My audio apps allow my midi interface knobs, keys, and dials to be custom mapped. The virtual knob would be a nightmare. When you say authentic instrument, do you consider vinyl turntables authentic? A lot of DJ's use digital mixing rather than vinyl these days. Mixing with vinyl does require a lot more skill than their successors, mp3 playlist mixing etc..
Waveform manipulation and sequencing has been around for days and I've always enjoyed a good intuitive drum machine experience. The amount of information the interface calls for and achieves is amazing. I've always thought the best UI interactions could be found in a good audio app or video game. I find using a mac OS opposed to windos is a more instrumental experience. Mac OS is like swimming through information and windows is like stacking blocks. I really think it has the code is running behind the scenes that conveys this feeling not the interface. http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/musical-instruments/aa64/ http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/11/24/use-an-iphone-to-add-lemur-like-control-to-your-midi-keyboard/ http://www.amazon.com/KORG-DS-10-Synthesizer-Nintendo-DS/dp/B001EB8CD6/ref=pe_23910_10709740_as_img_4/ On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 4:01 PM, Nasir Barday <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I think we agree that as of yet, there isn't a true replacement for the > human feel of an authentically played instrument. Moving on ... > > Speaking of authentically played instruments, synthesizers, when treated as > such (and not simply a substitute for a traditional instrument) are > designed > with expression at the forefront. I too am not aware of bona fide IxDs at > music technology companies per se, but companies for the longest time, even > before we started calling ourselves IxDs, have been studying how musicians > play music and how to make the musical ideas in their heads come out of the > speakers. > > There's nothing worse for a musician, in the heat of a creative moment, to > lose the idea because an instrument requires you to think about how to make > things happen. Most frustrating both for musicians and a > engineers/producers, are needle-in-a-haystack switches that cause > everything > to come to a grinding halt. I've lost so many ideas that way! I look to the > music and audio world for ideas when I'm stuck on an IxD problem-- there > are > few industries that hinge so much on excise-free designs. > > A trend that has troubled me recently, though, is that some manufacturers > think that replicating a synthesizer in software is as simple as > translating > the knobs on the box onto virtual knobs on screen. While a knob in > real-life > connects a player directly with the sound shaping parameter, a knob on > screen requires a mouse drag, or in the best case, a physical knob in the > real world with low enough resolution that subtle changes result in > unpleasant "jumps" in the sound. In the software synthesizer world, we need > people that can re-think the notion of creating interfaces for sound > shaping > for the 2-dimensional world. > > Products that are getting it right: > Native Instruments FM8 (take a look at FM7 and you'll see the difference) > Native Instruments KORE (an idea before its time-- the touch-sensitive > high-resolution knobs are what I'm thinking of here) > Moog Little Phatty (Digitally Controlled Analog Oscillators, I believe they > call them-- interesting idea) > > The jury's still out for me on the JazzMutant Lemur-- their application of > multitouch is a bit gimmicky, suffering a lot from the perilous > physical-->virtual transition I mentioned above, though there are a few > fresh ideas (e.g. animated bouncy balls?). But it's all software, so the > field is ripe for a well-thought out do-over. > > - Nasir > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
