The Retractable Electronic Instrument

Here's a very interesting video of a new interactive and collaborative production tool for electronic music by Reactable. The instrument is a spin-off of some work done at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, where the original concepts were developed.

While what you see in the video is a table-top model, iPad and iPhone apps are also available.

The instrument reminds me of some conceptual work done in the 80's between audio great George Massenburg and the now-defunct Amek Consoles. I can remember sitting with George at his studio The Complex with Graham Langley and Nick Franks of Amek as he outlined a vision he had for mixing on a light table console that seems eerily similar to what's seen in the video.

I don't know if that will ever be practical or usable (as with Reactable), but it certainly was ahead of its time. For more info on Reactable, click here.

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