The Amazing Rolo

Wii Loop Machine 2.0 preview

As I’ve mentioned many times on this blog before, I am currently working on version 2.0 of my Wii Loop Machine. I’m happy to announce that I’ve just launched a brand new website dedicated entirely to my Wii music software. It has all of my previous Wii blog entries, videos, and information, as well as a brand-new forum for questions, comments, and WLM discussion. I will be posted all of my Wii news on there for the most part from now on.

The software is nearly finished, I’ve started Beta testing and I hope to release it in a few weeks! In the mean time I will be making weekly videos showing off the new and exciting features available in version 2.0. Here is the first video, enjoy!

Wii Loop Machine 2.0 :: an intro on Vimeo or YouTube. Here is a direct link to the video.

Hello from up north

It’s been a busy month! Since late November I’ve been in Dundee, Scotland most of the time, playing in the Dundee Rep’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk. It’s a panto, which for me is a totally new experience. Non-British readers can learn about panto here. It’s a rather silly form in some ways, with lots of audience participation and cheesy jokes, but this production has very good acting and amazing sets and great original music by John Harris. I’m playing piano, guitar, bass, trumpet, and controlling samples and such with my laptop.

In my spare time I’ve been working on the Wii Loop Machine, of course, and I’m happy to report that things are going well. I’m also happy to announce that I am now an EPIS scholar, which means that I have official support from the University of Edinburgh to develop the Wii Loop Machine, and once this show has finished I will be working on my Wii projects full time.

All of this means that my release date for version 2.0 has been pushed to January. Starting in a few weeks I hope to post videos and screenshots of the software in action! I’m hugely excited to get back at it. Thanks to everyone for your continued support and patience!

The Return of the Wii Loop Machine!

Over the past month I have been working like crazy on the long-awaited Wii Loop Machine 2.0. It is well on the way, and I hope to release it in around three weeks or so.

I will be giving a sneak peek of the new version this saturday the 3rd of November at the Glasgow Science Center, as part of the “Meet the Scientist” programme. If you’re in Glasgow that day I would love to see you and show off the software…I will be there from 11-4.

During the next few weeks I will be using this space to explain why version 2.0 is so much cooler than version 1.0. A small list of new features includes:

- Completely rebuilt from the ground up, making it far more extendable and ready for updates
- Sample accurate syncing, playback, and tempo adjustment
- Far better and more interesting effects, including a funky modulator, multi-tap delay, and a vastly improved granulator/pitchshifter
- all effects, as well as an EQ, available on every channel
- a movement recorder, which remembers what motions you’ve made and applies them to any effect
- real-time samplers on each channel, which run through all of the effects
- ultra-hip new look designed by jonbro
- and much, much, more.

Check back here for updates.

(photo by Alec, i think)

Guten Tag!

Tomorrow I am going to Germany, where I’ve been invited to speak at the Audio Mostly conference in Ilmenau about my Wii Loop Machine. I will be presenting a paper entitled “The Wii Loop Machine: Musical Software Development for the Nintendo Wii Remote,” which you can download and read by clicking here. I will even be giving a short performance of the Wii Loop Machine on Friday night! I’m rather excited. If you happen to be in the area don’t hesitate to say hello!

Rolo Speaks

Hello all, sorry for the long delay in posts. I’m currently in Paris with my brother Cory doing original music and sound design for a play written and directed by our cousin Fabrice. It takes place on the grounds of a 13th century abbey in Maubuisson and features some amazing new songs by my brother and some pretty bizarre sonic creations by me! Read more about it here (page in French only).

In other news, I’ve been interviewed by the website node3000 about my Wii Loop Machine. Go read it! Thanks to Martin for the interview, and thanks to Agata for the photo!

Wii Loop Machine 1.1

The response to my Wii Loop Machine software was truly overwhelming, it took me completely by surprise. It has motivated me to work much harder on it, and today I finished a website dedicated to the Loop Machine where you can download the new version 1.1:
The Official Wii Loop Machine Website

This update only changes a few things (described on that page), but over the next couple of months I hope to keep working on it to incorporate most of the suggestions people have made – bpm/tempo settings, quantization, and audio input, to name just a few. Check back often for news and updates. As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch with comments or questions.

Wii Loop Machine

This weekend I finished the Wii Loop Machine software that I started a few weeks ago. It’s a system for using the wireless Wii remote to sync, control, and manipulate loops in real time.

It’s now ready for download as a standalone application…if you have a Mac with OSX (10.4.8 or 10.4.9 recommended) and bluetooth and a Wii controller then you should give it a try:
Download the Wii Loop Machine Version 1.0
[edit] Please go to my new website dedicated to the Wii Loop Machine, there you will find the latest version of the software as well as a FAQ and more: www.theamazingrolo.net/wii.html

It uses the aka.wiimote object for Max/MSP by Masayuki Akamatsu.

Download it, unzip it, and follow the directions in the patch (it will probably take a couple of tries to get it working). It will automatically load in the samples that are in that folder, but you can load your own as well. If you don’t have any other samples you can download these samples from my song “Hold still for a sec” off my album.

Please let me know what you think, what you would like to see improved. Send me an email if you would like to see the code – I would especially like to hear from you if you would be able to make a Windows version.

And now you can watch a video of me looking ridiculous while playing with this software…

[edit] If you’re having trouble with anything, check the comments for this blog for some tips. Next week I’ll post some help videos and better directions.

A few wii projects

No music this time, but here are a couple of other things for you.

As I mentioned earlier, one of my current school projects entails making “Loop Composer” software that uses a Nintendo Wii wireless controller as an interface.

I’ve finished a very early prototype, which you can play with if you happen to have Max/MSP, a Wii controller, and a bluetooth enabled computer. Click here to download the Max patch, directions, and a pdf of a short presentation I will be giving on thursday. If anyone does test it I would be grateful for feedback. Right now it is quite skeletal with very few features, but it responds well enough and I’ll be using it at my show tomorrow night. [edit: this version is no longer supported! go download the new, much fancier version]

Which reminds me, I’m playing a show with a lot of friends tomorrow night at 8pm in the Forest Cafe here in Edinburgh. It’s free and it should be a good time!

Last week I wrote a film sound analysis about silent Soviet film of the 20′s. Read it here! It’s called “The Sound of War in Silent Soviet Film” and talks mostly about The Battleship Potemkin and The End of St. Petersburg.

One of the scenes (from “The End of St. Petersburg) I talk about can be watched on youtube.

For some reason the other scene (from “The Battleship Potemkin”) won’t upload to youtube, but the full film is available for free download at archive.org.