The Awesome New KORG Not From KORG: Raspberry-Pi Plus MS-20 Controller, Making Dreams Reality

There’s a drool-worthy new keyboard synth this week bearing the name KORG. The surprise: it comes one day after a widely-anticipated product announcement, and it comes from a single hacker, not KORG. One $25 embedded computer plus one controller equals one hackable, lovely instrument – with knobs and patch cords, no less. So, it’s hard […]

Korg microKORG News: New Colors, XL+

Apart from a new workstation keyboard (well-covered by Synthtopia), the hardware news from Korg today is all about making the microKORG line more appealing to customers. That includes an XL+ model with additional sounds, and new color options across the board celebrating the microKORG’s tenth anniversary. (Japanese and UK sites from Korg apparently pre-empted a […]

Pole’s waldgeschichten are Mossy, Leafy Electronic Grooves; How They Were Made

In this age of maximalist, aggressive productions, the leafy green imagery for Pole’s waldgeschichten (literally, “forest stories”) fits perfectly. The trilogy of releases, the latest arriving at the end of last week, is easy-going and reserved. Each sound is precisely placed, gently shuffling interlaced dub-like patterns set against calm swells, sometimes resembling the cry of […]

SonicPhoto Focuses on Transforming Images into Sound, with Precision Harmonies, Stereo [Windows]

Translating between the visual and the musical is never a perfect science. But maybe that’s the point — maybe it’s the oblique quality of transforming a picture into a sonic score that’s so appealing. SonicPhoto is the latest application to attempt the feat. Following in the footsteps of MetaSynth and Photosounder, it makes each pixel […]

A Duet for Piano and Building: Architectural Visuals, Mapped to Keyboard Playing

Mapping interactivo sobre maqueta “Piano & Mapping” from Perro Verde on Vimeo. In an audiovisual etude, a piano player is translated to architectural projection mapping in a new work from Barcelona. The translation is not overly strict, but instead makes a kind of counterpoint, a duet between pianist and building. No word yet on whether […]

Of Bees and Oscillators: Bioni Samp’s EP Full of Eco-Influences, Homebrewed Gear [Listen, Gallery]

If electronic music sometimes seems to contain the secret dance language of insects, mysterious coded rhythms and swarms of sound, an EP released this summer by an English producer makes the connection explicit. Bioni Samp sends us his strange and wonderful sonic journey into the colony. In tunes alternately atmospheric and danceable, at least of […]

Skateboard + Lit Sparklers + Computer Vision = Flaming Light Drawing

Sparkles from BlipBlip on Vimeo. In glorious black and white, we have a new digital drawing project from Dominique of blipblip industries. And – well, fireworks just make anything better. The brief: Sparkle is an interactive drawing project involving professional skater Danny Wainwright We used a wiimote to track the positions of sparkles attached to […]

Music from Patch Cords, in the Studio with Jimmy Edgar and KOMA Elektronik [Create Analog Music]

Modular music may be associated with densely-layered, sometimes-indecipherable ambiences, but Jimmy Edgar weaves funk and synthesized electro-dance into songs fed by his Detroit roots. (Jimmy’s now on Hotflush, formerly Warp Records, !K7, Poker Flat) In a studio tour with boutique analog maker KOMA Elektronik, he shows off their FT-201 sequenced filter and gestural control on […]

AirBeam: Wireless Camera Streams from an iPhone, iPad to Mac, Syphon

If you’ve ever dreamed of using cameras live, wirelessly, this app’s for you. AirBeam works with any camera-enabled iOS gadget, and streams audiovisual signals wirelessly. Where things get cool: the developers have added Syphon support, meaning you can use your iPhone or other thing as a wireless video source in apps like Modul8, Jitter, Processing, […]

Music and Visuals, in More Flexible Combinations, with Max for Live and a Giant Monster's Mouth

Producing dazzling, elaborate visuals doesn’t have to mean ensnaring live music in pre-defined tracks. In the latest episode of this ongoing series, we look on Create Digital Music at a new show for the act ‘Feed Me’ – the kind of story I love, crossing the Music and Motion boundaries. Here’s a key excerpt on […]