One step closer to the "MUSICAL RENAISSANCE"!!!! It feels like a liberation of motoric expression in electronic sound and performance. From the beginning of electroacoustic creation to modern electronic music, creativity has always been bound by technical constraints. It's a design that represents an idea-an idea that is abstract, perhaps even transcendent, but ROLI seems to take the concept behind their products very seriously. I have already ordered my Airwave!!! I'll take this opportunity to say THANK YOU ANDREW HUANG for your way of life! I don't know you but I can feel that you mean it.
@@nobodyhome3753 That's an interesting point you raise. I think it's no longer about MPE, but about its utilization. At the moment we are dealing with the problem of the "right" design.
@@phelper4554 The hand tracking in this *is* Leap Motion! The project was a partnership with Ultraleap, the bone tracking at 5:00 shows the Ultraleap visualiser
Finally, the Theremin approach is coming into MIDI realm. I hope, this will be further developed. These ideas are coming to me immediately: first of all, both hands detected separately (as you already mentioned, Andrew); then the next step: detecting every single finger's position on the keyboard. Using a proper software solution, combining the data from this thing with the note data from the keyboard should be possible. This would add MPE capabilities (or even more) to traditional keyboards. If done properly, this could be another game-changer. Well done, Roli!
It's been around for a while already, go check out the "Mimu Glover" software and demonstration videos (that I think Imogen was involved with) being controlled by a Leap Motion controller. It wouldn't surprise me if the hardware in this is just a Motion Leap 2 that's been licensed out. I'm not hating on Roli, there is some interesting things happening here they deserver credit for, but they're not the first to do this and the people at Mimu should get some credit for it.
Yes!! And also Onyx Ashanti for his incredible homemade cyberpunk-like music making suits. I wonder if we would have gone these directions technologically without art pointing and creating the way, did artists see the potential futures so accurately or have scientists been inspired and followed their visionary imagery? I have been wondering why these two paths are so eternally related. I definitely think the latter is more likely from the scientists I know personally and parasocially.
This is moving slowly to the air keyboard. We won’t even need a physical keyboard. In fact it won’t be long until our entire body IS the instrument. Imagine a dancer making the music as they dance!!
I think that would already be possible! Just perhaps not to the regular consumer. But body tracking for different CGI work has been available for a while, I'm sure that input could be turned into musical expression! Though I do have to slightly disagree on the keyboard not being needed. It would be very difficult to accurately play notes if there isn't any haptic feedback and you weren't really sure what keys you're pressing. And if you do need to look at a screen to know that, then I feel it kind of destroys the purpose, at least for me it would :))
I made a working prototype of that around 2006-2007. (I used gloves with accelerometers and OpenGL with two web cameras.) Unfortunately my webpage is down at the moment (https problems) but it’s there somewhere.
If you want similar but without being limited to ROLI devices just get a Leap Motion controller (Mk1 is fine, I got an used one for $10) and use it with GECO or MidiPaw.
That’s exactly what I did when I saw the product. I found my forgotten leap motion mk1, downloaded the drivers and bought GECO midi for 20 bucks on the App Store and voilà. Same experience , with left and right hand tracking and more gestures.
Leap Motion is very responsive - smaller and adaptable. - The Neova Ring (got a bargain at £25) is excellent both studio and live (Understand Roland have acquired Neova Technology). The $250 price tag will put most people off.
I found the Leap Motion controller to be finicky and unpredictable when used in anything but ideal lighting. Hopefully the Airwave handles this better.
@@smwells5 You're right and don't get me wrong, I'd love to see development with similar tech but this one feels like repackaged stuff from 10 years ago. Seems like the Airwave is trying to solve the same problem the Leap Motion has with the led strip but yeah, hopefully there's more to it.
You are... actually correct! The original product was called Leap Motion. It was not intended to be a VR device but something that laid in front of your computer keyboard to do... whatever you programmed it to do. Not too many people bought them except developers trying to dream up a use case. Later, the first Occulus Rift Dev Kit headset came out, and it wasn't too long after before someone finally realized they could glue a bracket to the front of the headset to hold the Leap and have hand tracking in VR. (they had to of course build their own software to make this a reality though). Later hand tracking implementations licensed the Leap's patented tech for years. I think it's hilarious that this is just.. a leap motion back on the desk and we're surprised like it's new and not just standing on some popsicle sticks. The magic here is in the synth UI and the already set up bank of presets that take advantage of the tech to make it feel like a finished product. That's what the on-desk Leap was always missing: something that felt like a reason for the tech to exist. (Like releasing a wiimote without a wii or a zelda game to go with it.)
This adds next level MPE to any traditional keyboard! The only disadvantage to the current design IMO, is that it stands between you and your monitor screen all the time, thus blocking the view significantly. So a version that could be mounted on top of your monitor would be solving that issue. Nevertheless a great achievement from Roli!
See, this is cool and all, but I feel like the Seaboard already was as expressive as I want. Roli has a history of buying into some early tech, selling some units, then abandoning the ecosystem. This happened for Blocks, which was supposed to grow over time, but only really changed with Lumi, which was much more geared towards beginners than working musicians. I guess that comes with being bought out by Apple.
Roli customer support isn't the greatest either. My Roli Seaboard 49 decided to brick itself, and I'm going on week twelve tomorrow just to hear back on the part they think I need to fix it. I want to believe in Roli as I LOVED playing the Seaboard and Lumi's I have, but I have very little faith in support when something goes wrong. I wanted to get a Seaboard 2 but I don't think that's going to happen based on my experience with customer service. Apple has also been caught bricking their own tech, just so you HAVE to buy their new stuff. That business model is disgusting, especially for instruments. I hope that is not happening with Roli.
@@dannyC3827 that's what I hate; their instruments are actually really good! If they'd spend the money to give a quality experience and actually make good on their promises, they'd do super well. Think about how much money Arturia made on the Microfreak bc its an amazing synth that they continued to support and update for years, even after the Minifreak released. I went to a Guitar Center the other day, and to *this day* they have 3 Microfreaks in stock, the only synths they had. If you treat musicians with respect, you're gonna get hella money from it.
Fascinating. They should really make it clear if this can be used with any controller and if gestures can be mapped to any software synth. Watched all their vids and am still not completely sure
it's just a leap motion controller in a stand, believe it or not this hand tracking is 10 years old tech, though this is a new application for it which is nice to see, seems like it has a lot of potential
That is not new either, geco MIDI for leap motion, Google it and you'll realize that also was implemented already, it was some hidden app that didn't got any additional update but already had 6 or seven different types of movement detection, but what this might bring is the marketing visibility and ease of use that a big brand can do.
I worked extensively on trying to make a Leap Motion theremin, but found that the Leap Motion controller tracking was rather finicky and unpredictable with anything but ideal lighting.
That's amazing, hand tracking has been a challenge for a lot of products attempting motion tracking. I wonder if you can take not only the MIDI CC output but also the tracking data to feed other software.... That's possibly unallowed in the ToS of their product but so many possibilities, not just influencing music but you could use it to operate plugins in other software, or have better hand tracking when using virtual avatars.
Unlikely, they even removed some of the 'DNA connectors' from later products like the updated Seaboard Block (now known as Seaboard M) and the Lumi (now known as Piano M). I think they removed the connectors from the top edge of the device, and only retained the ones that are necessary to expand the octave range of the Seaboard M and Piano M by joining multiple ones together side by side.
I would be curious to see this used for VR applications. Like, if it can transmit the tracking data to SteamVR (for example), it could be a way to get accurate hand tracking without needing something like a Quest 3. While you're limited to using it while sitting, it could give you a way to accurately track your hands while playing piano. This could be really neat for people who perform music in VR.
oh that is friggin' cool. maybe someday the tech can expand even further into full body tracking and we can combine things like dance and sound in entirely new ways :o
My v1 controller and Glover software has been reliable for years, but I believe this might be a v2 embedded controller, judging by how it's working and the "developer" graphics.
WOW ! I already have equator .I should start to make presets so I can use them when I get a Roli and this very useful device .Exciting musical times ! Thank you Andrew for this good video .Makes me think about doing modular hardware too .
I can easily see mechanical interfaces such as mice and keyboards being archaic vintage gear in a few decades, it's definitely a clunky remnant of the past, as well as 2D media and displays instead of AR and holographic displays. 2D photos giving a huge sense of utopian nostalgia etc. I simultaneously see the godlike magic of our current state - as well as it as a primitive past of a future that has completed more technological pathfinding.
This is really cool. I imagine version 2.0 and how much more you can do with that one plus the refinements in the software. Could be kind of a game changer fpr certain people. I want one. :)
Many people are mentioning Theremin, and Roli could really easily add and position this as Effects or Pitch mode in Equator. Pitch could really function like a theremin.
Yes, from a hardware perspective, it has everything needed to be programed as a theremin. If enabled, you wouldn't even need a keyboard to use it as a theremin. Set the left hand to control volume, and right hand to control pitch, with whatever range and sound you choose. For $299, it would be a relatively inexpensive theremin.
Wow! This definitely gives me Theremin vibes but takes it to a whole new level! I can already envision and hear my compositions utilizing this great technology! Fantastic video, as always!
Hey, thank you for the comment! ROLI Airwave isn't just a modern take on the Theremin (though, let's be honest, the Theremin is a timeless classic). With ROLI Vision tracking every unique hand gesture and nuanced movement, you get control over more than volume and pitch. ROLI Airwave will include 100 bespoke Airwave sounds, finely tuned to 5 Dimensions of Air for each gesture you make!
And yet... it can't even be a Theremin. See the comment from ROLI, "Airwave isn't... [a] Theremin." They KNOW they have quash that before they get sued.
I can barely believe that this video is only 8 minutes long! Cool device. I do wonder why some features that seem like they could be quite central to me, are not yet developed at launch.
Hey Andrew, this is wild, and I really dig Roli and their innovations. I know it's been a while since I've been paying attention. I know a while back, things weren't looking good your way. I remember you have been losing your hearing over time. I know how it is since I'm almost blind, but not hearing must be incredibly challenging since you're a musician. All this is to say I'm sending some love your way!!!
Whenever anything Roli comes up,I always remember when LMNC did a video disassembling the smaller seaboard along with other people and started giving the Roli rep shit because the unit used Pentalobe screws.
I saw this exact technology in a video many years ago, but this is the first I’ve seen it applied to anything more than just an experiment. Somehow, I hadn’t imagined it for music, but now I don’t know why I hadn’t.
Honestly this feels like it was made for orchestra conductors wanting to produce, that and also anyone who morphs their hands in line with dubstep basses lol
i was on the phone with my friend 2 years ago and i was telling him i was going to use the theramin from moog with the midi out to control cc parameters spefically for strings and brass sections. looks like roli has a better way of pullling that off now.
Kinda a theremin keyboard. What I appreciate about you is you say, "let s try this out" and you actually make a a brilliant piece of music. ( yeah I know it's not real time, at least the full tune, but you take the time to make some music.) Thank You!
At $299 ( Euro / that = $328 USD) they priced this at a place mortals can afford. I can see everybody benefiting from this. Live shows will take on new experiences if the keyboard player controls the synths & the laser lights! #excitedforthisone
For some reason this makes my think there'll be a prog rock V tuber that uses this technology to accurately track their hands as the 3D model shreds a keyboard, lol.
$300 for a Kinect camera? i know that its mainly the software you are getting with it and its ROLI so its gonna be expensive but this feels more like novelty at that price range, i like the teaching implications but it is absolutely unrealistic if a good starter keyboard is less than that (though i suppose in a teachers toolbox those implications wouldn't be wasted entirely but then again that's what the teacher is for). THAT BEING SAID, I love the implementation that ROLI has provided and novelty or not it is a novel approach to modern music synthesis and composition, and i think some cool stuff will come from people who can invest in another novel way to try modulating sound.
The "under the hood" skeleton display reminds me of magic leap directly, I wonder if they used patents or partnered with them. I did a VR experience back in 2017 using oculus goggles and hand tracking for a virtual synth oscillator, it was a lot of fun! Great to see how the tech has evolved (and wow it's already been 7 years?)
Damn it Andrew, now i have to get it this looks like what the guy who invented the piano pedals would fantasize about before needing to pull himself back to reality
Damn, I have to get back to this video later and do some anatomy study sketching on your hands; the lighting makes them really interesting in that sense. There's so much material in this video, lol.
I used to use the Leap Motion from years ago to do similar things. But to have a dedicated interface like that with all the presets.... wow that would be so much fun!
It's a cool system, and I could see some musicians using this to great effect, but I also have a hard time seeing this fit into how I approach music. Hopefully this does open the door for a lot of cool possibilities for people to explore, though! Having things based on human gestures will almost certainly make them feel more natural to us, since they are based on our natural motions and similar. After all, I was blown away by Imogen Heap's performance of Hide & Seek using her gloves, and this is a similar concept!
Interested to hear what you think about this tech!
Thanks again to ROLI for sponsoring - check out their site for more: shorturl.at/GExWw
I mean, for $300. It's not MiMu, but hey...
That looks dope AF. Reminds me of a theremin. I can hear some cool song ideas in the demo section.
One step closer to the "MUSICAL RENAISSANCE"!!!! It feels like a liberation of motoric expression in electronic sound and performance. From the beginning of electroacoustic creation to modern electronic music, creativity has always been bound by technical constraints. It's a design that represents an idea-an idea that is abstract, perhaps even transcendent, but ROLI seems to take the concept behind their products very seriously. I have already ordered my Airwave!!!
I'll take this opportunity to say THANK YOU ANDREW HUANG for your way of life! I don't know you but I can feel that you mean it.
Why don't you know what MPE is by now?
@@nobodyhome3753 That's an interesting point you raise. I think it's no longer about MPE, but about its utilization. At the moment we are dealing with the problem of the "right" design.
the force is strong with this one
The picking was ripe with this comment
And groovy!
In the realms of any sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic, this is very magical
I'm thinking it's magical only if you don't watch the video.
For those times when the Osmose just isn't expressive enough.
Leap motion does the exact same thing for many years 😅
Just like the leap motion was 20 years ago. This is rehashed nonsense that barely fits on your desk
@@phelper4554 The hand tracking in this *is* Leap Motion! The project was a partnership with Ultraleap, the bone tracking at 5:00 shows the Ultraleap visualiser
Finally, the Theremin approach is coming into MIDI realm. I hope, this will be further developed. These ideas are coming to me immediately: first of all, both hands detected separately (as you already mentioned, Andrew); then the next step: detecting every single finger's position on the keyboard. Using a proper software solution, combining the data from this thing with the note data from the keyboard should be possible. This would add MPE capabilities (or even more) to traditional keyboards. If done properly, this could be another game-changer. Well done, Roli!
at that point you could add a laser projector and have an instant keyboard on any surface
Moog had mini thermini
This tech gives me some serious Imogen Heap vibes. I feel like what she did a decade or so ago with her glove was the blueprint for tech like this.
Could not agree more. She used an xbox 360 camera I believe to track her hand gestures? Time to give Roli a call Imogen! ;)
It's been around for a while already, go check out the "Mimu Glover" software and demonstration videos (that I think Imogen was involved with) being controlled by a Leap Motion controller. It wouldn't surprise me if the hardware in this is just a Motion Leap 2 that's been licensed out.
I'm not hating on Roli, there is some interesting things happening here they deserver credit for, but they're not the first to do this and the people at Mimu should get some credit for it.
Yes!! And also Onyx Ashanti for his incredible homemade cyberpunk-like music making suits.
I wonder if we would have gone these directions technologically without art pointing and creating the way, did artists see the potential futures so accurately or have scientists been inspired and followed their visionary imagery? I have been wondering why these two paths are so eternally related.
I definitely think the latter is more likely from the scientists I know personally and parasocially.
Great track dude 😊
Next level Midi Theremin. LIKE!
So now it's better not to scratch your nose during the performance 😅
Best comment
Who knows? It might get a happy accident 😅
@@lucastrapeze 😅😅😅
I think someone performing with this would be so cool to watch live
This is moving slowly to the air keyboard. We won’t even need a physical keyboard. In fact it won’t be long until our entire body IS the instrument. Imagine a dancer making the music as they dance!!
I think that would already be possible! Just perhaps not to the regular consumer. But body tracking for different CGI work has been available for a while, I'm sure that input could be turned into musical expression!
Though I do have to slightly disagree on the keyboard not being needed. It would be very difficult to accurately play notes if there isn't any haptic feedback and you weren't really sure what keys you're pressing. And if you do need to look at a screen to know that, then I feel it kind of destroys the purpose, at least for me it would :))
Look at mimu gloves. And glover software.
I made a working prototype of that around 2006-2007. (I used gloves with accelerometers and OpenGL with two web cameras.) Unfortunately my webpage is down at the moment (https problems) but it’s there somewhere.
If you want similar but without being limited to ROLI devices just get a Leap Motion controller (Mk1 is fine, I got an used one for $10) and use it with GECO or MidiPaw.
That’s exactly what I did when I saw the product. I found my forgotten leap motion mk1, downloaded the drivers and bought GECO midi for 20 bucks on the App Store and voilà. Same experience , with left and right hand tracking and more gestures.
Leap Motion is very responsive - smaller and adaptable. - The Neova Ring (got a bargain at £25) is excellent both studio and live (Understand Roland have acquired Neova Technology). The $250 price tag will put most people off.
I found the Leap Motion controller to be finicky and unpredictable when used in anything but ideal lighting. Hopefully the Airwave handles this better.
@@smwells5 I don’t think it will be better because it’s probably based on the same technology.
@@smwells5 You're right and don't get me wrong, I'd love to see development with similar tech but this one feels like repackaged stuff from 10 years ago. Seems like the Airwave is trying to solve the same problem the Leap Motion has with the led strip but yeah, hopefully there's more to it.
DJs are going to have so much fun in the next 20 years with this stuff.
The Roli brand is gonna need some serious improvements for that to happen 😔
no more problems with hot knobs
That technology seems like inadvertently perfect for vr
This is essentially how hand tracking currently works in headsets like the Quest and Apple Vision
It’s probably based off of VR tracking tech
You are... actually correct! The original product was called Leap Motion. It was not intended to be a VR device but something that laid in front of your computer keyboard to do... whatever you programmed it to do. Not too many people bought them except developers trying to dream up a use case. Later, the first Occulus Rift Dev Kit headset came out, and it wasn't too long after before someone finally realized they could glue a bracket to the front of the headset to hold the Leap and have hand tracking in VR. (they had to of course build their own software to make this a reality though). Later hand tracking implementations licensed the Leap's patented tech for years. I think it's hilarious that this is just.. a leap motion back on the desk and we're surprised like it's new and not just standing on some popsicle sticks. The magic here is in the synth UI and the already set up bank of presets that take advantage of the tech to make it feel like a finished product. That's what the on-desk Leap was always missing: something that felt like a reason for the tech to exist. (Like releasing a wiimote without a wii or a zelda game to go with it.)
This adds next level MPE to any traditional keyboard! The only disadvantage to the current design IMO, is that it stands between you and your monitor screen all the time, thus blocking the view significantly. So a version that could be mounted on top of your monitor would be solving that issue. Nevertheless a great achievement from Roli!
I couldn't think of anyone more fitting to demonstrate a product like this. True techno-wizardry.
Loopop. Daniel Fisher.
for neurofunk, future garage the bass control sounds sick
I got to play with one of these at the AES show in New York today. It’s very cool, fun, and very intuitive.
See, this is cool and all, but I feel like the Seaboard already was as expressive as I want. Roli has a history of buying into some early tech, selling some units, then abandoning the ecosystem. This happened for Blocks, which was supposed to grow over time, but only really changed with Lumi, which was much more geared towards beginners than working musicians. I guess that comes with being bought out by Apple.
When were they bought out by Apple?
@@SeanHyland 🤔
@@SeanHyland they went bankrupt years ago and Apple got them out of it. That's why Blocks never went anywhere.
Roli customer support isn't the greatest either. My Roli Seaboard 49 decided to brick itself, and I'm going on week twelve tomorrow just to hear back on the part they think I need to fix it. I want to believe in Roli as I LOVED playing the Seaboard and Lumi's I have, but I have very little faith in support when something goes wrong. I wanted to get a Seaboard 2 but I don't think that's going to happen based on my experience with customer service. Apple has also been caught bricking their own tech, just so you HAVE to buy their new stuff. That business model is disgusting, especially for instruments. I hope that is not happening with Roli.
@@dannyC3827 that's what I hate; their instruments are actually really good! If they'd spend the money to give a quality experience and actually make good on their promises, they'd do super well. Think about how much money Arturia made on the Microfreak bc its an amazing synth that they continued to support and update for years, even after the Minifreak released. I went to a Guitar Center the other day, and to *this day* they have 3 Microfreaks in stock, the only synths they had. If you treat musicians with respect, you're gonna get hella money from it.
This is like bringing the espressivness of a theramin to the precision of a keyboard. magical. thanks andrew!
Fascinating. They should really make it clear if this can be used with any controller and if gestures can be mapped to any software synth. Watched all their vids and am still not completely sure
it's just a leap motion controller in a stand, believe it or not this hand tracking is 10 years old tech, though this is a new application for it which is nice to see, seems like it has a lot of potential
That is not new either, geco MIDI for leap motion, Google it and you'll realize that also was implemented already, it was some hidden app that didn't got any additional update but already had 6 or seven different types of movement detection, but what this might bring is the marketing visibility and ease of use that a big brand can do.
I worked extensively on trying to make a Leap Motion theremin, but found that the Leap Motion controller tracking was rather finicky and unpredictable with anything but ideal lighting.
That bone tracker would actually be super useful for animation of musicians. Wish it was publicly available.
Simultaneously outputting the 3D joint vertices to something like Touch Designer to modulate a live video screen would be dope.
Go check out Leap Motion Controller 2, I'm fairly certain this is just one of them packaged differently.
@Cyrax89721 run it into source film maker
That's amazing, hand tracking has been a challenge for a lot of products attempting motion tracking. I wonder if you can take not only the MIDI CC output but also the tracking data to feed other software.... That's possibly unallowed in the ToS of their product but so many possibilities, not just influencing music but you could use it to operate plugins in other software, or have better hand tracking when using virtual avatars.
Love it ❤ can't wait to see an update where both hands can independently control parameters ❤
Wow I wonder if they'll take Blocks seriously again one day
I know. I love my block. Wish they kept them going
UDO Super 6 desktop synth are used w/ seabord. Really nice.
Unlikely, they even removed some of the 'DNA connectors' from later products like the updated Seaboard Block (now known as Seaboard M) and the Lumi (now known as Piano M). I think they removed the connectors from the top edge of the device, and only retained the ones that are necessary to expand the octave range of the Seaboard M and Piano M by joining multiple ones together side by side.
Can't describe it, so perfect!
this is like a Rain World soundtrack machine. really cool.
Absolutely underrated gem of a game. Wish more people knew how great it was!
Nice ... Thanks for showing ... Think about to order it ..
It's like a theremin for FX. It's so cool.
I would be curious to see this used for VR applications. Like, if it can transmit the tracking data to SteamVR (for example), it could be a way to get accurate hand tracking without needing something like a Quest 3. While you're limited to using it while sitting, it could give you a way to accurately track your hands while playing piano. This could be really neat for people who perform music in VR.
Maybe, but I think it's just a leap motion hardware wise so.... that's cheaper and has lots of support/tutorials to get it working in VR :)
finally, theremin 2
Hahahahha Stinky Karate Face @1:16 😂😂😂
oh that is friggin' cool. maybe someday the tech can expand even further into full body tracking and we can combine things like dance and sound in entirely new ways :o
this is really cool, like a modern Leap Motion that feels reliable!
My v1 controller and Glover software has been reliable for years, but I believe this might be a v2 embedded controller, judging by how it's working and the "developer" graphics.
Mine will be arriving in April. I cannot wait!
I remember as a teenager, watching Jean Michelle Jarre play the Laser Harp, and was like WOW! Just had one of those moments again 🙂
The gestures remind me a lot of conducting a choir or orchestra, which may be why it feels so natural
WOW ! I already have equator .I should start to make presets so I can use them when I get a Roli and this very useful device .Exciting musical times ! Thank you Andrew for this good video .Makes me think about doing modular hardware too .
I am loving this thing...preordered!
🙌🏻💜💜💜
Sounds amazing
Just 100 years after synthesizer technology came up with this. I can't beleive we're making such progress!
Here's to the next 100 years! 🚀
This replaced my desire to buy a theremin.
EDIT: Damn. Works only with a ROLI keyboard.
Imagine the same concept but with hand tracking stuff used by vtubers remapped to control midi
@@nullbyt
I'd rather not.
Search for midipaw and leap motion 😊
So it's basically like a Leap Motion 2 controller but with a giant structure in front and can only be used with Roli controllers?
I missed these lil videos where you're just reviewing things and having fun
This is insane. We live in such a wild time for technology!
Thank you so much!
Magical! 🧙♂🧙♂🧙♂
You literally are casting spells with it!
I can easily see mechanical interfaces such as mice and keyboards being archaic vintage gear in a few decades, it's definitely a clunky remnant of the past, as well as 2D media and displays instead of AR and holographic displays. 2D photos giving a huge sense of utopian nostalgia etc.
I simultaneously see the godlike magic of our current state - as well as it as a primitive past of a future that has completed more technological pathfinding.
This is really cool. I imagine version 2.0 and how much more you can do with that one plus the refinements in the software. Could be kind of a game changer fpr certain people. I want one. :)
Many people are mentioning Theremin, and Roli could really easily add and position this as Effects or Pitch mode in Equator. Pitch could really function like a theremin.
Yes, from a hardware perspective, it has everything needed to be programed as a theremin. If enabled, you wouldn't even need a keyboard to use it as a theremin. Set the left hand to control volume, and right hand to control pitch, with whatever range and sound you choose. For $299, it would be a relatively inexpensive theremin.
Wow!! I love it!
I can only imagine the music pieces people like Jean-Michel Jarre will make with this included in their instrumental arsenal.
Wow! This definitely gives me Theremin vibes but takes it to a whole new level! I can already envision and hear my compositions utilizing this great technology! Fantastic video, as always!
Hey, thank you for the comment! ROLI Airwave isn't just a modern take on the Theremin (though, let's be honest, the Theremin is a timeless classic). With ROLI Vision tracking every unique hand gesture and nuanced movement, you get control over more than volume and pitch. ROLI Airwave will include 100 bespoke Airwave sounds, finely tuned to 5 Dimensions of Air for each gesture you make!
And yet... it can't even be a Theremin. See the comment from ROLI, "Airwave isn't... [a] Theremin." They KNOW they have quash that before they get sued.
Nice demonstration Andrew! Reminds me of a modern version of The Theremin instrument. 👍🏽
I can barely believe that this video is only 8 minutes long! Cool device. I do wonder why some features that seem like they could be quite central to me, are not yet developed at launch.
Hey Andrew, this is wild, and I really dig Roli and their innovations. I know it's been a while since I've been paying attention. I know a while back, things weren't looking good your way. I remember you have been losing your hearing over time. I know how it is since I'm almost blind, but not hearing must be incredibly challenging since you're a musician. All this is to say I'm sending some love your way!!!
Whenever anything Roli comes up,I always remember when LMNC did a video disassembling the smaller seaboard along with other people and started giving the Roli rep shit because the unit used Pentalobe screws.
Super cool use case for Leap Motion, good to know their tech is still out there even if in different products
I do love the music you do
now this is cool
very cool
That long hair suits you, especially considering you're the mad scientist of the modular synth.
I NEED TWO OF THEM!
... for obvious reasons :-D
Awesome!
I've always wanted something like this
I saw this exact technology in a video many years ago, but this is the first I’ve seen it applied to anything more than just an experiment. Somehow, I hadn’t imagined it for music, but now I don’t know why I hadn’t.
Honestly this feels like it was made for orchestra conductors wanting to produce, that and also anyone who morphs their hands in line with dubstep basses lol
Can’t wait to try this!!
Love your work - ever need vocals hit me up :) - also super cool to see you integrating the Roli into the workflow - amazing
i was on the phone with my friend 2 years ago and i was telling him i was going to use the theramin from moog with the midi out to control cc parameters spefically for strings and brass sections. looks like roli has a better way of pullling that off now.
Kinda a theremin keyboard.
What I appreciate about you is you say, "let
s try this out" and you actually make a a brilliant piece of music. ( yeah I know it's not real time, at least the full tune, but you take the time to make some music.) Thank You!
This seems like it would be ungodly expensive and not work very well, but I love the idea of being able to do all that fluid automation, super cool.
At $299 ( Euro / that = $328 USD) they priced this at a place mortals can afford. I can see everybody benefiting from this. Live shows will take on new experiences if the keyboard player controls the synths & the laser lights! #excitedforthisone
Seems like a must have :)
Oh look, Roli reinvented the Roland D Beam.
I see a lot of potential in this device.
Musical notation is going to be a new challenge!
This is how a wizard would make music
Very nice tune !
that looks dope af fr
Man! I want that Equator update with Customer CC assignment right now!
For some reason this makes my think there'll be a prog rock V tuber that uses this technology to accurately track their hands as the 3D model shreds a keyboard, lol.
Got me thinking you could just use an Xbox connect and some remapping magic to do something similar with regular midi devices 😅
$300 for a Kinect camera? i know that its mainly the software you are getting with it and its ROLI so its gonna be expensive but this feels more like novelty at that price range, i like the teaching implications but it is absolutely unrealistic if a good starter keyboard is less than that (though i suppose in a teachers toolbox those implications wouldn't be wasted entirely but then again that's what the teacher is for). THAT BEING SAID, I love the implementation that ROLI has provided and novelty or not it is a novel approach to modern music synthesis and composition, and i think some cool stuff will come from people who can invest in another novel way to try modulating sound.
The "under the hood" skeleton display reminds me of magic leap directly, I wonder if they used patents or partnered with them. I did a VR experience back in 2017 using oculus goggles and hand tracking for a virtual synth oscillator, it was a lot of fun! Great to see how the tech has evolved (and wow it's already been 7 years?)
WHAT this is crazy!
Damn it Andrew, now i have to get it this looks like what the guy who invented the piano pedals would fantasize about before needing to pull himself back to reality
Wow it's super impressive. As a conductor wiht passion for synths, that's kind of a way to combine both. 😁 Wondering how it could improve even more.
Damn, I have to get back to this video later and do some anatomy study sketching on your hands; the lighting makes them really interesting in that sense.
There's so much material in this video, lol.
do a video on the lumatone keyboard (hexagonal keyboard designed for microtonal tuning)
I used to use the Leap Motion from years ago to do similar things. But to have a dedicated interface like that with all the presets.... wow that would be so much fun!
Wait! That backend program you showed looked nearly identical to Leap!! I wonder if that's coincidence or...
Isn’t there a competitor that achieves the same effects with a ring? And isn’t a ring much more practical due to its size?
amazing 😍love it
Duuuude, this is cool. I want this and a seaboard so bad.
Omg I need one!!! ❤
That is most awesome!!! It’s almost like you’re conducting and performing simultaneously !!! How much are these beauties?
It's a cool system, and I could see some musicians using this to great effect, but I also have a hard time seeing this fit into how I approach music.
Hopefully this does open the door for a lot of cool possibilities for people to explore, though! Having things based on human gestures will almost certainly make them feel more natural to us, since they are based on our natural motions and similar.
After all, I was blown away by Imogen Heap's performance of Hide & Seek using her gloves, and this is a similar concept!
You know how rappers move their hands a lot? Would be interesting to see their movement being tracked and affecting the sounds through this instrument
1:14 this is awesome. what a great track
Thank you! Full thing is on streaming services, Andrew Huang - Burst Generator
Your hair is looking beautiful Andrew!
This reminds me of the Ultraleap controller (aka Leap Motion) but on a stand and fine tuned for Roli
I'd love to see how this gets used in live performance applications