Music For Cats Becomes a Reality

I wrote about the Music For Cats project about 6 months ago, but now it's a lot closer to reality, thanks to a Kickstarter campaign.

Just to review, most of us make music for our fellow humans, but David Teie, a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, wanted to create something especially for our feline friends.

David teamed up with some animal behavioral scientists from the University of Wisconsin to develop Music For Cats, a series of recordings specifically created for, you guessed it, cats.

The tracks are specifically designed to make cats relax and go a step beyond how they respond to human music (which does affect many young cats).

The Kickstarter campaign to raise $20,000 to produce an album of cat music (6 tracks of 10 minutes each) blew past that goal and is now at almost $193k, but there's still a few days left if you want to get in on it.

In the meantime, here's the explanation below. By the way, one of my cats was particularly interested when the video played.

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

New Music Gear Monday: Dynamount Robotic Mic Mount

One of the most difficult things for an engineer is to place a mic on an instrument or vocal, especially when a small increment of movement can sometimes make a huge difference. This task becomes impossible these days where home studios abound. There are no assistants to rely on, and the engineer has to do everything.

But science and ingenuity comes to the rescue with the new Dynamount robotic microphone mount. The unit allows you to remotely control the positioning of a mic thanks to a wireless iOS, Android or web app, then save the position as a preset if so desired.

The Dynamout comes in 4 different versions. The V1 provides a single axis of motion (like side to side, or up and down), while the V1-R also allows the mic to rotate. The X1 provides dual axis (side to side, and in and out) with the X1-R providing rotation as well.

Imagine being able to tailor the sounds for guitars, kick and snares, vocals and just about any other miking you can think of. Image how you can now more precisely align the phase when recording with two mics. Image that extra pair of hands that you always needed out in the studio. Now you can have it all with Dynamount.

Dynamount is in the final days of a Kickstarter campaign and there are still a few tiers available. The V1 will eventually have a retail price of $399,  the V1-R at $499, the X1 at $599, and the X1-R at $699.

Check out the video below for how it works, and the Kickstarter campaign here.

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

Music On A DNA Molecule: Music Delivery Of The Future

I've written about data storage on DNA in the past, but now it looks like it's one step closer to fruition with a new project that encodes music onto synthetic DNA molecules.

The project is a collaboration between British scientist Dr. Nick Goldman (the inventor of the technique) and performance artist Charlotte Jarvis using specially commissioned music from the Kreutzer Quartet to store the music in the form of an MP3 file on DNA molecules that are suspended in a soap solution.

A Kickstarter campaign for the project aims to raise money to create installations where the listener can be have the soap bubbles pop on their skin and therefore be "bathed" in music. They call the project "Music of the Spheres."

The campaign has already exceeded its goal of around $7,500 USD with a week to go.

The whole thing sounds far-fetched at first, but if you think about it for a second, it could actually be a new and exciting way of music delivery. Not only that, it's an experience that can't easily be pirated (at least not yet), so it could actually be a way for artists to make money at some point.

Just imagine selling your album in the form of a bottle of bubble solution.

Check out the video below.

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

Hi-Res Pono Music Delayed And Raising More Money

Neil Young's Pono Music service and hi-res player was supposed to be launched around now, but recent announcements have indicated that it's now being delayed to the beginning of 2015.

That news is ominous enough, but even after a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $6 million (way beyond the goal of $800,000), Pono went back to the well with another campaign on Crowdfunder that exceed its goal of $4million by 179%, and it now stands at more than $7 million. The company still continues to raise money as the campaign will continue until the end of September.

All this raises a number of questions, such as:

• Can the company actually raise enough money to put together both a music delivery service infrastructure and hardware manufacturing? 
• Will there be any money left over for the ever-so-important marketing? 
• Are there enough masters actually available at 192kHz/24 bit to make the service viable?
• Who's the target market, and will they spend $400 on a player?
• Will anyone abandon their phones to return to a dedicated player?
• Do enough people actually care about high-quality audio to make a market?
• Can Pono go up against the big guns of the industry (Apple, Google, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, Sony) who have much deeper pockets?
• Will people want to go back to downloading files again?
• Will people actually want to pay for music again, especially at $15 to $25 a pop?

While it's admirable to try to bring high-quality audio to the masses, this has proved to be a losing business model in the past. The average person wants convenience, not quality, and that has always won throughout the history of the business.

Plus I believe that unless the player is supplied with an excellent set of headphones, perhaps the average user won't hear enough of a difference to make a purchase seem worthwhile.

If Pono's expectations are limited to just the audiophile market and a little beyond, the company may have a chance. But if it intends to go after the mass market, that's a recipe for disaster.

This all goes to show that it's never easy to launch a startup, even for someone like Neil Young.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

New Music Gear Monday: The Hammer Jammer

It's really hard to create a guitar product that's completely new and not just evolutionary. We see this every NAMM show where we hope to find something new and cool, but are usually disappointed. The Hammer Jammer is different though, as it's both new and evolutionary at the same time, and will definitely give you a sound that you really can't get any other way. It's an easy way to get the hammering effect on a guitar, but with much more precision and dexterity than ever before.

The Hammer Jammer is the brainchild of Ken McGraw, who initially developed the idea in 1985. He formed a company called Guitarammer and received some input from both Ricky Skaggs and Chris Martin (of Martin Guitars) in 1990, but abandoned the idea after initial manufacturing problems and when other business opportunities came about. Now he's back with a new Kickstarter campaign to get the project rolling again.

For only $65, you can get in line for one of the first models. For another $25, you can have one donated to a disabled person (since this is a great way for someone with disabilities to enjoy the guitar again).

We spend so much more money on pedals that we generally don't need, since they more or less do the same thing. Spend a little to get a new sound and help a company get rolling. Go to Kickstarter to check it out, or to the Big Walnut Productions website for more into.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

New Music Monday: The Mi.Mu Music Glove

Musicians are always looking for new ways to control their instrument, with many over the years being attracted to the simplicity of the way the theremin works. Wouldn't it be great if you could control your music just by a wave or gesture of your hand?

Now that dream might be closer at hand thanks to Grammy-winning artist Imogene Heap and a team of designers from NASA and MIT.

The Mi.Mu Music Glove is equipped with the latest wearable sensor technology that tracks the motion of your hands, senses postures, detects sharp movements like drum hits, and enables customized gestures tailored to your style of music.

The wireless gloves are fitted with lights and vibration motors to provide sensory feedback to the user. Utility software integrates the gloves to the software of your choice.

A Kickstarter campaign for final glove design and production fell short of the 200,000 British pounds (about $337,000) goal, but had more than 600 backers, so many recognize how useful a controller like this can be.

This thing is very cool. I hope they raised enough money (almost $225k) for it to come to fruition.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

New Music Gear Monday: The Vo-96 Acoustic Synthesizer

Every now and then a new piece of gear comes along that's truly revolutionary in that it provides us with either a completely new way of doing something, or rarely, creates a new sound. The Vo-96 Acoustic Synthesizer clearly falls into both categories, transforming the sound of the acoustic guitar into something completely new, which then changes the approach to playing it.

Creator Paul Vo was the inventor of the infinite sustain technology inside the Moog guitar, and now he brings a similar technology to the acoustic guitar that changes it into an entirely new instrument. The following video is from the Kickstarter campaign for the Vo-96, which has already passed its goal of $50k with two weeks to go.

Have a listen as the acoustic guitar creates new sounds you never thought a wooden box was capable of.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.

New Music Gear Monday: MACHINA MIDI Controller Jacket

People have been hitting their bodies in rhythm for centuries and until recently, have relied on good-old fashioned acoustics for amplification. That's not easy, considering that these bags of mostly water that we call bodies don't resonante particularly well.

Now comes MACHINA, a MIDI controller that's actually a wearable jacket. The unit isn't on the market yet, but has a Kickstarter campaign to get the ball rolling. Check out the video and tell me if you think it's cool or not.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.