Synesthesia

This short film by Terri Timely, Synesthesia, like the films of David Lynch, envelopes you in a dreamworld.

The film explores synesthesia – the subjective sensation of a sense (such as sight) different than the one being stimulated (such as sound).

via the awesome musicforsound blog

Synesthesia has announced that it’s updated the Virtual Brain for the Mandala drum synthesizer to support multiple pads.

The new Virtual Brain v1.50 was developed from requests made by Mandala players and has been tested extensively in multipad experiments with Danny Carey of the rock band TOOL.

The new “Virtual Brain” v1.50 software is available now to anyone via free download from the company’s website at http://www.mandaladrum.com. Even without buying the Mandala, anyone can download the software and tinker with it – on its own, or with other PC or Mac-compatible musical devices.

The Mandala is an advanced drum synth device that works as a USB MIDI controller with most major music software such as Battery 3, Reaktor, FXpansion BFD, Ableton Live, Propellerhead Reason and Apple GarageBand. Synesthesia also offers a special set of presets and HD snare players for Battery 3.

Details on the update below. Read more…

UK beatboxing/looping guru Beardyman does something a bit different with Clouds – a commission by OOXXOO. 

Beardyman was asked to produce an audio piece on the theme of synesthesia. This was the result. Its all live looped vocals. It was produced live. No post production of any kind was involved. It was made in the same time it takes to listen to it.

Synesthesia Corporation has launched a new website for the Mandala 2.0 High-Def Drum & Synthesizer and announced that it is now taking orders for the new product.

Mandala 2.0 is the new version of Synesthesia’s high-def drum and synthesizer, co-developed with professional drummer Danny Carey of the progressive rock band Tool. The company announced the new product in October, and will begin shipping in early December.

Now a computer peripheral—its USB cable plugs into PC or Mac—the Mandala 2.0 emulates an acoustic drum. It offers drummers and musical explorers a drum pad that “knows” exactly where it’s hit and how hard, across seven assignable zones—with an immediate trigger delivering the fastest-traveling sound possible.A new kind of synthesizer, the Mandala 2.0 offers players the top of the line, most accurate model of a physical drum (via 3,000 professionally created, proprietary samples of the Black Beauty Snare Drum)—along with a library of sounds derived from more than 100 other instruments. In all, the Mandala 2.0 features four gigabytes of sound samples. It’s a synthesizer with drumsticks, with a drum pad so sensitive it responds even to a fingertip touch.

“We’ve been working around the clock to get the Mandala 2.0 into the hands of those who’ve been anxiously awaiting its arrival,” said Vince De Franco, Synesthesia founder and CEO, and inventor of the Mandala. “We’re on track to start shipping December 1. We appreciate all the enthusiasm directed our way after unveiling the new Mandala 2.0. We think it’s a huge leap forward in harnessing technology to enable virtually unlimited potential for creating music.”

The Mandala 2.0 retails for $349. Each Mandala is hand-crafted and thoroughly tested before it is shipped. Expect two-week delivery. Synesthesia is offering eligible 1.0 customers $50 off any Mandala 2.0 drum they buy before May 31, 2008.

Synesthesia’s Mandala 2.0, a high-def virtual drum and synthesizer, looks pretty awesome. It’s a USB-based drum controller & a new type of synth, too.

Here’s a video that shows off the Mandala in action:

Read more…