All articles tagged with #musical instrument
Nopia MK1, a visually appealing and harmony-focused synthesizer and MIDI generator, has been unveiled after two years of development, offering an accessible way to create and understand tonal harmony without needing prior music theory knowledge, with features like a chord builder, internal sound engine, and MIDI outputs.
Pocket Scion is an affordable, portable synthesizer that uses biofeedback from plants or skin to generate sound and MIDI data, allowing users to create music and control external devices without expensive setups, and includes advanced features like MIDI out and a sound design app.
Artinoise, an Italian startup, has launched Zefiro, a USB-C mouthpiece that transforms smartphones, tablets, or PCs into musical instruments. The device, paired with a companion app, offers 32 sound options and features like breathing exercises and sound layering. Priced at €22 for Kickstarter backers, Zefiro is designed to be accessible, even for those with respiratory issues, and aims to cater to the expensive MIDI controller market. Artinoise plans to make the technology open source to encourage accessibility-focused applications.
A study by UK researchers suggests that playing a musical instrument or singing could help maintain brain health in older age, with playing keyboard instruments being particularly beneficial. More than 1,100 people aged over 40 were studied, and the results showed that engaging in music, especially playing an instrument, had positive effects on cognitive function. The study suggests that promoting musical education and encouraging older adults to engage with music could form a valuable part of a public health message to improve brain health as people age.
A Twitch streamer playing Modern Warfare 3 recreated a classic sniper trickshot by using a musical Recorder as their controller. By mapping the Recorder's pitch to various movement directions in the game, the streamer managed to pull off a 360 sniper trickshot, impressively hitting the shot after multiple attempts. The streamer went viral in 2020 for dominating players in Modern Warfare with a drum kit.
The PiezoPiano is a tiny musical instrument with just one octave's range on the keyboard, featuring eight buttons and eight piezo transducers. It is a single PCB device with an ATmega4809 and has eight-note polyphony. The device is available as a kit on Tindie and is assembled in a cute enclosure mimicking the shape of a real grand piano.