scratching thin air Einstellungen

[-Kulpa-]

Researchers at Hewlett-Packard are developing a DJ track-mixing and scratching device they believe to be as significant to music as was the first electric guitar.

HP's DJammer is a prototype handheld gadget DJs can use to mimic the sound of scratching vinyl simply by moving the device around. So, if the operator makes a scratching motion in the air, arrays of internal motion sensors translate movement into music, and the DJammer "scratches" the music as though the DJ were manipulating a record.

HP's DJammer is a prototype handheld for digital DJs that converts hand movement into music.If the DJ makes a gesture in the air, the track is scratched back and forth as though the DJ were manipulating a vinyl record.This is a schematic of how the DJammer works.

Linked to a digital music library, the device can also mix tracks. It finds the entry and end points for tracks, and can cycle through a song collection. And it is wireless, so a DJ can control the music from anywhere in a room.

"The DJammer is the next-generation electric guitar," said Mark Smith, an HP researcher who co-invented the device. "It's the sort of thing where people will be able to become very creative."

The DJammer was created by HP research and development scientist Mat Hans, who began the project in 2002 with New York's Scratch DJ Academy, a school for DJs.

Hans wanted to develop a device that would let digital DJs mix their music just like vinyl DJs do, so he recruited Gavin O'Connor (aka DJ Gawk1) and came up with a wireless handheld controller that could be networked.

"We hooked up with O'Connor, and he showed us how professional DJs interact with turntables and music," said Smith, who also invented the technology behind the optical mouse. "This got us looking at how to match the expectation of the DJ."

O'Connor has demonstrated the device twice in public: at last summer's HP-sponsored MTV Video Music Awards and at the CES show in January.

O'Connor's setup is based on conventional twin decks for vinyl. The DJammer connects to a third line in on the mixing desk and plugs into a Linux-powered control brick that holds the tunes and drives the mixer.

"You are able to control music by air-scratching (and) jumping to different parts of the song ... using sensors built into the device," said the handheld's software designer, April Slayden.

Reaction at the MTV event was immediate, Slayden said. "I was approached by big-name DJs from all over the country who wanted one."

The DJammer's motion sensitivity relies on a 3-D accelerometer that controls the music when the operator shakes the device. It's based on the same technology used in notebooks to raise the head off a hard drive if it's dropped.

Though the DJammer has yet to be made into a product, the team is exploring ways to turn it into a collaborative musical instrument. One possibility is allowing teams of DJammers to mix music collaboratively.

To support collaboration, the DJammer has a microphone jack: Plug in a musical instrument and the sound can be streamed to other DJammer users, locally using Wi-Fi or anywhere in the world over the internet. Other users can add other sounds to create a live remixed band -- and the members can play from anywhere.

The HP team's focus on simplicity will, they hope, make it an accessible device for many, as the electric guitar has been.

"At the same time as matching professional DJs' needs, we also want to be able to have something that will be attractive for an amateur," Slayden said.

The team is currently researching how to let the DJammer mix more than one track at a time, including matching tempos from different songs.


quelle: www.wired.com

Der Beitrag wurde von -Kulpa- bearbeitet: 6 Mar 2005, 20:57