Artinoise founder and CTO Davide Mancini – the electronics guru behind Soundmachines and part of the team behind the IK Multimedia UNO devices – shared this video looking at his latest project, the re.corder.
The re.corder is a hybrid acoustic/electronic instrument that’s designed to be an affordable starter instrument. It’s based on the traditional recorder design, but adds MIDI capabilities. As a result, the re.corder can be used as a traditional recorder, as a hybrid acoustic/electronic instrument and as a MIDI controller.
While Artinoise positions the re.corder as a great learning instrument, it’s probably more interesting to Synthtopia readers as an affordable electronic wind instrument. The re.corder includes a high performance pressure sensing device that can measure the strength of your blow and transform this information into an expression parameter.
Pricing and Availability
Production of the re.corder is being funded via a Kickstarter campaign. The re.corder is available to backers starting at €80.
Probably the least expensive windcontroller ever built. With many neat features.
Pledged on the re.corder plus the re.ceiver. That Bluetooth-to-CV receiver can really come in handy.
Even if things don’t come out exactly as planned, it’s a great campaign to fund as it’s valuable research.
Yeah, amazing price for a MIDI wind controller, and will apparently also be an acoustic recorder! And wireless too. I pledged the day it launched. Rude not to, at that price. Really looking forward to this one working out.
For anyone who is seeking a professional level breath control device, I recently found out about a product that is currently in development called PHOTON. It’s a multiple-dimension, high-resolution controller with amazing features. I saw a demo and my mind was blown!! This is all the info I could find, but I expect more info to be coming soon.
https://mailchi.mp/3a821ede1de9/photon
Not really a fair comparison with this product, but I though if someone had higher expectations and was about to settle, they might want to know more about the Photon.
With the re.corder, it will be cool to see how they did with latency/response. It’s a good price.
What was that guy trying to do with that caliper? ;D
lol, my first thought was…”hmmm this going to be expensive…” as I was opening this on Synthtopia…but 80 € is okay 🙂
Just a shame that they didnt add a midi-out port?
I don’t see how it can be used as a wind controller without having to use it as a recorder also. It’s always going to be making noise even if you are using it to control a synthesizer. That could be confusing in studio and completely annoying on stage.
I imagine it would be pretty easy to stick something, anything really, inside the “exit” hole to disturb the internal resonance(?) and stop it making an actual noise.
I think they even include some kind of sound blocker. So at worst it’ll hiss a little (like a BC would anyway).
The intro video shows how it comes with an option to stop the acoustic sound.
I still cannot order it.
I come to this as a recorder player so please take my comments accordingly.
This product looks very interesting and I will probably get on board as it seems to not have the drawbacks of a lot EWIs out there. I have a AKAI EWI but hardly ever play it as the fingering technique is so unlike a recorder, especially the octave rollers. It has to be approached as a totally different instrument than a recorder so my default state is to go to my recorder(s). If I can use standard recorder fingerings with this instrument that addresses my main concern.
I guess my main issue is that this is a soprano recorder. Soprano recorders are high pitched (piccolo range) and there is nothing more annoying than a high pitched instrument to my ears (and my wife’s ears). Also my broad fingers tangle themselves up because the holes are so close together.
The ideal size to this instrument would be an alto recorder, or even better, a short bore tenor recorder but if the target market is for education in elementary school they’ll sell more soprano sized instruments.
As I said I am interested and will support even if only to encourage more of this type of research.
I’m deffo getting one of these.
This is covered in all kinds of positive aspects. At that price, even as a dabbler, you’ve still got another organic approach open to you for minimal expense. Its also a good doorway to a more pro wind controller for some. I’d like to see an alto version and a MIDI Out option as well, but its pretty amazing and next-gen as it is. I’m considering how I could apply it to my physical modeling synth. It feels like a tiny secret weapon masquerading as a stocking stuffer.
This really should have USB MIDI to be useful professionally.
The latency of BLE is too much. This re.corder has a micro USB port for charging so I don’t see why they couldn’t implement USB midi.
Fingers crossed.