Developer/producer Chris Vik explains a new work, Carpe Zythum, in which he uses a Microsoft Kinect to conduct a MIDI performance:

I’ve created my own software “Kinectar“, which allows the use of the Kinect to control MIDI devices, ie. playing notes through simple gestures and motion.

The Melbourne Town Hall Organ got a referb in the late 90s adding the ability of MIDI messages to active the notes… and so, this happened.

The Kinectar Performance Platform is a toolkit that allows you to use your Microsoft Kinect sensor as a fully-fledged MIDI controller.

Key Features:

• Movement Tracking UI allows manipulation of the Kinect’s human tracking capabilities, displaying all relevant data extracted from the hands location in 3d-space
• Instrument Builder lets the user build virtual ‘instruments’ by outputting MIDI notes in three modes:
• Static – Produces a single note value. Useful for drum triggers, turning on/off effects within a DAW or feed that trigger into Kinectar to switch between presets using your gesture
• Solo – Do sweeping solos by selecting from over 40 musical scale presets or click the notes on the UI to make your own
• Chord – Create a progression of up to 8 chords per preset to play live
• Global Flags lets you turn on/off Kinectar’s instruments using a MIDI note sent from your DAW, external MIDI controller or Kinectar itself
• MIDI Preset Control lets you switch between Kinectar’s presets and instruments using a single MIDI note
• Value Editor enables many more MIDI/OSC outputs, for controlling device values
• Visual Metronome popout window sits on top of all programs to make it easy to see if you’re in-time when the music gets messy