America’s Got Talent demonstrates how to do Iron Man with 1,000,000 volts
Austin’s ArcAttack on America’s Got Talent demonstrates how to do Iron Man with 1,000,000 volts of MIDI-controlled Tesla guitar.
Here’s what they have to say about their MIDI guitar setup for the America’s Got Talent show:
The fret board is 72 optically isolated switches. The fret board, instead of frets has 6 brass contacts per fret. When the string is pushed down to the contact, it makes a connection.From there the signal is optically isolated, to protect from EMF and sent to a micro controller thats only job is to priority encode the fretboard, and keep tabs on which string is pushed down to each fret.So priority encoding means this basically: if you are playing the 6th string on the 12th fret, then the computer ignores if say the 11th and 10th frets are pressed on that string also, since the 12th fret needs to take priority – just like a real guitar.
Now there is a second computer that is located on top of the fret board underneath the metal box. This computer detects when the strings are strummed, and is also updated by the first computer whenever the fretboard changes state.
It is also the second computer’s responsibility to process the fretboard and strumming data, and output midi messages accordingly. The midi signal is converted to a fiber optic light pulse, and is sent down as optical data to the Tesla coil’s main computer, which is responsible for processing the midi commands and outputting a pulse rate modulation signal to control the pitch of the tesla coils.
The end result: The most rock and roll display ever. Real lightning guitar, while the player plays the guitar, he is being struck by lightning that produces the melody that he is playing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBx2wkg9nhk
Moogish as it can be…
Kristian and Brandon Bush of Sugarland came to the Moog Fcatory for a special visit with the Moog engineers and production team. In this video, Kristian demos the Moog Guitar for the first time.”
I’m liking that emerald green Voyager in the background.
Advanced 8-bit sound chip emulator
The most advanced 8-bit sound chip emulator is doing even more to save endangered sound chip species!
In addition to having a totally new Interface and improved sound authenticity, Plogue is saving 3 new sound chips from extinction and adds many additional features.
Video Edit by Max Deland
Music by Eric Patenaude
Listen to the original soundtrack of this video here:
http://soundcloud.com/chipsounds/sold…
n0t0miz0r, a free MIDI note randomizer plug-in for Windows
SyS Audio Research has released n0t0miz0r, a free MIDI note randomizer plug-in for Windows (VST).
According to the developers, “This is quite handy if you do not have a faulty sequencer or an analog modular synthesizer with a sequencer option at hand. For 80´s-style electronic dance basslines for example, unpredictable randomness is mandatory.”
Features:
- Provides a stable and reliable solution (which really works) to receive Midi data inside a VST compatible host/wrapper.
- Processes (randomizes) the pitch of the notes inside the Midi data stream according to user defined parameters, and then passes the Midi data stream, including the processed note information, on to a Midi-out channel for further usage, in- or outside the VST host.
- All other parameters are unaffected by n0t0miz0r (timing, velocity, note lenght, aftertouch etc. will be passed through untouched).
- Lowest and highest randomized note controls to control what notes are affected.
- Randomization propability (0 – 100%) and exclude duplicates parameter.
TubeOhm launches PURE D16/24 Grain synth
TubeOhm launches PURE D16/24 Grain, a VST synth for Windows.
“GRAIN is an experimental GRAIN synth with complete new sounds.
GRAIN works with the GRAIN SYNTHESIS. You can load you own Samples into
the synth, drive through the sample, modulate the grain or stop the GRAIN on a position in the sample.After the GRAIN oscillator you can use a ,normal‘ VCA,VCF, CHORUS, DELAY,
REVERB and a GATER function to design the sound. “
Features:
- – one GRAIN OSCILLATOR – static/dynamic mode
- – three LFO, mono, poly, host sync,pwm,phase
- – using you own samples
- – two different samples generate one grain
- – gater function
- – multimode filters
- – multistage envelope for GRAIN manipulation
- – VCA / VCF ADSR
- – effects unit with delay, chorus, reverb, arp
- – soft distortion
- – midi learn
Androidome, a freeAndroid-based emulator for the monome music making device
Android users have a new music tool to check out – Androidome, a freeAndroid-based emulator for the monome music making device.
Androidome is a portmanteau of Android + monome, android being the popular operating system for mobile phones, and the monome being a minimalist instrument/controller/interface/toy. Like the monome, the app itself doesn’t actually do a whole lot out of the box, it simply provides an interface for sending and receiving data to and from your computer.
If you’re an Android owner, check it out and let us know what you think of it!
Features:
- Connects to Max/MSP over WLAN.
- Responds to incoming led messages.
- Provides multitouch input from phone to Max/MSP.
- Works with mlrV, polygome, boiingg, (hopefully many more too).
Androidome is available now as a free download.
Substance is a new virtual analog software synthesizer from Tactile Sounds
Substance is a virtual analog software synthesizer (VSTi) emphasizing simplicity, flexibility, and sound quality. The key factors in the design of Substance were that it should sound great, without effects, and that it should all fit on one page.
Here’s what TS has to say about it:
Substance has two of everything: two oscillator sections, two LFOs, two envelopes, two filters. The oscillator sections were inspired by the architecture of classic analog polysynths, which used multiple oscillators to achieve polyphony, but allowed the oscillators to be combined for a monophonic Unison mode. The oscillators would generally be slightly out of tune with one another, resulting in a rich, chorused sound. Each of Substance’s oscillators likewise comprises seven unison voices, with the amount of detuning, and the stereo breadth being adressed by a single parameter, Spread. The LFOs can be used to modulate almost every parameter of the synth. They can be used to trigger the envelopes, to modulate the frequency and pulse-width of the oscillators, the cutoff frequency of the filters, and the volume of the amplifier. LFO-1 can be switched between free-running, tempo-synced, and key-synced modes. A manual is included in the download link, detailing all of the other features.
If you enjoy using Substance, please consider making a contribution in some form – money, music, and patches would all be received with gratitude.
Many thanks to Limeflavour, for the sleek GUI, and to Ingo Weidner and Ouroboros for their fantastic patches and valuable feedback. Thanks also to the KVR community for support and encouragement during the testing phase.
Substance was made with SynthEdit, and uses modules by Chris Kerry, Dave Haupt, and Kelly Lynch.
Tactile Sounds Substance Demo by Tactile Sounds
Download TS-Substance.zip
Download TS-Substance Patches.zip – Includes 96 patches by Ingo Weidner, 38 of which were not included in the factory bank. Also an Init bank for sound designers, and a copy of the Factory bank.
Mind.In.A.Box will do its first full-length tour
Dependent has announced that Mind.In.A.Box will do its first full-length tour as support for the 19-show European leg of Front Line Assembly’s current world tour.
Mind.In.A.Box released their debut “Lost Alone” in 2004. The follow-up “Dreamweb” marked the real breakthrough for the Austrian duo, showcasing a combination of electronic styles and influences from technopop to EBM to trance and beyond. The following albums “Crossroads” and “R.E.T.R.O”, along with the single “8 Bits” were also well received, but the duo did not perform live until last summer, when after a year of preparations, they appeared as a five-piece at the Arvika Festival.
Since then the band has played live periodically, surfacing at the Norwegian Elektrostat Festival and Berlin’s E-Tropolis.
Slitscan video, realised in MAX/Jitter
via Loop.pH – this slitscan video, realised in MAX/Jitter, illustrates the Arthur Schopenhauer quote, “Architecture is frozen music.”
Last presentation of BuckyMedia at Walsall Art Gallery, UK 2003, at the point of transition from farmersmanual into Loop.pH. Slitscan video realised in MAX/Jitter.
Du bist DAF
Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF) will release a self produced one-track-single on September 1st. The track and the titel of the single will be simply “Du Bist DAF”. Strangely enough the single will be limited to 2010 copies and the band will not make it available via digital format. The single is yours for 10 EURO plus shipping. For 1 track that is.
Order at deutschamerikanischefreundschaft.de if you can spare the money, no other retailer will carry this product.
Here’s a short snippet:
DATAMASKIN
