Combining audio with extreme portability and visuals is something commonly done with synthesizers, but probably never this easily. As part of an event held at the Royal Academy in London called “Sensing Spaces,” it’s a multi-sensory feast.

The title for the device is ironic: ‘Contact.’ It would appear the user is strumming strings or hitting bongos, but when the lights go up, the impressive fact is that it can turn almost any hard surface into an arranger-style synth. The system of touch acoustics is driven by contact microphones, passive sonar and waveform analysis.

Created by visual artist Felix Faire, Contact’s audio is processed through software platforms Ableton Live and Max/MSP. After volume adjustments are plotted along an X/Y axis, with a few flicks of the wrist, electronic music tracks become audio-visual treats.

The post Making Contact: A+V System Creates Music On Any Surface first appeared on Gajitz.

If you are as old as we are, you may have fond memories of the screechy sounds of dial-up modems. Remember waiting for the modem to dial out and listening to the beep booop beeeeeeeeeps before you were finally connected?

We’re definitely better off with modern technology, but it’s a nostalgia thing. Think Geek feels the same way, and they are now carrying a product that recreates those eardrum-piercing sounds of yesteryear.

The Music Modem is a novelty synthesizer that plays older modem sounds, newer modem sounds, or regular, boring music sounds. One of the main selling points is the annoyance factor: play a long series of modem noises and you’re sure to get under people’s skin. But we think you’d also be able to create some pretty awesome tunes with this little box of nostalgia.

The post Miss the 90s? This Synth Lets You Re-Live the Dial-Up Days first appeared on Gajitz.