The basic idea of the turntable, its round rendering of sound as a physical object, still attracts fascination. But is there a way to truly make the same metaphor fit digital media? Peter Adany is the latest to try, with a design proposal and mock-up he’s trying to fund for iPad (and Mac and Windows) via Kickstarter.
What makes his proposal compelling, like some of the best concepts in this field, is that the results are visual and sensitive to movement. It’s a design that stays true to the geometry and physics of the record that inspired it – rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
Helix Beatmix Demo from Petorr on Vimeo.
As Peter describes it:
I made a new digital turntable from the ground up. It redefines what a turntable in the iPad should be. It has a lot of creative ideas packed into it.
This is the first turntable to have a circular on-the-groove audio waveform, custom colors, totally real-world accurate geometry, and a high dynamic range pitch adjust that can move by a hair, with special metering graphics, over a huge range.
Thanks for having a look, and I’d be happy to hear your feedback and suggestions.
I get a lot of Kickstarter projects these days, but the idea does look really strong. Have a look:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petorr/helix-dj-precision-turntable-ipad-pc-mac