Eigenharp Google+ Community Archive

Announcing the SendMIDI tool After years of muddling around when having to send NRPNs, CC messages, specific Note On/Off messages, and other MIDI messages to MIDI devices ... I decided it was time to write a little tool that makes sending MIDI messages from the command line very easy. So after a couple of hours of work today, here's SendMIDI, hope you'll find it useful too! https://github.com/gbevin/SendMIDI

I'm curious, how many of you still really use the EigenD features, compared to plain MIDI, OSC and AudioUnit/VST hosting. Who uses the recorder, the drum loops, the built-in clarinet and cello, the modular synth, talkers, stage, belcanto, ...?

Since we're all interested in expressive controllers, I thought it would be ok to post this here. I've got a small number of refurbished full-sized LinnStruments available for European customers: €1199, that's €490 off. Perfect condition with new touch surfaces and new top panels with printed Sequencer parameters.

Received this from the Photophore dev: "... Later I hope to add more general MIDI CC support or MIDI learn. I haven't had any other requests for per-note expression, but will consider it if I hear from others. " Anyone that treasures per-note expression, either from GeoSynth, Cantor, ThumbJam, Eigenharp, LinnStrument, Continuum, ... please reach out to Taika and tell them about it! (support@taikasystems.com) http://www.taikasystems.com/photophore

Plans for another Eigenharp/EigenD DevCon Hi everyone, John is considering organizing another Eigenharp DevCon late 2014 or early 2015. It would be in Dartmoor, UK again, same location as before. Now that EigenD is open-source and there have been major external developments done by Mark Harris, this time around might be more productive than the one from 2012. You'd be responsible for your own travel costs, but accommodation would be offered. Everyone would obviously have to chip in for food, last time we hired a chef for a few days and split the bill, it was well worth it. Please let me know if you're interested.

I recorded this video to show to non-Eigenharpers that EigenD is a general-purpose music performance environment, now free and open-source.  I go over the setup that I used to perform with my electric guitar while I was gigging with my former band Flytecase. I think it's simple and different enough, to show EigenD's applicability outside of the Eigenharp world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEiSfAf53cw

The Eigenharp software becomes completely free and community supported. A new free EigenD Pro release v2.1.0 is out now for anyone with a forum account! http://www.eigenlabs.com/forum/threads/id/1411/

Traveling from Europe to the US with self-sufficient electronic music gear is always tedious, here's an overview of my latest collection that I combined for Moogfest. It's very portable, polyvalent and super quick to set up. Everything fragile comes with me as carry-on in the plane, and all the rest fits easily into my checked luggage without making it too heavy. The video below goes over every hardware element of my setup and afterwards explains how I connect it up, with the final result at the end. This is the list for those that are interested: * Eigenharp Tau + breath pipe & cello spike * Eigenharp standard base station + power adapter & USB cable * Eigenharp instrument cable * Eigenharp leather shoulder strap * iConnectMIDI4+  + power adapter & USB cable * MacBook Pro + power adapter * iPad 3 + iConnectivity USB cable * iPad Retina + iConnectivity USB cable & 30-pin to lightning adapter * Belkin 4-port USB hub P-F5U234 + USB cable * Apogee ONE for iPad + US...

Close-up picture from my impro gig setup of last night. Very nicely compact and stable. Two iPads played through the Eigenharp with iConnectMIDI4+ streaming all the audio back to the computer and then out to speakers and the Tau's headphone output.

Starting my first trip as an incognito Eigenharp player today towards Devoxx France. Just a regular bass guitar gig bag, but inside sits the Eigenharp Tau with everything required to hook it up! Hoping this will work out well, since it's what I planned to use for going to Moogfest in Asheville next week.

Practicing for Moogfest ... finally found a good stand configuration to put two iPads, a microphone and my Apogee One all together in my personal space.

I've been beta testing the iconnectivity iConnectMIDI4+ with the Eigenharp and two iPads connected over USB streaming audio back into EigenD. Works wonderfully well and actually better than I had anticipated. The latency is low enough to not require any additional audio interface tricks and to be able to mix the audio of both iPads inside EigenD with some Workbench connections. I even have it streaming audio from the iPads to the headphone of the Eigenharp Alpha/Tau itself. Both iPads are also fully powered, so they will not run out of power. Interestingly, having the audio and MIDI both on the same USB device seems to work better overall with iPad synths. Some synths that had occasional problems with stuck notes at Eigenharp data rates, now are a lot less sensitive to this. As soon as the beta testing NDA is lifted, I'll post some pictures and videos. http://www.iconnectivity.com/iConnectMIDI4plus

Here's another option that I've been considering to travel with the Tau, a Chapman Stick soft case. Does anyone have one of these to try the Tau with? http://www.stick.com/accessories/cases/

Interesting fact, the Tau is apparently perfect for air travel. No problems at all to ask for carry-on reservation. Its length doesn't exceed a bass guitar and its width and depth are much smaller. It's also a lot lighter. I'm planning to carry it around in a regular bass guitar gig bag (already tried, perfect fit), which will be a nice improvement over the instrument case that I use for the Alpha. http://www.eigenlabs.com/product/tau/

Nice side-effect of upgrading Juce to the latest version is that there was a lot of work done in the library to better support VST plugins on MacOSX. All the VST versions that I was unable to load in EigenD 2.0 now seem to load without any trouble on today's EigenD 2.1 built from source on Mavericks!

I remember some people were looking for a portable Eigenharp speaker system and I just stumbled into iLoud from IK Multimedia. I haven't heard it myself but all the reviews seem to be very good. Thought this could be useful to look into for those that are interested. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/guitar_effects/ik_multimedia/iloud

The video of my TEDx talk is now available. Please share it around and promote it if you like it. I think this might be a very useful concise way to explain what the Eigenharp and other new electronic musical instruments are about. The more people understand what can be done, the more they'll ask for improvements with software and hardware makers and the more we'll get out of it as musicians. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G69vjVxARrY

I have the privilege to be testing the new product that Wolfgang Palm is working on ... and he put in everything we need as Eigenharpers! Full Voice per Channel support with per-channel pitch-bend, and two per-channel expression parameters! Finally things I turning around one we're starting to get native plugins that we can leverage the Eigenharp's expressiveness with. I'll tell more as soon as I can ... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=658484500850335&set=a.306164816082307.78065.100000663739008&type=1

Glowing Paul Harriman performing at Electro-music fest 2013

Film maker is looking for Eigenharp players in Canada. Mike Milton, interested? https://www.facebook.com/eigenharp/posts/10151450366272687