Electronic artist collective Machina has announced the MIDI Jacket – a wearable MIDI controller, being developed as a Kickstarter project.
The MIDI Jacket MJ v01 is designed to control digital music instruments, computers, and other devices. It allows users to control and make music kinetically (through body movements), through body sensors, and by detecting your acceleration and flexion.
The MIDI Jacket has multiple built-in controllers:
- Four flexible sensors which can detect your finger’s position
- One accelerometer which can detect your arm’s acceleration
- A joystick
- 4 push buttons
All of these sensors and buttons can be configured by the user, but they come with presets and initial configurations. While the sensors are there, the jacket looks like a regular jacket, and can be worn under normal conditions.
Machine is also developing a VST that the jacket can be connected to Ableton Live wirelessly. Along with this, they are developing a mobile application for iOS and Android that will allow users to interact with the jacket in a simple way.
Features are expected to include:
- Sound Capturing/Usage
- By recording in the cell phone/Tablet
- Pressing a key and recording a sound
- Configurable pad to match the sensores
- Key Mapping
- Define which keys go with which sounds
- Define which keys add an effect
- Define if the keys are used as buttons, sensors, if they’re pressure sensitive, etc.
- Define the threshold to trigger actions
Pricing for the MIDI jacket is $285 for project supporters.
Note: The MIDI Jacket is being developed as a Kickstarter project, which means that that supporters participate in the project’s risks and benefits. See the project site for details.
Need help I’m designing a midi condom. Any ideas how I can make one ?
Oh I thought you said mini condom. I have a lot of experience with those.
If they make like 100 bucks then ok.
It’s already hot as fuck on stage
And where, pray tell, is the joystick located?
Don’t ask, don’t tell!
Midi underpants! Great idea!
this jacket is really cool and if i had the money i would def get it. however i wish it were osc instead of midi! its 2013 and the way this is marketed makes midi look futuristic
Is it cool of someone wearing it touches themselves on stagger, if you are triggering drums will it look like you have fleas? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but i think a performance demo would be interesting.
Hi.
I’m part of the team creating the jacket.
The Jacket works with OSC too. The jacket is made with light materials, so that heat won’t build up, it also has air entrances.
The Joystick is located in the arm.
This is a demo with the first prototype of the jacket (this prototype was created about 8 months ago):
https://vimeo.com/57517683
We’ve come a long way since then. (The accelerometer was on the same side as the touch sensors, so you couldn’t play with both at the same time).
I get the jabs about adding music controllers to everything, however, the jacket allows a different way to create music (with movements), gives more mobility on stage, so that you can step away from your computer, and allows for a different type of performance, so you can interact with the audience. It will also be completely open-sourced, so that it can be used to control videos (we already did that once, with osculator).
Daniel
Thanks for responding to reader feedback!
It would really help if you had a demo video of the current MIDI Jacket, showing it used in a creative performance and also demonstrating the range of control movements that it offers.
A very cool idea, though hardly novel. In fact I just had to reply to this thread since I seemed to remember watching a video already in the 80s with Mick Fleetwood performing with a MIDI jacket rigged up to control some electronic samples. I actually found the clip on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwhvnueW7U4 , just skip to Mick’s nutty drum jacket solo at 26 mins. 🙂
Yeah, it’s all recycled. 🙂 Remember “Futureman” back in the 80s and his mobile midi drum gizmo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BPpy1lLvys
was mick fleetwood’s midi jacket orderable online and ready to use out of the box? 🙂
I think the motionless controller approaches are largely useless, but “playable clothing” could be pretty cool. Good luck to you guys with this product. Some honest feedback though… your next step should be to make inserts and/or scaffolding controllers that could be attached to any clothing. That jacket will only be cool until like the fifth guy starts wearing one. Also, the Ninja vibe will keep a lot of people from either using it or taking it seriously. But as a launch platform for tech, it’s probably great.
dude. what happened to real musicians playing real instruments making real music. this is retarded. makes any stupid kid think hes a rock star. i play guitar, piano, cello, and can sing. i spent my entire life learning these skills. and im still learning. fuck who made this you are a discrace to musicians everywhere. now you can do the macerana and make a fucking song. eat dick peice of shit. go help make a new soundboard thats cheaper so everyone can do it. something thats worth even reading an article about.bitch
I learned playing drums by tapping my knees with my hands, floor with my feet. Drumsets come and go but I still do it. So, obviously, plaese give us drum trousers!