Hasta La Gadget!

The Tronical device called TronicalTune is a robotic accessory that automatically tunes a guitar without need for any sort of in-shop modification to the instrument. What we’re seeing this week is the machine hooked up to a set of guitars, activated, and literally listening in and turning the cranks on its own. This machine and […]

We’ve seen the Time Lords many times throughout countless Doctor Who episodes. However we know very little about their culture. What do they like to do for fun? What kind of music do they like? Do Time Lords play the ukulele? Who knows? I do know that if you play this TARDIS ukulele, it should strike a chord with you.

While the body of the uke is clearly the Doctor’s TARDIS, I love how they also snuck the Doctor Who logo into the head stock. It is from Etsy seller celentanowoodworks who makes each one to order. In fact, they will honor any request no matter how weird it is. Just tell them and they will build it – assuming it’s a ukulele, that is.

The TARDIS uke will cost you $700(USD). Sure, that’s a lot of dough, but you will have the geekiest ukulele around. Except maybe this one. Or this one.

There are plenty of apps which let you use your iPad like a piano, but to be honest, playing on a toucscreen is just not the same as using a tactile keyboard. And while Ion has been making a wired iPad piano keyboard for a while,  it’s not exactly the type of thing you’ll throw in your backpack.

Now, there’s a Kickstarter project which hopes to provide a high quality piano keyboard, built into a protective cover.

Miselu’s C.24 Music Keyboard adds a two octave wireless piano keyboard to your iPad. It connects wirelessly to your iPad using Bluetooth Low Energy, and transmits CoreMIDI data over Bluetooth.

The keys fold neatly into a cover that’s about the same thickness as the iPad itself, and acts as a stand for your iPad when opened up. Anti-polarity magnets give the keys the sense of weight, and infrared emitter/detector pairs capture key presses. The keyboard supports MIDI velocity data and monophonic aftertouch as well. Best of all it’s compatible with any iOS app which supports CoreMIDI, which means you’ll be able to play tunes with many apps out of the box.

There’s also a capacitive ribbon controller along the top edge of the keyboard which allows you to shift between octaves as well as to provide analog expression data for things like pitch bending.

The C.24 also has an expansion bay which will allow for the addition of things like knobs, faders, sliders and other controls, and will be releasing an open standard for creation of these add-ons.

A pledge of $99 (USD) or more will get you in on the first batch of C.24 iPad Keyboards – $50 less than the price that later backers will pay. Delivery is expected to start this November – assuming the project reaches its funding goal by August 8.

This looks like a much more serious bit of hardware than the Ion Piano Apprentice, and well worth a look for traveling electronic musicians.

[via Gear Hungry]

Currently up for $50,000 in funding on Kickstarter, the Wheelharp delivers the sounds of a chamber string orchestra via a keyboard and a full chromatic set of real strings. Oh, and it’s pretty much the most striking instrument we’ve ever seen. Developed by Los Angeles-based Antiquity Music, the device reacts to a user’s press of the keys by moving a corresponding string to a rotating wheel with an edge that bows the string. The instrument gives the player plenty of controls; the right pedal controls wheel speed, while the left mans the strings’ damper system.

Though an early version was demoed at NAMM this year, the Wheelharp is currently in R&D mode, and Antiquity plans to put much of the Kickstarter money toward researching the optimal string selection. Hit up the source link to hear the instrument in action. Just don’t get too excited; the instrument will retail for a cool $12,500 — or a slightly more palatable $10,000 through the crowdfunding site.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Alt

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Via: Laughing Squid

Source: The Wheelharp (Kickstarter)

Korg can’t seem to stop itself putting squelchy analog sounds into portable synths, and its latest grab-and-geek-out playthings are the Korg Volca Series. A trio of true-analog synthesizers – the Volca Keys for loops, Volca Bass for basslines, and Volca Beats for rhythms – each pack a sequencer and recording functionality, and can be daisy-chained into an impromptu studio.

In fact, multiple models from the Volca series can be hooked up, thanks to Korg’s judicious use of sync in/out ports; a MIDI input also means an external keyboard or other controller can be attached. That could come in handy if the touch-sensitive keypads of the Volca Keys turn out to be too compact for your chunky fingers.

The Volca range will also work with Korg’s SyncKontrol iPhone app to wirelessly control tap-tempo, swing settings, and synchronize playback with any iOS music app that supports WIST. The push for simplicity also includes self-tuning on the Bass and Keys models, correcting the analog drift that can turn off some starter users.

The Korg Volca Keys offers three note analog synthesis and a loop sequencer, as well as support for memorizing and repeating knob movements. It has 27 touch-sensitive keys with three note polyphony, plus ring modulation.

As for the Korg Volca Bass, that offers a trio of analog oscillators and a new analog filter; up to eight 16-step sequencer patterns can be stored, with an active step function for instantly tweaking rhythms. Finally, the Volca Beats has six editable analog parts – each with its own selection of knobs for direct control – and a stutter function for throwing in dramatic sequence changes.

All three run on six AA batteries and have built-in speakers, with a full set of fresh batteries good for around 10hrs of use. Pricing is yet to be confirmed.

Korg Volca analog synths power retro on-the-go is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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