DIY hardware isn’t just for abstract and noise musicians any more: visualists are getting in on the act. While on the subject of glitchy visuals from bent gaming hardware, GetLoFi reports this week on several new DIY projects to delight the eyes. The EX PMX is a homemade analog video synth that … does … […]

Thought every twist on Tchaikovsky had been exhausted in holiday seasons past? Think again: San Francisco-based composer Flip Baber (aka johnnyrandom, pictured) writes to tell us about a compositional challenge that made him turn bike parts into instruments: I was recently approached by award winning advertising agency, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to do a composition […]

M-Audio may not spell the word “connective” / “conectiv” right, but they’re getting some very positive feedback from their new DJ line, including Torq (the DJing + vinyl control solution), Conectiv (the audio interface), and X-Session Pro DJ control surface. I’m hearing great comments here from readers, and there’s other word around the Interwebs. Some […]

We’re not going to be satisfied until every touch controller in the house is functioning as an X/Y pad for music. Nintendo DS? Check. Wacom tablet? Tablet PC? Claro que si. So what’s up with your Palm? That stylus isn’t doing anything. miniMusic has the hookup: AxisPad miniMusic [Product Page] Interestingly, the X/Y pad here […]

With its touchscreen input, compact size, internal Nintendo-style synth, and wireless Internet connection, the Nintendo DS has a lot of appeal for music use. The challenge is how to hook it up to a computer. TheRain has a hardware hack called DSMIDI: with a little soldering and hacking, you can connect the DS to a […]

It’s not hard to imagine a world in which customized game tools become simple 3D environments for producing truly original visuals — work that looks unrelated to the game engines that power it. The fact that 3D engines are designed for real-time operation makes them even more appealing for live visuals and VJ work. Artists […]