Cabot- MIDI Cahon
The Tirare is a custom performance interface. In Italian, Tirare means: (to) throw, (to) to pull. The name refers to the primary performative action employed in order to generate sound. Initially, I was trying to create a form of MIDI concertina. I wanted to pull and push the interface to generate sound, similar to a concertina. I also m...
Introduction We have started our project to find a way how to build full-featured organ console out of available MIDI instruments. One of our project goals was to extend the coverage of the "virtual organ" from software also to the hardware. We have turned it into "virtual organ console". Virtual pipe organ technology (VPO) has been well esta...
What is Telemidi? A system of connecting two DAW environments over the internet, to achieve real-time musical `jamming'. The product of Masters research by Matt Bray. "...a musician's behaviour at one location will be occurring at the other location in a near synchronous manner, and vice versa, thus allowing for a `jam' like atmosphere to...
Kickstarter has been a place where some of our favorite MIDI controllers started whether it's Mogees or the Artiphon (one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of all time). Our friends at A3E, the Advanced Audio + Application Exchange sent us a link to this new Kickstarter about Oddball, a ball you cab bounce with a&n...
The MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) has released a Specification for use of TRS Connectors with MIDI Devices. It is available for free download by MIDI Association members. The document defines how to wire "TRS" (tip-ring-sleeve) connectors for use with MIDI devices, and describes the necessary device circuitry and cable specifications to supp...
XT Synth-The expression of a violin, the playability of a guitar, with the power of a MIDI controller that shines. "The XT Synth is a mix of guitar, violin and midi controller. My inspiration was to make an instrument that could be played like a guitar, with the expression of a violin, with the sounds of a synthesizer. The neck has 4 soft pot...
This custom-built instrument is called Curve, and is named after the shape and contour of the interface itself. I wanted to create something that had a myriad of different sensors and ways of controlling different musical parameters, while also maintaining the functionality and traditional idioms of other controllers, interfaces, and instruments ...
We recently sent out a MIDI Message newsletter and asked people to describe their favorite MIDI project. Harry Williamson from the Federation Bells in Melbourne, Australia sent us this message. Favorite MIDI Project- The Federation Bells, Birrung Marr, Melbourne. 39 Bronze up-turned bells play compositions 3 times daily from a MAX/...
Although arguably the smaller NAMM event of the two for MIDI related products, there's certainly no shortage of things to discover at Summer NAMM and this year was no exception. With stimulating keynotes on the future of music technology, courtesy of the MIDI Association Advisory Board's very own Craig Anderton, the latest in next year's product li...
In January 2018, we covered Intel's Keynote pre-show which prominently featured Artificial Intelligence and MIDI. But one of the leaders in the AI and Machine Learning field is Google. Their Magenta project has been doing a lot of research and experimentation in using machine learning for both art and music. The gre...
In 1986 Frank Zappa released his final studio album in his lifetime; for the remaining seven years of his life, he would only release live concert albums. Jazz from Hell is an instrumental album whose selections were all composed and recorded by Frank Zappa . It was released in 1986 by Barking Pumpkin Records on vinyl and by Rykod...
The Glitch Mob has started touring with what may be one of the most complicated MIDI controllers every built. The Blade 2 .0 was designed by Martin Phillips also who has done work for Deadmau5, Kanye and Daft Punk. Dell partnered with the Glitch Mob to provide Dell Alienware 15s computers that run Intel Core i7-7820HK quad-core processors. Th...
On May 26, we held the very first MIDI Live! chat with a panel of MPE specialists. We recorded the session and it is presented here as a podcast. Listeners were not only able to send in questions via text but were able to actually join the discussion and interact directly with the panelists. Roger Linn demoed his Linnstr...
MIDI Stylophone Business Card Last Sunday we were looking at bookmarks we had made while searching the Internet for blog topics. We had booked marked Mixtela.com a few months ago because of all the cool MIDI DIY projects. But then we found WaitingForFriday's website and decided to do an article on the MIDI Stylopho...
The Original Dubreq Stylophone The Dubreq Stylophone was invented in 1968 by Brian Jarvis. It was originally designed as a toy, but the fact that it was portable and easy to play and it's distinctive synth sound soon made it popular with some of the most iconic musicians of the late 60's. David Bowie used it on the track 'Space Oddity' a...
The Live Performance Challenge The challenge for me as a performing musician has always been not being able to readily access desired sounds and sound layers during a live performance in an effective way. The tools given to us on modern stage keyboards are difficult to manage on the live stage, and even if you take the time and make the effort to...
Complimentary Summer NAMM registration for TMA members! Thanks to NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants), we have complimentary registration thro ugh June 13 for MIDI Association members to the Summer NAMM show which happens this year in Nashville from June 28-30. Summer NAMM is open to all NAMM members as well as professionals ...
Super Booth has been growing rapidly over the past few years, but this year there will be a record 227 companies exhibiting at the synth extravaganza held at the Fez in Berlin. May is MIDI Month Pl atinum sponsors Ableton, IK Multimedia, Moog, Roli and Yamaha will all be there. Here are their booth locations in the F...
Tristan Shone A.K.A. Author and Punisher is a musician and mechanical engineer who makes heavy metal MIDI controllers, really heavy metal ! He has created a range of unique MIDI controllers he calls " dub machines" using his electronic and mechanical engineering expertise. Tristan studied for a Master of Fine&nbs...
MIDI 1.0 Specification From August, 1983 Uncovered at Yamaha US offices in April, 2018. Recently we uncovered some unique historical MIDI documents. These were discovered in a file cabinet at Yamaha Corporation of America's headquarters in Buena Park, California. These documents pre-date the formati...
We hope you enjoyed these daily tips during MIDI Month—but that's not the end of it, because there will be plenty more tips to come when you join the The MIDI Association. TMA is an all-volunteer organization that believes in TMA's mission: to nurture an inclusive global community of people who create music and art with MIDI. Our strength is our co...
Nick Demopoulos started out as a jazz musician and played with legends like Chico Hamilton. But then he began exploring the possibilities of using MIDI and that led him to a new path as a DIY maker and creator of some fascinating and unique MIDI devices. HIs website ( Smomid.com ) is named after the first instrument he ever built....
In the tip for May 22, we covered how to control effects and virtual instrument parameters with a footpedal hooked into a synthesizer or other controller. But what if you don't have a synthesizer or other controller...and would rather use a 100 mm fader than a footpedal? No problem, if you're willing to do a little soldering. Take a 1/4" phone jack...
MIDI has lasted over 30 years, so the MIDI data you entered in a sequencer back in the 80s can still drive today's virtual instruments (which is pretty amazing, come to think about it). However virtual instruments, computers, and operating systems don't have, shall we say, quite the same kind of longevity. You'll be reminded of this when Steven Spi...