Retronyms, makers of iPhone applications Recorder and FourTrack, have released DopplerPad (App Store link), a live performance music production application for the iPhone and iPod touch inspired by the Korg Kaossillator, Yamaha Tenori-on and DJ mixers.

Synthesizers, samplers and drum pads are combined in the app to create an intuitive, portable instrument.

DopplerPad’s interface imitates the standard DJ setup of a mixer with turntables on either side, but replaces the turntables with music-producing touchpads. The app launches to the mixer, where the user can access the two touchpads, playback controls, a crossfader and a loop bank that stores up to 14 loops.

DopplerPad is $9.99 in the iTunes App Store. Details below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Building a loop on one of DopplerPad’s velocity-sensitive touchpads begins with adjusting the tempo and number of beats. Thirty-seven instruments are available to design melodies and harmonies with bass, percussion and additional sound effects, while four samplers allow users to record snippets of any audio to add to the mix. The gate/arpeggiator and scale editor polish the loop with unique rhythms that are always in tune.

Retronyms is holding a video contest coinciding with the release of DopplerPad to see who can create the best DopplerPad track. Submissions will be accepted until August 21, 2009, and the prize for the winner is an iPhone 3GS.

Details of the contest rules, screenshots and tutorials are available at http://dopplerpad.com.

via retronyms:

DopplerPad, Expressive Touch Instrument by Retronyms.Quickly create and perform musical hooks, phrases and loops with a variety of custom synth and sample-based instruments. Make samples on the fly and weave them into compositions.DopplerPad is an expressive touch instrument designed exclusively for iPhone & iPod Touch. Use rhythmic and melodic automation to create phrases by freely moving fingers around the musical touchpad.Drags and taps come to life with responsive visual feedback, making the groove visible.Learn more at http://dopplerpad.com

Think that the keytar isn’t geeky enough for you?

Then you may want to build a DIY Kaossilator Guitar.

James Haskin came up with the idea for this project after seeing a video of Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. He had mounted his Kaossilator on a guitar and a taped the neck of a video game controller next to it to make it look like he was fingering the notes.

Instructions for building the Kaossilator Guitar Synth are available at Instructables.

Noise.io – iPhone Synthesizer

Description:

A demo of the Noise.io iPhone synthesizer.

A holiday synth jam from Muzik 4 Machines.

• Korg ESX1: All Sequences/Drums
• Yamaha TX81z: Reverby/Pumpy Sawtooth Bass (chain:TX81z-Akai MFC42-Alesis Nanoverb-DBX266 ch1 (pump)-ch2 (Compression)-Mixer)
• Roland MKS50: Hoover/Saw/Lead/Pumpy Synth (Chain MKS50-Boss SL20-DBX266-Zoom RFX2200-Mixer)
• Redsound SoundBite Pro: Vocals/looping
• Korg Kaoss pad 2: Tempo Delay
• Korg Kaoss Pad 3: Loops, Looper(snare rolls), Grainshifter
• Korg Kaossilator: Noise Sweeps (path: K01-Mini KP(Delay)-Mixer)
• Korg ER1: Beatbox AND sidechain signal (Chain: left out-ProCo Turbo Rat-Boss V-Wha-Mixer)
• DX200: Fm E-piano, pads, 303-esque sequences, etc (Chain: Left Out-Boss DD5 delay-Mixer)
• Motu Midi Mixer 7s: My mixer, controlled by the BCF2000)
• Kawai Midi Patchbay:Guess 
• DBX MC 6: Output Compressor

NOT used: 
a computer, besides recording it; no edition, no mastering, What you hear is what I send out of the main outs

Korg has introduced a limited edition Kaossilator Pink.

It’s like the normal Kaossilator – except pink. It’s expected to be available soon for about $300.

Kaossilator Description 

The Kaossilator is a dynamic phrase synthesizer and comes packed with 100 sound programs that combine Korg’s modelling synthesizer engine with effects from the KAOSS Pad series. Its horizontal axis is assigned to note/pitch, while the vertical axis is assigned to parameters such as: cut-off, feedback, or modulation depth, giving you a wide range of performance possibilities. In addition to classic synthesizer sounds, there are faithfully simulated piano, guitar and trumpet sounds as well as looped and one-shot drum sounds.

The Kaossilator offers you a choice of 31 different scales, including chromatic and diminished, as well as major and minor blues and pentatonic scales – by using the key setting function, you can play them in any key. In addition to the standard western scales, Korg has included a few more exotic varieties such as Spanish, Ryukyu, and Raga. It also includes a Gate Arpeggiator which enables you to produce specific patterns of notes in sync with user specified tempos, and a Loop Recording function allowing you to record a phrase with a specified number of beats to a maximum of two bars (or measures) and add layers to it.

jetdaisuke apparently has loads of cash, because he’s always demoing new toys. Here, he demos a series of increasingly tiny small synthesizers.

What’s next after the iPhone synthesizer?

cuckoomusic does his thing with the Korg Kaossilator.

Can you tell that he likes it?

Anime girls show what you can do with a Korg Kaossilator in Korg’s promo movie. 

via Matrix

David Battino has documented a boot-up hack that lets you create 4-bar loops with the Korg Kaossilator:

• While holding the Tap and Loop Rec buttons, slide the power switch from Standby to On. The display willl show DLY (delay) to confirm you’re in bufferless mode.
• Release the buttons.
• Hold down Loop Rec and Tap again; this puts the Kaossilator into loop-length adjustment mode.
• Turn the data knob one click to the right. The display will change from L 8 to L16. You’re now in 4-bar (16 beat) loop mode.
• Double-click the Scale button to return to sound-select mode, or just wait 12 seconds.

Follow the link above for Battino’s demo MP3s.

This is an interesting hack, but a hack just the same. If you’re a Kaossilator owner, give this a try and let me know what you think of it.

via CDM

Fun look at the insides of a Korg Kaossilator

The album was inspirational in the way it used one instrument for all the sounds, but the Tenori-On is out of reach for a lot of musicians.

Gary Kibler has created a similar project, The Yellow Album, using the more affordable Korg Kaossilator, which retails for about $200:

Produced and performed exclusively on the Korg Kaossilator. No other effects, EQ or sounds were added other than those incorporated in the original device. Audio was recorded directly off the unit and the only edits performed externally were simple volume balancing.

You can preview Kibler’s Loop of Evil below. Download the full CD at ReverbNation.