Musicians Turn your iPhone into a real instrument, not just a game

by tasooey • 15 years ago

18 15 15 years ago

hardy263• 15 years ago

This wouldn't be an alternative to a real instrument, because beginners wouldn't be able to practice correct posture, and professionals don't get the flexibility they need.

However, this would be really useful for people who play music as a hobby. I play the violin, and I've wanted to try using an electric violin, but costs were a little prohibitive. A $10 app to simulate the experience would be a pretty good deal to me.

leviathant2• 15 years ago

Did you watch the video? While I don't play violin, my wife's a composer (and plays viola & cello), and that 'electric violin' portion of the video was probably the most cringe-worthy part of the video.

Never mind that it sounded like a an old Roland Sound Canvas patch being played on a keyboard. The subtitle of "An electric violin you can actually afford" is just a bad approach for that particular instrument. Cheap electric classical instruments have been flooding eBay over the last few years, often times direct from Hong Kong.

A quick search just now shows me several models available for $50 + shipping. If you can afford a Wiimote or two, an iPhone, and the app, you can afford an electric violin. And no matter how cheap that electric violin is, it will sound better than what you can do with that app.

Edit: A longer look at the search results show that the majority of electric violins available for purchase on eBay each cost less than an iPhone under contract, never mind a standalone iPhone.

tsuipen• 15 years ago

> Did you watch the video? While I don't play violin, my wife's a composer (and plays viola & cello), and that 'electric violin' portion of the video was probably the most cringe-worthy part of the video.

I agree.

I'm a musician and compose. I also used to do live performances and loops in my more "experimental" music. This is an expensive toy for such limited use.

His target audience can't be classical musicians, because of all the nuances that go into physically playing an instrument. It doesn't take a lot of knowledge to realize this, so it makes me wonder why he or who in the world would suggest this. I've played simple virtual instruments and VSTs like this, and the dynamic range and capability is extremely limited. The only virtual piano I would play would be Synthogy Ivory. The keyboard on the Invisible Instrument app didn't even have more than one octave, as far as I was able to see.

Students wanting to learn an instrument would be hindered by this. Just for string instruments, learning how to tune and hold it, posture and the tactile dynamics is a world of difference. This toy would only contribute to acquiring bad habits, as you can tell when the creator begins to "play" the violin. Having said that, why would this app be for classical musicians?

If he incorporates a looping device or a sequencer into it, there might be a use for this within the rock/hobbyist/experimental crowd.

I don't like saying this, because it probably sounds really pretentious and/or condescending, but this is most likely for the non-musician; the person who is not interested in music. That is, it's meant for the person who has some spare time and spare money, or kids who get money from their parents and don't mind spending their money mindlessly.

Lastly, I think the only positive I can see in this is that it might be able to teach you theory. Otherwise, once you factor in the cost of the Wii Remote, it's an expensive toy that doesn't do much except trigger cheesy synthy sounds through Bluetooth.

tasooey6• 15 years ago

Haha I'll admit the synthesizer wasn't great. I just used the default.

I'm a violinist, and actually have owned/played on several electric violins in the past. The most decent model (from sharmusic.com) that I tested back in 2006 costed $500. The fifty dollar ones just didn't cut it for me.

The point of the violin design, however, was so I could tie different aspects of performance (body movement, bow tilt, vibrato) to new parameters.

Previous designs actually didn't use iPhones or wiimotes. Rather, just DIY accelerometers. But, I wanted to use devices that people already had. So of course I wouldn't expect people to shell out cash to buy an iPhone just for this purpose. But for those existing iPhone users (who don't have a Wii), buying a Wiimote isn't too costly.

mikhuang• 15 years ago

I didn't think much of it until I watched the YouTube demo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slizmp8qIyw) where the creator records a loop, then builds on top of it to form a song, switching to different virtual instruments for each part. If he manages to create something that looks as effortless as portrayed, it'll go a long way towards getting not just nerds but normal people to start using all their electronics together.

tasooey6• 15 years ago

Yep! Since it's so easy to loop with Ableton, or really any other looper nowadays, there is a lot of ImogenHeap-esque potential in this.

Also instead of foot pedals I just use the buttons on the wiimote (makes it so I don't have to stand in one place the entire time)

juiceandjuice• 15 years ago

The worst attempted musicians I have ever met were the ones who tried to figure out some way to substitute learning any instrument with a computer. It never turns out well.

wazoox3• 15 years ago

Obviously, Tim Soo is a capable musician.

tasooey6• 15 years ago

Haha, many thanks.

For those who are interested, I was classically trained in piano, violin and voice. Used to play in professional groups for awhile. I studied music and music technology in college.

And you're right! This shouldn't be a replacement for the joy of struggling with an acoustic instrument. This just serves to put a new twist on an old idea.

wazoox3• 15 years ago

Really cool, make you feel that's 21st century :) And by the way, his cover of "Just the way you are" buries the original.

tasooey6• 15 years ago

Many thanks! While I know most people aren't fans of Bruno Mars, his range is still pretty ridiculous.

wazoox3• 15 years ago

It's sincere. I've been a professional musician in a past life far, far away... Your cover is well done and fresh and sounds natural; the original version sounds like some dull radio music without any taste or color to me... post-production didn't let them any chance :)

tasooey6• 15 years ago

Hi! Sorry for the delay in responding to comments. Was asleep.

I'll come back and check this often, so post questions!

Here's the video demo that is mentioned in the comments http://youtu.be/Slizmp8qIyw

Musicians Turn your iPhone into a real instrument, not just a game

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