The first update for miniSynth has just been released. It’s a bug fix on the earlier version, where as some noticed, keys were wired a fifths higher. The keys should now sound the correct notes.

It came slightly earlier than we expected, but miniSynth is out: check it out here on this site, or at the App Store.

Here’s that more descriptive (beware! it’s long) video mentioned earlier, involving a lot of messing around,

Our recent pet project, the miniSynth (aka miniApollo), being tested during prototype stage last week…a slight variation of this sound is the first preset. Development has concluded, and the thing will presumably be out soon. I will post a lengthier description (and a more insightful demo) by-and-by, but briefly: it’s a keyboard synth, it has two oscillators, six stops (approx. 16~7000 Hz), tri, sawtooth, sine and square waves, a “vintage modeling” filter, programmable glide/attack/decay and a reverb stage.

The updated version of our iPhone theremin is out! While ironing out a few wrinkles, we also decided to replace the reverb unit: the new one has two additional settings that increase delay length and response for trippier results. If you had previously downloaded Thereminator 1.0, you can check the app updates section on your phone, and down the new version for free.

Meanwhile, we are looking forward to your feedback, and hearing/seeing your recordings with the Thereminator.

On other news, we are hard at work on a new music app. Details forthcoming as development proceeds…

Spook out!

Here’s a quick demo of Thereminator, in the cheesy horror movie flavor.

Our touch-guided oscillator/simulator is up on the iTunes App Store. Due to contract issues, it seems to have gone up the same day as the earlier Tune-O-Rama (9/3).

The specs for Leon’s original were simple: have one oscillator operate at a high but stable rate, and have a second oscillator vary over a predefined spectrum. Add the resulting waveform, and you have a sum that is an approximation of a sine wave created by the “beats” due to the frequency difference. Of course, the output is not a pure sine wave, and it’s all those little “dips” in the signal that give the original its unique tone. At the usual 44k resolution in digital audio, this is hard to recapture (theremin oscillators have frequency upwards 200k, usually), as the Nyquist Frequency for digital audio is in the order of 22k. Here, we tried to use a deterministic approach to render a waveform reminiscent to the actual instrument, where irregularities are provided in real time as determined by…previous irregularities.

There are a few snags: as screen resolution on the iPhone is 320 X 480, there is a linear ceiling of 480 discrete frequencies that can be mapped on the screen. Hence, for cases where finer tonal control is needed, Thereminator provides a frequency zoom feature to fit a smaller range on the screen at a time (by tapping, etc). There is also a glissando algorithm for providing a smooth transition from one frequency to the other, even in the case of hitting “blind spots” on the screen.

Although we can’t comment on the merits of attempting to fit an actual instrument on a phone (one remembers the words of the director of Blue Velvet), it makes a passable alternative to the real deal, especially in places where noise is a big issue. And it’s good for annoying friends as well (we did that a lot during development). Try flexing your finger up and down while touching the screen, and also side to side. The phone seems to pick up the heat and change the tone.

Our fun and easy-to-use automatic guitar/bass tuner is finally available for the iPhone® platform! Under the hood is a compact version of our harmonic spectrum analysis algorithm specially tailored for the timbre of steel-string instruments. Sans unneccessary “needle jumping”, Tune-O-Rama quickly detects the note you’re playing, and ensures professional quality, hands-free tuning. With two separate pitch error indicators, amplitude meter, one-touch transposition and 15 different tunings, Tune-O-Rama is just as functional as it is intuitive to use.

Check us out at the iTunes AppStore! More updates to come.

We have been hard at work! The development cycle on some of our DSP-related applications is coming to a close as we conclude late stage beta testing. There is much more to be told, so please check back here as final specifications and details come through.

Work has begun on a real-time wave-modelling and synthesis engine for a theremin-like application.

We have started to focus on implementations of digital signal processing on mobile platforms. Currently, we are concept proving pitch recognition and dynamic noise detection/supression routines on waveforms generated by real-time input. Our first stage goal is implementing robust measurement software.