Tag: piano
Critter & Guitari’s 201 Music Synthesizer is the long-awaited successor to its Pocket Piano
Critter & Guitari’s lineup of hackable music computers and video synths are undeniably unique. They do things that practically no other instrument can, plus they’re probably the most visually distinctive portable music devices out there. Its latest creation is the 201 Music Synthesizer, an arguably long overdue replacement for the company’s first product — the Pocket Piano.
Like its flagship Organelle, the 201 is built on open source software, specifically Pure Data and Faust. But rather than trying to be all things to everyone, it’s more narrowly focused. It ships with six built-in synth engines covering chiptune-style bleeps, analog-esque sounds, drum samples, physical modeling (likely via Karplus Strong), and vocal synthesis. Rather than four knobs that vary in purpose depending on what patch you’ve loaded (which may or may not have particularly good documentation, depending on who created it), the 201 has three parameter knobs for envelope, tone and “surprise” — for when you just want a happy accident.
One of the things that makes the 201 really standout though, is the pattern generator and sequencer. While you can simply play notes live and record them for later recall, the synth can also create patterns for you. A couple of presses on the unique maple keys and the 201 will start spitting out simple octave jumps, arpeggios or random polyphonic chaos. And if something strikes your fancy, you can save that as well. And you can save literally thousands of sequences to the included 8GB microSD card.
Like the Organelle, you can actually hack together your own patches for the 201 using Pure Data or Faust, but that’s more of a nice bonus than the main selling point here. Under the hood of the 201 is a 900Mhz ARM processor with 512MB RAM, which should be plenty for most synth patches, but it’s not quite as powerful as the Organelle M. The 201 also has a built-in speaker, a 1/4-inch stereo out jack, 1/8-inch MIDI in and out, USB-A for connecting MIDI controllers, and USB-C for accessing the files on the microSD card.
Of course, to be a true replacement for the Pocket Piano, the 201 also needs to be portable. So, in addition to the AC adapter, it can be powered by three AA batteries. And at about one pound and a little over nine-inches long, it’s pretty easy to toss in a backpack.
The Critter & Guitari 201 Music Synthesizer is currently crowd funding over at Kickstarter and has already surpassed its goal. If you’d like to secure one when they start shipping in April of 2023 you can back it before December 20th for $295.
CRYSTALLINE RESONANCE: FINAL FANTASY Piano Concert Celebrates the Music of FINAL FANTASY
2022 marks the 35th anniversary of the FINAL FANTASY franchise. Since the original launched in 1987, FINAL FANTASY has captured the hearts and minds of millions worldwide, with its music playing a massive part in its appeal. To honor this milestone, a brand new FINAL FANTASY piano concert, produced by Square Enix, called CRYSTALLINE RESONANCE is headed to more than 45 cities around the world in celebration of the music of this critically-acclaimed series.
CRYSTALLINE RESONANCE : FINAL FANTASY Piano Concert will be an all-new program that will feature live performances of such tracks as “Heavensward” from FINAL FANTASY XIV, “Somnus” from FINAL FANTASY XV, and “Zanarkand” from FINAL FANTASY X.
There will also be other classics from FINAL FANTASY I-IX, including “One-Winged Angel” from FINAL FANTASY VII and “Liberi Fatali” from FINAL FANTASY VIII. If live versions of these unforgettable tracks weren’t enough, they will be accompanied by HD video projections that are timed with the music.
Tickets are already on-sale and the tour will begin on November 17 at the Boom Chicago Theater in Amsterdam, tour the US and Canada in March 2023, and travel to over 45 venues until its last show on March 31 at the Teatro Bradesco in São Paulo.
Along the way, the CRYSTALLINE RESONANCE : FINAL FANTASY Piano Concert will also stop at Cadogan Hall in London, the Glass Hall Magna Auditorium in Vienna, the Musikaliska in Stockholm, the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, the Lincoln Center in New York, and the Madison Center for the Arts in Phoenix. You can check the full list of cities by clicking here.
The FINAL FANTASY franchise has sold over 168 million copies worldwide across 87 games, it was also awarded the “most prolific role-playing game series” by the Guinness World Records in 2017. While the series has already earned all of these accolades, FINAL FANTASY shows no intention of slowing down.
In 2022, fans can look forward to Crisis Core: FINAL FANTASY VIII Reunion, a remaster of the FINAL FANTASY VII prequel starring Zack Fair that plays a big part in the future of the FINAL FANTASY VII remakes. Speaking of, FINAL FANTASY VII Rebirth will tell the next chapter of the remake, and it will arrive in the same year as FINAL FANTASY XVI. Oh, and we can’t forget about the behemoth that is FINAL FANTASY XIV, which continues to be a love letter to all things FINAL FANTASY
If you wish to attend the CRYSTALLINE RESONANCE : FINAL FANTASY Piano Concert, all the dates and locations of the tour around the world are listed below. Just click on each link to buy a ticket and secure a chance to see the beautiful music of FINAL FANTASY to life.
North and South America:
- San Francisco (USA) – March 3, 2023 – Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture
- Los Angeles (USA) – March 4, 2023 – Alex Theatre (Glendale)
- Las Vegas (USA) – March 5, 2023 – The West Las Vegas Library
- Phoenix (USA) – March 6, 2023 – The Madison Center for the Arts
- Dallas (USA) – March 8, 2023 – Coppell Arts Center (Coppell)
- Houston (USA) – March 9, 2023 – Zilkha Hall at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
- Miami (USA) – March 11, 2023 – James L. Knight Center
- Tampa (USA) – March 12, 2023 – Centro Asturiano de Tampa
- Atlanta (USA) – March 13, 2023 – Center Stage Theater
- Washington (USA) – March 14, 2023 – The Vault at Capital One Hall (Tysons)
- Philadelphia (USA) – March 15, 2023 – Suzanne Roberts Theatre
- New York (USA) – March 17, 2023 – Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space
- Boston (USA) – March 18, 2023 – John Hancock Hall
- Montréal (Canada) – March 19, 2023 – Théâtre Paradoxe
- Toronto (Canada) – March 20, 2023 – Jane Mallett Theatre
- Detroit (USA) – March 21, 2023 – Crystal Ballroom at the Masonic
- Chicago (USA) – March 22, 2023 – Nichols Concert Hall (Evanston)
- Cincinnati (USA) – March 24, 2023 – Memorial Hall (Anderson Theater)
- Kansas City (USA) – March 25, 2023 – Atkins Auditorium
- Minneapolis (USA) – March 26, 2023 – Hopkins Center for the arts Theater (Hopkins)
- Denver (USA) – March 27, 2023 – Broomfield Auditorium (Broomfield)
- São Paulo (Brazil) – March 30 & 31, 2023 – Teatro Bradesco
Europe:
- Amsterdam (Netherlands) – November 17, 2022 – Boom Chicago
- Lille (France) – November 18, 2022 – Le Zéphyr (Hem)
- Brussels (Belgium) – November 19, 2022 – Conservatoire Royal
- Nantes (France) – November 20, 2022 – Centre des Congrès de la Fleuriyae (Carquefou)
- Bordeaux (France) – November 21, 2022 – Le Rocher de Palmer (Cenon)
- Toulouse (France) – November 22, 2022 – Auditorium Saint Exupéry (Centre Congrès Toulouse)
- Marignane (France) – November 23, 2022 – Théâtre Molière
- Lyon (France) – November 24, 2022 – Chapelle de la Trinité (7pm and 9pm)
- Geneva (Switzerland) – November 25, 2022 – Salle Broadway (Uptown Geneva)
- Milan (Italy) – November 27, 2022 – Teatro Leonardo da Vinci (4pm and 7pm)
- Munich (Germany) – November 28, 2022 – Herkulessaal
- Vienna (Austria) – November 30, 2022 – Glass Hall / Magna Auditorium (Musikverein Vienna)
- Budapest (Hungary) – December 1, 2022 – MOM Kulturális Központ
- Berlin (Germany) – December 3, 2022 – Babylon Berlin
- Frankfurt (Germany) – December 4, 2022 – Offenbach Stadthalle
- Strasbourg (France) – December 5, 2022 – La Scène de Strasbourg
- Paris (France) – December 10, 2022 – La Seine Musicale (Boulogne-Billancourt)
- London (England) – February 7, 2023 – Cadogan Hall
- Stockholm (Sweden) – February 9, 2023 – Musikaliska Kvarteret
Asia: