[NewMusic] K-Bow info

Sun Nov 9 12:36:00 PST 2008

FWIW 4000 isn't too bad for a bow.

Yeah. Lots of SP info. What would you like to know?

$500.00

Roland d-13 (or zeta pickup) to 6 channel USB.

we will be shipping with a software suite including a multichannel vst  
host, tone processor, phase vocoder bank, a phase based waveshaping  
synth, a string resynthesis application, and some other percussive  
thing that i haven't built yet so i'm not sure what its going to be  
like.

bt

On Nov 6, 2008, at 12:01 PM, Travis Johns wrote:

> any info on this StringPort dealy? i saw something in keith's
> manifesto and in the press release but nothing on the site. while a
> 4000 dollar bow might not suit my fancy (unless you pair it with one
> of them fancy moog guitars, some golden alligator clips, and a
> platinum, diamond-encrusted ebow for the total bourgeois improv
> experience), the thought of finally being able to use the digital
> output on my zeta without having to interface with a 25 year old midi
> box... pretty zesty, if i dont say so myself... anyone with the inside
> ticket? let yr people know.
>
> On Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 11:53 AM, Damon Smith
> <damon at balancepointacoustics.com> wrote:
>> Dresser has a bow with pick ups in it. It sounded great when I  
>> heard it.
>>
>> On Nov 6, 2008, at 11:26 AM, Robair, Gino wrote:
>>
>>>> From iThing to Kthing --- my last post for today while on a
>>>> conference call
>>> (I promise...no more typos)
>>> Just got this in the inbox, and thought it might of interest to
>>> some of the
>>> listers using OSC, etc (I know some of you have seen the demos
>>> already).
>>>
>>> <<Keith McMillen Instruments Introduces K-Bow Violin Sensor Bow
>>>
>>> BERKELEY, CA, NOVEMBER 6, 2008 < Players of bowed string
>>> instruments have
>>> long wrestled with making music technology respond to the nuances of
>>> techniques they¹ve spent years acquiring. The end of their quest
>>> will be
>>> found at booth 6227 in Hall A of the upcoming Winter NAMM
>>> exhibition, where
>>> Keith McMillen Instruments will be showing K-Bow.
>>>
>>>
>>> K-Bow is a Bluetooth-enabled sensor bow that detects and translates
>>> bow
>>> technique and movement into control signals capable of producing an
>>> unprecedented level of expression from synthesizers, audio
>>> processors, or
>>> any other computer-based art form.
>>>
>>> Musician/inventor Keith McMillen, creator of the world-standard
>>> Zeta violin
>>> and numerous other pioneering innovations, has been advancing the
>>> cause of
>>> string players in music technology for nearly 30 years. Laurie
>>> Anderson,
>>> Boyd Tinsley (Dave Matthews Band), Mark O¹Connor, Jean Luc Ponty,
>>> and the
>>> Kronos Quartet are only a few of the renowned players who use
>>> McMillen¹s
>>> instruments.
>>>
>>> While drums and keyboards fit in well with the simple event
>>> paradigm of
>>> MIDI, stringed instruments, and, in particular, bowed instruments
>>> do not.
>>> This has effectively shunted string players off to a frustrating
>>> technological backwater in which they have been constrained to
>>> watch the
>>> promise of computer musical instruments largely pass them by.
>>>
>>> K-Bow, along with StringPort, KMI¹s other new product, represent the
>>> fulfillment of McMillen¹s long-held dream to liberate string
>>> players from
>>> this musical confinement. The advent of K-Bow and StringPort  
>>> transform
>>> computer interaction from an obstacle to music into the primary
>>> road to new
>>> means of expression for string players going forward.
>>>
>>> K-Bow uses multiple sensors embedded in its custom Kevlar/carbon
>>> fiber stick
>>> to determine numerous performance parameters, including: motion on
>>> the X,Y
>>> and Z axes; grip pressure; hair tension; tilt angle; and the
>>> position of the
>>> bow relative to the instrument. K-Bow is available for violin,
>>> viola, cello,
>>> and bass.
>>>
>>> All of this data can be applied using an included software suite  
>>> that
>>> extracts gestural information from the data received from the bow,
>>> and uses
>>> it to process or control the sound from a violin, synthesizer, drum
>>> machine,
>>> or parameters of any intelligent device, whether related to music
>>> and audio
>>> or not. K-Bow opens the door to a vast range of creative ideas: bow
>>> direction might trigger drum sounds, or K-Bow might conduct a
>>> virtual rhythm
>>> section.
>>>
>>> Bundled with K-Bow are K-Tone (an advanced signal processor),
>>> modulation
>>> routing, and an intuitive multitrack live recording looper. K-Bow¹s
>>> performance data can also be sent to other music software.
>>>
>>> The K-Bow software suite contains a special neural network that  
>>> can be
>>> trained to recognize performance gestures specific to the
>>> performer. This
>>> makes possible applications such as controlling lighting by the
>>> playing of a
>>> specific passage, or selecting a track or software function by
>>> making a
>>> designated motion through the air with K-Bow.
>>>
>>> Naturally, all commands generated by K-Bow also can be sent to a  
>>> MIDI
>>> interface or as OSC (Open Sound Control) messages to control  
>>> external
>>> devices. The software is open and compatible with Max/MSP and other
>>> authoring tools so it can be expanded by third parties and
>>> knowledgeable
>>> users.
>>>
>>> K-Bow is designed to leverage, rather than impede, the player¹s
>>> technique.
>>> The weight and feel of K-Bow are that of a fine violin bow, yet the
>>> bow
>>> contains a sophisticated array of sensors and electronics, as well
>>> as a tiny
>>> radio transceiver that sends the sensor data to a Mac or Windows- 
>>> based
>>> computer hundreds of times a second. Far from requiring the use of
>>> a special
>>> violin controller, K-Bow can be used with any instrument, enabling
>>> players
>>> to use K-Bow with their familiar instruments.
>>>
>>> K-Bow¹s internal electronics are powered by a lithium battery that
>>> works for
>>> a full day before requiring recharging through a standard USB
>>> connector.
>>>
>>> K-Bow will ship in Q1 of 2009 with complete systems priced at less
>>> than
>>> $4,000. K-Bow will be available directly from Keith McMillen
>>> Instruments,
>>> which can be found online at www.keithmcmillen.com.
>>>
>>> A portion of the profits from the sale of K-Bow will go to the BEAM
>>> Foundation (http://www.beamfoundation.org), a nonprofit corporation
>>> founded
>>> by McMillen to spark a new Western classical music movement based
>>> on the
>>> technologies and aesthetics of the 21st century.
>>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Bay Area New Music Discussion Group
>>> NewMusic at music.mills.edu
>>> http://music.mills.edu/mailman/listinfo/newmusic
>>
>> Damon Smith
>>
>> http://www.balancepointacoustics.com
>> http://myspace.com/smithdamon
>> New solo project:
>> http://www.myspace.com/damonsmithsolo
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Bay Area New Music Discussion Group
>> NewMusic at music.mills.edu
>> http://music.mills.edu/mailman/listinfo/newmusic
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Bay Area New Music Discussion Group
> NewMusic at music.mills.edu
> http://music.mills.edu/mailman/listinfo/newmusic

barry threw
Media Art and Technology

San Francisco, CA
Work: 857-544-3967
Email: bthrew (at) gmail (dot) com
Web: www.barrythrew.com