Walkman mellotron on MusicThing

I sort of class this as handheld due to the use of walkman's, tenuous I guess. Still, check it out at MusicThing.

Pophorns are go ....

It looks like the Pophorn software has launched. It seems to run on Java as the download is a .jar file. If you get a chance to have a look I'd appreciate any comments.

Jam Sessions Review at DS Fanboy

On the subject of Jam Sessions you should really give this review from DS Fanboy a once over. It compares Jam Sessions with Tenori-on and goes into a lot of detail about what you can do with the game / software.

Having read this I'm starting to think I'd like to get this for myself. I'm especially interested in the effects and chains it has to offer.

Mobile Music is mainstream?

I was in London last night and I saw this in the window of the Virgin Megastore on Piccadilly Circus. Who says mobile music isn't mainstream then?

October at Palm Sounds

Well, September is nearly over so I thought I'd put write about some things that I'd like to get out in October (time permitting).

PodCast
I'm planning another podcast and I have a few ideas for subject matter.

Basics Series
Hopefully the series will get at least one more entry in October.

Sound Toys
I have two more Sound Toys for October. I'm sorry it has taken so long to release these. As before they are completely free. I'm also hoping to get another one or two ideas under way during the month.

News
As usual I'll be posting on any news items as them come up.

What I'd like to see next
As always I'm hopeful on updates to software an hardware. I'd love to see:
- More from miniMusic
- Updates from 4Pockets
- Brian Whitman's iPhone audio experiments
- Updates from the DScratch application
- Pacemaker moving forward
- Intermorphic bringing their apps to the mobile platform
- Another Milkytracker update?

Experiments
I'm hoping to have some more time to experiment with putting PDAs together and use combinations of software and hardware to do some different things. If possible I'll video my experiments too.

Palm Sounds on MySpace
I will update the MySpace page with some new content.

Other stuff
- I'd like to collect a bunch of resources for writing Bhajis plug-ins so that anyone with even a passing interest will have somewhere to find all the appropriate materials.
Anything I've missed? Let me know if there is.

Centro update

Here's a quick update on the specs for the Centro:

Display:
320x320 pixel Transflective color touchscreen, supports 16-bit color (up to 65K colors)

Radio
Dual-band CDMA2000 EvDO backward compatible with 1XRTT and IS95

Platform
Palm OS 5.4.9

Bluetooth®
Wireless Technology Version 1.2

Memory
64MB available user storage

Camera
1.3 megapixels with 2x digital zoom and video capture

Battery
Removable 1150mAh, lithium-ion 3.5 hours talk time, up to 300 hours standby time

Card
microSD card (up to 4GB supported)

Connect
Multi-connector

Size
4.22" (L) x 2.11" (W) x 0.73" (D); 4.2 oz

Colors
Ruby and Onyx

Software on device

Bluetooth®, Calculator, Camcorder, Camera, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Memos, Documents to Go® Professional Edition 10, Downloads, Google Mobile Maps, HotSync®, Instant Messaging, Nuance Voice Control, My Centro, On Demand, Phone, Pics and Video, PocketTunes™ Deluxe, Quick Tour, Sprint Mobile Email, Sprint Store, Sprint TV, Sudoku, VersaMail® 4.0, Voice Memo, Web (Blazer® 4.5), World Clock

In the box

Palm® Centro™ smartphone
Removable battery
AC charger
USB sync cable
User documentation
Software Installation CD
Palm Centro Brochure

Tenori-On at Dolphin Music

For those who are UK based, Dolphin Music have a page dedicated to the device and some videos too.

Can you make your own Bhajis plug-ins?

Is it difficult I wonder? I remember that some time ago there was some debate on the Bhajis Forums about this, but it was a while back. If you could make your own what would you make?

Mobile Music Rigs

I love to look at cool pictures of mobile music rigs, here a couple of my favourites.





I'd really like to see more stuff like this, but finding it isn't always straightforward. If you have any favourites please send in links, I'd appreciate it.

Modified Casio VL-1 on eBay goes for £31.65

Screens again

Another update from Screens Environment. A bit more info on how it will work with Palm OS.

Centro

A number of people have asked if the Centro will run Bhajis Loops. The short answer is probably yes, but I don't know the full specs of the Centro so I can't say yes for sure.

As soon as I have more information I'll post on it again. In the meantime enjoy the video and try this first looks post from Brighthand.

Group or Forum thing?

There's been more than one comment / request for a palm sounds forum or group for sharing files and tips etc. I am going to set one up, almost certainly on .Mac groups because it is very straightforward. If you're interested in this, please let me know by emailing palm dot sounds at mac dot com.

Pacemaker update

See the feedback from beta testing on the Pacemaker device.

Screens update (a bit anyway)

I've been watching this blog for ages (years probably), and every time I think there's a possibility of it really going somewhere. It goes for days and weeks with no news, and then the occasional post. This time, no news really is basically no news.

Centro

Palm, Inc. and Sprint have officially unveiled the latest Palm OS smartphone, which will be available next month.

The Palm Centro will include a full keyboard and 320 by 320 pixel touchscreen. It will include a client capable of chatting with users of AOL and Yahoo. This smartphone will include a microSD slot with SDHC support for storing music ad video files. The Centro will include Bluetooth, but not Wi-Fi. It will also have a1.3 MP camera with support for audio and video. No mention of memory as yet though.

Nice looking, but it doesn't do much for me I'm afraid.

How far will mobile music go?

I sometimes wonder if mobile music making software and hardware will be eventually consigned to the "interesting but nothing more" category. As laptops get smaller and more powerful and easier to move around with will there still be a need for devices that are even smaller.

The UMPC never really seemed to make it, but if Apple brings a sub-notebook to the market will that device, and others like it really take the lead in mobile music making? If, as widely rumoured, Apple do return to the PDA market, will that breathe some new life in?

And while we're on the subject of the old Newton ...

I found this and thought I really must post it even though it is a bit off topic. It is amazing to see a multi-tasking handheld OS.

tags technorati : Newton, Apple, MessagePad

New Apple PDA? Newton reborn as the iPad?

Welcome to the iPad. Ok, I just made that up, but it does sound cool doesn't it?

Lots of Apple sites (such as AppleInsider) have picked up on this today, but who really knows how accurate it is?

Personally I think it would be great if they would breathe new life into the Newton. A PDA running OSX would be brilliant but only on one condition.

It must be open to third party applications!.

Without that it will be useless. If they can make that work it will be amazing and could really open up mobile music making to a whole new level.

I guess we'll need to wait and see. Maybe something will come up at MacWorld?

tags technorati : Newton, iPod, iPad, Apple, PDA

TX Headset adapter

Here's a good looking module for the TX. It allows PDA’s multi-function Multi Connector port to connect a 2.5mm stereo headset as seen on the Treo line and many other smart and feature phones that conform to the same pin spec as Palm uses for their Treos.
In addition to stereo audio output, it supports audio input on several Palm devices that do not have onboard microphones; namely the Tungsten T5 and Palm TX.


Now if only there was a multi-track for the Palm platform....

iPod Bike Speaker

It is mobile music isn't it? Why not. The CyFi is really just a light speaker you can use anywhere, but is designed for bike use. I think I'd use it on my bike.

Palm Centro tomorrow?

This from PalmInfocenter suggests that the new Palm Centro will be announced tomorrow. Will it bring anything new for mobile music? I doubt it very much.

iPhone audio input

Here's an update from Brian Whitman's site on his work on audio on the iPhone.

Gearwire on the Zoom H4

This is one of a series from Gearwire on the Zoom H4.

DOS and Amiga Software?

My emulator days are not over as yet, but I'd really appreciate any suggestions for useful Amiga or DOS music apps that I coould try in emulation?

All help gratefully received.

Modified Casio VL-1 on eBay

The modified VL-1 has turned up on eBay. Here are the pictures:



According to the eBay write up the modifications are:

"WHEN USING THE MACHINE FOR THE DRUM PATTERNS AND SOUNDS THE TWO WAY SWITCH WILL WORK AS A LOW AND HIGH PASS FILTER, THIS PERFORMS AT ITS BEST WHEN USED RHYTHMICALLY

THE SWITCH ADDS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BOOST TO THE SYNTHESIZER SECTION WHEN IT IS FLICKED TO THE RIGHT, USE THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ADSR CONTROL TO MATCH SOUNDS FROM SOME OF THE BIG SYNTHS OUT THERE IN THE MARKET PLACE"


It does sound great. At the time of this post it was going for £23, but it has until Friday, so I bet it will go up quite a bit before then.

Korg KAOSSILATOR: Update on price

According to this page at Future Music the Kaossilator will be going for £117, which is not bad at all I think.

QOTD: Is your mobile music different?

Is the music you write on the go different from the music you write with regular tools on the desktop / laptop? If it is, why? I often wonder if it is the ability to be mobile that can change the nature of what you write. Maybe I'm wrong?

I wonder how the environment you're in changes what you're doing, or the fact that you're on the move for that matter. I remember one of the responses to the questionnaire I sent out back at the beginning of the year wanted an application that gave you the ability to make music in response or reaction to your surroundings. I like that idea.

I wondered whether it would be like making a track and then using an X-Y pad to adapt it as you went along. Something like that anyway.

Does this make any sense anyway or am I just rambling on?

MeTeoR updated to v 1.03

According to PocketGear Classic MeTeoR has been updated to version 1.03. I'm not sure what's in the upgrade, bug fixes I expect. Still, my version says 1.0 so there must be something in the new version!

You really should read this...

This is a great article on CDM, and is worth reading and thinking about.

Palmgear sale, 20% off

Palmgear has a 20% off sitewide sale until the 3rd of October.

Styletap update

Styletap has been updated to v 1.1.006 with various bug fixes and support updates.

Mac OS on the PSP

Continuing my obsession with emulation, this appears to be Mac OS9 running on a PSP.

DS running Mac OS 7.5

Continuing on the theme of the DS ...

QOTD: Use the same device to listen and create?

I used to be really driven to finding the one device that would do it all for me, but recerntly (i.e. in the last year) I've relaxed a lot. Now I'm content to have a handful of devices that do a variety of jobs for me.

I used to try and use a PDA as an MP3 player, but since I moved to an iPod I've become quite happy to have that function as a player and let other devices do their own thing.

Do you listen and create music on the same device, or do you separate them out, and why? Is it important at all?

Circuit bent VL1

This sounds great, and is apparently coming to eBay soon! I'm not sure if I'd rather buy it or have a go at doing it myself? I wonder if the modifications will get published so you can try it out?

Circuit bending reference

For anyone who is interested, I can recommend this book on Circuit bending. I'm just starting out with this (so don't expect great things), but the book is very straightforward and easy to get to grips with so far.

DS Pretends to be an iPod

Continuing on the DS theme from yesterday, here's a DS that thinks it is an iPod.

DS Protein Scratch app update

Here's the latest on the DScratch module, and it looks excellent!

Here's the text from YouTube. No links to a site as yet.
"DScratch module - Protein Project - Gorgull

This is the second shot of [DScratch] module - project codename Protein - Since first video, I added some new features:
# a little sampler effect
# a resampling effect
# mute mode
# pitch control
# record the mic as base sample
# visual feedback on both screens
# midi out: control midi software wireless (VJ software for example) :-p
# a few bugs correction"

It really has moved on a long way since the first version...

pd POD: How's Theologiae getting on?

I was looking at 3rd gen iPods again considering trying out pd Pod, and I remembered that I hadn't heard from theologiae for a while these comments were posted.

"theologiae said...
really cool stuff. makes me want to go out and get pd running on an iPod. i have a ton of questions i'd like to ask, but first off, does the storage limit matter when installing pd? i figure the bigger the better, but i thought i'd ask.
thanks

theologiae said...
it's theologiae again. i go 1st gen ipod tonight and put linux on it as soon as i came home. but i've had a lot of problems getting pd to work. i get a error message when i try and launch the test files. i posted something in the ipod/linux forum, so i'll see if there is a fix to my problem.
but i'm close to getting this set up. i'm glad to have found you blog, once i get it going, i'm going to love it."

theologiae, if you're out there, let us know how you're getting on with pd Pod?

Spark Studio

This is a great video of a bedroom studio, featuring a couple of Zoom recorders, and a Pocket PC running Pheonix Studio!

Sorry I couldn't embed it.

Another TuneStudio video

Well, the screensaver loop actually. When will they release the thing for real then?


Here's the video from NAMM where they won best in show (which was nice)!


This video is a bit more hands on and shows some the hardware for real.

So, for goodness sake Belkin, get on with it!

TRAXXPAD: Sample Line OUT to Line IN , WITHOUT microphone

Good traxxpad video showing how to get samples in via line in.

Emulating the Amiga on PPC

One platform I haven't really looked into much is the Amiga platform. There's a very good (or so I hear) emulator for Amiga available here. Although I've not got around to trying it out as yet.


I never used the Amiga when it was around although I had a friend who was into using trackers on the Amiga and I had a play once and found it interesting enough.

I had a quick search and found that there's a fair bit of software available for the Amiga platform around, most of which is available for free. However, I don't know too much about the software available or how useful it will be.


So, is it worth it? I don't know. My emulation experiments so far haven't proved terribly useful at all. So, will this be any different?

I'm not sure, at present I'm in two minds about the whole emulation thing. In one way I'd like to be able to make it work for real, and yet in another way I think that it really isn't got to go anywhere long term so I should give it up now.

What would be nice is to find a really useful application for one of the platforms I can emulate, that works well in an emulator, and then get it up and running. Sadly I haven't found that app as yet. If I do I'll let you know.

OT: iziEditor (iziBasic on a Mac)

My Sound Toys applications have all been written in iziBasic (so far), which is a great little app for getting ideas out quickly, and doesn't need you to be too technical (which is great for me).

As a mac user, it is often difficult to find useful Palm related tools, especially in kind of specialist areas. However, one such exception is iziEditor which is a really handy desktop editor for iziBasic. It doesn't compile, that still needs to be done on the Palm itself, but it is still really handy to have around.

Someone's building their own PDA!

Here's an interesting thread about someone who's making their own PDA.

QOTD: Celeb PDA Music users?

There have been occasions where celebs have endorsed or helped in the development of music software to promote it. Brian Eno was heavily involved in Koan for some time.

I was wondering what kind of music celeb would get involved with handheld music? I thought of Laurie Anderson.

DSMIDIWiFi in action

Am I following a loose DS theme today? Who knows...

DS Scratch soon?

This comment has appeared on the YouTube comments for DS Scatch:

"I made a lot of modifications and new features on DScratch since this first video, and I'm about to create a new one and maybe a little binary version ;-)"

Korg Pandora PX5D

Thanks to Music Gadgets for this:

Korg has introduced a new multi-effect device belonging to the Pandora product line. The Korg Pandora PX5D is a multi-effect processor for guitar that includes the REMS modeling technology and can be used for playing or recording guitar tracks.

The Korg Pandora PX5D features 180 different effects (18 guitar and 10 bass amps, cabinets and effects), up to 7 simultaneously, 100 factory and 100 user programs, 128 drum and bass patterns, built-in tuner, phrase rhythm trainer utility, guitar and aux inputs, line output and USB port (to connect it to a computer and record guitar tracks). This multi-effect processor has 3-band EQ, gain and volume controls, 4-way navigation button and backlit LCD display.

This device can be powered with 2 AA batteries or by the USB port. The Korg Pandora PX5D’s price will be £189.

QOTD: Desktop applications?

I was wondering today what desktop application would I best like to be available, or converted for a handheld environment? I couldn't make my mind up really. Any thoughts?

iziBasic and ViziBasic

Both iziBasic and ViziBasic have been updated (you may be interested to know). Most of the updates are fixes, but most importantly the test apps bundled with these run on Styletap!

KAOSSILATOR Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer video

Thanks to Drew for pointing me to this video.

Magic Piano - The Virtual Performer 1.2

I've never played with this, but I think I'm going to give it a go soon.

Here's what the PalmGear site says:

"Magic Piano is a true Virtual Piano for your device, featuring high quality sounds from Steinway, smooth keys movement and smart classical notation integration. Either you are a beginner or an expert in music, you will surely be impressed by the possibilities of this piano.

The Magic Piano will play for you classical music, movie themes, evergreens and pop hits, thanks to its large database of the most famous melodies and themes. Just select any tune to enjoy immediately its realistic sound. In future you can enlarge your collection with Add-ons, which are going to be available soon. The piano will keep a separate collection of your own compositions, and can perform them later."

I'm interested in what the "Add-ons" are, and when they'll be available. Worth watching I think.

New iPods can't load Linux

I found this post at the Guardian. It looks like the new range of iPods can't run Linux and therefore can't run pdPod. Shame. The article's worth a read.

iPhone from O2 in the UK

So O2 have the iPhone contract for the UK. Available in November at £269. I'm still not sure it is for me as yet. So much potential, so unused. Shame really.

Jam Session in use live

You may not like the song, but this is quite an impress use of Jam Sessions live.

DS Protein Scratch app

Whatever happened to this then. It has been a while since this appeared on YouTube?

KAOSSILATOR Dynamic Phrase Synth on Music Thing

This is an interesting little device. I hope it sees the light of day. More over at Music Thing, as ever an excellent source of news.

Yamaha QY100

The QY100 came out in 2001 and even today they go for a very reasonable price on eBay, easily fetching up to £200 or more. At some point I'd love to get myself one of these as even after 6 years they have an impressive array of features.

- Sequencer capacity: 20 Songs to a maximum of around 32,000 notes.
- Note resolution: 480 pulses per quarter note.
- Polyphony: 32 notes.
- Record modes: Real-time replace, real-time overdub, step-time record.
- Song construction: One Pattern track, one chord track, one tempo track, 16 sequencer tracks.
- Pattern construction: up to eight Phrases per Pattern.
- Patterns: 768 preset Patterns (128 preset Styles in each of six sections) 384 user Patterns (64 user Styles in each of six sections).
- Sections: Intro, Main A, Main B, Fill AB, Fill BA, Ending.
- Phrases: 4285 preset Phrases plus 48 user Phrases per user Style.
- Chord types: 26 types.
- Chord templates: 99 preset chord templates, plus one user chord progression per Song.
- Preset voices: 547 normal voices, 22 drum voices.Multitimbral capability: 24 parts.
- Effects types: reverb (11 types); chorus (11 types, variation (43 types).
- Amp simulator setups: 23 setups (18 guitar setups and five microphone setups).
- Effects blocks: preamp block (for guitar) or delay block (for microphone), plus chorus block and reverb block.
- Micro keyboard: 25 keys (two octaves).
- Connections: MIDI In/Out, To Host computer connection, stereo out, mono in, footswitch.

I wonder what would have happened if Yamaha had kept on with these devices, and what we'd be looking at as a 2007 release?

I bet a 2007 model would be a multi-track recorder with upgradeable software on an open platform and would include wifi and bluetooth for collaboration and interaction! Who knows.

Jam Sessions

Another handy video review of Jam Sessions.

Nitrotracker video

Nice seeing this app working.

Clicker LiveController

Control Ableton Live from your mobile. How cool is that? This script for Salling clicker gives you:

- Wireless Bluetooth control
- 15 assignable commands, (4 repeat)
- Play / Stop

in Ableton Live from your cellphone. It only works in conjunction with Salling Clicker, a Bluetooth-equipped cellphone, an Apple CPU with a Bluetooth module, Ableton Live, as well as all their respective requirements.

Music Centric launcher for Palm OS?

I've never really got my head around launchers at all. I've occasionally tried one or two but then couldn't see the point of then too much. I'd be interested to hear other people's experiences of launcher apps both on the Palm and Windows Mobile platforms to see how they help with organising for music, or anything else for that matter.

I've always thought that there should be a launcher specifically for music software on PDAs, something that would compliment the process and help rather than hinder. I'm not entirely shure what that could mean, but I think there's a gap (albeit very small) out there for an app like this.

Jam Sessions video

Nice little video of Jam Sessions from Ubisoft. I especially like the way that all the options and features get shown in this video.

OT: Palm Multimedia - NinerPaint

This is sort of off topic, and sort of not off topic and I couldn't decide if I should post it or not, so I've decided to go ahead anyway. I've been a user of NinerPaint for ages now, and I think it is probably up there in my top 10 palm applications.

Recently I've been using it to make images that I'm planning to use in another short film. Music and Images both by palm this time.

If you are into art at all it is a really well designed application and has lots of well thought through features. I especially love the user interface as well.

It can also be used for animation, and will export off the palm in .gif format.

It is really worth taking a look at the site for more information.

New Podcast coming soon

Well, I enjoyed making my first podcast that I’d like to get on and make another episode quite soon. I’m thinking about subject matter at the moment, so if there are any topics you’d like me to cover, please let me know.

Palm Sounds Calendar

Don't forget the Palm Sounds diary. It gets updated fairly regularly, or at least whenever I know there's something happening, but doesn't have too much in it at the moment, which is a bit of a shame.

If you have any news items please get in touch so that they can get on the diary.

iPhone audio playback recording and processing

This is a very technical yet interesting article from Brian Whitman on progress made to date. Worth a quick scan through. It would be great if he can get some real applications going on the iPhone.

TuneStudio in October?

I found this page about TuneStudio at IFA (although it is in German), and when I translated it I found this:

"In October the mini Tonstudio will come on the market.".

So perhaps it will be out soon after all?

iPhone to be announced in Europe on the 18th of September?

Maybe, if only Apple would make it worth owning. It is frustrating to know that a device like that running an OS as powerful as OSX can't be used to full potential.

iPod Touch Guide

Apple have published a handy guide to the iPod touch.

Palm Treo 500

Nice looking, but nothing really new as far as I can see.

PocketAxe Guitar comment

Drew commented on this app saying that it looked fun. Well, it was, but after a while I got a bit bored with it. I guess because it doesn't really give you anything more than the strumming you see in the video. Maybe it would be useful to use live? I don't know. It just didn't grab me really.

Pocket Oscillator

I was aimlessly browsing around classic PocketGear (which is the old version of PocketGear), when I found this application and realised I'd never seen it before.

Here's the description from PocketGear:

"Pocket Oscillator is an audio signal processing tool for the Pocket PC 2002. A wide variety of audio signals can be generated and manipulated. An intuitive visual programming interface allows you to connect together any combination of the following modules:

Oscillator: generates sine, square or triangle waveform signals with a continuously variable frequency of a few Hz to approximately 11kHz
Microphone: feeds signals from the Pocket PC microphone to other audio modules
Noise Generator: generates White Noise with a flat frequency spectrum
Adder: adds two audio signals together
Multiplier: multiplies two audio signals together
Volume Control: adjusts the amplitude of an audio signal
Speaker: connected directly to the Pocket PC's internal speaker (or to headphones if connected). The Speaker Module is always present.

Modules are first selected from a palette in the toolbar, and then positioned on the Pocket Oscillator canvas. Once positioned, the input and output connectors for the module can be dragged and dropped to other modules on the canvas, so connecting them.

As each Module is selected, a control panel appears which allows any variable parameters (e.g. frequency for the Oscillator Module) to be set. Also shown on some control panels (e.g. the Speaker) is the audio waveform present at the Module. Online help is available for each Module.

Modules on the canvas can be deleted (as can connections) by first selecting the Module with the stylus, and then clicking the Delete icon. In this version of Pocket Oscillator, a maximum of 20 Modules may be present on the canvas at any time."

It sounds really interesting. I shall have a play with it to see if it is going to be fun.

iPod Touch native apps

I found this on macrumors

"As has been known, Joswiak confirms that the iPod Touch and iPhone use the same software platform -- "they're both running OS X on basically the same hardware".

The iPod Touch does not have Bluetooth (despite images floating around the internet) and there are no games coming for the iPod Touch for now.

Of interest, Joswiak comments on 3rd party application development:
Apple takes a neutral stance - they're not going to stop anyone from writing apps, and they're not going to maliciously design software updates to break the native apps, but they're not going to care if their software updates accidentally break the native apps either."

So maybe we'll see something interesting soon, or indeed maybe even Apple are developing their own? Who knows, the plot thickens...

Connect the Palm Pilot to the EZ-Kit Lite

Some truly handy information if you're going to connect these two together. Although, wouldn't it be great to build the whole lot into a single case, the PDA the EZ-Kit, the whole thing? There's a thought.

The Home-Built Effect Processor Express

I've known about this synth for ages, but never considered doing anything about it, but maybe now I will. I stumbled over these photos showing the synth built so that a Palm III (or similar I guess) could slot into it, and it does look fantastic.


Maybe this would be a good winter project?