HexaChrom - Somascape
"HexaChrom turns your iPad into a musical performance controller, enabling you to play your OSC or MIDI (#) electronic musical instruments — virtual instruments running on a laptop/desktop computer, or hardware MIDI instruments.
HexaChrom takes an alternative approach to the majority of MIDI keyboard controllers in that it uses an isometric note layout, where the notes are presented as a hexagonal matrix of keys. There are many such isometric layouts, though HexaChrom uses the Harmonic Table layout, which is a modern variation of the Tonnetz (tone network), devised by the famous mathematician Euler.
This note layout has particularly useful musical intervals between adjacent keys, ie along the 3 major axes : minor thirds, major thirds and perfect fifths. In the Western musical tradition, the intervals of the major and minor thirds dominate chordal structures. Consequently, this layout offers a number of advantages over the more conventional clavier-style keyboards : consistent chord shapes irrespective of key, the ability to span several octaves with one hand, and to play basic major or minor triads with a single finger. Together resulting in an easier learning curve.
It also encourages the user to approach music differently, just as the different note layouts of pianos and guitars engender different playing styles.
(#) HexaChrom can send MIDI data either via the OSC protocol (wirelessly), or via CoreMIDI (wired or wirelessly). When using OSC to control MIDI devices (whether hardware or software based) you will need to translate the OSC messages to MIDI, using either additional software (eg OSCulator on a Mac) or hardware (Jabrudian's Missing Link).
FEATURES :
- Isometric 'harmonic table' note layout keyboard, based on a 52-note matrix (just over 4 octaves).
- Play simple chords with a single finger.
- Consistent chord shapes irrespective of root key.
- Octave transposition provides a total span of just over 7 octaves.
- Dual view : Portrait mode offers a single 52-note matrix (easy play); Landscape mode has a 104-note dual matrix, with optional split channel operation.
- Assignable controllers (sliders and buttons).
- Control any software or hardware MIDI synthesizer, sampler, drum machine, etc. using OSC or MIDI protocols (additional software and/or hardware is required - see Requirements).
- OSC (wireless) support for both the 'M' data type (as used by OSCulator), and the Missing Link's proprietary message format. With automatic connection using Bonjour, or manual connection when Bonjour is not an option.
- CoreMIDI support (wireless or wired).
- Multitouch interface.
- iOS 4 multitasking compliant.
REQUIREMENTS :
- iPad running iOS 3.2 or later (4.2 is required for wired MIDI, whilst 4.3 is required for wireless MIDI).
- To use wired MIDI : A CoreMIDI compliant MIDI interface (eg Yamaha's i-MX1), or Apple's Camera Connection Kit along with a class compliant USB-MIDI interface.
- To use wireless MIDI : a wireless network with access to a MIDI Server.
- To use OSC : a wireless network with access to an OSC Server, eg OSCulator or a Missing Link device.
- A Mac running OS X 10.4 or later (if using OSCulator or wireless MIDI).
NOTES :
- HexaChrom is a dedicated iPad app and cannot be used with iPhone or iPod Touch.
- HexaChrom is a controller. It does not of itself produce any sound.
- OSCulator, Missing Link and Camera Connection Kit are 3rd party commercial products."
Note the bottom image if from Hans of
The Missing Link who gave it a try. He had the following tip for others that might want to give it a spin: "When I tried it out, the "Connect to Missing Link" slide switch put the right numbers in the boxes but it gave me an error as if they weren't there so I had to slide the switch back to 'OFF' and enter them manually. Not a big chore, but it's not necessarily an obvious workaround."
HexaChrom - Somascape
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