THE launch of Remidi T8 — the first wearable instrument to record, play and perform music — ushers-in a new era in the world of music.
The gadget is composed of a sensor-loaded glove — a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) wrist controller — that allows the user to use their hand as a musical device by combining sounds with fingertips, palm and hand motions. It has eight sensors embedded into the glove, three in the palm and one in each fingertip, which gives the ultimate range of motion and customised settings. The user can individually programme each sensor to create new sounds or remix existing ones.
It individually programmes each of the eight pressure sensitive sensors in the fingers and palms to create new, custom sounds or remix existing ones, while using hand gestures to control the effects. This makes recording of original music, or remixes, a real-time affair with endless custom combinations of notes, chords and samples.
According to Kickstarter, you can programme the palm of your hand to play a kick drum and the other two palm-sensors for a hi-hat and snare, all while the rest of your fingers play a melodious riff. Add in gestures to make your sound or performance unique to you by rotating your wrist to distort your audible output on any effect, or move it up and down to cause a reverberation.
You can also personalise every feature to record in the studio or on-the-go through Air Modulation, enable/disable sensors and set pressure sensitivity to control an infinite combination of notes and sounds.
After downloading the app, you can easily sync your T8 to your workstation. The intuitive interface allows you to quickly programme the notes, sounds, and samples that correspond with each of the eight sensors corresponds. You can hold down the sensor for a repeat, arpeggiator effect or tap them lightly for a staccato effect.
With the T8, you’re no longer limited to recording and writing music on bulky systems. Based on percussion algorithms, the T8 can sense when any one of the eight sensors makes contact with a desk, wall, subway seat, car window, yourself or another human, and triggers the corresponding, programmed sound to play.
Every artiste, producer and performer has their setup conformed exactly the way they like it. T8 runs on MIDI so you don’t have to invest in additional hardware or software. Like connecting a synthesizer or drum pad, the T8 nearly-instantly communicates MIDI signals to your software, so you can record in real-time with no feedback. It also has a Bluetooth technology which allows you to freely roam your performance space and make unique audio-visuals.
For those looking to liven up their performances, simply play your background track or mix and you can manually add any licks, riffs, or bits of flare over your background creation.
The T8’s ‘skeleton’ sensors are made of human-friendly PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), along with proprietary smart textile components. The circular dial, located on the top of the T8’s controller, allows you to program another complete set of notes, so with a twist of the dial, you can instantly flip to an entirely new note-set. Eight sensors with two pre-sets allows you to control up to sixteen different sounds with just one hand.
It has a battery life of between five to 10 hours, 110 mAh and a standard 4.0, 2.4 Ghz, Ultra-Low-Frequency Bluetooth and four pins magnetic connector on the wristband-glove connection.