Mac OS X 10.6.3 Promises Quartz Composer, OpenGL Fixes

This cat is … slightly camouflaged. Photo (CC) Tambako The Jaguar (but yes, this is a snow leopard). Mac OS X 10.6.3 looks like it may be a significant update for graphics performance, but good luck trying to figure out what’s changed from the vague update log. There is mention of “compatibility issues with OpenGL-based […]

Free Miro Video Converter for Windows, Mac; Miro 3.0

The folks at Miro have a handy tool for fool-proof, dummy-friendly video conversion for mobile devices. Drop nearly any file, and it converts to MP4, OGG Theora, or specific presets for devices from the TMobile G1 to the iPod – and even FLV. It’s available for Mac and Windows only, not Linux. I imagine that’s […]

Details from Roland on SH-01 Synth, AX-09 Shoulder Keyboard

Among the highlights of the product releases last week, Roland has a new virtual analog synth (the SH-01) and shoulder keyboard (AX-09) that look friendly and relatively affordable (especially once you account for street price, not list). They have that convergence of certain selling points that I think will make them popular – maybe not […]

This Week: The State of Platforms for Digital Music Making

Photo (CC-BY) Eoin Gardiner. With talk of tablets, experimentation with interfaces, new developments in low-cost and low-power processing, and ongoing challenges with access in different parts of the world, in 2010, it seems everyone is asking fundamental questions about what digital platforms and computing platforms should be. There are few contexts to better explore that […]

SunVox, Modular Music+Tracker, Now Free on Most Platforms, iPad Coming

SunVox, the quirky and cool modular music creation software, already runs on a ton of platforms. Starting now, most of those platforms can run the tool for free. (The one exception: iPhone/iPad.) That means you get a rich music creation environment that can run on everything from an ancient PDA to a desktop computer, complete […]

Projection Mapping: Augmented Furniture, Augmented Sculpture in the Round

Augmented Sculpture by GROSSE8 & LICHTFRONT / Passagen 2010 from Lichtfront on Vimeo. Part of the beauty of projection is its ability to mix light and sculpture, so it’s with great pleasure that I come across this fantastic, organic and origami-like work by Cologne-based Grosse8/Lichtfront. The big accomplishment of this work, evident only as you […]

A Collection of Curious Sound Objects

FINE COLLECTION OF CURIOUS SOUND OBJECTS from Georg Reil on Vimeo. Commentary would spoil the video above, but to me it’s a reminder of the power of theater in all we do with technology and musical objects. The arrangement includes six exceptional exhibits from the world of sounds and acoustics. At first sight looking trivial, […]

Fun with Multiple Screens: Covering Lady Gaga on Four iPhones

It’s a simple effect, but a reminder that extending onto multiple screens — any multiple screens, really — can be a good time. Jeff Soto/iamnotrobot sends along his friends Love and Logic and Chris Perino (Drive By) covering Lady Gaga. Each of the four iPhones is one take, no cuts, and the four are synced […]

Tell Us Your Musical Technological Dreams, Get A Chance to See Them Realized

Ready for some blue-sky, 35,000-foot-altitude thinking? Photo (CC-BY-ND Andres Rueda. Want a flying car? Dream of the flying car. Build the flying car. A competition I’m hosting with Digitópia, the musical-technological community of Porto, Portugal, extends to readers worldwide a challenge to dream up the digital musical instrument/interface/creation you want. Got something practical you wish […]