In the last five years, we’ve seen a number of individuals and small companies build digital instruments that allow for unique ways of playing music in the electronic age. Going beyond traditional controllers, these devices all have features tailored particularly for live performances that make them uniquely playable by musicians and DJs alike.
ZTAR CLIPPER
Type Of Instrument: Wireless Ableton Live Controller (MIDI)
Price: $1295.00
Availability: Built to order
Manufacturer: Starr Labs
Finally, Ableton Live users can look like rockstars! The Ztar Clippers are fingerboard controllers with a full fretboard’s worth of velocity-sensitive keys that have RGB LEDs underneath each one. The keys can be used for clip triggering, or instrument/drumpad performance, or a combination of both. There’s additional expression pads, knobs, a slider and a joystick on the body for all kinds of control. The unit is wireless (range of up to 250 feet), and a built-in battery that powers the controller for up to 8 hours. Watch it in action in this performance vid (starts at 1:07):
DUALO DU-TOUCH
Type Of Instrument: Portable Controller / Synthesizer / Sequencer
Price: €890 / ~ $1223
Availability: Preorders available, shipping April 2014
Manufacturer: Dualo
Dualo is designed to be an all-in-one device, with a unique 5 octave chromatic keyboard that rocks three color LEDs behind each of the 116 keys. The hardware also has three touch sliders and a gyroscope to detection motion of the unit. It can trigger its own internal synthesizer (112 instruments, 4 percussion kits, 8 effects, pitch, modulation, and an onboard sequencer) or act as a wired/wireless MIDI controller for computer software. The battery lasts for 8 hours, and it has a built in soundcard with stereo + headphone out. Watch it in action in this demo video:
ALPHASPHERE NEXUS
Type Of Instrument: MIDI Controller
Price: $699 (street price) / £768.90
Availability: Available now
Manufacturer: Nu-Desine
You’ve likely seen the Alphasphere appear in coverage of music technology conventions over the last four years. Having been under development and released at a more expensive price, this year the team at Nu-Design released the Nexus model, which brought the price down significantly and allowed for international distribution. The orb-shaped controller has squishy pressure-sensitive pads that allow for polyphonic MIDI aftertouch. Watch it in this performance video from Koven:
O-BOW
Type Of Instrument: Laser-based MIDI Bow Controller
Availability: Still in development
Designer: Dylan Menzies
The cleverly-named O-Bow was born out of frustration. Designer Dylan Menzies wanted to take up violin, but couldn’t quite get the hang of the fingering and vibrato side of playing instrument. Having more than a passing an interest in music technology, he built a better solution – a laser sensor bow MIDI controller. It’s still a prototype, but the O-Bow can track bowing speed and horizontal angle at high to create different sounds based on both parameters. It doesn’t require a real bow, either – just any object with a grained surface.
ARTIPHON
Type Of Instrument: iPhone MIDI controller
Price: $799
Availability: In beta testing – units available to reserve
Designer: Mike Butera
The Artiphon takes the idea of plugging a MIDI controller into a mobile device and inverts it – instead, an iPhone 5 is plugged into this MIDI controller. The beautiful hardwood Artiphone can be used with any MIDI accepting iOS application, and has a strumboard and fretboard on either side of the phone cradle. Change the instrument setting (violin, guitar, bass, banjo, and custom) on the device and the MIDI data changes to reflect.
DRUM PANTS
Type Of Instrument: Pants-attached MIDI drumpads
Price: Start at $99
Availability: Kickstarter underway
Designer: Tyler Freeman
These Bluetooth-ready drum pads are designed to be worn – particularly under pants (not included). Designed in our own San Francisco, they’re currently seeking Kickstarter funding for these wearable velocity sensors. A typical kit includes four velcro-secured sensors to be worn on your legs and slapped with your hands, and two sensors to put in your shoes to act as foot pedals. We were skeptical at first, but drummers seem to really be enthused on the project – and since it sends MIDI, you can use it to control any sound you like. Pants not included:
CRYSTALL BALL
Type Of Instrument: MIDI Controller with optical sensors
Price: €499 / ~ $686
Availability: Available now
Manufacturer: Naonext
Desgined in France, the Crystall Ball has five optical sensors that detect distances between 2 – 13 inches that allow for quick modulation – and since they’re laid out right next to each other, you can move your hand around the ball and manipulate different parameters rapidly. It also has a keypad underneath – making it look like a cross between a gaming controller and, well, a crystal ball.
EIGENHARPS
Type Of Instrument: Mega MIDI controller with breathpipe
Price: £459 / £1955 / £4950 (Pico / Tau / Alpha)
Availability: Available Now
Manufacturer: Eigenlabs
The Eigenharps are MIDI instruments that focus around bringing breath control to the software world. All of the models have a breathpipe used for manipulating different elements of the playing sound. The high-end Alpha model sports 120 keys, a built-in sequencer/looper, and two touch strips on either edge of the unit, all coming out via USB to a computer. It’s a MIDI controller that looks like it’s straight out of the Mos Eisley cantina – see it in action in this cover of Moby’s “Extreme Ways”:
VECTR
Type Of Instrument: 3D modular Eurorack control interface
Price: $350
Availability: Kickstarter underway
Manufacturer: Hackme
The Hackme Vectr allows modular synth enthusiasts a chance to have real three dimensional control over their kit, with a sensor that detects your hands X, Y, and Z position overtop of it and outputs signals for each. The unit has red and blue LEDs that change intensity based the input it is receiving.
It also features some pretty awesome gesture control capabilities, including gesture looping similar what the Korg Kaoss Pads have – watch the Kickstarter demo video to get an idea of how it all works:
HONORABLE MENTIONS
We wanted to add a few other instruments here at the end that also are unique approaches to instruments – know of any that deserve to be in our list? Leave us a comment below.
- Choppertone – Midi Fighter-inspired mashup controller by a Nick Francis
- Slapperoo – Electric percussion stick made for slapping
- Pocket Piano MIDI – Fun, simple keyboard synths and MIDI controllers from Critter & Guitari
- Wavedrum – Percussion synthesizer pad from Korg
- Misa Digital Kitara – Button guitar with FX pad built in
Read More: The Latest Motion Control Technology for DJs
