Like superhero armor, the sleek Guitar Wing fits over the edge of your guitar – your existing, beloved guitar – and gives it badass bonus powers. The crowd-funded accessory finally brings control for digital instruments and effects to the fingertips of guitar and bass players, without forcing them to change instruments or give up their conventional techniques.
Instead, Guitar Wing, via Bluetooth connection, provides pressure-sensitive pads, faders, buttons, switches, and (if you like) three-dimensional motion control right to the instrument. USB charged, rechargeable battery-powered, and with RGB color feedback and editing options, it’s ready to go anywhere and control anything. It comes with its own multi-effects suite, but more likely you already have software on a computer or mobile device you want to use.
And now, if you want one but put off buying one – just as we are late in writing about this – well, now is the time. Our friends Moldover and Livid Instruments, creator of the instrument, are bringing us the latest videos you may not have seen elsewhere. And in under 48 hours, as this week reaches its end, the crowd funding comes to its conclusion. That means it’s your last chance to get first in line for one under US$200 (or back it, starting at a buck).
Guitar Wing: Wireless Control Surface for Guitar and Bass
by Livid Instruments
Let’s have a look at how people are using this. And no, it turns out “controllerism” is not limited to minimal techno and EDM. Ahem. Like, let’s start in Spanish-language Colombian head-banging awesomeness.
En Inglés:
From the mountains of Colombia all the way to our office in Austin, TX, Headcrusher came by share their awesome breed of Metal and how they are using the Guitar Wing. Using Presonus Studio One they are triggering samples and VST plugin guitar effects with the Wing. This allows the two guitarists of this five piece sound like an entire band without having everyone in the same room. For more information visit guitarwing.com and headcrusher.net
Okay, or maybe you want to just map to Ableton Live, and make minimal techno dub reggae.
Or maybe you can’t decide between Ableton and Bitwig. Let’s do … both, looping and DAW controlling and manipulating plug-in effects:
For a little more behind the scenes, we look to Jay Smith and Travis Redding of Livid, and Living Colour Guitarist Vernon Reid:
And lastly, here’s Maestro Mastermind Controllerist himself, the incomparable Matt Moldover, bathed in the misty-white fluorescent light of Anaheim’s NAMM trade show (mmm… can almost smell the boiled hot dogs and carpet shampoo):
Of course, even better is the film about Moldover showing him using the instrument, and talking why music matters.
Moldover also provides some insight into the inspiration for the Guitar Wing, his original Robocaster. It looks like what Les Paul would enter into Robot Wars, sending an evil guitar into the arena to destroy all it meets.
Fortunately, Livid and Moldover understand you don’t want to give up your current axe, and so we have something really beautifully practical. Can’t wait to see what people will do with it. When those packages get unwrapped after the crowd funding, do drop us a line at CDM HQ in Gotham City and let us know what you’ve done.
Guitar Wing: Wireless Control Surface for Guitar and Bass
by Livid Instruments