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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
> 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.
Yeah it's not meant to be a replacement for an acoustic instrument by any means. I played in symphonies growing up and taught violin for a couple years. It's made to be a mixture of RockBand and an acoustic instrument.
B/c you're working with two accelerometers and a tuning fork gyroscope, you actually have much more control than you might think. Bow tilt, vibrato, velocity. It's actually (for me anyways) a pretty useful tool for entering MIDI when I want it to sound more like a violin, than say if I just entered the notes via a MIDI keyboard.
For even for classical musicians
Again, it's not made to be a replacement for a real instrument by any means. But the idea isn't lost on classical musicians. Part of the reason I decided to kickstart this project is because I was approached by a few classical musicians who wanted to play a song while say controlling additive synthesis via their vibrato or control really any parameter via bow tilt.
I chose a Wiimote and iPhone because I think a good portion of people already have both.
Expensive? When I bought my Wiimote plus, it was actually only $28. For a gesture control / experimental device, I would say this cost is on the lower side.
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.
I understand - and I hope that the takeaway of my post wasn't "This is a dumb idea" or anything like that :) I think this idea is fun, and I hope it grows to become a gateway drug to learning proper instruments, a la Rock Band. I just thought that was kind of a silly pitch for that particular page.
Mind you, I'm just a guy on Hacker News, and this is just your Kickstarter video. With any luck, this is merely the beginning of the process, and no one's going to not-buy it because a single tag line on one of the clips might have been better written. Thanks for stopping by to comment though!
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 :)