This Beamz Laser Music Performance System looks very interesting. I am not exactly sure how the beams are playing the notes in the video since all the beam should be able to detect is when it’s broken. It seems that more information than just a broken beam is needed could play those tunes. Based on what I see (if it is just broken beams) 6 buttons could reproduce the effect.
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Amazing laser-based invention lets music-lovers be musicians — regardless of talent or training!
Breaking the laser beams with your hands automatically generates pre-authored pulses, streams, riffs or loops of musical notes or sounds from hundreds of different instruments — strings, keyboards, woodwinds, brass, percussion, even cow bell.
Choose a complementary rhythm track from 30 original songs in 19 music genres, including jazz, bluegrass, classical, hip-hop, reggae, heavy metal and more. Or create your own track!
The beamz system has a "W" shape, with six laser beams spanning the two sections; connect via USB to your PC or laptop, then hook up some speakers and you’re ready to play, perform or create great music.
This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. This is the most un-musical “invention” ever. There is a HUGE difference between making music and playing it… with this piece of shit… you are doing NEITHER! What a serious waste of plastic.
If all you’re doing is triggering sounds with light… with no velocity, no note selection… it’s triggering something pre-arranged…
Yeah, the pre-arranged triggering is what really kills this. I guess they tried to make it really simple for people to make noise. It really needs some better audio samples too.
It was a pretty funny commercial though.
I love the random phrases in the video; “Be a hero” and “Jam Session!” They even pulled out an SNL reference with the “More Cowbell!” phrase. Amazing.
The video could have used some more square dudes playing crappy music too.
Bravo for the design team on this one! Very interesting use of a limited
number of inputs. As long as you keep a beam interrupted for that
‘instrument’, every possible interval (8th, 16th, 32th, or whatever. ‘Arpeggio’
I think it’s called) gets filled-in with pre-recorded, in-harmony, riff.
Letting the beam pass silences that instrument, giving the user the ability
to inject as much of any sound he wants by which beam he interrupts and when.
Purists can say it’s not music, but the man with the baton in front of the
orchestra might disagree. I’ll bet it feels like playing real music, and that
counts big-time.
Totally non-innovative, this device is essentially a few pushbuttons (activated by light beams instead of pressure) which trigger recorded music samples.
The only thing it has going for it is that it has kept some Marketing moron busy trying to sell it, instead of writing more lies about the latest bloatware from the major software publishers.
April 10th, 2008
This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. This is the most un-musical “invention” ever. There is a HUGE difference between making music and playing it… with this piece of shit… you are doing NEITHER! What a serious waste of plastic.
If all you’re doing is triggering sounds with light… with no velocity, no note selection… it’s triggering something pre-arranged…
$599… my god, if they sell one… i would puke
April 10th, 2008
Yeah, the pre-arranged triggering is what really kills this. I guess they tried to make it really simple for people to make noise. It really needs some better audio samples too.
It was a pretty funny commercial though.
I love the random phrases in the video; “Be a hero” and “Jam Session!” They even pulled out an SNL reference with the “More Cowbell!” phrase. Amazing.
The video could have used some more square dudes playing crappy music too.
April 11th, 2008
indeed, it’s just a very expensive button. the sequence of the notes are prearanged…
“laser hero” perhaps, but nothing more
April 11th, 2008
Bravo for the design team on this one! Very interesting use of a limited
number of inputs. As long as you keep a beam interrupted for that
‘instrument’, every possible interval (8th, 16th, 32th, or whatever. ‘Arpeggio’
I think it’s called) gets filled-in with pre-recorded, in-harmony, riff.
Letting the beam pass silences that instrument, giving the user the ability
to inject as much of any sound he wants by which beam he interrupts and when.
Purists can say it’s not music, but the man with the baton in front of the
orchestra might disagree. I’ll bet it feels like playing real music, and that
counts big-time.
April 13th, 2008
I’ll bet Jim was on the design team. This isn’t for musicians its clearly for tossers, thats you Jim.
April 14th, 2008
Totally non-innovative, this device is essentially a few pushbuttons (activated by light beams instead of pressure) which trigger recorded music samples.
The only thing it has going for it is that it has kept some Marketing moron busy trying to sell it, instead of writing more lies about the latest bloatware from the major software publishers.
April 16th, 2008
Were you guys aware of Jean-Michelle Jarre over there in the States back in the 80s?
I’m sure he was a worldwide hit.