This video captures excerpts from the world’s first live performance of a Beethoven symphony by a digital orchestra (The Fauxharmonic Orchestra).

This performance was part of an ongoing concert series presenting all nine Beethoven symphonies through 2011.

You can get details and more performance examples at The Fauxharmonic Orchestra site.

Do you think you could recognize The Fauxharmonic Orchestra on a recording?

via Fauxharmonic

On Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Paul Henry Smith will conduct the first-ever live concert of a Beethoven Symphony using a digital orchestra, performed by Vienna Symphonic Library’s Vienna Instruments at Holy Name Church in Boston.

This will be the first concert in a series that will present all nine Beethoven symphonies.

The Fauxharmonic Orchestra, founded by conductor and composer Paul Henry Smith, sets out to convince audiences that a live performance of a digital orchestra can be as expressive and moving as a traditional acoustic orchestra. In an earlier experiment in 2008, The New York Times called the Fauxharmonic Orchestra “genuinely impressive.”

The live digital orchestral music is realized by incorporating real-time performance control into a preliminary version that Smith prepares during hundreds of hours prior to the performance. For programming the Symphony, Smith relies on the Vienna Symphonic Library’s software instruments.

Accompanying viola and mezzo-soprano soloists, the Fauxharmonic Orchestra will make the most of its technology using wireless Nintendo Wii video-game controllers to change tempo, loudness, balance, timbre, and brightness – the elements a musician typically controls during a live performance. At Holy Name Church, the Fauxharmonic Orchestra’s sound will emerge from an array of Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 5 speakers.

Will The Fauxharmonic Orchestra Replace Real Orchestras?

Traditional instrumentalists have worried for years that computers and synths could one day put them out of business. Is that time here?

Maybe so, according to Smith.

“With current financial pressures, orchestras are cutting the performance of new music,” notes Paul Henry Smith. “By contrast, it costs far less for the Fauxharmonic Orchestra to prepare a new work for full orchestra and to perform it many times and in many places.”

Here’s an video that features Smith conducting the Fauxharmonic Orchestra:

Click here to view the embedded video.

While the Fauxharmonic Orchestra still can’t replicate the sound of a traditional orchestra, it’s undeniably musical.

Beyond being a replacement for traditional orchestras, though, the technology could expand the realms of traditional orchestration.

“This technology is best understood as expanding the rainbow of expression,” adds Smith, “rather than undermining the art of orchestral music.”

What do you think of the idea of a Fauxharmonic Orchestra? If you can make it to the concert, let us know how it goes!

Ken Moore’s submission for NPR’s National Caroling Party 2008.

The instrument is a homemade Wiimote-powered Theremin (simulator). The technology links a Wiimote controller, infrared LED gloves and a Roland JV-1080 synthesizer to create Theremin-like sounds.

A fun live improvisation by Micromattic involving heavy use of Step Sequencer, Wii Remote, Ableton Live, contact mic and a few hand made instruments.

rockin1208 demos using a Wiimote to control guitar effects:

“To do the pitch bend stuff, I send Wii data to Max/Msp, which then sends MIDI data to my digitech Whammy pedal. Yes, the Whammy pedal has a MIDI input.”

Anybody hack a Wiimote to do MIDI directly?

via Caleb Kraft

This is the E3 Trailer of Wii Music for Nintendo Wii.

Unfortunately – it looks like this is a music game with the emphasis on game.

At this morning’s Nintendo media briefing in Los Angeles, announcements included new Wii Sports, Wii Music, and the Wii Motion Plus Controller.

This video demos WiiAmbient, a free new ambient music program for the Wii from Gleetchplug.

It’s not available yet – but it looks like it will be very cool.

WiiJing is the use of Nintentdo’s Wiimote to control DJ software. This is a demonstration of Wiijing, presented by DJ ! for the website www.djwiij.com.

This is a proof of concept demonstration video of Wiij Scratching with a Nintendo Wiimote and using Traktor DJ Software.

A closer look at DJ Wiij’s approach to WiiJing.

Need an excuse to blow a bunch of money on WII stuff?

Here you go:

BodySurf is a script for GlovePIE that rigs up the Wii Balance Board to play Audiosurf, the music game that lets you ride the boogie.

It is full-featured, with a strong focus on player immersion and ease of user interface. The controls are simple and intuitive: the player moves by leaning from side to side on the balance board, and most character abilities are activated by motion controls.

The system requirements are fairly simple: you need only a Wii Balance Board, a computer with Bluetooth, and a Wii Remote (which you probably have if you have a Balance Board anyway.) You also (obviously) need a copy of Audiosurf, which is $10 on Steam.

Mono Pro: Hold A+B on the Wiimote to scoop all three lanes. To jump, simply jump up off the balance board. (See warnings.)

Pointman: Hold A+B to pick up a block or powerup, release to let go of it. To get the hint arrows, point the Wiimote vertically – after all, you need to raise your hand when you want help

Vegas: Shake the Wiimote (like you’re getting ready to roll dice) to deploy your powerup.

Eraser: Hold A+B on the Wiimote to erase.

Pusher: Point the Wiimote to the left or right to indicate which direction to push.

Ninja Mono: Hold A+B on the Wiimote to scoop all three lanes, and thrust the Wiimote forward to throw a shuriken.

The Amazing Rolo has announced Loop Machine 2.0.

Loop Machine is music software that uses the Nintendo Wii remote as a wireless gestural interface for creating loop-based music. It’s an easy to use, powerful, and fun music creation and performance tool. According to the Amazing Rolo, you can load in any audio ?les or loops and start mixing, chopping, and crazinating within minutes, just by using the wireless Wiimote and dancing around and looking totally awesome.

The Loop Machine 2.0 was rebuilt. Features include:

• Four channels of independently controlled audio
• Three effects and a ?lter on each channel
• Effects, ?lter, and channel volume are all mapped to the user’s movements
• Live audio sampling on each channel
• “Learn Mode”, which records the movement of the controller and applies it to an effect on the loop or sample
• BPM tempo adjustment, with time signature and loop length
• Recorder for saving your set

Wiimote Synthesizer

Description:

Here’s a quick version of how this works:

You do not need a Wii console to do this. I do not actually own a Wii console, I just went out and bought the controller as soon as I heard it is bluetooth enabled. You will however need a bluetooth adapter. (A lot of laptops have one already)

First get BlueSoleil (www.bluesoleil.com) to pair your computer with the wiimote over bluetooth.Get GlovePIE (http://carl.kenner.googlepages.com/glovepie). It recognizes the wiimote and you can turn the sensor data into midi output. There are some sample scripts on there, but you’ll really want to write your own script. The program has excellent documentation, and with the sample scripts provided it is relatively easy to write your own script for whatever you are doing.

You will need to install the Maple Virtual MIDI ports (http://www.hardnote.com/maple.htm). This allows you to send MIDI data between programs on your computer. One program uses port 1 as an output, and another listens on that port. At this point, you can use the Wiimote to send midi data to any program you want. I used Reaktor.

In my video, I have two tilt axes controlling the frequency cutoff on two low-pass filters. The arrow keys control the pitch of the melody, and the rest of the buttons choose from preset chords. The A and B buttons turn on and off the two voices.You might also notice that the LEDs on the Wiimote change. They change depending on the chord that is selected. You are able to use GlovePIE to also send MIDI data back to the Wiimote.Quick note to mac users:You can do this using Max/MSP. There is an object for Max written to connect to the Wiimote. See the instructions here: http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~aka/max/#aka_wiiremote

via sapphire327