Morton Subotnick at Transmediale 2011 – Live Excerpt
Morton Subotnick performs live at the opening concert of Transmediale 2011. For more information about the performance, please see http://bit.ly/e4IgPr.
Credits:
Morton Subotnick – Buchla synthesizer, Ableton Live and human voice.
SooJin Anjou – Piano
Lillevan – Live Visuals
“Performed live on stage by Subotnick, Lillevan and the Korean piano virtuoso SooJin Anjou, the piece, titled Silver Apples of the Moon Revisited, weaves together the various musical phases and techniques invented by Subotnick during his fifty years of explorative work. It draws connecting lines from the analogue past into the digital present, demonstrating the brilliant versatility and ingenuity of this outstanding artist.” (SH)
More hardware from Kurzweil
Kurzweil Music Systems announced of the SP4-8 stage piano at the 2011 NAMM Show, featuring 88-note hammer-weighted action, nuanced sound design and advanced performance features.
Equipped with many of the same sounds and effects as Kurzweil’s PC3 family, the SP4-8 offers a variety of acoustic pianos, vintage electric pianos, string sections, lush pads, KB3 organs, mallets, drums, basses, guitars and more. With four programmable zones, the SP4-8 allows you to create splits and layers at the touch of a button.
With additional sounds online available for download, you can create a personalized sound set. Don’t need drums or guitars? Download extra electric pianos and KB3 organs. Also, the SP4-8 can load programs created on Kurzweil’s PC3 and PC3LE keyboards.
Pricing and availability for the Kurzweil SP4-8 stage piano are to be announced.
Via SH
Computer controlling a real midi player piano
Here’s what they have to say about it:
I performed a version of this at the ICAM BestOf Show in June of 2010 in the Experimental Theater of the Conrad Prebys Music Center, UCSD.
http://musicweb.ucsd.edu/MusicCenter/
For that performance the computer was controlling a real midi player piano like one of these:http://usa.yamaha.com/products/mus
ical-instruments/keyboards/disklaviers/grand_pianos/ instead of a sampler piano.
The vibraphone synthesizer was sending 10 discreet channels of audio to a Meyer Constellation Sound system, which was in an 8.2 surround configuration.
It was a project completed for an independent study credit in my major at UCSD.
http://musicweb.ucsd.edu/ugrad/icam.php
Awesome!! Piano stairs – TheFunTheory.com
We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory. http://www.thefuntheory.com
From KRONOS to piano
Definitely not up to par with the announcement of the KRONOS, but still…
Korg has announced the microPIANO, a compact digital piano.
Korg’s microPIANO digital piano is charming, conveniently sized, and designed like a grand piano – complete with an opening lid! Small in size, the microPIANO features our expressive 61-key Natural Touch mini-keyboard, carefully designed to provide true playability. The bold, smooth grand piano sound uses the same stereo samples as Korg’s flagship digital pianos, generating full-bodied tones with depth and character. This instrument provides pure piano enjoyment.
Stylish and compact, the microPIANO will enhance your living space simply by its presence. Select one of three pleasing lid colors and finishes: chic Black or vivid Red, both with a high-quality mirror finish; or a stylish White.
microPIANO features
- Evocative and sophisticated grand piano appearance – including opening lid!.
- “Natural Touch” mini keyboard is compact and responsive.
- Excellent playing feel, suitable for both beginners and for serious performers.
- Robust and authentic stereo-sampled grand piano sound.
- 61 rich and vibrant sounds in all – organs, electric pianos, accordion, and more; 25 “Short Phrase Sounds” play a musical phrase by simply pressing a key.
- Built-in speakers and battery power offer “play anywhere” performance.
- Three stylish lid color choices: Black, Red, or White.
- 40 Demo Songs – automatic playback adds entertainment value.
More information: Korg / microPIANO
Two new stage pianos from NORD and Kurzweil
The Nord Piano is a dedicated stage piano with 88 keys and a weighted hammer action. It is designed with the performing musician in mind and extremely lightweight at 39.6 lbs, without compromising build quality, sound quality or means of expression. As all the other Nord units, it is designed with a firm focus on extremely fast response and accessibility of every important function from the panel.
Kurzweil Music Systems is proud to announce the release of the SP4-8 stage piano, a premium instrument designed for musicians who require exceptional sound quality and expression. Top professionals and hobbyists alike will be able to appreciate the responsive 88-note hammer-weighted action, nuanced sound design and advanced
performance features, all of which set the SP4-8 apart.
New MIDI controller for iPad
An interesting new MIDI controller introduced at CES (Consumer Electronics Show).
The iON Piano Master uses an Apple iPad as the “brain” of synthesizer. It integrates a basic MIDI keyboard controller with an iPad doc, using the iPad as a giant multi-touch screen for the workstation.
Ion plans to release the Piano Master in late Spring 2011.
Next iteration of OpenKinect Piano
Kinect is really getting hot, here´s just another example of this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgLp-KyK5g8
Demoing placing the keyboard wherever you like.
Also, attempting to play a duet (inspired by the movie “Big” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKrZid…
Made possible by libfreenect (http://openkinect.org) and coded in python
Works at 30fps with no lag!”
Piano Verb Xmas greetings
Plug-in developers PSP have re-released their freeware PianoVerb plug-in updated to work with all the most recent operating systems. You will need to register the plug-in to use it, but it is still absolutely free. Here’s what PSP has to say about it:
“PSP PianoVerb reproduces special kind of reverberation originally provided by piano strings. It generates reverberation using twelve string operators with adjustable damping and decay time. Each of them is tuned to a particular note starting from A(55Hz) to a G#(103.8Hz). The PSP PianoVerb string system can be transposed in the range of +-24 semitones, tuned within a range of +-100 cents and be detuned as well. Transposing to lower octaves produces a bigger and less resonant sound similar to traditional reverbs, while in turn transposing to higher octaves produces a very bright harp-like effect.”
Really cool toy piano
Something for the kids perhaps 
The Critter and Guitari Pocket Piano is one of the coolest toys we’ve had the pleasure to come across in quite awhile. It’s very portable at 10 inches long and it weighs just a pound. The built-in speaker plays nice and loud. You can also run it into an amp or console from the 1/4″ jack on top.
There are six modes: Vibrato Synth, Harmonic Sweeper, 2-Octave Arpeggiator, Octave Cascade, Mono FM Synth and FM Arpeggiator.
There are 4 waveforms: Sine, Square, Triangle and Sawtooth.
The Pocket Piano operates from a standard 9 volt battery or a 9 volt wall wart (positive center).
Thanks to Josh Flynn for shooting the video!
DATAMASKIN
