“The dream of a violin that can play itself has tantalized inventors for over a century.” Well . . . mad scientist inventors, maybe, along with dreams of self-cleaning carrots and ironing boards that can go into battle. Nonetheless, here it is: I give you the Gulbransen Virtuoso Violin, a QRS Pianomation Player Violin. Put […]

There are times when I can say something wittier than the manufacturer’s ad copy. This is NOT one of those times: The Bottle Organ is a real showstopper! It plays by blowing across the tops of real beer bottles, which are permanently tuned. And the music is so lovable! Driven by contemporary MIDI technology, the […]

I’m pleased to announce a new feature here on CDM, linking the site to the UK-based print publication Computer Music. Create Digital Music Downsampled will be a new monthly feature in the print version of Computer Music, each month featuring a major theme I’ve covered here on createdigitalmusic.com. The topics come straight out of CDM, […]

Introducing Downsampled: in conjunction with Computer Music Magazine (UK), CDM will look monthly at an overview of a hot topic on the site. First up: next-generation gaming and music. Here’s a roundup of just some of the relevant stories on CDM. Nintendo markets music-making as game: Start your own Wi-Fi Nintendo Band with the Nintendo […]

Legendary game developer Jeff Minter, the Llamasoft founder behind vintage classics like Tempest 2k, has had musical visualizers on the brain for some time. Now, he wants to take “retina-searing” visuals with music to the next left with Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 console. His latest light synth, Neon, will even be bundled with the machine. […]

Our friend Josh Randall at game developer Harmonix sends along his latest: Guitar Hero Guitar Game for PS2 The game comes with a guitar PS2 controller. We’re not allowed to see photos yet, but it’ll look like a guitar with “fret” and “strum” controls. Music includes Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie, Boston, The Donnas, […]

Okay, synth sleuths. Here’s a puzzler for you from composer/producer Fer Isella. He’s got a mysterious instrument called the Webcor Music Machine he retrieved from a backyard sale, but can’t find out anything about it: It’s really amazing sounding. It’s called “The Music Machine” by Webcor. It’s got organ section, rhythm section, tape player and […]

Legendary game developer Jeff Minter, the Llamasoft founder behind vintage classics like Tempest 2k, has had musical visualizers on the brain for some time. Now, he wants to take “retina-searing” visuals with music to the next left with Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 console. His latest light synth, Neon, will even be bundled with the machine. […]

DJ Eldorado is back with a guest review of instructional DVDs that aim to teach you how to DJ — and to his surprise, given the challenge of teaching DJing, he’s got only good things to say. Drop the iPods and learn real vinyl and computer programs like Final Scratch: can these show you the […]

Who said computer performance has to be a dude sitting behind a screen tweaking arcane software setups? As we saw Friday, you can hide your computer in a rig and play guitars and keyboards. David Levy reports for Apple.com that keyboardist Vince Jones totes a PowerBook onstage for playing keyboard soft synths, courtesy the sampler […]