When you think of musical instruments, you will probably first think of things like pianos and guitars. Electronic musical instruments, on the other hand, conjure up images of keyboards, electric guitars, and complicated synthesizers. Suzuki’s Omnichord, on the other hand, is an odd yet curious duck that stands somewhere in between these two extremes. First launched in 1981, this electronic device empowered anyone to make music or accompany a song even without previous musical experience or even reading notes. The Omnichord’s distinctive electronic sounds and novel design made it quite a hit, but the product faded into obscurity back in 1996. To commemorate its upcoming 40th anniversary, Suzuki decided to give today’s generation a taste of that unique experience with a new model that recreates the original so faithfully down to using the same analog circuits.
Imagine just pressing a few buttons and sliding your finger on a flat surface and then suddenly producing wonderful music. That’s pretty much the experience that the Suzuki Omnichord offered, presenting people, whether musically trained or not, the joys of creating music with ease and freedom. There are no wrong notes, just new harmonies and beats to be discovered and incorporated into your masterpiece. It’s like an adventure for novices but also a new territory for veterans who want to add a unique flavor to their music.
The new Suzuki Omnichord OM-108 tries to bring that 80s experience to the 21st century, reproducing the tonality that characterized that period while also adding modern features that cater to today’s more demanding audience. To accurately recreate the same tones of the OM-84, perhaps the most popular Omnichord ever released, Suzuki opted to go completely old school and apply the same analog circuitry that gave the original its distinctive electronic sounds. It also has that popular harp sensor or strumplate that lets you easily slide or tap your finger to produce the “notes” that will make up your music.
The new OM-108 model boasts 108 chords, hence the name, as well as many new functions, like a switch that changes the way chords and rhythms are played. There’s also a drum pad mode that turns the chord keys as well as the sturmplate itself into beats. And like with many modern electronic musical instruments, you can connect the Omnichord to external MIDI devices to mix tones to your heart’s delight. Plus, the built-in speaker can be turned on or off when you connect an external speaker, useful when you want to monitor your own sound during a live performance.
The Suzuki Omnichord OM-108 may look like a toy, but the unique sounds it lets you produce are pure joy, at least to fans of the electronica genre. Its revival coincides with the retro craze gripping many industries and is a perfect example of a design that manages to remain relevant decades after its last appearance. That said, you’ll have to wait a bit before you can get your hands on the newest Omnichord, as sales aren’t expected to start until July, with the price and market availability still unknown.
These days it’s not necessary to go to a giant studio with overpriced, pro-grade gear to record a Grammy-winning record. You can do it right from the comfort of your own bedroom in fact, using tools priced for even the most casual of hobbyists. It's not news that the tools of creation or the avenues for distributing art are accessible to more people than ever. But the cultural institutions that have dominated popular music for so long can no longer ignore the bedroom producer or budding Soundcloud star.
Maybe you've been inspired to build your own home recording studio. And maybe, you're not quite sure where to start. Well, an audio interface, a good mic and a decent set of headphones will get you pretty far. But the first thing you'll need is probably staring you right in the face: a computer.
Computer and a DAW
Ableton
Justin DeLay, Director of Product and Category Marketing at Reverb, drives home just how important the computer is: "You can strip away everything else and as long as you have a computer you can still create music," he told me. He suggests you "spend the money on a good computer and get other gear — such as audio interfaces, mics, headphones, etc. — used or at reasonable price points."
But, truthfully, you can do quite a lot with whatever computer you have on hand. Joe Pecora, the engineer and producer at Red Room Studio, says your set up "could be as simple as an iPhone/iPad with Garage band." (I know someone who recorded an entire album this way.) While he agrees that the most important part is your computer, he argues it doesn't have to be super powerful. It doesn't even have to be a desktop. JDilla famously created many of his beats on a Roland SP303, and you can basically recreate that experience with an iPad and the $4 Koala Sampler for iOS. And don't forget that Gorillaz recorded an entire album on an iPad.
Which leads us to the next thing you'll need: a DAW, or digital audio workstation. If you're a Mac user, then you're lucky enough to have access to Garage Band, a surprisingly capable free option. And upgrading to Logic Pro X is only a $200 investment. If you're on Windows (or just don't like Logic), I often recommend Ableton Live (starting at $99). But honestly there are plenty of great options out there, like FL Studio, BitWig and Cubase all of which start at $99. And often, stripped down versions come free as part of a software bundle when you buy music-making hardware like MIDI controllers and audio interfaces.
Assuming you already have a computer and you just need the accessories to get recording, you can pick up everything you need for under $500 new. But, if you’re patient, you could build a well equipped bedroom studio with used gear for as little as $250.
MIDI controller
Engadget
Speaking of which, one of the first additions to your studio should be a MIDI controller. DeLay says this is a piece of gear often overlooked by beginners. "It's not just for playing keyboard sounds," he explained, "it can be used to write drums and percussion, to control mixes and more. It's the creative interface of music production, and you don't have to play the piano in order to harness its power."
Unfortunately there's no gear that will magically turn you into a breathy pop goddess, but a decent mic and audio interface can at least help you sound your best. Now, you could get a USB microphone, like Blue Microphones’ $130 Yeti, and it will certainly get the job done. Heck, that album I mentioned earlier was recorded using the wired headset that came with the iPhone.
But, honestly, your better bet is to get a regular XLR mic and an audio interface. Pecora specifically warns against splurging too much here. "People will look at their favorite artist and see that they use a certain mic or preamp or plugin and want to use the same thing thinking it will get them the same sound." On early singles like "Ocean Eyes" Billie Eilish used an Audio-Technica AT2020 condenser mic, which costs just $100. And I’ve stuck almost exclusively with cheap Shure SM58s and 57s ($100 new, $50-$75 used) whether I was recording demos with my band in college or voice over for review videos at Engadget.
If you fancy yourself a future pop sensation and want to make sure your vocals are the star of the show, you could consider using a significant chunk of your budget on something like the Rode NT1-A ($229) or Shure SM7B ($390). You will get better results with more flexibility for post production, but you can clearly get excellent results with more affordable options.
Audio interface
Scarlett
As for the interface, there are tons of great options out there. Companies like Focusrite, Arturia and Tascam make excellent ones. But our new favorites in the budget interface space are Universal Audio’s Volt series. If your budget allows for it we strongly recommend the $299 Volt 276. Though, the $189 Volt 2 is also excellent, it just doesn’t standout from the crowd quite as much.
If you’re trying to save a few bucks, it's hard to beat the Scarlett series from Focusrite (just make sure to get the second- or third-gen models). You can get the latest Scarlett 2i2 for around $130 used, but it's just $180 new (and includes a huge bundle of very useful software).
The reason to opt for an audio interface instead of a simple USB mic is because it offers you a lot more flexibility and room to grow. For one, it offloads a lot of the audio processing from the CPU. Second, it will allow you to connect not just mics (and swap in different ones for different purposes), but also instruments, turntables or anything with an audio-out jack. An audio interface is also necessary if you plan to connect a pair of studio monitors.
Studio monitors and headphones
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
This is an area that DeLay advises caution. While a good set of studio monitors will obviously be better than the speakers on your laptop and will result in a better mix, it's too easy to get caught up in what he calls monitor envy. "The reality is that monitors at a $300 price point are going to work just fine in most spaces," he says. Plus, your bedroom probably doesn't have the space to really make the most of large, powerful monitors. So, save your money.
And if you're just starting out, you're probably better off getting a decent set of headphones. There're tons of amazing and affordable studio quality headphones out there for under $200, like the $179 Beyerdynamic DT990PRO (currently down to just $179 on Amazon). But one of our favorites is an old workhorse from Sony, the MDR-7506. They're well under $100 and actual pros have used them for decades to mix music.
One tip DeLay offers for novices: Double check your mixes in the real world. Headphones can over emphasize bass, while smaller studio monitors can have trouble delivering accurate bass response. So make sure to listen to your track on laptop speakers or in a car to get a sense of how it will sound in the wild.
And that's really the key — have the patience to develop your skills and make the most of the gear you have. It's really easy to catch a bad case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) when you're first starting out — trust me, I know. But there's no need to shell out thousands of dollars for high-end gear to start making music. You don't even need to buy new gear. Pecora suggests the only thing you absolutely should buy new are headphones. And, presumably, that's just because you don't want to be wearing years worth of someone else's sweat on your ears.
These days it’s not necessary to go to a giant studio with overpriced, pro-grade gear to record a Grammy-winning record. You can do it right from the comfort of your own bedroom in fact, using tools priced for even the most casual of hobbyists. It's not news that the tools of creation or the avenues for distributing art are accessible to more people than ever. But the cultural institutions that have dominated popular music for so long can no longer ignore the bedroom producer or budding Soundcloud star.
Maybe you've been inspired to build your own home recording studio. And maybe, you're not quite sure where to start. Well, an audio interface, a good mic and a decent set of headphones will get you pretty far. But the first thing you'll need is probably staring you right in the face: a computer.
Computer and a DAW
Ableton
Justin DeLay, Director of Product and Category Marketing at Reverb, drives home just how important the computer is: "You can strip away everything else and as long as you have a computer you can still create music," he told me. He suggests you "spend the money on a good computer and get other gear — such as audio interfaces, mics, headphones, etc. — used or at reasonable price points."
But, truthfully, you can do quite a lot with whatever computer you have on hand. Joe Pecora, the engineer and producer at Red Room Studio, says your set up "could be as simple as an iPhone/iPad with Garage band." (I know someone who recorded an entire album this way.) While he agrees that the most important part is your computer, he argues it doesn't have to be super powerful. It doesn't even have to be a desktop. JDilla famously created many of his beats on a Roland SP303, and you can basically recreate that experience with an iPad and the $4 Koala Sampler for iOS. And don't forget that Gorillaz recorded an entire album on an iPad.
Which leads us to the next thing you'll need: a DAW, or digital audio workstation. If you're a Mac user, then you're lucky enough to have access to Garage Band, a surprisingly capable free option. And upgrading to Logic Pro X is only a $200 investment. If you're on Windows (or just don't like Logic), I often recommend Ableton Live (starting at $99). But honestly there are plenty of great options out there, like FL Studio, BitWig and Cubase all of which start at $99. And often, stripped down versions come free as part of a software bundle when you buy music-making hardware like MIDI controllers and audio interfaces.
Assuming you already have a computer and you just need the accessories to get recording, you can pick up everything you need for under $500 new. But, if you’re patient, you could build a well equipped bedroom studio with used gear for as little as $250.
MIDI controller
Engadget
Speaking of which, one of the first additions to your studio should be a MIDI controller. DeLay says this is a piece of gear often overlooked by beginners. "It's not just for playing keyboard sounds," he explained, "it can be used to write drums and percussion, to control mixes and more. It's the creative interface of music production, and you don't have to play the piano in order to harness its power."
Unfortunately there's no gear that will magically turn you into a breathy pop goddess, but a decent mic and audio interface can at least help you sound your best. Now, you could get a USB microphone, like Blue Microphones’ $130 Yeti, and it will certainly get the job done. Heck, that album I mentioned earlier was recorded using the wired headset that came with the iPhone.
But, honestly, your better bet is to get a regular XLR mic and an audio interface. Pecora specifically warns against splurging too much here. "People will look at their favorite artist and see that they use a certain mic or preamp or plugin and want to use the same thing thinking it will get them the same sound." On early singles like "Ocean Eyes" Billie Eilish used an Audio-Technica AT2020 condenser mic, which costs just $100. And I’ve stuck almost exclusively with cheap Shure SM58s and 57s ($100 new, $50-$75 used) whether I was recording demos with my band in college or voice over for review videos at Engadget.
If you fancy yourself a future pop sensation and want to make sure your vocals are the star of the show, you could consider using a significant chunk of your budget on something like the Rode NT1-A ($229) or Shure SM7B ($390). You will get better results with more flexibility for post production, but you can clearly get excellent results with more affordable options.
Audio interface
Scarlett
As for the interface, there are tons of great options out there. Companies like Focusrite, Arturia and Tascam make excellent ones. But our new favorites in the budget interface space are Universal Audio’s Volt series. If your budget allows for it we strongly recommend the $299 Volt 276. Though, the $189 Volt 2 is also excellent, it just doesn’t standout from the crowd quite as much.
If you’re trying to save a few bucks, it's hard to beat the Scarlett series from Focusrite (just make sure to get the second- or third-gen models). You can get the latest Scarlett 2i2 for around $130 used, but it's just $180 new (and includes a huge bundle of very useful software).
The reason to opt for an audio interface instead of a simple USB mic is because it offers you a lot more flexibility and room to grow. For one, it offloads a lot of the audio processing from the CPU. Second, it will allow you to connect not just mics (and swap in different ones for different purposes), but also instruments, turntables or anything with an audio-out jack. An audio interface is also necessary if you plan to connect a pair of studio monitors.
Studio monitors and headphones
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
This is an area that DeLay advises caution. While a good set of studio monitors will obviously be better than the speakers on your laptop and will result in a better mix, it's too easy to get caught up in what he calls monitor envy. "The reality is that monitors at a $300 price point are going to work just fine in most spaces," he says. Plus, your bedroom probably doesn't have the space to really make the most of large, powerful monitors. So, save your money.
And if you're just starting out, you're probably better off getting a decent set of headphones. There're tons of amazing and affordable studio quality headphones out there for under $200, like the $179 Beyerdynamic DT990PRO (currently down to just $179 on Amazon). But one of our favorites is an old workhorse from Sony, the MDR-7506. They're well under $100 and actual pros have used them for decades to mix music.
One tip DeLay offers for novices: Double check your mixes in the real world. Headphones can over emphasize bass, while smaller studio monitors can have trouble delivering accurate bass response. So make sure to listen to your track on laptop speakers or in a car to get a sense of how it will sound in the wild.
And that's really the key — have the patience to develop your skills and make the most of the gear you have. It's really easy to catch a bad case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) when you're first starting out — trust me, I know. But there's no need to shell out thousands of dollars for high-end gear to start making music. You don't even need to buy new gear. Pecora suggests the only thing you absolutely should buy new are headphones. And, presumably, that's just because you don't want to be wearing years worth of someone else's sweat on your ears.
With the simplicity and appeal of something right out of a videogame, combined with a color-coded set of keys and modular design like the LUMI keyboard, the PopuPiano hopes to make learning music both fun and intuitive.
Equal parts a learning device and a powerful production platform, PopuPiano is a clever little gadget that’s easy to carry, easy to learn, and easy to impress with. The piano sports light-up keys that don’t just give your music a pop of color, but actually guide you if you’re a novice. Much like a DDR mat that shows you how to dance, the PopuPiano’s keys light up just when you need to press them, teaching you melodies, chords, and even genres. To make things interesting the piano comes with a magnetic Chord Pad that lets you play melodies with your right hand and easy single-key chords with your left for more stellar performances. Finally, PopuPiano’s app ties the experience together, with tutorials, libraries, and the ability to connect your PopuPiano directly to other music apps and DAWs, like you would a regular MIDI keyboard.
Although one could argue that Guitar Hero doesn’t teach you how to play the guitar as much as it teaches you hand-eye coordination, PopuPiano builds on that principle with an actual piano as an interface instead of mere buttons. The piano connects to an app, which in turn uses a series of fun exercises and games to teach you all the aspects of music theory and piano playing. The app also works equally well for seasoned players, allowing you to record music, edit it, access different instrument banks, produce tracks, and even carry forward your tunes and tracks into other software to sample them, remix them, and just experiment in new ways.
The Piano and the Chord Pad
The PopuPiano is a compact little gadget with 29 keys that’s perfect for mostly single-hand practice, although you can play a few pieces with both hands too, and an octave switch on the top lets you go from C0 to C7. It sports a modular design, allowing you to snap additional piano units to it to effectively double your playing surface so you can learn the instrument on a naturally larger playing surface… although the modularity is more suited for the companion Chord Pad, a 5-key module that lets you play chords, drums, or trigger loops on command. Given that the PopuPiano’s 29-key surface can provide some limitations, the Chord Pad then becomes the perfect companion, letting you play hundreds of chords at the simple push of a button.
Expansive App with features for novices and experts
The same PopuPiano and app provide two radically different experiences for learners and for seasoned professionals. For learners, the app gives you access to free lessons, games, practice sessions, and even an ever-expanding library of song tutorials that feature some of the most famous hits. For experts, however, the app gives you access to an instrument bank, the ability to select key lighting modes, advanced setup for the Chord Pad, and finally, compatibility with apps and DAWs like Garage Band, Cubase, Logic Pro X, FL Studio, Ableton, Cakewalk, Adobe Audition, and many more. You can add the PopuPiano to your studio, or build a new studio around it, and make tracks that sound like magic with far less equipment.
A seriously fun musical toy
What makes the PopuPiano such a compelling device is its compact size combined with versatile abilities. The piano is almost toyishly small, making it perfect for kids who don’t want to directly begin learning on an upright piano and for professionals with cluttered studios or artists who need a small instrument while touring and composing in hotel rooms. The ABS construction makes the PopuPiano incredibly resilient, while the glowing plexiglass keys light up perfectly even during the daytime to help you play, visualize, and learn. A whopping 2200 mAh battery on the inside of the PopuPiano gives you days of play-time before you need to plug it in to charge, and the piano interfaces directly with the app via Bluetooth 5.0 for minimal latency. The PopuPiano app is available on both Android and iOS (and iPadOS) platforms and is free to subscribe to. You can grab the PopuPiano and Chord Pad for a special discounted price of $199, or for $238 you can even get a special translucent protective carrying case for your magical musical instrument!
You’ll still need musical knowledge and skill, of course, but you might make other things you have some superpowers with this cool electric guitar.
Not everyone can play more than two or more instruments, but many musically skilled people can control electronic instruments without actually knowing how to use the real things. There are going to be some differences, of course, but there is a serious and professional field of music that involves these electric and electronic soundscapes. Most of these are operated with MIDI controllers, devices that geeky boards filled with buttons and sliders or, at the very best, an unassuming keyboard. The Ni28, in contrast, looks more like a very stylish and cool electric guitar, and using it will probably make you look like some music god that can produce all kinds of music and sounds with something that looks like the skeleton of a guitar.
MIDI controllers often need two kinds of controls. One is for toggling certain settings or firing off some actions, while another set of controls maps to pitches like notes on a scale. That’s why most MIDI controllers take the form of keyboards with additional buttons, sliders, and switches because these more easily translate to the kind of things that the controller needs to communicate with. It doesn’t always have to be a keyboard, though, and sometimes rocking out with a guitar can sometimes have more impact, especially when performing on stage.
The Ni28 Electronic Guitar does exactly that and could give the player the look and the feeling of being a rockstar god. Instead of strings and frets, however, the entire neck of the guitar has a matrix of nickel-plated (hence the name) brass plates that can activate nodes when touched. Unlike with a typical stringed instrument like a guitar, you don’t need to exert much pressure to cause an activation. You can bridge two adjacent plates, or you can lightly press one plate on the neck and then touch the “string” on the waist of the guitar to have the same effect.
This design has quite a few advantages. For one, you don’t need muscle memory to play music like on a regular guitar, though you do need to remember which frets do which. You don’t need to strain your fingers either because a gentle tap is all that’s required to activate a plate. This makes it easier to use even compared with a keyboard where you do still have to exert some force to press down on a key. Your fingers and hands can just dance over the guitar, making it look like you’re producing music with magical gestures.
There’s also an advantage to how such a guitar can be physically designed since all the electronics are confined inside the neck of the guitar. The body itself can simply be a frame or skeleton, or it can be swapped out for any other design at any given moment. It has absolutely no effect on the output or performance since there are no acoustics to mind, so you can focus more on ergonomics and appearances that will be critical for an impressive stage performance.
Happily Haptic Lab is an exploratory research project that seeks to replicate common haptic sensations and create new ones for a modular chassis that functions as the main game controller.
Haptics, the science of touch, makes or breaks the gaming experience. Haptic technology involves the sensation of 3D touch and incorporates sensory experiences through vibrations, forces, and motions that coincide with video game narratives.
Designers: Jonathan Low and Ye JJ
Each 3D sensation signals to gamers different cues in the video game that keep the narrative going. Recognizing the potential of haptic touch in relation to gaming, two designers took on an exploratory research project, Happily Haptics, to combine common haptic actions with new technology and modular design.
Seeking to replicate popular haptic actions and produce new ones, Happily Haptic consists of a base chassis that hosts a grid of haptic modules, each of which carries a distinct function. The ultimate vision for the design duo boiled down to creating new modular, MIDI controllers with customizable haptics that were developed using a 3D printer.
Speaking to the concept’s purpose, the designers note, “We sought to replicate common haptic actions and create new ones using a standardized set of materials, consisting of 3D printed parts, magnets and hall effect sensors that allowed us to translate motion into a digital response.”
Each module that comprises Happily Haptics achieves haptics sensations through embedded magnets, springs, and switches that coordinate together to produce sensory experiences such as vibrations, jolts, and shakes.
Consisting of 40 different modules, Happily Haptics was conceptualized in three different chassis sizes, ranging from a mini controller, a conventional-sized controller, to a large, MIDI controller, all of which are modular by design for users to customize as needed.
3D printed parts, magnets,e and hall effect sensors allowed the deisgners to translate motion into a digital response.
The designers developed each haptic system within a 3D printed cylinder 30mm in diameter, where magnets could be strategically embedded and swapped in order to vary actuation strength.
The collection of modules allows users to customize their gaming controller as needed.
Most MIDI controllers mimic the appearance or at least the arrangement of notes in a piano. Irijule’s massive Theoryboard on the other hand features 96 LED-lit pads arranged in two columns with four rows each. The left column lets you play chords, while the right column lets you play melodies. The sheer number of pads means you have access to all 12 chromatic notes at once, letting you experiment while mostly guiding you into creating pleasing progressions and combinations.
Aside from the pads, the Theoryboard also has 24 buttons at the top for switching scales and a touch-sensitive OLED screen in the middle for toggling or adjusting various features. Here’s a review by YouTuber loopop:
Aside from loopop’s criticism about the quality of the pads and buttons, one commenter also mentioned that the Theoryboard doesn’t come with a manual, which is confounding for a device that is not only unorthodox but is supposedly geared towards beginners. Still, it’s undoubtedly an innovative and feature-rich controller that even veteran composers and producers can enjoy. You can pre-order the Theoryboard from Irijule for $699 (USD) as of this writing, which is a large discount from its eventual retail price of $1,199.
Ableton announced Live 11 in mid November and now it's finally here. The latest version of its incredibly popular DAW is out of beta and available to all.
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At this point, it’s standard for almost all studio work to happen on a computer. But there’s no denying that having a physical mixer is more satisfying and intuitive than a mouse and keyboard, though. So a controller that can bridge that gap is alway...
Consisting of 40 different modules, Happily Haptics was conceptualized in three different chassis sizes, ranging from a mini controller, a conventional-sized controller, to a large, MIDI controller, all of which are modular by design for users to customize as needed.
