AlphaSphere (instrument)
Encyclopedia
AlphaSphere is a new electronic musical instrument
currently under development by nu desine, a company based in Bristol
, UK. The primary concept of the instrument is to 'put performance back into electronic music
' and move electronic musicians away from their computer screens.
in Japan
where he produced an initial prototype.
In September 2010 Adam was commissioned by Media Sandbox, a development funding scheme which is part of Bristol's Watershed subsidiary iShed, to further develop his concept by researching into smart materials. This spawned the birth of nu desine which soon developed into a team that specialise in music technology
, software development
, electronics engineering, product design
and user interface design
.
Characteristics of the instrument are:
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical audio signal that ultimately drives a loudspeaker....
currently under development by nu desine, a company based in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, UK. The primary concept of the instrument is to 'put performance back into electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
' and move electronic musicians away from their computer screens.
History
The initial concept of AlphaSphere was conceived while company founder Adam Place was studying the at Nagoya University of ArtsNagoya University of Arts
is a private university at Kitanagoya, Aichi, Japan, founded in 1970.-External links:*...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where he produced an initial prototype.
In September 2010 Adam was commissioned by Media Sandbox, a development funding scheme which is part of Bristol's Watershed subsidiary iShed, to further develop his concept by researching into smart materials. This spawned the birth of nu desine which soon developed into a team that specialise in music technology
Music technology
Music technology is a term that refers to all forms of technology involved with the musical arts, particularly the use of electronic devices and computer software to facilitate playback, recording, composition, storage and performance. This subject is taught at many different educational levels,...
, software development
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
, electronics engineering, product design
Product design
-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
and user interface design
User interface design
User interface design or user interface engineering is the design of computers, appliances, machines, mobile communication devices, software applications, and websites with the focus on the user's experience and interaction...
.
Features
In its current state AlphaSphere is a hardware controller that communicates with a computer via the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol. MIDI communication is also possible through custom software that converts the OSC data into MIDI messages.Characteristics of the instrument are:
- An ergonomic and aesthetic spherical design.
- 48 tactile pads that respond to touch as well as pressure. This allows real-time modulation of audio parameters of each played note individually, and is similar to the functionality of polyphonic aftertouch.
- LEDsLight-emitting diodeA light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
that react to touch and pressure input. - A built-in loudspeakerLoudspeakerA loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
that causes the instrument to vibrate when being played, providing acoustic feedback similar to that of more traditional musical instrumentsMusical instrumentA musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
. - Custom software that currently allows four playing modes - SynthesizerSoftware synthesizerA software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth is a computer program or plug-in for digital audio generation. Computer software which can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed are allowing softsynths to accomplish the same tasks that previously required dedicated...
, MIDI controllerMIDI controllerMIDI controller is used in two senses.*In one sense, a controller is hardware or software which generates and transmits MIDI data to MIDI-enabled devices....
, LooperMusic loopIn electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
, and SequencerMusic sequencerThe music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
. - Infinitely Programmable. There is no set note or function for each pad - noteNoteIn music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
layouts and scalesMusical scaleIn music, a scale is a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order. Most commonly, especially in the context of the common practice period, the notes of a scale will belong to a single key, thus providing material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical...
can be set over the pads as desired as well the mode of each pad and the parameters that the pressure modulates.