can be soldered to solderboard. Users who are new to electronics might want to consider a commercial version such as the SparkFun MIDI Shield, offered at a nominal cost by SparkFun Electronics and other vendors.
As is evident in Figure 1, a circuit that was documented in David Miles Huber’s The MIDI Manual, the circuit for MIDI output is relatively simple and consists of:
a connection from the 5V pin of an Arduino through a 220-ohm resistor to pin 4 of a standard MIDI DIN jack,
a connection from the GND pin of an Arduino to pin 2 of a MIDI DIN jack,
a connection from the TX pin of an Arduino through a 220-ohm resister and 7404 Hex inverter to pin 5 of a MIDI DIN jack.
Figure 2 demonstrates one way that the transmitter circuit could be configured on a solderless breadboard. Note that the top rail of the solderless breadboard is connected to the 5V pin on the Arduino and the bottom rail is connected to the Arduino GND pin.
MIDI Output Sketch: “Old School” Approach
While it is generally more convenient to use a MIDI library to program MIDI sketches on an Arduino, we will start with a low-level “pure” sketch in order to demonstrate how MIDI bytes are handled. If you have ever programmed MIDI applications for Windows, OS X, or Linux you are in for a pleasant surprise because MIDI output can be achieved with just a few lines of code on an Arduino. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to download the Arduino Software (Integrated Development Environment) from https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software. Next, run the Arduino software and select File…New and enter the code that is described in the following paragraphs.
Boilerplate Code
While the basics of C and C++ programming are beyond the scope of this article (and covered in detail in my own Arduino for Musicians as well as numerous other books and online resources), rest assured that the basics of coding a simple MIDI sketch are not unduly difficult. Start by typing the functions shown in Listing 1 which form the basis for all Arduino sketches. Note that the term function is used to describe a block of “functional” code denoted by the function name and opening and closing braces:
Listing 1 Boilerplate functions
void setup()
{
}
void loop()
{
}
The setup() function is called once when your sketch is first run on an Arduino. You will use that block of code (between the opening and closing braces) to establish the serial transmission rate and any other initialization required by the sketch. The loop() function is where the action happens. As the name of the function implies, the loop() function continues to loop throughout the duration of your sketch unless you pause it with a delay() function or some other blocking activity.
Establishing a serial connection
To establish a serial MIDI connection between the Arduino and a MIDI receiver, add the code shown in Listing 2 to the setup() function. The Serial object represents a class (an object or pre-programmed chunk of code) that handles all of the low-level details of establishing and maintaining a serial connection. Note that the Serial class provides a function (typically called a method in the context of a class) titled begin() that takes the baud rate as a parameter. In this example, serial transmission is set to 31250 baud, the expected MIDI transmission rate as per The Complete MIDI 1.0 Detailed Specification (available from the MIDI Association at midi.org).
Listing 2 Setting up a serial connection
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(31250);
}
Writing a MIDI output function
Although there is nothing wrong with writing code for sending MIDI data in the loop() function, custom functions can help to produce code that is extensible and easier to read and maintain. Listing 3 demonstrates one approach to sending Note-On messages. Notice how the function takes three bytes that correspond to the MIDI channel, note, and velocity. The only tricky part of the code is the first line which translates the expected MIDI channel range of 1-16 to the range of Note-On status bytes starting at 0x90 (hexadecimal). The Serial.write() method is used to transmit the status byte and data bytes that form a Note-On message:
Listing 3 Custom function for outputting MIDI Note-On messages
//Transmit a Note-On message
Serial.write(noteOnStatus);
Serial.write(note);
Serial.write(velocity);
}
Outputting Notes
Now that a convenience function is available to handle the transmission of Note-On messages, it is easy to fill in some simple code in the loop() function to output a series of notes. Note that this example uses a blocking delay—generally a bad idea for more robust applications—but the use of timers is beyond the scope of this article and would only serve to obfuscate the underlying concept of sending MIDI data via a serial connection. In Listing 4, a “for loop” is used to output MIDI Note-On messages in the range of 60 to 72. The function delays and then the transmits the same note with a velocity of zero—which is functionally equivalent to sending a corresponding Note-Off message.
Listing 4 Outputting a chromatic scale
void loop()
{
//Play a chromatic scale starting on middle C (60)
for(int note = 60; note < 72; note++)
{
//Play a note
playMIDINote(1, note, 100);
//Hold the note for 60 ms (delay() used for simplicity)
delay(60);
//Turn note off (velocity = 0)
playMIDINote(1, note, 0);
//Pause for 60 ms
delay(60);
}
}
Uploading a Sketch to the Arduino
The complete sketch is shown in Listing 5. Once you have typed or copied the code into the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE), click the leftmost check button to ensure that the sketch is free from errors. If you are relatively new to programming it might be helpful to remember that C code is case sensitive. It is also easy to omit an opening or closing brace or semicolon which can create any number of error messages. A final step is to connect the Arduino to your computer via a USB cable and select the upload button to upload the code to the Arduino. Assuming you have connected a valid MIDI output circuit, the chromatic scale should be received by any MIDI receiver device that is connected to the circuit via a MIDI cable.
Listing 5 Complete listing
void setup()
{
//Set up serial output with standard MIDI baud rate
Serial.begin(31250);
}
void loop()
{
//Play a chromatic scale starting on middle C (60)
for(int note = 60; note < 72; note++)
{
//Play a note
playMIDINote(1, note, 100);
//Hold note for 60 ms (delay() used for simplicity)
delay(60);
//Turn note off (velocity = 0)
playMIDINote(1, note, 0);
//Pause for 60 ms
delay(60);
}
}
//Send notes to MIDI output:
Serial.write(noteOnStatus);
Serial.write(note);
Serial.write(velocity);
}
Coding Challenge
That’s it—Arduino MIDI output can be achieved with just a few lines of code! Consider how you might use the boilerplate code in this example to develop a simple algorithmic generator (perhaps using the Arduino random() function) or a sketch that outputs chords, exotic scales, or drum beats.
Next Steps
Although this introduction is necessarily limited, it forms the basis for many exciting possibilities including algorithmic composition, automation, and real-time control. As you will see in future articles, a basic MIDI output circuit can also be used for useful applications such as using a potentiometer to send continuous controller messages to a DAW or a two-axis joystick as an expressive real-time controller. As noted in the introduction, detailed coverage of Arduino MIDI and audio concepts are provided in Arduino for Musicians: A Complete Guide to Arduino and Teensy Microcontrollers as well as other books online resources.
Dana Dolfi has created what is probably the loudest MIDI controlled instrument ever made out of recycled ship, truck and train air horns and steam whistles.
Dolfi, a pipe-fitter and project manager for Chapman Corp. in Washington, Pennsylvania sets his 3-ton, red, white and blue atop a car trailer and performs at Maker Faires, July Fourth events and graduation parties.
But his contraption (It’s great when you can use an old-timey word like contraption in it’s proper context) creates some limitations in where he can perform. The GAHM is as loud as a jet engine and so Dana marks off a 100 yard perimeter around the instrument and even then recommends ear plugs. It’s no wonder it is so loud as it is powered by a gasoline-powered air compressor and a 620-gallon air tank blows the horns and whistles.
Among the horns and whistles Dolfi has collected are a large horn from the USS Mississinewa, a Naval replenishment oiler; horns off a Coast Guard cutter and an ocean-going dredge; a horn that was used on a California drawbridge; a set of horns from a Great Lakes ore freighter; whistles from the Donora American Steel and Wire Works; an 1890s whistle from a fire hall in Gloucester, Mass.; a whistle from an antique popcorn machine, and several train and towboat horns and whistles.
by Karen Mansfield Staff Writer for the award-winning Observer-Reporter. a daily newspaper headquartered in Washington, Pa., the newspaper has been part of Southwestern Pennsylvania since the early 1800s.
The Great American Horn Machine has performed at lots of Maker Faires and here are a couple of video examples.
Instructables is a site which hosts DIY projects and is a platform for people to share what they make through words, photos, video and files. We have gone through the many MIDI DIY projects and picked our some of our favorite projects. To see all the MIDI projects that are available on the site, just click here.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a protocol developed in the 1980’s which allows electronic instruments and other digital musical tools to communicate with each other. The advantages of MIDI include: compact -an entire song can be stored within a few hundred MIDI messages (compared to audio data which is sampled thousands of times a second) easy to modify/manipulate notes -change pitch, duration, and other parameters without having to rerecord change instruments -remember, MIDI only describes which notes to play, you can send these notes to any instrument to change the overall sound …
MaxMSP is a visual programming language that helps you build complex, interactive programs without any prior experience writing code. MaxMSP is especially useful for building audio, MIDI, video, and graphics applications where user interaction is needed. This Instructable is part of a 3-part workshop I’m running at Women’s Audio Mission, it’s part one of three Instructables that I’ll be publishing over the course of the next week. (Part 2 – intermediate MaxMSP) (Part 3 – getting Max to talk to hardware) MaxMSP is split into several parts – Max handles discrete operations and MIDI, this is the easiest place to start getting familiar with the tool. MSPdeals with signal processing and audio. ;And Jitter is for graphics rendering and video manipulation. This course will cover Max and MSP. Here are some examples of awesome things you can do with Max.
This Instructable is a continuation of Intro to MaxMSP, a three part workshop I’m teaching at Women’s Audio Mission here in San Francisco.This Instructable build upon the topics discussed in Intro to MaxMSP and introduces some ways to work with audio in Max. Part 3 of the workshop focuses on how to get Max to talk to hardware.; First off, here are some examples of the types of things you can do with audio in Max: Fornant synthesis – using filters to recreate human vocal sounds Audio to MIDI, Granular Synthesis- cutting up a sample into tiny grains and pieces the grains together to make new sounds
Draw your own musical keyboard with pencil on paper, using Arduino and capacitance sensing. Here is a demo and explanation of a finished project: More on this project (and paper circuits in general) can be seen here at the Science of Music blog.
Project goal:Construct a laser triggered midi controller, using standard electric components and a recycled midi keyboard. ;Step 1.Find a recycled midi keyboard / controller. Step 2.Construct a laser triggered switch. Step 3.Connect midi device, measure components (shorts), and test device. You can now play instruments, beats, loops and samples by interrupting the laser.- have fun
A MIDI controller is any piece of equipment that generates and transmits MIDI data to MIDI-enabled devices. In short, if you have buttons on your MIDI controller, you can program those buttons to any sound you want through musical software (ex.: Ableton, Garage Band, etc.). You can also program potentiometers to control effects, volumes, etc..This instructable will show you how to create your own MIDI Controller using Arduino. With a MIDI controller, you are rarely limited with what you can do. There is endless possibilities and endless fun.
Greetings Earth! This Instructable will show you how to build your very own Melodyian – an Arduino-based, 3D-printable robot that can move around, light up, and make music! It’s also a MIDI robot, and can be wirelessly controlled via MIDI over Bluetooth.This robot is part of a larger transmedia production called The Musical Melodyians. The Melodyians are musical aliens who eat music and travel through space to save the universe’s musics. Visit our webular portal to watch videos featuring these Melodyian robots, listen to Melodyian music, read our graphic novel, and more! NOTE: This project is suited for makers with at least an intermediate amount of experience with Arduinos, soldering, general electronics, and at least a basic familiarity with MIDI.
One huge issue in the world of digital music production is keeping that analog warmth (that resonated from reel-to-reel systems and tubes) in modern day digital music. Many swear that analog systems have a sound that can never be replicated by bits, and hope is lost for digital music to match that analog quality. Virtual Studio Technologies (VSTs) have tried to replicate the authentic analog sound, but they (being entirely digital) cannot give you the true sound. In this instructable, I’ll share with you how we can bridge the gap between digital and analog music production by creating a Flame Controlled MIDI Controller using an Arduino micro-controller.Fire is awesome. Flames sway, crackle, and waver which makes them a perfect medium to capture a room’s atmosphere, and ultimately to create a great analog signal. These characteristics are optimal because even when the signal is converted into digital MIDI signals, it will …
This project is a portable, Arduino-powered, grid-based MIDI controller that boots up into a variety of apps to do lots of things with sound. It has 16 backlit buttons, used as both inputs and outputs to give the controller some visual feedback. 2 potentiometers give analog control, depending on the app the pots are assigned to tempo, MIDI velocity, pitch, and scrolling (making the avaible grid space larger than 4×4). An x/y accelerometer and an x/y gyroscope add some playful, gestural control to the device; most of the apps implement a “shake to erase” control and several respond to tilt in various ways. It boots up into 7 different apps (described below), though it has the potential to boot up into 16 total. This device is primarily a MIDI controller, but I’ve also written an app that allows you to pull the button and analog data into MaxMSP and to …
The laser harp is an electronic instrument that is played by blocking laser beams. Several laser beams are produced, and a note is played when one of the beams is blocked by the player, similar to plucking a stick on a real harp. The device must therefore produce a laser beam for each note and also have a sensor for determining when a beam is blocked.I constructed a MIDI laser harp controlled with an Arduino for Spectra, an optics group at Washington University in Saint Louis. This instructable goes over the commercial parts used, design of electronics, mounting parts that were 3D printed, and the frame. This project is also listed on my website with other projects
MIDI bass pedals, similar to pedals organists use to play bass notes, but instead used to play a MIDI synthesizer or sound module, have been popular for the last few decades. In addition to keyboard players, many electric bass players, such as Geddy Lee of Rush, have used them to expand the palette of bass sounds they use. But they can be quite expensive.These were my main costs for building a set of bass pedals:$35 Bass pedals from a Conn organ bought on eBay$35 Shipping for the bass pedals$44 Arduino Mega 2650 R3 controller board$20 Sparkfun MIDI Shield$7 9V 1000 mA AC adapter for Arduino boards_______________________________________________$141 TOTALIn addition to these I used some miscellaneous stuff like wire, solder, contact cleaner, tie wraps and cables I already had. A good place to to get the Arduino components and the MIDI Shield is the Robot Shop.
Create your own antique light bulb organ to add nostalgic ambiance to any midi instrument! 12 light bulbs correspond to the 12 notes in an octave (minus the octave note). The rectangular box unfolds to position the light bulbs vertically for display, while at the same time providing a platform for the keyboard in use. Playing a note on the keyboard directly via midi, or through the usb port illuminates the light bulb for a particular key. Releasing the note, releases the key. Pedal presses are also recognized and keep the bulb maintained. The bulbs can be controlled without a computer by using the front mounted midi port, or via computer which allows for remote control via midi or osc messages. More about that later… The light organ was built for and is currently in use by the band Future Dancing , see the video below to see it in action!
>>>This isn’t quite finished yet as I cocked a bit of the circuit up. I’ll update the instructable and upload a video when it’s sorted<<< I’ve been DJing for about 10 years now, and for the last couple I’ve swapped good old fashioned vinyl for virtual vinyl in the form of Serato. This allows me control mp3’s using timecode vinyl on the turntables. However, like a lot of DJ’s, this led me down the dark path of spending gigs staring at my laptop – aka – Serato Face. I needed to find an interface that would keep my eyes off the screen, but all the ones in my price range weren’t laid out in a way that worked for me. Having seen some great Instructables from other people that made their own arcade style MIDI controllers, a bespoke controller became something I needed to add to my DJ arsenal. However, …
In this Instructable, I will walk you through the process of converting a rescued noise-making children’s toy into an actually useful musical instrument using MIDI! Take a moment to just glance over the titles of the steps in this Instructable and familiarize yourself with the general process, so you know what to expect when you’re complete, and whether or not this Instructable is what you’re looking for. I’ll help you pick out a good toy to rescue, and then guide you through the process I used to successfully hack all of the buttons and switches to make something really cool and useful. We’ll rip out the old, useless guts of the toy and replace it with a cheap microcontroller that is capable of sending and receiving MIDI messages to a PC, which will do the actual sound synthesis for us. I’ll discuss the ins and outs of how to do …
I believe holographic musical instruments will be commonplace in the future, showing up everywhere from schools (for education), to homes (for fun), to media offices (for creativity), and in music studios (for production). The reason is simple: The holographic musical instrument takes a complex process and radically simplifies it: see another demo video here. I’m using the term ‘holographic music’ to mean multidimensional musical structures mapped to 3d surfaces to be decoded through rotational motion. Just as optical holograms modulate light based on the 3D viewing angle, we can modulate sounds based on the relative 3D orientation of an object. This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on a technology that I am calling the Dub Cadet: a holographic musical instrument. Part 1 will discuss theory and technical strategy, Part 2 will provide an arduino-based hardware solution, and Part 3 will explain the programming code that makes it work. …
Dave Battino wrote an article which was a roundup of ultra-compact keyboard and pad MIDI controllers in the December 2013 issue of keyboard. He shared the video he created to show these itty bitty MIDI devices.
For the past few days we have been at the SXSW Music Expo. It turns out that Austin now only has a vibrant synth scene, but there are a lot of Austin based startups doing some pretty cool things with MIDI. Also at the show we got to meet with some companies from around the globe and from all over the US doing cool things with Bluetooth MIDI. It seems that BTLE MIDI has inspired a number of companies to create unique new ways to control MIDI wireless and MIDI gestural control really seems to trending in 2016.
So here is a quick report on MIDI at the 2016 SXSW Music Expo.
Austin Based Futuresonus shows off the Parva Poly Analog Synth
We got to interview Designer Brad Ferguson to talk about his new synth, the Futuresonus Parva, a polyphonic analog synthesizer. Just as refresher here are the Parva’s key features:
Eight voice polyphonic synthesizer with flexible voice assignment
Three oscillators per voice
Flexible dual filters
4 LFOs
100% analog signal path
Digital patch management and control
USB master port so you can connect USB MIDI controllers directly to it
Aluminum case and knobs
Brad talks about the Parva and how MIDI is used for control.
The Parva has some unique MIDI features including a USB Host port so you can connect your USB controller directly to the Parva module, the use of 14 bit RPNs to get double bit precision for control of most of the analog parameters . FYI, RPNs (Registered Parameters) and NRPNs (Non-Registered Parameters) have been a part of the MIDI spec form the very beginning). Also (although not mentioned in the video) Futuresonus is workingto make Parva the first hardware synth that uses the new Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression (MPE) standard the MIDI Manufacturers Association is working on.
Here is Brad’s take on what MIDI means.
Zivix show off Jam Stik 2 and new Air Jamz
The Jamstik made it easy to learn to play guitar, Jamstik 2 added more features and there is more content and apps.
Air Jamz goes ‘playing” guitar even simpler and is just plain fun. Check out this Engadget article.
The tagline reads: “AirJamz is the wearable Air Guitar that you have to see to believe.” To be fair, you probably can believe it, especially if you’re familiar…
OWOW was showing off their truly unique Bluetooth controllers called midis and named Wiggle, Scan, Drum and Wob. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and a video must be worth even more so check them out. The OWOW team has some very intriguing designs that are both simple and elegant ways to do interesting and creative things with MIDI.
Here is Dirtcaps showing how to use the midis in the studio.
The ReMIDI T8 MIDI Glove
There have been MIDI gloves around for awhile, like Imogen Heap’s which we have featured on the site before, but ReMIDI is the first attempt to deliver a product that can be manufactured in quantity and also the first to use Bluetooth MIDI. We were able to catch up with Andrea Baldereschi, CEO and Marco Casolati, Product Specialist at ReMIDI to talk about where the T8 project is at and their thoughts on the future of MIDI gestural control.
Here is a video of the ReMIDI T8 in action. Andrea told us they have fully functioning prototypes and on track to start production around September.
Zoom also had a booth at SXSW and were showing off their ARQ™ BTLE wireless MIDI controller and Yamaha had their UD-BT01 and UM-BT01 BTLE adapters so it was pretty clear that the Bluetooth MIDI is going mainstream in 2016.
Electronic MIDI controllers that you hold in your hands and shake or move about to make music date back to 1986. That was the year Palmtree Instruments introduced Airdrums, a tabletop MIDI controller wired to two tubes that contain sensors for detecting motion in any of six directions. The control box transmits six triggers per tube for playing notes, starting sequences, and generating other MIDI data depending on user assignments. Airdrums started the ball rolling in the development of controllers such as the Nintendo Wii, which some contemporary performers use as a softsynth controller.
Also in 1986, computer-music pioneer Max Mathews (1926-2011) introduced the Radio Baton, which consists of a pair of mallets with built-in radio transmitters and a table surface beneath which are five antennas. As a computer loaded with Max’s conductor software follows movements of the mallets above the table, it generates MIDI output for controlling the volume, timbre, and rhythm of a sequencer playing music.
Don Buchla introduced Lightning in 1991. It has two wireless wands that contain infrared transmitters, a remote infrared-tracking head that can be mounted on a mic stand and senses positions of and gestures made with the wands, and the third component, a half-rack-sized box that contains electronic circuits. You can program the receiver that tracks wand movements to perform actions such as note selection, pitchbends, stereo panning, and volume. Originally Lightning only transmitted MIDI, but the newer version — the Buchla Lightning III — transmits MIDI and also has a built-in 32-voice synthesizer.
Imagine if the batons held by a member of the ground crew to safely direct an aircraft into a gate at an airport controlled the pitch, timbre, and other aspects of sound generated by a synthesizer. That’s essentially what Don Buchla’s Lightning does. This is the Lightning II system, complete with the triangular, optic-sensing head, a pair of wireless, infrared-transmitting wands, and the half-rack control module, which housed a 32-voice synthesizer. Lightning II was introduced in 1996, later to be replaced by the Lightning III. (courtesy of Buchla & Associates)
Synthesizer pioneer Don Buchla — proudly clad in his pin-laden fedora — prowls the Anaheim Convention Center at Winter NAMM 2012. (Mark Vail)
Struck Controllers
Numerous individuals and companies have made electronic controllers and instruments for drummers and percussionists since Joe Pollard developed the Syndrum in 1977. Soon to follow were the U.S.-built Star Instruments Synare series from 1975 to 1983 and the British-made Simmons pads and sound generators.
Plenty of drum and percussion controllers and systems have come and gone since MIDI arrived in 1983. Among the manufacturers to develop full-fledged electronic kits are Alesis, 2Box Music Applications, Roland, and Yamaha. All of them make modules to go with the drum pads and related controllers — cymbals, too — but of course since they’re MIDI controllers you can trigger any MIDI sound generator(s) of your choice.
Drum controllers don’t have to look like drum sets. Over the years there have been many great percussion controllers and instruments, whether you hit them with sticks — Roland’s Octapad series comes to mind — or your hands — i.e., Roland’s Handsonic series. As of November 2015 Roland’s current Octapad is the SPD-30 (http://www.rolandus.com/products/octapad_spd-30), which contains built-in sounds and can function as a percussion instrument on its own. If you’d prefer an electronic percussion instrument/controller that allows you to sample your own sounds, Roland offers the SPD-SX (http://www.rolandus.com/products/spd-sx). Both SPD models have MIDI I/O for playing other instruments or responding to controller and note data from other MIDI devices, as well as trigger inputs for responding to analog gear that output trigger signals.
Continuing the historic line of Octapads, Roland’s SPD-30 sports features including eight pads, four inputs for triggers from external sources, a backlit LCD, 670 internal sounds, built-in effects, and a three-part phrase-loop sequencer that allows overdubbing. (courtesy of Roland Corporation)
Roland’s SPD-SX allows you to sample and play sounds using its nine velocity-sensitive pads, six square and three across the top. It provides 2GB of internal sample memory, effects processing, a backlit LCD, MIDI and USB connectors, and two external trigger inputs. The SPD-SX comes with computer software for importing, assigning, and organizing samples. (courtesy of Roland Corporation)
Although I’m a poor percussionist and never came close to mastering the drums, Roland’s introduction of the HPD-15 Handsonic at the 2000 NAMM show immediately attracted me thanks to its built-in sounds and controller implementation. Its 15 pads, arranged within a circle and sized between about a quarter of the circle and a few square inches, sense how hard you strike them with your hands and fingers — drumsticks aren’t recommended — as well as how hard you push down afterward. In fact, each Handsonic transmits its own aftertouch data, which means it will work with MIDI devices that detect polyphonic aftertouch — a rare but very effective means of imparting vibrato or a bit more volume to individual notes within a chord. In addition, the HPD-15 has two ribbon controllers — one on each side of the pad circle — that can trigger notes or transmit controller data. Finally, the HPD-15 has a D-Beam controller, a motion-sensing detector placed above the pad circle; it too can trigger notes or send controller data.
While the original HPD-15 Handsonic has been discontinued, as of late 2015 Roland’s flagship Handsonic, the HPD-20 (http://www.rolandus.com/products/handsonic_hpd-20), offers the same pad configuration and D-Beam, although not the side ribbons — which makes it less wide and a bit more portable than the HPD-15. Along with 850 internal sounds, the HPD-20 allows you to import up to 500 of your own WAV-format samples.
Thanks to its responsive silicone rubber pads, great sounds, and extensive programmability, the Roland HPD-20 serves as an outstanding electronic percussion instrument. Hitting it with drumsticks isn’t recommended; use your hands, please. (courtesy of Roland Corporation)
The configuration of pads on John Worthington’s Jambé (http://getjambe.com) reminds me of those on a Roland Handsonic, except that you can hit the Jambé’s with your fingers, hands, or drumsticks and it’s intended mainly as a percussion controller for an iPad or iPhone. Activity on Jambé’s pads transmit controller data including aftertouch. The latest developments in Jambé’s software and sounds are due to be announced at Winter NAMM 2016, from January 21 to 24. It’s a beautiful controller that might work perfectly for you.
Mounted on a drum stand above an Apple iPad is a Jambé percussion controller. You can order a Jambé with its wooden rim stained light or dark. According to the Jambé website, “Within a sustainable hardwood rim sits a ten geometric play zone interface which transforms actions registered by its sensors into dynamic sounds via software running on an iOS device.” (courtesy of John Worthington)
Taking a slightly different controller approach is Titan Reality, whose Pulse 3D music controller (https://titanreality.com) responds not only to direct contact on its surface, but also to movement and hand gestures the performer makes above that surface. You can play Pulse with your fingers or hands, as well as mallets, drum sticks, brushes, and other objects such as a ball. As stated on the Titan Reality Kick Starter site, Pulse is “the musical instrument platform of the future, for everyone to discover and play music at any level. … Pulse is the most expressive music controller ever made, it works in 3D, at very high resolutions and speeds. When connected to a free Titan Reality app you can play instruments with incredible detail and performance. Simply discover thousands of high-resolution musical instruments in a one-click app using our Explore cloud platform. The system is also compatible and fully programmable with all standard music software using MIDI.”
The site describes Explore as “a new digital platform that brings the simplicity of cloud distribution to music makers. Browse, listen, choose, and download any item instantly, so you can setup your ideal music rig in a few clicks.
“You can download any of the new 100+ instruments coming to Explore each month. Discover and play rare, luxury and handmade instruments from private collections or cutting edge electronic instruments in your home, at a fraction of the price. Combine these state of the art virtual instruments with the control of Pulse and play musical history. Explore will be available after our Kickstarter campaign.”
A Titan Reality Pulse controller set up in place of a snare drum with a clear-shelled drum set. (courtesy of Titan Reality)
Another exciting new instrument/controller going through an IndieGoGo Crowdfunding campaign as of November 2015 is the Synesthesia Mandala Drum V3 System (http://www.MandalaDrum.com). It’s an advanced drum-pad controller system co-developed by engineer/inventor Vince De Franco — maker in 1997 of the Interactive Light Dimension Beam, which Roland subsequently licensed and incorporated as the D-Beam controller in the HPD-15 Handsonic and other electronic instruments — and drummer Danny Carey of the band Tool. So sensitive is the Mandala V3 pad at tracking the position and force of individual hits on its surface and rim that you can trigger and control thousands of samples from a single pad.
You can connect up to seven V3 pads to a single V3 Module. Synesthesia’s V3 Virtual Brain Software — which can function as a stand-alone application or as a plug-in for Ableton Live, Logic, ProTools, Cubase, Digital Performer, and MainStage — allows you to assemble and trigger non-proprietary MDA sound files consisting of a single to thousands of location, velocity-switched, and round-robin samples. Mandala Drum V3 System creators incorporate a patented membrane switch that reportedly detects the position and velocity of any touch on the surface or rim with no false triggers. They intend the Mandala Drum V3 System to expand a drummer’s creative, compositional, and performance capabilities with integrated hardware, software, and included MDA sound-file library, as well as additional MDAs available from the company’s online library.
A close-up look at a Synesthesia Mandala Drum V3 pad. (courtesy of Synesthesia Corporation)
Included here to his left in Tool drummer Danny Carey’s drum kit are two Synesthesia Mandala Drum V3 pads. Carey worked with Vince De Franco to develope the Mandala Drum and plays seven Mandalas in his official Tool drum kit. (courtesy of Synesthesia Corporation)
This graphic depicts the process Synesthesia conducts to create an MDA based on a snare-drum sound from late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham for assignment to a Mandala Drum V3 pad. (courtesy of Synesthesia Corporation)
A visual layout of a Mandala Drum V3 system. What’s referred to here as the Mandala MIDI Module corresponds to the Mandala V3 Module. (courtesy of Synesthesia Corporation)
One manufacturer has been making percussion controllers since the mid 1980s in Chicopee, Massachusetts, originally as Kat and now as Alternate Mode (http://www.alternatemode.com). Their ten-pad drumKat is an expressive controller that has gone through numerous updates since its early ’90s introduction. The bigger and more extensive trapKat provides 24 trigger pads across its 41.5″ by 19″ surface. Both supply user memories and lots of programmability in a single unit that’s far easier to tear down, transport, and set up than an entire electronic drum kit.
Alternate Mode’s programmable drumKat controller allows you to trigger MIDI synths to play drum, percussion, or whatever sounds you choose. You can program individual pads to transmit single notes, melodic lines, or up to eight notes at a time. If you’d prefer a complete instrument, there’s the drumKat Turbo KS, which has a built-in Kurzweil synthesizer. (courtesy of Alternate Mode, Inc.)
Trigger pads are spread out wide on the Alternate Mode trapKat controller. How many pads? If you count — be sure to include the skinny ones around the perimeter and across the front — you’ll get up to 22, but there are actually 24. The pads to the extreme left and right are actually spit in half to serve as two pads each. Connected to one or more capable MIDI sound generators, you can assign up to 16 sounds to each pad and trigger them individually by velocity switching among them, layer them all together, or sequence through them one at a time. Also available is the trapKat 5KS, which includes a built-in Kurzweil synth engine. (courtesy of Alternate Mode, Inc.)
Steel drums have always fascinated me, as well as the music played with them. How would you like to have one that you can play any sounds you’d like on? Introducing the panKat MIDI controller from Alternate Mode. It gives you 128 memory locations to store your assignments of its 30 trigger pads. (courtesy of Alternate Mode, Inc.)
Alternative Mode’s malletKat Pro provides three octaves of trigger pads arranged like the bars of a marimba. The malletKat is also available in two- and four-octave models — the Express and Grand, respectively — and you can get any of them with a built-in Kurzweil synth engine. You can also buy a single-octave pad expander to increase the note range of any malletKat. (courtesy of Alternate Mode, Inc.)
Another marimba-style controller came from Don Buchla, who teamed with percussionist/programmer Mark Goldstein and marimbist/sound designer Joel Davel to create the Marimba Lumina mallet MIDI controller/instrument — Buchla’s final 20th century product. It was available in two sizes, responds independently to as many as four different mallets for gestural control, and features a built-in synth engine for stand-alone performance.
Controllers for Microtonal Tunings
The 12-notes-per-octave equal-tempered scale we’re accustomed to hearing in Western music is in truth a compromise in tuning, adopted during the early 19th century mostly to allow easy transposition into different keys. Whereas such a division of the octave results in unnatural tuning beats in intervals such as a major third or fifth because frequency ratios between the low and high notes are sharp or flat, tunings based on frequency ratios such as 5:4 for a major third and 3:2 for a perfect fifth in Just intonation result in pure, beat-free interactions between the low and high notes. Explorations of Just Intonation and other microtonal tunings — including equal-tempered scales in which the octave is divided into increments such as 53, 41, 31, or 7 — can be fascinating, rewarding, and potentially never-ending.
Not only are Just intonation and other non-equal-tempered and microtonal tunings infinitely easier to do with synthesizers — many of which support different tunings, some more flexibly and easier to program than others — than with acoustic instruments, but there’s also a variety of controllers and instruments specifically tailored for playing microtonal music. The widest variety appears among the offerings in the Tonal Plexus lineup from Hπ/H-Pi Instruments (http://hpi.zentral.zone/tonalplexus). Invented and hand-made by Aaron Andrew Hunt, these complex, colorful instruments range from two to six octaves with blue, green, red, or yellow edge keys. The keyboards are part of a complete system of microtonal music theory that is quite unique, historically speaking (http://musictheory.zentral.zone/huntsystem1.html). A Tonal Plexus can have either MIDI I/O or a USB connector (the U-Plex line), and some are available with built-in General MIDI sound generation and a stereo sound system with internal speakers and a headphone jack. Every Tonal Plexus instrument comes with cross-platform editing software and a ¼” sustain pedal input jack.
H-Pi Instruments also offers numerous cross-platform (Mac and PC) computer applications. Custom Scale Editor is an editor for tuning individual MIDI keys to a specific pitch using ratios, Hertz values, decimals, constants and functions, code snippets, user-definable algorithms, and more. CSE also allows you to import Scala and .tun files, automatically tune specific temperaments, and export tunings in a variety of tuning formats. H-Pi’s microsynth is a microtonal, 16-part multitimbral SoundFont synth and sequencer designed for composing microtonal music. You can also train your ear to recognize microtonal tunings and explore pitches, intervals, chords, notations, and melodies using Xentone. ScalaVista is a microtonal database that contains over 4,000 scales that you can import into microsynth, CSE, and Xentone. H-Pi’s MIDI Tapper (http://hpi.zentral.zone/miditapper), currently available in beta form for Mac with a Windows version under development, reminds me of the two One Key Play buttons on the Casio VL-Tone VL-1 and other Casio instruments. After you have inserted into a step sequencer the notes you want played, you can trigger them with the nuances you prefer by playing one or two keys on a MIDI keyboard or other controller. MIDI Tapper allows you to import and export Standard MIDI Files; enter into a sequence patch changes and CCs for volume control and panning; edit MIDI data graphically and in list format; loop-rehearse specific passages; and do much more.
If microtonal tunings interest you, note that John Loffink maintains the extraordinary Microtonal Synthesis Web Site (www.microtonal-synthesis.com) with tips, links, and information about working with microtonal scales on different synthesizers, a recommended listening list, and coverage of microtonal composer Harry Partch (1901-1974).
Companies and products listed here do not imply any recommendation or endorsement by the MIDI Manufacturers Association.
MIDI Processing, Programming, and Do It Yourself (DIY) Components
These are just examples of such products — we make no warranty re: suitability (or anything else, for that matter) — use at your own risk. If you are a manufacturer and would like to be listed here, please use our Contact Form to let us know.
MIDI Processing Devices and DIY Hardware
CHD ElektroServis: Format converters, vintage retrofits, processors.
Nokia Audio Suite 2.0 enables authoring of SP-MIDI, Mobile DLS, and Mobile XMF content, as well as modeling the sound as played by Nokia terminals.
Crimson’s DLS Tools is a professional editor for DLS Level-1, DLS Level-2, and Mobile DLS/XMF. It is useful for 3GPP (Mobile DLS) content authoring, MIDI sound module IC development, etc.
Eye and I Productions (Voice Crystal®) specializes in General MIDI & custom wavetable design and offers a wide range of GM wavetable sizes; 32KB thru 128KB for Mobile DLS1 & DLS2 applications up to 32MB for professional products. Also provides technical advice on synth functionality, testing & verification..
PolyPhontics is a full-featured DLS and SoundFont® compatible authoring tool for Mac OSX.
Electronic controllers that you hold in your hands and shake or move about to make music date back to 1986. That was the year Palmtree Instruments introduced Airdrums, a tabletop MIDI controller wired to two tubes that contain sensors for detecting motion in any of six directions. The control box transmits six triggers per tube for playing notes, starting sequences, and generating other MIDI data depending on user assignments. Airdrums started the ball rolling in the development of controllers such as the Nintendo Wii, which some contemporary performers use as a softsynth controller.
Also in 1986, computer-music pioneer Max Mathews (1926-2011) introduced the Radio Baton, which consists of a pair of mallets with built-in radio transmitters and a table surface beneath which are five antennas. As a computer loaded with Max’s conductor software follows movements of the mallets above the table, it generates MIDI output for controlling the volume, timbre, and rhythm of a sequencer playing music.
Don Buchla introduced Lightning in 1991. It has two wireless wands that contain infrared transmitters, a remote infrared-tracking head that can be mounted on a mic stand and senses positions of and gestures made with the wands, and the third component, a half-rack-sized box that contains electronic circuits. You can program the receiver that tracks wand movements to perform actions such as note selection, pitchbends, stereo panning, and volume. Originally Lightning only transmitted MIDI, but the newer version — the Buchla Lightning III — transmits MIDI and also has a built-in 32-voice synthesizer.
Imagine if the batons held by a member of the ground crew to safely direct an aircraft into a gate at an airport controlled the pitch, timbre, and other aspects of sound generated by a synthesizer. That’s essentially what Don Buchla’s Lightning does. This is the Lightning II system, complete with the triangular, optic-sensing head, a pair of wireless, infrared-transmitting wands, and the half-rack control module, which housed a 32-voice synthesizer. Lightning II was introduced in 1996, later to be replaced by the Lightning III. (courtesy of Buchla & Associates)
Synthesizer pioneer Don Buchla — proudly clad in his pin-laden fedora — prowls the Anaheim Convention Center at Winter NAMM 2012. (Mark Vail)
Struck Controllers
Numerous individuals and companies have made electronic controllers and instruments for drummers and percussionists since Joe Pollard developed the Syndrum in 1977. Soon to follow were the U.S.-built Star Instruments Synare series from 1975 to 1983 and the British-made Simmons pads and sound generators.
Plenty of drum and percussion controllers and systems have come and gone since MIDI arrived in 1983. Among the manufacturers to develop full-fledged electronic kits are Alesis, 2Box Music Applications, Roland, and Yamaha. All of them make modules to go with the drum pads and related controllers — cymbals, too — but of course since they’re MIDI controllers you can trigger any MIDI sound generator(s) of your choice.
Drum controllers don’t have to look like drum sets. Over the years there have been many great percussion controllers and instruments, whether you hit them with sticks — Roland’s Octapad series comes to mind — or your hands — i.e., Roland’s Handsonic series. As of November 2015 Roland’s current Octapad is the SPD-30 (http://www.rolandus.com/products/octapad_spd-30), which contains built-in sounds and can function as a percussion instrument on its own. If you’d prefer an electronic percussion instrument/controller that allows you to sample your own sounds, Roland offers the SPD-SX (http://www.rolandus.com/products/spd-sx). Both SPD models have MIDI I/O for playing other instruments or responding to controller and note data from other MIDI devices, as well as trigger inputs for responding to analog gear that output trigger signals.
Continuing the historic line of Octapads, Roland’s SPD-30 sports features including eight pads, four inputs for triggers from external sources, a backlit LCD, 670 internal sounds, built-in effects, and a three-part phrase-loop sequencer that allows overdubbing. (courtesy of Roland Corporation)
Roland’s SPD-SX allows you to sample and play sounds using its nine velocity-sensitive pads, six square and three across the top. It provides 2GB of internal sample memory, effects processing, a backlit LCD, MIDI and USB connectors, and two external trigger inputs. The SPD-SX comes with computer software for importing, assigning, and organizing samples. (courtesy of Roland Corporation)
Although I’m a poor percussionist and never came close to mastering the drums, Roland’s introduction of the HPD-15 Handsonic at the 2000 NAMM show immediately attracted me thanks to its built-in sounds and controller implementation. Its 15 pads, arranged within a circle and sized between about a quarter of the circle and a few square inches, sense how hard you strike them with your hands and fingers — drumsticks aren’t recommended — as well as how hard you push down afterward. In fact, each Handsonic transmits its own aftertouch data, which means it will work with MIDI devices that detect polyphonic aftertouch — a rare but very effective means of imparting vibrato or a bit more volume to individual notes within a chord. In addition, the HPD-15 has two ribbon controllers — one on each side of the pad circle — that can trigger notes or transmit controller data. Finally, the HPD-15 has a D-Beam controller, a motion-sensing detector placed above the pad circle; it too can trigger notes or send controller data.
While the original HPD-15 Handsonic has been discontinued, as of late 2015 Roland’s flagship Handsonic, the HPD-20 (http://www.rolandus.com/products/handsonic_hpd-20), offers the same pad configuration and D-Beam, although not the side ribbons — which makes it less wide and a bit more portable than the HPD-15. Along with 850 internal sounds, the HPD-20 allows you to import up to 500 of your own WAV-format samples.
Thanks to its responsive silicone rubber pads, great sounds, and extensive programmability, the Roland HPD-20 serves as an outstanding electronic percussion instrument. Hitting it with drumsticks isn’t recommended; use your hands, please. (courtesy of Roland Corporation)
The configuration of pads on John Worthington’s Jambé (http://getjambe.com) reminds me of those on a Roland Handsonic, except that you can hit the Jambé’s with your fingers, hands, or drumsticks and it’s intended mainly as a percussion controller for an iPad or iPhone. Activity on Jambé’s pads transmit controller data including aftertouch. The latest developments in Jambé’s software and sounds are due to be announced at Winter NAMM 2016, from January 21 to 24. It’s a beautiful controller that might work perfectly for you.
Mounted on a drum stand above an Apple iPad is a Jambé percussion controller. You can order a Jambé with its wooden rim stained light or dark. According to the Jambé website, “Within a sustainable hardwood rim sits a ten geometric play zone interface which transforms actions registered by its sensors into dynamic sounds via software running on an iOS device.” (courtesy of John Worthington)
Taking a slightly different controller approach is Titan Reality, whose Pulse 3D music controller (https://titanreality.com) responds not only to direct contact on its surface, but also to movement and hand gestures the performer makes above that surface. You can play Pulse with your fingers or hands, as well as mallets, drum sticks, brushes, and other objects such as a ball. As stated on the Titan Reality Kick Starter site, Pulse is “the musical instrument platform of the future, for everyone to discover and play music at any level. … Pulse is the most expressive music controller ever made, it works in 3D, at very high resolutions and speeds. When connected to a free Titan Reality app you can play instruments with incredible detail and performance. Simply discover thousands of high-resolution musical instruments in a one-click app using our Explore cloud platform. The system is also compatible and fully programmable with all standard music software using MIDI.”
The site describes Explore as “a new digital platform that brings the simplicity of cloud distribution to music makers. Browse, listen, choose, and download any item instantly, so you can setup your ideal music rig in a few clicks.
“You can download any of the new 100+ instruments coming to Explore each month. Discover and play rare, luxury and handmade instruments from private collections or cutting edge electronic instruments in your home, at a fraction of the price. Combine these state of the art virtual instruments with the control of Pulse and play musical history. Explore will be available after our Kickstarter campaign.”
A Titan Reality Pulse controller set up in place of a snare drum with a clear-shelled drum set. (courtesy of Titan Reality)
Another exciting new instrument/controller going through an IndieGoGo Crowdfunding campaign as of November 2015 is the Synesthesia Mandala Drum V3 System (http://www.MandalaDrum.com). It’s an advanced drum-pad controller system co-developed by engineer/inventor Vince De Franco — maker in 1997 of the Interactive Light Dimension Beam, which Roland subsequently licensed and incorporated as the D-Beam controller in the HPD-15 Handsonic and other electronic instruments — and drummer Danny Carey of the band Tool. So sensitive is the Mandala V3 pad at tracking the position and force of individual hits on its surface and rim that you can trigger and control thousands of samples from a single pad.
You can connect up to seven V3 pads to a single V3 Module. Synesthesia’s V3 Virtual Brain Software — which can function as a stand-alone application or as a plug-in for Ableton Live, Logic, ProTools, Cubase, Digital Performer, and MainStage — allows you to assemble and trigger non-proprietary MDA sound files consisting of a single to thousands of location, velocity-switched, and round-robin samples. Mandala Drum V3 System creators incorporate a patented membrane switch that reportedly detects the position and velocity of any touch on the surface or rim with no false triggers. They intend the Mandala Drum V3 System to expand a drummer’s creative, compositional, and performance capabilities with integrated hardware, software, and included MDA sound-file library, as well as additional MDAs available from the company’s online library.
A close-up look at a Synesthesia Mandala Drum V3 pad. (courtesy of Synesthesia Corporation)
Included here to his left in Tool drummer Danny Carey’s drum kit are two Synesthesia Mandala Drum V3 pads. Carey worked with Vince De Franco to develope the Mandala Drum and plays seven Mandalas in his official Tool drum kit. (courtesy of Synesthesia Corporation)
This graphic depicts the process Synesthesia conducts to create an MDA based on a snare-drum sound from late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham for assignment to a Mandala Drum V3 pad. (courtesy of Synesthesia Corporation)
A visual layout of a Mandala Drum V3 system. What’s referred to here as the Mandala MIDI Module corresponds to the Mandala V3 Module. (courtesy of Synesthesia Corporation)
One manufacturer has been making percussion controllers since the mid 1980s in Chicopee, Massachusetts, originally as Kat and now as Alternate Mode (http://www.alternatemode.com). Their ten-pad drumKat is an expressive controller that has gone through numerous updates since its early ’90s introduction. The bigger and more extensive trapKat provides 24 trigger pads across its 41.5″ by 19″ surface. Both supply user memories and lots of programmability in a single unit that’s far easier to tear down, transport, and set up than an entire electronic drum kit.
Alternate Mode’s programmable drumKat controller allows you to trigger MIDI synths to play drum, percussion, or whatever sounds you choose. You can program individual pads to transmit single notes, melodic lines, or up to eight notes at a time. If you’d prefer a complete instrument, there’s the drumKat Turbo KS, which has a built-in Kurzweil synthesizer. (courtesy of Alternate Mode, Inc.)
Trigger pads are spread out wide on the Alternate Mode trapKat controller. How many pads? If you count — be sure to include the skinny ones around the perimeter and across the front — you’ll get up to 22, but there are actually 24. The pads to the extreme left and right are actually spit in half to serve as two pads each. Connected to one or more capable MIDI sound generators, you can assign up to 16 sounds to each pad and trigger them individually by velocity switching among them, layer them all together, or sequence through them one at a time. Also available is the trapKat 5KS, which includes a built-in Kurzweil synth engine. (courtesy of Alternate Mode, Inc.)
Alternate Mode’s panKat has 30 pads primarily arranged in a circular pattern like the playing surface of a steel drum, only on a flat plane instead of being concave. Alternate Mode also offers the malletKat — in versions with two or three octaves of pads — for xylophone, vibe, or marimba players interested in using MIDI. The malletKat 7KS has a built-in Kurzweil synthesizing soundcard, making it a stand-alone instrument.
Steel drums have always fascinated me, as well as the music played with them. How would you like to have one that you can play any sounds you’d like on? Introducing the panKat MIDI controller from Alternate Mode. It gives you 128 memory locations to store your assignments of its 30 trigger pads. (courtesy of Alternate Mode, Inc.)
Alternative Mode’s malletKat Pro provides three octaves of trigger pads arranged like the bars of a marimba. The malletKat is also available in two- and four-octave models — the Express and Grand, respectively — and you can get any of them with a built-in Kurzweil synth engine. You can also buy a single-octave pad expander to increase the note range of any malletKat. (courtesy of Alternate Mode, Inc.)
Another marimba-style controller came from Don Buchla, who teamed with percussionist/programmer Mark Goldstein and marimbist/sound designer Joel Davel to create the Marimba Lumina mallet MIDI controller/instrument — Buchla’s final 20th century product. It was available in two sizes, responds independently to as many as four different mallets for gestural control, and features a built-in synth engine for stand-alone performance.
Another beautiful and powerful touch controller, this one featuring 150 rectangular walnut keys arranged in a five-row by 30-column matrix laid within a 29″ by 8″ by 1-1/4″ block of Washington alder and weighing 4.6 pounds, is the Madrona Labs Soundplane Model A (http://madronalabs.com). Each key senses velocity, position, and pressure and the controller, which has a USB jack for direct connection to a computer, scans the playing surface with high bandwidth at a rate of 975 samples per second for precise control. Separate modes allow the Soundplane to sense individual key activity or the entire surface as a continuous controller. The Soundplane comes with Mac software that converts performance data into MIDI and OSC, Madrona’s Aalto patchable softsynth, and Max/MSP objects. Software for Windows and Linux are in the works.
Other than its high-speed pressure sensor, high-bandwidth DSP computer, and related electronic hardware, Madrona Lab’s Soundplane Model A USB controller — shown here connected to a MacBook Pro running calibration software — is made of wood to give it the feel of an acoustic instrument. (courtesy of Madrona Labs)
Drum-machine pioneer Roger Linn’s LinnStrument is a pressure-sensitive, multi-touch MIDI/USB controller that he intends as an expressive alternative to a typical MIDI keyboard controller (http://www.rogerlinndesign.com/linnstrument.html). LinnStrument’s surface detects the movement of individual fingers polyphonically in three dimensions, left to right, forward and backward, and pressure. Roger contends that learning to play LinnStrument with its sensitive three-dimensional tracking will allow you to replace envelope generators and LFOs with manual control for expressive vibrato, tremolo, pitch bends, timbral variations, and other musical gestures. You can play LinnStrument either as a tabletop unit or using a strap to play it like it’s a guitar. For complete wireless control, Roger recommends Airpower3 from Starr Labs (http://www.starrlabs.com/product/airpower3). He says many LinnStrument users play specially crafted patches for MainStage in Apple Logic Pro.
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Roger Linn’s LinnStrument MIDI/USB controller independently tracks movements of numerous fingers on its surface in three dimensions: pressure, left-right, and forward-backward. These motions are typically assigned to control volume, pitch, and timbre, respectively, providing expressive manipulation for each note independently. (permission to copy freely granted by Roger Linn Design)
Prepared to reveal the MIDI controller magic inherent in his Linnstrument on the first day of Winter NAMM 2016, here’s Roger Linn. (Mark Vail)
Front-panel buttons allow you to change sounds, transpose by octaves, vary the output volume, and more, and there are two assignable ¼” pedal inputs. The LinnStrument requires a Mac or Windows computer to generate sounds, connecting to either platform via USB. It comes with sound-generating software that will also generate MIDI data and OSC messages and allow you to customize the LinnStruments organization of virtual keys, configure custom scales, create a virtual pitchbend ribbon, and assign a space that you can rhythmically touch to retrigger guitar strums or arpeggiate notes in a chord.
In October 2015, Symbolic Sound announced plug-and-play support for LinnStrument in Kyma 7 (http://kyma.symbolicsound.com/latest-press-releases/kyma-7-support-for-linnstrument-and-mpe), which combines the patchability of modular synthesizers and state-of-the-art synthesis, sound-design, DSP, and composition software running on a dedicated, multiprocessor computer platform. Kyma is an environment in which you graphically patch together virtual synthesis and processing modules to create sounds and compose music.
Another flexible USB pad controller comes in the form of the QuNeo from Keith McMillen Instruments (http://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/quneo). Equal in size to the original Apple iPad, the QuNeo has a controller surface covered with a variety of sensors, each illuminated with an LED capable of glowing in 251 different colors. There are 16 square trigger pads capable of sensing 127 velocity levels along with pressure and location on an X/Y axis. Two rotary sensors measure the angle and pressure of touch. Nine touch-sensitive ribbons function like sliders for controlling fader levels or effects parameters, and each is lit with multiple LEDs to make them work as level meters. Seventeen pressure-sensitive buttons that serve as switches are intelligently located around the other surface controllers. You can program all of the QuNeo’s controllers to respond according to your needs, and it comes with presets, templates, and scripts for applications including Ableton Live, Serato Scratch Live, Native Instruments Traktor and Battery, Apple Logic Pro, and Propellerhead Reason. Add the Rogue, which attaches to the QuNeo’s underside, and you now have a wireless controller with a 60-meter range. It also powers the QuNeo for six to eight hours of continuous operation.
The QuNeo from Keith McMillen Instrument measures a mere 9.45″ across by 7.28″ deep by 0.39″ high and weighs only 14 ounces. (Tom Ferguson, courtesy of Keith McMillen Instruments)
For those interested in a controller with pads arranged in the traditional keyboard configuration, Keith McMillen Instruments introduced the QuNexus in 2013 (http://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/qunexus). The affordable, small-footprint QuNexus, measuring 10″ by 3.5″ by 0.5″ and weighing less than a pound, provides two octaves of illuminated, pad-like keys that respond to velocity, pressure, and finger location, plus octave up/down buttons and a pitch-bender button. On-board connectors include micro USB for power and communication, analog gate and CV outputs, a pedal/CV input, and a multi-pin connection for the optional MIDI Expander, which provides standard 5-pin MIDI in and out jacks and also works with QuNeo and other Keith McMillen Instruments products.
QuNexus, from Keith McMillen Instruments, can function as a USB and analog-output controller, as well as a controller for MIDI hardware units with the addition of KMI’s MIDI Expander. (courtesy of Keith McMillen Instruments)
The 2010 release of Apple’s iPad, its popularity, and certain iOS applications may have resulted in the JazzMutant Lemur being discontinued. Lemur is a programmable, multi-touch, touch-screen device with multi-tasking capabilities and a gorgeous display, and it complies with the OSC networking protocol. It works really well with Ableton Live, Symbolic Sound’s Kyma, Native Instruments Reaktor, Cycling ’74 Max/MSP, SuperCollider, and many other applications. Fortunately, Liine introduced an iOS version of Lemur for the iPad in late 2011.
Although it’s been discontinued, the JazzMutant Lemur introduced touch-screen capabilities similar to those later provided by the Apple iPad. (courtesy of Stantum Technologies)
A screenshot from the JazzMutant Lemur. (screenshot courtesy of Stantum Technologies)
Within the multitude of alternative controllers developed over the years, one of the more deceptively simple but potent for creating step sequences (among many activities, including lighting control, gaming, and whatever task you want to create via open-source software) is the Monome (http://monome.org). It’s a tabletop box that typically has a grid of 64 or more backlit silicone-rubber buttons — “keypads” in Monome-speak — and a USB port for connection to a computer. Brian Crabtree made the original prototype in 2001 as a controller for Cycling ’74’s Max/MSP (https://cycling74.com). He teamed with his wife Kelli Cain a year later to begin production of Monomes, including models with 128, 256, and 512 keypads and one containing an accelerometer for motion detection.
Synthesist/composer Gary Chang demonstrates a 16-by-16 Monome. (Mark Vail)
A variety of Monome clones has also appeared, sometimes fortified with continuous controllers such as LED-encircled rotary encoders that also serve as pushbuttons. Some were specifically designed for Ableton Live (https://www.ableton.com). For example, Livid Instruments offers a lineup that currently includes the Base II (http://lividinstruments.com/products/base). In 2008, Yamaha introduced the Tenori-On, which combines a Monome-like matrix of light-flashing buttons with built-in sound generation, sampling, and transmission of MIDI data for controlling external gear. There’s now an iOS version for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch called the TNR-i.
Not only has Ableton encouraged other companies to design Live controllers with similarities to the Monome, but they’ve even collaborated with two manufacturers to design and make them. Novation’s Launchpad series includes the original, Mini, and Pro versions (http://us.novationmusic.com/launch). Each has a mullti-function, backlit 64-keypad grid, various combinations of assignable and fixed-function buttons, and a USB jack for power and class-compliant operation.
The second manufacturer is Akai (http://www.akaipro.com/category/ableton-controllers), which has developed numerous Live-focused controllers, most with a grid of buttons, some with sliders, some with knobs, and one with a two-octave mini keyboard. The two original controllers were the APC20 and APC40, both of which are still in production. Measuring 11.61″ by 13.11″ by 2.24″ and weighing 3.8 pounds, the APC20 is slightly bigger and heavier than the Launchpad. While the latter has a bigger grid — eight rows by eight columns to the APC20’s five rows and eight columns — the APC20 includes nine faders, one for each column plus a master level fader, along with a Cue Level knob and significantly more function buttons. The APC40 offers a five-by-eight grid of backlit keypads alongside gobs of knobs, buttons, sliders, and a DJ-style fader. It measures 16.88″ by 13.13″ by 2.62″ and weighs 5.8 pounds.
An Akai APC40 controller connected to an Apple MacBook Pro running Ableton Live software in Gary Chang’s studio. (Mark Vail)
Numerous other controllers have emerged for Ableton Live, including the new-as-of-2015 Push 2 from that company itself. Ableton’s Push 2 (https://www.ableton.com/en/push) is a table-top unit measuring 14.88″ x 11.96″ x 1.65″ and measuring 6 pounds. Not only does the Push 2 have 64 backlit, multi-colored silicone trigger pads, but it also sports dozens of backlit control buttons, eight assignable encoder knobs, a 6.6″ ribbon controller striped with 31 location LEDs, and a beautiful hi-res RGB display for — among many functions — in-the-machine sample editing and complete control of Live running on a Mac or PC. Ableton is marketing Push 2 as an outstanding controller for “hands-on creation of melody and harmony, beats, and song structure.”
Abundantly clad with multicolored backlit pads, fixed and multifunction buttons, rotary encoders, and a striking high-resolution display, Ableton’s Push 2 may be the most comprehensive control surface for that company’s popular Live music performance and composition software. (courtesy of Ableton AG)
Here’s alinkto the final article in the Alternative Controllers chapter from The Synthesizerby Mark Vail.
A keyboard isn’t the only means of playing a synthesizer. Synthesist/multi-instrumentalist/composer Kevin Fortune (http://www.kevinbrahenyfortune.com) is one of many who enjoy using alternative controllers. He believes the kind of controller you use not only directly influences the type of music you create, but it also can lead to “something less habitual and more spontaneous,” Fortune submits, than you’d otherwise play on a standard piano or organ keyboard. Kevin is grateful for manufacturers and individuals who actively create more kinesthetic controllers because they lead to music that is different and more expressive.
The universe of alternative controllers is vast and the following list is nowhere near comprehensive. It’s intended to get you started on a path of discovery to find the alternative controller(s) with which you’ll enjoy making music. Since the subject of modular synthesizers often comes into play here, I’ll refer you to my favorite modular website — Modular Grid (https://www.modulargrid.net) — where you can learn about the different formats and nearly every module available.
There are two very popular instruments — guitar and voice — I won’t cover here because players must drastically adjust their performance techniques in order to successfully convert their performance input into reliable MIDI data. Purposeful and essential inflections such as pitchbends and vibrato can significantly confuse a conversion device and lead to unexpected and undesirable results. For example, I’ve tested and reviewed a few voice/pitch-to-MIDI convertors and discovered that, in order to get accurate pitch detection, I had to sing with absolutely no vibrato and even certain vowel sounds can cause problems. In the end, I wouldn’t want anyone to hear the boring voice I had to sing with in order to get accurate results from a pitch-to-MIDI converter, and I’m sure there are similar obstacles with which to deal in guitar-to-MIDI converter systems. That said, many singers and guitar players may still want to try out such devices themselves and might have good or at least acceptable success.
If you want an expressive MIDI controller that looks and straps on like a guitar, Starr Labs (http://www.starrlabs.com) may have what you’re looking for within its Ztar lineup. Instead of actual guitar strings, their Z6s (http://www.starrlabs.com/product/z6s-in-stock) has what they call “string triggers” that you can pluck and strum to your heart’s content. Where there are frets and strings on a guitar, on the Z6S you’ll find buttons arranged in rows of six on a pseudo-fretboard. The Z6S also sports a joystick, knob, and connectors for MIDI and controllers.
Musicians who crave a guitar-like instrument capable of more accurate MIDI note generation than many MIDI guitar controllers should check out the Z6S controller from Starr Labs. (courtesy of Starr Labs)
Lacking the string triggers and looking less like a guitar — unless it’s one of the cigar-box varieties — but sporting 144 velocity-sensitive, backlit, multi-colored LED buttons laid out on a guitar-like fretboard and capable of transmitting MIDI wirelessly is Starr Labs’ Clipper (http://www.starrlabs.com/product/clipper-in-stock). It reportedly works really well with Ableton Live’s Session View mode to record and launch clips and scenes, and its LEDs can display text and images and add visual spark in performance onstage.
The latest MIDI guitar from Starr Labs, the Z7S (http://www.starrlabs.com/product/z7s-in-stock), looks more like the Clipper than the Z6S, but it features six string triggers along with a matrix of 6×24 touch-sensitive keys on its fingerboard.
Within Starr Labs’ keyboard series are controllers with various arrangements of non-piano-like keys. For example, the Microzone U-648 Generalized Keyboard (http://www.starrlabs.com/product/microzoneu648) sports a Matrix Hex array of 288 keys arranged so a musician can explore different tonal and fingering systems and microtonal divisions of the octave (more on that below in the Controllers for Microtonal Tunings section). The Starr Labs ZB12 Z-Board (http://www.starrlabs.com/product/zboard) offers a 12-row by 24-column key arrangement that combines the aspects of both the guitar fretboard and piano keyboard. Its little brother, the ZB6 Z-Board Array keyboard (http://www.starrlabs.com/product/zb6), has six rows by 24 columns of keys. Finally, the ZB2424 Z-Board Array controller (http://www.starrlabs.com/product/zboard2424) provides a matrix of 24 rows by 24 columns of keys.
One of the most popular wind controllers, Nyle Steiner’s Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI), has been around since the 1970s, is favored by many brass players who want to play electronic sounds, and is still available in refurbished and occasionally new forms from Patchman Music (http://www.patchmanmusic.com). Nyle has hand-made many EVIs himself and, in 1987, Akai manufactured the EVI1000 controller and EWV2000 synth module, which were based on a custom EVI and synth-in-a-briefcase system called the EVI Steinerphone.
The prototype of Nyle Steiner’s Electronic Valve Instrument, or EVI, which he assembled in 1973. It took a few years before he started making them to sell to others. (courtesy of David Kean/The Audities Foundation)
Steiner’s goal was to create an electronic instrument that would play as expressively as a solo acoustic instrument like the violin, trumpet, or oboe, allowing the performer to produce human-influenced vibrato and breath-controlled dynamics. The pre-MIDI EVI functioned so well at translating the performer’s expressions into CVs and gates to drive analog synthesizers that Steiner was initially reluctant to rely purely on MIDI, considering it “an absolutely absurd idea because of the resolution of MIDI,” he admits. “There are only 127 steps, and when you do a crescendo you can hear it zipper. But numerous manufacturers of current sound modules have been able to smooth the response by interpolating between steps, so now I totally embrace the idea of playing using MIDI alone.”
The original production version of the Steiner EVI was the first synthesizer controller built specifically for trumpet players. While Nyle Steiner designed a model for Akai to produce, those he’s made himself are hand-built and each is in some way unique. Nyle also designed the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) for woodwind players. (courtesy of David Kean/The Audities Foundation)
Besides hosting the Nyle Steiner Homepage (www.patchmanmusic.com/NyleSteinerHomepage.html) and a comprehensive wind-controller website (www.patchmanmusic.com), Patchman Music’s Matt Traum has played, collected, repaired, and programmed synth patches for EVIs since nearly the beginning. He’s quick to share his enthusiasm about the EVI: “In addition to providing a huge pallet of sound possibilities for any brass player, Nyle’s EVI has been a blessing to brass players who simply can’t or don’t want to play its acoustic counterparts.”
Since 1987, Akai has manufactured several versions of another Nyle Steiner creation, the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI, http://www.akaipro.com/category/ewi-series), designed for woodwind players who want to explore the electronic-music universe. As of October 2015, Akai offers three models: the EWI USB, which supports plug-and-play functionality on Mac and Windows computers; the EWI4000S, which has MIDI output and a built-in analog-modeling synth engine; and the EWI5000, a sample-playback instrument introduced in 2013 that transmits audio wirelessly and offers MIDI and USB connectors for controlling external gear.
Woodwind players who want to play MIDI instruments should check out Akai Professional’s flagship wind instrument/MIDI controller, the EWI 5000. Besides coming with three gigabytes of sounds, it can transmit audio wirelessly for ultimate onstage mobility. (courtesy of Akai Professional)
Martin Hurni of Softwind Instruments (http://www.softwind.ch) has been producing a more traditional-looking woodwind controller, the Synthophone MIDI sax, for decades. He converts a Yamaha YAS-275 alto sax into a beautifully expressive and potent MIDI controller by hiding all of the electronics inside the instrument.
Although now you’ll only find them on the used market, in the past Yamaha made a line of woodwind-style MIDI controllers, including the WX5, WX7, and WX11. Their design was inspired by the pre-MIDI Lyricon. Not only can you buy refurbished WX controllers from Patchman Music, but Matt Traum also programs and sells wind-controller-specific patches for a wide range of synths. He recommends wind-controller players and those interested in taking it up check out the Wind Controller forum at groups.yahoo.com/group/windcontroller.
Touch Controllers
Some of the earliest alternative controllers came from Don Buchla, who has mostly avoided implementing standard organ-style keyboards on his synthesizers. Beginning with the first modular synthesizer he developed for the San Francisco Tape Music Center (I highly recommend this book: http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520256170), Don incorporated some form of touch-plate — two on the original 100 Series. “The input devices were an important aspect to that system,” he explains. “They were all capacitance-sensitive touch-plates, or resistance-sensitive in some cases, organized in various sorts of arrays.”
Morton Subotnick, co-founder of the San Francisco Tape Music Center with Ramon Sender in 1961, describes Buchla’s original touch-plates as being “pressure-sensitive. One had 12 keys and you could tune it straight across the board. You could get a chromatic scale if you chose to. It had three control voltages per position. The other one had ten keys and one output per key. We often used this one to control the amplitudes of musique concrète tapes during playback. You could literally play ten loops with your fingers.”
The 1970s-era Buchla Model 219 Compound Touch-Controlled Voltage Source, from Don Buchla’s original Series 200 modular systems, has 48 touch-sensitive surfaces configured like keys on a piano, notes C to B. It can generate control voltages monophonically and polyphonically — up to four voices — and the key pads respond to pressure. The 219 also has a separate eight-key section of independently tunable keys, two joysticks for single-point control of two variables each, three keys with independent pulse and pressure outputs, adjustable portamento, a bipolar CV output applicable for pitchbends and vibrato, and a buffered digital output to interface with external digital processors. (Rick Smith, Buchla Restorations, www.electricmusicbox.com)
Serge Tcherepnin, who began designing Serge Modular systems in 1974, also avoided organ-style keyboards. The Touch Activated Keyboard Sequencer (TKB) is the biggest and most complicated Serge module. Along with a matrix of 16 columns by four rows of knobs, the TKB sports a couple of switches, 30 banana jacks, and a strip of 16 touch-plates along the bottom of the panel. Not only will the TKB function as an analog step sequencer, but you can also select a specific column by touching one of these 16 buttons, making it a voltage programmer for triggering different notes or selecting a different arrangement of knob settings. Drew Neumann often turns to the TKB in his vintage six-panel Serge Modular system. He finds that not only is its touch-plate pressure sensitive, but it’s also unpredictably mood-sensitive. Its response can vary depending on the humidity, how dry your skin is, or the static-electricity and grounding conditions determined by whether you’re wearing socks or going barefooted. “Sometimes,” says Drew, “if you touch two TKB buttons you’ll get different intervals depending on which buttons you touch; other times you’ll get a garbled response. It depends on your overall resistance, the mood of the machine that day, or whatever.”
Numerous touch-activated controllers have appeared in the Eurorack modular format. Pressure Points from Make Noise (http://www.makenoisemusic.com/pressurepoints.shtml) is a four-column controller with each column providing a pulse-wave-like squiggle of copper at the bottom that senses finger pressure. There are three knobs to set CV levels to be output by each step. You can chain up to four Pressure Points together and with Make Noise’s Brains module (http://www.makenoisemusic.com/brains.shtml) you can convert one or two Pressure Points into a four- or eight-step analog sequencer. Tony Rolando of Make Noise also created René (http://www.makenoisemusic.com/rene.shtml), described as “the world’s first and only Cartesian Sequencer.” René features two four-by-four matrices on its front panel, one of touch-plate buttons and the other of knobs. It has four clock inputs, two CV inputs, and outputs for quantized voltages, non-quantized voltages, and two gate/pulse streams.
The Make Noise René Cartesian Sequencer. (courtesy of Make Noise Co.)
Tony Rolando of Make Noise poses with a Eurorack modular system containing some of his noise toys and controllers at the January 2010 NAMM show. (Mark Vail)
Synthwerks (http://www.synthwerks.com) offers several varieties of force-sensing touch-plate controller modules for Eurorack. The smallest is the FSR-1N, with a single finger-size pad; the equivalent of four of these make up the FSR-4, available in Classic (through-hole circuitry) and MkII (SMT and thus shallower) versions. Four larger force-sensing squares appear on one of the two modules in Synthwerks’ FSR-4C/B package. You can touch the squares with your fingers or cover them with included rubber pad overlays and strike them with drumsticks without damaging them.
On display at the January 2011 NAMM was this tabletop Eurorack controller panel filled with Synthwerks modules. Synthwerks designer James Husted and engineer Steve Turnidge both refer to the package as a “skiff” and tell me its enclosure consists of scrap Plexiglas and spare Schroff rails. From left to right you see a custom module that connects via a seven-pin DIN connector to the main modular cabinet for power and to conduct four busses of CV and gate signals; two FSR-4 MkII force-sensing touch-plate modules, clearly the newer version made with surface-mount technology for a shallower profile, not the Classic version with through-hole components and socketed ICs because it would be far too deep to fit in this enclosure; a dual-component FSR-4C/B combo, comprising the output section and a four-pad sensor module; an FSR-1N single-channel Force-Sensing Resistor module; and a Lamp-1 module, which combines a four-way mult with a dimmable gooseneck LED lamp that isn’t visible here. (Mark Vail)
In August 2015, Sputnik Modular introduced the Multi-Touch Keyboard Controller (http://sputnik-modular.com/multi-touch-keyboard-controller), an 84hp Eurorackable touch-plate instrument with 29 pads laid out in keyboard fashion; Moog-standard one-volt/octave CV output; a pressure-sensitive ribbon for generating control voltages; two-, three-, or four-foice polyphonic and monophonic modes; an arpeggiator that will sync to internal or external clock, up, down, and random note-generation modes, hold, and a trigger input; and all of the necessary CV inputs and outputs in the form of 3.5mm jacks.
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Sputnik Modular’s Multi-Touch Keyboard Controller. (courtesy of Sputnik Modular)
Within BugBrand’s (http://www.bugbrand.co.uk) version of the FracRak universe — banana connectors instead of 3.5mm jacks — comes the BugBrand CTL1 Touch Panel. It combines four touch-plate “keys” with four-step sequencing and Tom Bugs’ special approach to clock-sync, which involves combining clocking signals from multiple sources to create a clock train that’s synced to a master yet avoids repeating a 4/4 pattern ad nauseam. Tom admits his interest in metric variety comes from his drumming background and says he loves odd polyrhythms.
The BugBrand CTL1 Touch Panel is a FracRak-format module that combines touchplate and sequencing capabilities. Its four tactile “keys” generate CV output signals whose voltage levels depend on how much skin comes into contact with the keys themselves, also commonly referred to as “pressure.” Touching a key also results in the CTL1 transmitting gate and CV signals to common outputs and activating one of the CTL1’s four stages — identified as Columns A through D. Each stage transmits three CVs out of independent Row 1 through 3 outputs, their voltage levels determined by the corresponding knob in that row. A two-way switch allows you to set Row 3’s knobs to cover a range of either two or ten volts. Pipe in a clock signal and the CTL1 becomes a four-step sequencer, allowing you to switch to left or right playback direction, or stop sequencing altogether. If you touch a stage key while the sequencer is engaged, the CTL1 will stay on that column as long as you keep touching the key. It exclusively bears banana jacks, which is common for nearly all audio, CV, and gate connections throughout the BugBrand module range. (courtesy of BugBrand)
Beyond modular-specific controllers, there’s a wide range of touch-activated alternative controllers from which to choose. Don Buchla extended his application of touch-plates in 1990 with Thunder, which offers serious performance programmability and 25 touch-sensitive performance pads, some of which can be split into two or three different response sections. Its configuration of touch-plates also appeared within the Buchla Series 200e as the Model 222e Multi-Dimensional Kinesthetic Input Port. Since Thunder, Buchla touch-plates have not only been pressure-sensitive, but many of them also track the position of a finger across their surfaces.
Buchla’s Thunder MIDI controller came out in 1990. You can split 13 of its 25 performance pads to transmit two independent MIDI notes per pad, and you can split another pair three ways, allowing a total transmission of 42 different notes. Every performance pad senses both velocity and pressure and can transmit MIDI control change commands and other data along with a specific note on any of the 16 MIDI channels. There’s internal memory for eight Thunder configurations, and its built-in “riff” function allows the storage of 99 notes divisible into eight riffs. You can create riff sequences ahead of time or capture and loop them improvisationally during performance. (courtesy of David Kean/The Audities Foundation)
Touch Controllers (continued) If you’d prefer a surface that’s stretched much further, consider the Haken Continuum Fingerboard (http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum). Its control surface feels like silk and looks like a wide ribbon with alternating s
Although it isn’t a dedicated controller, Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 — a tiny (11.1″ x 4.02″ x 0.53″, 1 lb. 4.4 oz.), battery-powered workstation packed with a variety of digital synthesis engines, effects processors, filters, audio recording and sampling, sequencing, and other capabilities — becomes a unique MIDI and CV controller with the addition of TE’s Oplab (4″ x 4″ x 1.25″, 9.5 oz. in its optional aluminum case). Oplab is an open-source “musical experiment board” that connects to the OP-1 via USB; provides MIDI I/O, a DIN-sync output for synchronizing pre-MIDI drum machines, a multi-pin expansion I/O rail, and CV and gate I/O for analog connections; and comes with a wall-wart power supply to run it alongside the OP-1. (The OP-1’s battery reportedly can run the device on its own for up to 16 hours.) The 24 Chiclet-style OP-1 keys don’t respond to velocity or pressure, but engaging any of its various sequencers can work effectively to drive and synchronize MIDI and analog instruments to make impressive sounds and music.
An overhead view of the Teenage Engineering OP-1. Its graphic display is phenomenal, so much so that I wish the OP-1 had a hi-res video output so an audience could see what’s happening on the screen during a performance. (courtesy of Teenage Engineering)
A Teenage Engineering’s Oplab, enclosed in its optional case, sits on a glass shelf to the left of an OP-1, beneath a Eurorack modular system, and above an Arturia BeatStep Pro in the author’s studio. Connected to the Oplab is a MIDI cable, the USB cable attached to the OP-1, and three cables connected to Eurorack modules. (Mark Vail)
You’ll get randomly triggered notes using the OP-1’s Tombola sequencer, a hexagon in which notes you play appear as blips that fall according to the level of gravity you dial in. You also adjust the spinning rate and direction of the hexagon and can open it up to eventually or quickly release all of the notes. Somewhat more conventional is the arpeggiator-oriented finger sequencer, which displays two virtual onscreen players that trigger programmed note patterns when you touch one or two OP-1 keys, plus a drum sequencer with two ape-like characters that play intricate drum patterns. There are also 16-step grid and 99-step digital sequencers, as well as an Etch A Sketch-style sequencer that generates notes according to two-dimensional drawings you make using the OP-1’s four digital-encoder knobs.
The Tombola spinning sequencer in Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 inserts dots inside the hexagon when you play notes. These fall toward the bottom at a rate determined by the gravity value you set using the OP-1’s green knob. Note masses, which you adjust using the orange knob, determined how hard they bounce off the inside surface of the hexagon, and the harder they bounce the louder the notes. The blue knob adjusts how fast the hexagon spins clockwise or counterclockwise. Enable “crank” mode by holding the OP-1’s shift knob and turning the blue knob; it’s called that because, using the optional crank device that slips over an OP-1 knob, you can manually spin the knob and control how fast the hexagon turns. Turn the white knob opens and closes the hexagon, allowing notes to drop or be thrown out through the openings. (courtesy of Teenage Engineering)
Two graphic players appear onscreen with the finger sequencer in the OP-1’s synthesizer mode. Play a single white note on the OP-1’s button keyboard and one of the players begins playing a sequence; add another note and the second player accompanies the first. Modes are also available to alternate between the players or have one player perform a fill pattern. You can enter up to 32 notes in finger patterns. (courtesy of Teenage Engineering)
In the OP-1’s drum mode, the finger sequencer features two gorillas who play drum patterns. In both modes, the green knob sets the level of playback swing, the white knob adjusts the length of the sequencer pattern, and the red knob can turn on hold so that patterns continue playing when you stop holding keys. (courtesy of Teenage Engineering)
Mono- and polyphonic patterns of up to 16 steps play under your interactive control in the OP-1’s 16-step grid sequencer mode. Using the instrument’s knobs, you can change the length of the playing pattern, shift notes one way or the other, enter and erase notes, change playback direction, and add swing to the playback feel. (courtesy of Teenage Engineering)
Use the OP-1’s knobs to draw freeform sequence patterns much like you’re using an Etch A Sketch. How do you erase a pattern? Pick up the OP-1 and shake it, just as you’d erase an Etch A Sketch drawing. (courtesy of Teenage Engineering)
Another groundbreaking alternative controller that offers rewarding musical expressivity is the Eigenlabs Eigenharp (http://www.eigenlabs.com). There are three Eigenharp models to choose from: the original, full-size Eigenharp Alpha, the mid-sized Eigenharp Tau, and the smaller, educational-oriented Eigenharp Pico. Performers can carry any of them around during performance. The larger Alpha and Tau each come with a supportive neck strap and have a “cello spike” if you’d rather stay in-place and play the instrument like a double bass. As for the Pico, it’s small enough to hold like a clarinet. One of the Eigenharp’s controllers is a breath pipe with an interchangeable mouthpiece for shared use. Another is at least one ribbon, depending on the model. You play notes using the Eigenharp’s keys, each of which senses velocity, side-to-side finger movements, and pressure. Pressure sensing is polyphonic for individual note expression. The Eigenharp Alpha and Tau connect via a multi-conductor cable to a Basestation interface, which comes in Standard and Pro versions. The Basestation is where you’ll find all of the interfacing connections.
Eigenlabs’ flagship Eigenharp Alpha, shown resting on its optional stand. The Alpha sports 120 note keys, 12 percussion-trigger keys, and two ribbons. (courtesy of Eigenlabs.com)
The most affordable Eigenlabs instrument is the Pico, which has 18 keys, four mode buttons, and a ribbon. Although you can’t tell from the photo, this is a Pink Pico, which costs a bit more than those with silver or black finishes. (courtesy of Eigenlabs.com)
A host computer — Macintosh or Windows PC — generates sounds for the Eigenharps, each of which comes with physical models of cello and clarinet, synthesis and sample-playback engines, a 6GB collection of multi-sampled Steinway grand piano and Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, and 1,500 drum and percussion loops. An Eigenharp can also trigger user sounds and software instruments. According to Eigenharp designer John Lambert, most of its players use Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, Apple Logic, or another host for AU and VST plug-ins. The Eigenharps allow extensive MIDI control and provide a routing matrix to eke the best out of the MIDI protocol. Lambert has been working with Steinberg so that the Eigenharps can drive their Note Expression feature via MIDI as well, supporting numerous ways of dealing with individual note expressivity including polyphonic aftertouch and channelized notes. Eigenlabs is also working on an extensive Open Sound Control (OSC) networking implementation to go with MIDI I/O. Jordan Rudess raves about Eigenharps, pointing out that they have the most responsive keys of any instrument he’s played and lightening-fast in touch response.
Eigenlabs’ Eigenharp Tau represents the midrange of their instrument lineup, having 72 note keys, 12 percussion-trigger keys, and one ribbon. The stand shown here is optional. (courtesy of Eigenlabs.com)
A view of the connection panel of an Eigenlabs Basestation Pro, revealing multi-pin jacks for the Eigenharp and an Extension, MIDI in and out, a USB 2.0 jack for connection to a computer, two ¼” input jacks for footswitches, two sets of ¼” jacks to serve as inputs and outputs for foot pedals, and a grounded IEC AC power jack. (courtesy of Eigenlabs.com)
Touch Controllers (continued)Another beautiful and powerful touch controller, this one featuring 150 rectangular walnut keys arranged in a five-row by 30-column matrix laid within a 29" by 8" by 1-1/4" block of Washington alder and weighing 4.6 pound
If you’d prefer a surface that’s stretched much further, consider the Haken Continuum Fingerboard (http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum). Its control surface feels like silk and looks like a wide ribbon with alternating scarlet and maroon stripes. Designed by Lippold Haken, the Continuum goes beyond two dimensions. Its low-friction surface responds to finger positions from side to side (X-factor) and front to back (Y-factor), as well as the exerted pressure (Z-factor) — polyphonically for up to 16 fingers! The Continuum is available in two sizes — about as broad as four- and eight-octave keyboards — and later models come with a built-in synth chip for stand-alone operation. All Continuums have MIDI I/O. Optionally available is the Continuum Voltage Converter (CVC), which outputs gate and control voltages for the X, Y, and Z coordinates over four voice channels, allowing you to control analog synths that have CV and gate inputs.
A half-size Haken Audio Continuum and its Control Voltage Converter (top) set up with a Serge Modular Blue Fun Station panel on top of a prototype of the Continuum Stand at the January 2007 NAMM show. (Mark Vail)
Synthesist/composer Gary Chang is a devoted Continuum user who finds it a very expressive controller that’s easy to play in monophonic mode, but more challenging to control polyphonically when all three axes are simultaneously active. Disabling one of the axes makes its response more manageable. Chang also reports that traditional keyboard fingerings can feel awkward since such gestures on a flat surface offer no physical feedback like a mechanical keyboard does. However, he says the Continuum’s Rounding function, which quantizes the initial pitch, can help. “I especially appreciate the Continuum’s build quality,” Gary adds. “It’s built for the ages, which is important because I see the Continuum as a lifetime commitment.”
The same Haken Audio Continuum setup viewed from the side. Sarah Dobbin of Fathom Labs and Edmund Eagan of Twelfth Root co-designed the Continuum Stand. (Mark Vail)
While the Haken Continuum Fingerboard uses different colors to designate note ranges in widths like the keys of a piano but on a flat surface, Roli’s lineup of Seaboard controller/instruments features three-dimensional keybeds that feel spongy and are arched — Roli describes them as “Keywaves” — but arranged precisely like the keys on a piano (https://www.roli.com). Although there’s no mechanical action, the keybed senses the velocity with which you strike the surface, how hard you press down once you’ve hit a “key” for both aftertouch response and polyphonic pitch-bending, and the individual positions of your fingers on the surface so that you can slide from one note to another like a cellist. In addition, there are horizontal, flat ribbons stretched across above and below the keybed that allow you to smoothly glide pitches up and down in frequency.
As of October 2015 Roli offers three Seaboard Grand models, each of which comes with Equator and FXpansion Synth Squad Player software instruments for Mac; you can transfer Equator sounds into the Seaboard Grand for stand-alone use. Each model has three ¼” footpedal jacks, ¼” L/R and stereo headphone audio outputs, and USB connectors for interfacing with a computer and MIDI I/O. As for the number of keys, the Seaboard Grand Studio has 37, Seaboard Grand Stage has 61, and Seaboard Grand Limited First Edition has 88.
Introduced in early 2013, the Roli Seaboard Grand provides a soft, three-dimensional surface consisting of ridges — Roli refers to them as “Keywaves” — arranged like the eighty-eight notes on an acoustic piano keyboard along with flat, ribbon-like bands that stretch across above and below the “keys.” Each segment responds to velocity, pressure, and location, allowing the Seaboard Grand to transmit control data for pitch, volume, and timbre through its USB connector. It also provides an input jack for footswitch control. (Juan Trujillo, courtesy of Roli)
A view from the front of the Keywaves on a Roli Seaboard Grand. (Juan Trujillo, courtesy of Roli)
Toward the left on the back of the Roli Seaboard Grand are three ¼” footpedal jacks and ¼” left and right audio outputs. On the right are USB connections. (Juan Trujillo, courtesy of Roli)
Roli developed Equator, shown here running on a Macintosh computer, for producers, performers, and sound designers to create sounds and map them to respond to Roli Seaboard instruments. If it’s a Seaboard Grand, you can upload your sounds into the instrument for stand-alone use. (Juan Trujillo, courtesy of Roli)
A close-up look at Equator parameters, including those for oscillators, filters, and a parametric equalizer. Access to parameters for controller assignments appear below. (Juan Trujillo, courtesy of Roli)
Roli introduced the Seaboard Rise USB controller in September 2015. Along with 25 Keywave keys that function precisely like those on a Seaboard Grand, Rise features USB I/O, a foot-controller input jack, and supplemental controls to the left of the keybed. It comes bundled with Equator for Rise, a cross-platform software synthesizer.
The Seaboard Rise from Roli provides potent USB controller facilities in an affordable package. (Juan Trujillo, courtesy of Roli)
Located on the left end of the Roli Seqboard Rise (L to R) are an assignable foot-pedal input, USB A and B jacks, and the power input jack. Although you won’t find conventional MIDI connections, the Rise is capable of transmitting MIDI data wirelessly via Bluetooth technology. It can also run on batteries. (Juan Trujillo, courtesy of Roli)
Roli founder Roland Lamb joyfully plays a Seaboard Grand. (Juan Trujillo, courtesy of Roli)
Although originally known for their faithful software recreations of renowned vintage synthesizers, Arturia has also developed a variety of music hardware — including the DSP-based Origin Desktop and Keyboard synths, the monophonic analog MiniBrute and MicroBrute synths, the Spark line of drum machines, and the AudioFuse audio interface. Along with their KeyLab series of keyboard-based USB/MIDI controllers, Arturia makes two pad-controller/sequencers that bear the name BeatStep. First came the original, by that name alone, in early 2014 (http://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid-synths/beatstep/overview). Its multi-color, backlit array of 16 velocity- and pressure-sensing pads (two rows of eight), 16 companion rotary encoders, transport/MIDI/channel?memory/mode buttons, tempo/transpose knob, USB connection, and MIDI, CV, and gate outputs — all three 3.5mm, with standard MIDI connector adapter included — introduced flexible controller and interactive step-sequencing capabilities in an affordable and well-built package.
Arturia’s original BeatStep packs considerably potent controller and step-sequencing functions in compact and well-built package. (courtesy of Arturia)
By mid 2015, Arturia had developed the follow-up machine, the BeatStep Pro (http://www.arturia.com/beatstep-pro/overview). Whereas the original BeatStep provided a single sequencer with up to 16 steps, 16 memories each for sequences and pad assignments, and two analog outputs, the newer model has two step sequencers with which you can program up to 64-step patterns, a 16-track drum sequencer, and a bevy more. There are analog pitch, velocity, and gate outputs for each step — Arturia also refers to them as “melodic” — sequencers, eight analog drum-gate outputs — all 16 drum sequencer tracks are also transmitted via MIDI, where velocity data will be included with notes — and clock I/O for synchronizing other devices to the BSP or it to an external master clock. All of the analog connectors are 3.5mm, which make the BSP ready to interface with Eurorack and FracRak modular and many patchable synthesizers. The BSP has non-standard 3.5mm MIDI jacks, but the unit comes with adapters to connect MIDI cables. Besides acting as the power input, the USB jack also allows interaction with a computer. The BSP is class-compliant, so Mac and PC will recognized it as a controller and it will readily interact with many digital audio workstations.
Rotary encoder knobs, pads, buttons, displays, indicators, and the cool Roller/Looper strip cover the surface of the powerful, well-constructed master controller/sequencer from Arturia, the BeatStep Pro. (courtesy of Arturia)
Like the original BeatStep, the BSP has 16 rotary encoders and 16 pads that sense velocity and pressure. It also sports transport buttons, LED displays for tempo and each sequencer, and an all important Tap Tempo button for immediate changes to playback speed. There’s also the Roller/Looper strip, a touch ribbon that allows you to repeat a note in a sequence associated with a specific pad or repeat a certain section of a sequence — loop it — at a time division that depends on where you’re touching the strip.
Across the back of Arturia’s BeatStep Pro (L to R): sequencer 1 pitch, velocity, and gate outputs; sequencer 2 pitch, velocity, and gate outputs; drum gate outputs 1 through 8; clock input and output; MIDI in and out; USB port; and power switch. The sequencer and gate outputs are conveniently color-coded. (courtesy of Arturia)
Arturia intends the BeatStep Pro to function as the main controller for an entire electronic-music system whether or not it’s computer-based. I’ve heard rave reviews and look forward to working with one myself.
Touch&nbsp;Controllers (continued)Although it isn’t a dedicated controller, Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 — a tiny (11.1" x 4.02" x 0.53", 1 lb. 4.4 oz.), battery-powered workstation packed with a variety of digital synthesis engines, effects processors
I write, sing, play various instruments, program drums etc, edit, mix and produce my own work in my home studio or wherever a project takes me.
I’m now fully independent, with no management, publishing or label! It feels amazing to be completely untethered.
Over the last 5 years I’ve been developing with a team of now 8 people, a gestural performance system around wireless gloves. We call the system Mi.Mu. To reach inside the technology of the computer and sculpt music. Changing the way creatively we think about sound both at the writing and performance end of the spectrum and closer engagement with the audience.
I tend to make things where i find gaps in my life, workflow or business. Songs, gloves and recently imagining a Fair Trade Music industry i call Mycelia.
What was your first encounter with MIDI?
A sound module in the cupboard at the music school I went to. In there was an Atari with Notator and the sounds I played were off of this device… but I actually have no idea what it was but it was hooked up via midi! I was 12, this was back in 1990.
How do you use MIDI today?
I use it mainly when mapping my gloves into Ableton live. Choosing the midi channel and note or cc, I can automate anything within the program, wirelessly and fluidly. For example, simply panning a sound from left to right, by moving my arm left to right.
Or gaining the length of a reverb by One Finger Point, to the top right ‘corner’ of the space before me.
How has MIDI allowed you to do what you do?
The standard is one of the few, where because of it’s elegance and simplicity, has been adopted across the industry and so making it possible to try out all manner of weird and wonderful applications. It just works. We just need someone to sort out wireless a bit better now so we don’t have to have all those darned midi cables!
“Manipulate the state of your mind” using Light Scape sequences. Enjoy the psychedelic color experience that the eLSD is inducing. It gently pulses light and color in front of your eyes, influencing your brain waves and the state of your mind. Create your own Light Scape sequences (The eLSD is a USB-MIDI device).
We have seen lots of MIDI devices, but this has to be one of the most unique.
Here what the inventor of the MIDI Googles says about the benefits.
Benefits for you: Increase your creative potential – super charge the creative power of your mind – intensify your “awake” state – be in control of your creative energy – turn ON your creative mind when you need it … and be the best you can be !
Be in total control of the Light Scape experience – take your electronic Light Scape Device anywhere – be part of the new wave of mind expanding electronic devices – make your own personal Sound and Light Scape – share your Sound and Light Scapes with others on www.eLSD.com.au … and let others participate on your creation.
Enjoy the psychedelic color experience the eLSD is inducing – train your mind for a lucid dreaming experience – slow down your brain waves before going to bed for a better sleep – use the electronic Light Scape Device as a relaxation and meditation aid or use it as a potential learning aid for accelerated learning of languages and more.
by www.eLSD.com.au
It sounds pretty whacky, but there is actually a good deal of hard science about Brain Entrainment
Information on non-invasive brain stimulation/neuromodulation technologies employed at Edmonton Neurotherapy to treat psychoneurophysiological disorders. Includes information on audio-visual entrainment (AVE), cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES), transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), and bio-acoustical utilization device (BAUD) brain stimulation technologies.
