A Music Rig in a Backpack, A Single Made in an Attic: Recue + Jolea “Blame”

Recue X Jolea – In the Attic, Session #1 – Blame from recue on Vimeo. There’s something to be said for the rucksack studio. When we last caught up with Finnish artist Recue, our friend Riku Annala was stranded in an airport hotel room, but managed to coax a live jam out of the experience. […]

Carrot HD Video Mixer + Controller, in Edirol V4-Style Layout, Coming Soon [Exclusive Prototype Details]

HD Rabbit – Introduction from carrotvideo on Vimeo. I keep waiting to write this headline and talk about something that’s shipping. But it might at last happen. We might finally be able to cover an HD mixer that lets you easily plug in two computers and mix as easily as you have done for years […]

The Evolution of Light, Traced in Mapping Projection on Sculpture

Swiss lighting design outfit Lichtkompetenz sends a projection that tells the story of the evolution of electrified light – the story behind this site, if ever there were one. Projection-on-sculpture is becoming almost an expectation as much as novelty; here, it’s nice to see the sculptural canvas amplify the narrative. It’s not just about shining […]

Six 3D-Printed Musical Instruments, and What 3D Printing Could Do for Musicians

3D printing has quickly risen to buzzword, from a technology initially of interest primarily to hobbyists to one that is catching mainstream business and consumer attention. But the actual substance continues to catch up with potential and expectations. Here are six examples of musical instruments that have taken on 3D printing as a challenge. They […]

If a Computer Were a Chanting Monk: Crazy Live Sounds from Kyma + Gametrak

If a computer could throat-sing, meditating on numbers, it might sound something like this. Electro-acoustic composer Jeffrey Stolet is Professor of Music and Director of the Intermedia Music Technology at the University of Oregon, but “sonic shamanism” might apply as well. Mysterious sounds emerge from his laptop as he tugs and pulls on a controller, […]

Weekend Animation Break: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Behold the power of sound and image. With people of a certain generation, you can stand in a room, and shout, “One, two, three, four, five…” and likely have them finish your countdown with the song from this animation. It has its own Wikipedia entry. It has music from The Pointer Sisters. It’s been covered […]

Miami Vice, by King Deluxe, An Acid-Neon Palmtree Vacation; Lullaby for Nameless Creatures

It’s late Friday here, which is roughly the point that I want to watch neon-colored animations of palm trees and Miami Vice-style vector animation. You? Canadian-based, international art collective King Deluxe is full of musical video wonders; this one is by French animator Alexandre Louvenaz, to music from an upcoming Fancy Mike album entitled Mary […]

3D Printing, From Headphones to Synth Accessories, Shows Both Promise and Obstacles

Take it from one now immersed in manufacturing – making things is an epic process of production, delays, shipping, customs… 3D printing is the latest DIY technology to promise to get around that, armed by the seemingly-magical translation of digital files into objects in a way other machines cannot. We’ll be looking in depth at […]

Electronic Body Music: Organ Alpha a Sonic Installation That Makes You Into Sound

In an extended fancy on the sounds inside the body “Organ Alpha” is a kind of responsive musical instrument that transforms human input into surround-sound audio. Your body speaks, it listens, and it answers. Sensors watch for movement inside a virtual stomach, as stethoscopes dangle, inviting input. Watch for the kid’s reaction in the video. […]

At MusicMakers, Experiencing Music Through Design, As Community of Doers Collaborates [Listen, Watch]

Making connections with people – creators and audience alike – sometimes means going beyond the virtual, and actually getting people together in the same room. For MusicMakers, Create Digital Music teamed up with curators and artists in Berlin to make some of those connections across disciplines, to get closer to the processes of design and […]