simonsound

Yamaha release the much anticipated Tenori On, a musical interface based around a grid of touch sensitive buttons/LED’s which can be seen from the front and back, in the UK next week and I for one will be keen to try it out. I’ve followed Toshio Iwai’s work since his Elektroplankton sound ‘game’ for the Nintendo DS which offered every DS owner the opportunity to create some underwater inspired electronica. Whilst Elektroplankton was a lot of fun it was always hampered by the fact you couldn’t save your work. The Tenori On solves this problem and adds a lot more functionality.

Update: Official Tenori On website is now live. Some cool videos of the different modes, interviews with musicians and all the specs confirmed (no infra red). I also heard from a friend who is performing at the Manchester launch today. He’s had a Tenori On since last week and confirms that it is easy to use, immediate, spontaneous and great visually.

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Really cool ad from Honda in Brazil. It invites you to ‘Put your headphones, close your eyes and enjoy the ride’. It dispenses with any visual and relies purely on sound using what it claims is ‘3D Holophonic sound technology’. It is great to see brands embracing the evocative power of sound, although its not new for Honda, their ‘Power of Screams‘ (warning, this link will launch video automatically) ad used a choir to recreate the sounds of a Honda Civic to powerful effect.

What the Future Sounded Like is a brilliant documentary that tells the story of British synthesizer manufactures EMS. EMS was setup in the 60’s by pioneering electronic composers Peter Zinovieff and Tristram Cary (famed for his work on the Dr Who series) and engineer David Cockerell. The 60’s was a time of sweeping change, experimentation and optimism with many musicians and composers using electronic oscillators, tape manipulation and music concrete to imagine what the future might sound like. (more…)