Piano and Synth Blog

Remember the Reactable I showed you last year?

Well, Björk likes it, and will be taking the futuristic new instrument on tour.

If you’ve forgotten, the Reactable features a colourful glowing surface and several blocks, which make distinctive sounds when moved.

Sounds right up her street, given that Björk also makes fairly distinctive noises!

There are currently only two Reactables in the world, and the Icelandic singer has managed to borrow one for the Volta tour. Let’s hope she looks after it.

“She saw it in action and she had to have it on the tour,” Björk’s technical director Alan Pollard confirmed.

(Via Qwickly)

SmartHouse says:

If you have a lovely old piano sitting in your home, but no one to play it, why not transform it into an entertainment hub with new PianoDisc technology that uses a Linux based web server and wireless technology to make the piano play itself.

The technology can be installed in any acoustic piano and uses solenoids to move the keys. According to the company, a modern reproducing piano has much better control over key movement, with 127 levels of velocity per key.

“The piano is a beautiful instrument, and to some, an important status symbol. We found a way to give pianos a technology upgrade without attaching unsightly electronics to the instrument,” said the company Executive Vice President, Tom Lagomarsino.

It runs using a Linux web server and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology, so that it can be controlled from a separate wireless-enabled computer.

It comes with a hefty price tag, though: prices range from $7,000 to nearly $20,000.

pianodiscaustralia.com.au

Abbey Road Studios and Propellerhead Software have teamed up to produce the Abbey Road Keyboards ReFill for the Reason software.

Abbey Road Keyboards delivers a hypersampled collection of seven unique instruments, recorded using the original equipment at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

The instruments are:

• Steinway Vertegrand “Mrs. Mills” piano
• Challen studio piano
• Hammond RT-3 & Leslie Model 122
• Mannborg Harmonium
• Mellotron Model 400
• Schiedmayer Celeste
• Premier Tubular Bells

The software is a two DVD set containing 16- and 24-bit versions of the sound library, and also comes with a 40-page Guide to Abbey Road Keyboards.

(Via Synthtopia)

Yamaha has launched the latest model in its award-winning line of reproducing pianos.

The Disklavier DGC1B is equipped with many features including:

• 500 built-in songs, plus the ability to add favourites from the vast Yamaha PianoSoft library.
• 64 MB music and data storage.
• AWM Tone generation.
• SmartKey software, which guides beginners through simple melodies while the instrument provides professional-sounding accompaniment. It does this by moving the correct keys slightly, cueing the user to strike them, and waiting until they do.
• wireless remote control.

It’s available now.

Remix Toolkit has released Dirty South Vol.1, a unique collection of radio-ready drum samples covering the sound of today’s Hip Hop & RnB.

Dirty South Vol.1 contains 128 individual “one-shot” drum samples professionally mixed, mastered and meticulously edited.

All individual sounds are organized into 8 complete drum kits. Each complete drum kit has been created “in-the-spirit” of a specific artist or producer on the charts today. Dirty South Vol.1 includes the following kits; Lil Jon Kit, BunB Kit, Ying Yang Kit, Lil Rob Kit, Pitbull Kit, E-40 Kit, ¬Juelz Kit, Sparxxx Kit.

Released in 16 bit / 44.1 stereo wav format, the Dirty South V.1 Drum Sample Library is compatible with all major software and hardware samplers including Kontakt, Halion, EXS24, MachFive, EmulatorX2, Battery, Guru, NN-XT, Akai MPC Series, Roland Fantom Series, Yamaha Motif Series, Korg Triton Series, and many others.

http://www.remixtoolkit.com/