If we’ve learned one thing on this site, it’s this: if it’s a computer, big or small, someone’s going to find a way to make music. The iPod / iPhone, with their Mac OS-derived software guts and a multi-touch interface, are no exception — with or without Apple’s blessing. Here’s a look at what people are doing, including some apps you can download right now, and where this might go musically, whether it’s just a couple of fun toys or trying to make that pretty pocket device an instrument.

Background

There’s no question what makes the iPod Touch and iPhone significant: they are tiny, palm-sized Macs, running all the stuff that makes a Mac a Mac — Cocoa, of course, but even music-specific stuff like Core Audio and Audio Units. (For more details, have a look at the WWDC session highlights spotted by Palm Sounds, all of interest to audio specifically. It could easily be mistaken for desktop development. The Unity 3D game engine is on its way, too.) And even if you’re not planning on picking up mobile Apple hardware, this says something about the rapidly-advancing direction of mobile computing. There was a lot of talk about mobile convergence in the 90s and early years of this decade, but now it’s here.

Of course, there are strings attached. Apple was in no rush to get an official SDK and firmware out to developers, relenting only this year. And it strikes me as I see iPhones on the go that the coolest stuff is happening using "jailbreaked" phones — phones specifically hacked to get around Apple’s requirements. Even when Apple goes official, that’s likely to continue: Apple has placed some arguably onerous restrictions on development. Software has to be Apple-approved and sold via iTunes, and basic capabilities like multitasking are a no-no. Someone’s just called? Great. Your app just quit. (Bizarrely, even extremely low-end phones are willing to multitask, but not Apple’s far-superior hardware.) Whatever arguments you may make for Apple’s approach, my guess is the hard-core iPhone/Touch owner will remain outlaws to get the full capability out of their device.

Also, despite some common elements, the implementations of APIs on the mobile devices are not as complete as on desktop Mac OS. Chad from miniMusic tells PalmSounds that some features currently available in Core Audio on the desktop are missing on mobile — at least for now.

Then there’s the fact that the major Apple strength is Cocoa and Mac-based development — meaning I remain curious about what the Windows and Linux camps will do in this space, particularly Linux. Those folks do have a major, uphill battle to match Apple’s achievement here in terms of software. One would think, though, that Linux should have a bit of an edge because its comparative modularity, whereas Mac OS X was designed solely as a desktop OS — though mobile development is hard, either way.

For Mac-based development, though, iPhone and iPod Touch are here now (always a major advantage in technology). Its full-fledged Mac roots have led to the fanciful image at right and some heated discussion on CDM’s forums earlier this spring. But let’s have a look and what’s here now for the iThings, like MooCowMusic’s Band app (pictured, top).

Ed.: Circuit bending too destructive for you? Don’t let that scare you away from this year’s Bent Festival, in NYC, LA, and Minneapolis. Key pioneering circuit benders like founding artist Reed Ghazala are quick to argue that bending is a creative, not a destructive act — though some more radical benders might disagree. You say creation, she says destruction — let’s call the whole thing off: this year, handmade instruments and art of all kinds are welcome, say conference organizers, who are…

… continuing to open the Bent Festival to performers and artists that create their own electronics as well as to those who hack, bend, modify and destroy them

Full details:

The Tank is currently accepting proposals for Bent 2008: The Fifth Annual Circuit Bending Festival:

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Furby and Jesus, keyboards and guitars and laser gun blasters, pre-natal heart monitors, toys and instruments and strange unidentifiable electronics — in one day, all these things evolved from one thing into … something else. Babies and bigger adult people took to their shops, spent huge amounts of money (one dollar! two dollars!), and came up with remarkable designs. Some were beginners trying their first simple bends, some were serious builders, constructing really playable (if glitchable), convincing instruments. If you’ve never considered bending before, this could change/blow your mind. And for bending lovers, we have quite a range. Thanks to our friend Circuit Master at GetLoFi and Mike Una here on CDM, here come pages of results from the Circuit Bending Challenge I… -PK

(See also GetLoFi’s round-up, especially if you like all your videos on one page.)

It’s on! The Circuit-bending challenge is officially underway!

A quick review of the guidelines:

1. Bicycle, walk, or swim to your nearest secondhand store.

2. Locate and purchase a cheap electronic noisemaking device.

3. Take it home and bend that thang!

4. Document the process and end result, then upload it to the internet in some fashion- Youtube, Flickr, etc, all with the tag “circuitchallenge.” (and createdigitalmusic, of course). Still images, audio, and video are all fair game. Bonus points for all 3.

5. Add a comment to this post with links to your entry. I will add them to the post itself as they are received.

You have until midnight on Sunday. Go!*

(* or whenever you like, because we don’t know what time zone you’re in … see comments for further disclaimers.)

An auto-updating slideshow of all flickr’d entries can be seen at getlofi.com, thanks to the esteemed Circuit Master.

Here are the entries, in order received:

Finding the perfect controller for DJing, laptop music, and so on has tended to mean either buying an off-the-shelf solution, or building one from scratch. But a growing number of users is choosing a third way: find a nearly-perfect controller and mod it to perfection.

DJ Tech Tools, a new blog from three DJs that has grown out of stories for Remix Magazine, has a great story on adding arcade buttons to a Vestax VCI-100 controller. And yes, that’s “arcade” as in gaming — those fantastic, tactile buttons found on vintage game cabinets.

Tutorial on adding arcade buttons to a VCI-100 [djtechtools.com]

Here are a couple of examples of the results:
Sonic Boooom! VCI-100 Vs. Street Fighter
A great VCI MOD rolls off the line!

Speaking of whimsical DJ toys, djtechtools points to DJ Nu-Mark, who has replaced turntables with a “pair of learning toys meant for teething toddlers.” djtechtools can’t seem to find more details, so I turn that to the ever-knowledgeable CDM readership. And Mark, if you’re out there, give a holler. Not totally sold on his DJ name, though it is a big leap better than “DJ Bear-In-Jer.” But the set looks fantastic. (Via.) The video, with Jurassic 5 in 2006:

We’ve got some fantastic people coming tomorrow night to the event at Etsy Labs, co-organized by Etsy, Create Digital Music, and Make. If you’re in the area, hope you’ll be one of those fantastic people! And bringing along cool projects — whether it’s a Reaktor or Max patch or a hacked-up QWERTY keyboard or a home-built synth — is definitely welcome. If you want to make sound, bring along some cables and, if you can, small speakers. (We’ll also have the PA, but since much of the night is science fair-style, small speakers are a must.)

Where: Etsy Labs, downtown-ish Brooklyn (see also: blog)
How to get there: By train or bus. Directions, Map. The 2/3 train is also nearby; that’s how I get there.
When: 8pm onward (very informal, so dropping in late is okay… just not too late)
Who should come: Anyone and everyone! Bring toys or come empty-handed and enjoy. Just be sure to RSVP to rsvp@etsy.com if possible.

As last time, too, we’ll be sharing everything we learn project-wise with you, so wherever you are in the world, we’ll make sure you enjoy the event, too.

Here’s the video from March:

Nintendo keeps cooking up innovative new control schemes for its Nintendo Wii console. And if the Wii controller was any indication, you can expect musicians, DJs, and artists will be taking up this latest controller shortly after it’s available. The Wii Fit controller is a force-sensing panel the player stands on; it’s used to measure weight and balance. “Ah, just what I need during a workout,” you say, “an always-on scale to demoralize me.” Amazingly, though, this simple controller is used for some pretty impressive controls, from balance for yoga to leaning weight in one direction or another.

Foot-based controllers are a wonderful thing for music, because we usually greatly overburden our hands with tasks — play guitars and keyboards, twist knobs, run faders, etc. It’s not hard to imagine the Wii Fit board as an expression controller, in place of a pedal. And it shouldn’t be hard to get data out of it, either, since it looks like it also uses Bluetooth, just as the Wii controller does. (Musicians and DJs, among others, have happily employed the Wii remote in creative applications for Mac, Linux, and Windows.)

Previous Wii Coverage on CDM

While we wait, though, I’d like to ask another question: does anyone know of creative uses of foot controllers for music over the years? Most of what the Wii remote does had been done previously in various forms by music researchers, composers, and inventors, up to a couple of decades before Nintendo shipped their remote. That’s not to say Nintendo was ripping off their efforts; on the contrary, it suggests the design of controllers is more than just fad and will continue to evolve.

So — fabulous foot inventions? We’d love to hear them.