Nanoloop has been a cornerstone of chiptune music for years, but using one has meant either owning a Game Boy or making do with a mobile app. You won't have to make those compromises for much longer. Developer Oliver Wittchow and crew are crowdfund...
Algoriddim's djay app has been an Apple favorite for some time, regularly appearing in the company's keynotes to show off incremental updates over the years. There's been djay, djay for iPhone, djay for iPad, vjay (for video), djay 2, djay Pro and dj...
If you know the history of drum machines, the first thing you want to do with the TR-8S, is load up the 808 kick drum. It's a deep, satisfying boom that's been an important part of everything from hip-hop to rock. But after you get done having fun wi...
In the 80s, Roland drum machines were at the epicenter of hip hop, house, techno, acid house and other music genres. The 808, 909, 707, and 606 helped create the beats of some of your favorite songs. But if you wanted to pick up any of these vintage...
We've been massive fans of Teenage Engineering's affordable pocket-sized synthesizers since their debut. The company has added new, more capable models over the last couple of years, too, adding more sounds to individual units and import/export capab...
Creating music has become incredibly easy thanks to computers and low-cost (sometimes free) software. For example: Using just a MacBook and GarageBand, aspiring rock gods can pump out the jams without hunting down musicians and booking studio time. B...
Looking for the latest in fashion and technology? Check out these Electric Sexy Drum Pants. Their name is completely self explanatory, though the sexy part is questionable. This is a pair of pants with a drum controller pad in the crotch. Making music with these pants requires hitting yourself below the belt repeatedly.
They were created by Japanese multimedia artist and experimental pop music composer Kaoring Machine. This guy’s mom complains because he spends all day in his room, “playing the drums”. I guess he marches to the beat of a different drum.
Toward the end of the video he actually looks like he may be typing the great American novel on his nuts, rather than drumming, but who knows? Are you doing a drum solo or are you just happy to see… yeah, I don’t even want to know.
The Dato Duo combines a sequencer with a synthesizer. That’s no big deal, but what is different is that it is designed to be played by two people, making it perfect for musical collaborations. That’s a pretty cool feature, because two minds are often better than one when it comes to music.
The triangular shape separates the synthesizer and the sequencer on opposite sides, so you can both play while facing each other. For instance, you can handle the melody and your friend can add noise effects. Maybe you can face off against each other and see who can make the music crazier.
I’m no musician, so let me just throw the features at you. It comes with a pentatonic keyboard for playing notes, making sure that any combination you press will sound melodic. The last eight notes are played in a loop, with buttons and knobs to alter the sound. There’s also a noise-based percussion synthesizer with two sliders, two touch pads, and some knobs. It even has an internal speaker.
You can hook it up to effects boxes, other synthesizers, and other MIDI-compatible devices. The creators say that it produces a “gritty 12-bit sound.” I can see musicians doing a lot with this device and coming up with new ways to use it. Pretty cool. If you want one for yourself, drop by Kickstarter before the fundraiser ends on 6/26.
Who doesn't love a good theremin spectacle? We Engadgeteers are aficionados of the touchless, variable capacitor musical instrument used in countless '50s space films, so a project by student and designer Danne Woo definitely caught our eye. Woo, who appeared on one of our most popular Engadget shows ever, has built a light-sensing version of that instrument controlled by an AC sequencer. No computers are used in the all-analog device, which is played by moving sliders and dials that vary the intensity of eight lamps installed in front of the musician. The light is converted to varying-frequency sound via photocells, resistors and capacitors which feed a "kleebtronics sequencer" designed by Mark Kleback and Ezer Lichtenstein. To show what it could do, Danne performed a short concert at Glasslands in Brooklyn, bringing the "Good Vibrations" instrument to a whole 'nother place -- catch it in the video after the break.
Nanoloop has been a cornerstone of chiptune music for years, but using one has meant either owning a Game Boy or making do with a mobile app. You won't have to make those compromises for much longer. Developer Oliver Wittchow and crew are crowdfund...
Algoriddim's djay app has been an Apple favorite for some time, regularly appearing in the company's keynotes to show off incremental updates over the years. There's been djay, djay for iPhone, djay for iPad, vjay (for video), djay 2, djay Pro and dj...
If you know the history of drum machines, the first thing you want to do with the TR-8S, is load up the 808 kick drum. It's a deep, satisfying boom that's been an important part of everything from hip-hop to rock. But after you get done having fun wi...
In the 80s, Roland drum machines were at the epicenter of hip hop, house, techno, acid house and other music genres. The 808, 909, 707, and 606 helped create the beats of some of your favorite songs. But if you wanted to pick up any of these vintage...
We've been massive fans of Teenage Engineering's affordable pocket-sized synthesizers since their debut. The company has added new, more capable models over the last couple of years, too, adding more sounds to individual units and import/export capab...
Creating music has become incredibly easy thanks to computers and low-cost (sometimes free) software. For example: Using just a MacBook and GarageBand, aspiring rock gods can pump out the jams without hunting down musicians and booking studio time. B...
