Create Digital Music » Sharper Image Selling Pre-Made Laser Harp, But Why Not Make Your Own?

Apr 02 2008

Sharper Image Selling Pre-Made Laser Harp, But Why Not Make Your Own?

The Sharper Image, a source of various amusing musical oddities over the years, now has a ready-to-use USB laser harp music controller for PC (Windows XP/Vista), at the price of — wha? US$599? Yes, this is obviously Sharper Image exercising the business and marketing acumen that allowed it to — erm — file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year.

And, in a move we haven’t seen in years, they spell the name with a ‘z’ instead of an ’s.’ Classy. And they’ve opted for a design that looks like the security fence in Jurassic Park.

The beamz Music Performance System @ Theremin World

Not sold yet? Read this feature and drool:

Choose a complementary rhythm track from 30 original songs in 19 music genres, including jazz, bluegrass, classical, hip-hop, reggae, heavy metal and more.

And it all “brings families and friends together through highly personalized music performances that elicit joy and excitement across all ages.” So, is $600 really so much to ask if it saves your family?

Make Your Own Laser Harp

As it happens, you can make a much cooler (okay, not saying much — a cool) laser harp on your own, as Stephen Hobley has done:

Stephen Hobley’s *awesome* laser harp [ladyada's ranting]

Click through to comments for more details on the project and how-to info.

Updated: Stephen’s site is back up, so go have a look. The project uses the very inexpensive Boarduino Arduino clone. I’m an Arduino vet but just picked up a Boarduino, so I’ll let you know when I do something with it.

“Totally awesome” as this may be, I still feel somehow unsatisfied. And then I know why:

Someone needs to do a laser tag harp. Ah, that takes me back. Anyone?

Photo: carinemily. And they say this whole 8-bit music thing is about 80s nostalgia? I’ll show you 80s nostalgia.

Chirp Lets Your QWERTY Do MIDI Input Right - Even in Coach Class

April Foolery Round-Up

16 Comments

dead_red_eyes

He talks a bit about his project here :

http://www.ladyada.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=23426

He also has a new video up, he integrated a Wii Remote into his setup to help control a filter on his soft synth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yta0aJrbOxU

He’s also got the plans for his machine up on his site:

http://www.stephenhobley.com/store/

April 2, 2008 @ 11:06 am

foosnark

Why use streams of light when you could use streams of water? AFAIK, nobody has ever built a Faucet Harp. Be unique!

April 2, 2008 @ 11:06 am

dead_red_eyes

Damn, forgot to mention that I was talking about Stephen and his laser harp.

April 2, 2008 @ 11:07 am

dead_red_eyes

I could see someone getting electrocuted really quick with that foosnark.

April 2, 2008 @ 11:07 am

Peter Kirn

I like the water idea. I’m sure there are plenty of ways not to get electrocuted.

See here; my friends Maia and Liubo were thinking along those lines:
http://organicinterfaces.com/

April 2, 2008 @ 11:10 am

Cort3x

@foosnark:

Do you mean something like the Hydraulophone, as posted on this very blog in 2006?

April 2, 2008 @ 11:21 am

Simon

Given all the noise in the news here recently about people aiming lasers at aircraft, and corresponding outrage from police/pilots/etc. … building one of these in Australia is bound to get you classified as a terrorist.

Hmmm, though maybe that’s what those evil people with their “coordinated attacks” where actually doing - some kind of bizarre, large-scale performance art where the planes were playing a huge laser harp! (driving pd or max, of course)

April 2, 2008 @ 6:15 pm

Steve Hobley

Thanks for the mention - I didn’t realise my server was down.

I’ve just been down to the basement and put some more money in the meter…

:-)

April 2, 2008 @ 8:10 pm

Arduino News: Thursday; April 3, 2008 « Learn Arduino

[...] Created Digital Music Cover Sharper Image’s US $599 Pre-made Laser Harp, and encourages you to make your own with commonly available hardware such as an Arduino Diecimila. [read] [...]

April 3, 2008 @ 6:55 am

michael

the USB laser harp is obviously an aprils fool product

April 3, 2008 @ 8:22 am

Joaquins Musikblog

Laser Harfe mit WiiMote zum Selbstbauen - Star Wars Musik…

Die Harfe ist als Instrument schon eine geniale Erfindung nur so unheimlich unhandlich. Eine moderne Variante ganz im Star-Wars Style mit Lasern hat nun Stephen Hobley sich hergestellt.

Das Prinzip ist im Grunde einfach, aber die Realisierung ist w…