wiiloop machine v2.0

This is hardly a new video (originally from January) but I thought I'd stick it up as its a pretty good demo of live performance software which utilise gestural control.
The wiiloop software allows you to record up to 4 tracks into the software and then turn these on and off as you loop through. You can use the wii-mote to control sample playback, effects processing, pitch control, etc...


Wii Loop Machine 2.0 :: Sampling! from The Amazing Rolo on Vimeo.

controllerism

been cleaning out some of my bookmarks...

If you're into using software like ableton live or other pieces of software such as maxmsp for live performances then this website may be of interest to you.
It has a bunch of resources related to the art of "controllerism"

"Controllerism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music live using computer controllers and software.
This website is a collection of information and resources for the controllerist community."

You can find videos where artists discuss their approach to using software and controllers in a live situation, as well as links to a great deal of related websites.

Interview with Phil Durrant on his use of Reaktor and laptops for performance

On the Kore spinoff pages of Create Digital Music there is an interesting interview with one of the most prolific people on the Reaktor user forum - Phil Durrant (aka "sowari"). In the interview he discusses his approaches to building within Reaktor, his use of the laptop in a performance context and some of his influences.
He makes a pretty strong case for trying to get a smuch interactivity out of the standard laptop (QWERTY keys and trackpad) as possible.

Below is a video of Phil's Trio Sowari.

TRIO SOWARI
by Ornitoto

Moldover - controllerism

matrixsynth has a collection of youtube videos from Moldover discussing controllerism.

Moldover is a performance artist who uses custom modified MIDI controllers and audio software like Reaktor and Ableton Live to create his own music live.

In the videos he shows and discusses his approach to customising controllers, selecting and organising audio clips and performance concepts. His methods are all about keeping things as simple as possible in order to make his performances as smooth as possible.

Daedelus interview ---- monome

XLR8R TV has posted a video interview with electronic musician Deadelus.
In the video he talks about his influences and his approach to playing live which includes the use of his monome (check the link for more info and videos of this open-source hardware controller in use).


XLR8R TV Episode 71: Daedelus from XLR8RTV on Vimeo.

DIY controller

djtechtools has put together a little video which takes you through the steps involved in making your own custom diy midi controller.


the site has a load of extra info.

the vid also discusses online stores to buy your components from.

Whilst the resulting controller is not that amazing it should give you some ideas of things that can be done and it is pretty easy to follow.

The Guitar Zeros

Cycling74 have an interview/article with/on Owen Grace, the fouder of the Guitar Zeros. The Zeros are a rock band whose guitarist and bassist use Guitar Hero controllers and MaxMSP patches.
The interview is more a background kind of thing discussing how he started using MaxMSP and what his inspiration for the project is.

There's a nice accompanying video in which Owen demos some of the features of his custom Max patch
.

The patch that the Zeros use can be downloaded from their website along with full instructions.

AirPiano

via createdigitalmusic

The AirPiano is gesture sensing MIDI controller. It consists of an Arduino board and IR sensors, the prototype instrument provides the user 3 layers each of which contains 8 individual "virtual switch". When a switch is triggered a MIDI note message is passed and a LED under the switch is activated to provide the user with visual feedback to aid in the learning of the instrument.

The developer has posted 2 youtube videos of the AirPiano in use:
The first demonstrates its use a controller for Ableton Live.


The second demonstrates its use a more traditional melodic MIDI controller.


Whilst it looks like a fun thing to play around with I'm not convinced by it really. I don't really see the advantage over a 'normal' MIDI controller which gives you tactile feedback. The developer suggests that it could be used to make a more interesting performance which is true, but a 'normal' MIDI controller can still be played as an instrument. I think that there could be potential to do some interesting things with this controller given more time spent experimenting with it.

More info can be found at airpiano.de