Hotz Box & Guitar MIDI Instrument Demos

[crash]

Here is a link to a Hotz Box and Hotz Software Demo that was just finished.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d8kNHKgEn0

 

Please check it out!

 

Also here a link to a Hotz Guitar Like controller - demo with Justin, Nick and Holly - each had little or no practice

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_sYIuR-tpk

 

--

For those that may not be familiar, Jimmy Hotz invented and developed these instruments and software in association with Atari. He was kind enough to release the Atari Hotz MIDI Translator software as Freeware. Please see Tim Conrady's site for all the details:

 

http://tamw.atari-users.net/hotz.htm

--

 

These demos feature the PC version of the Hotz Translator software, with a full Hotz Box Instrument, and his new Guitar instrument. It is amazing to see this instrument in action, so please enjoy!

Edited July 17, 2007 by crash

[NightSprinter]

Ok, I am so saving up the $8000 needed to order the full-sized box (with shipping). I wonder what Atari/Amiga/PC/Mac software can make use of it with the translator software?

[Rianata]

A nice picture on Jimmy's page is this one:

 

http://www.jimmyhotz.com/images/Jimmy_and_...al_25pcSize.gif

 

It's a Stacy with Notator runnning!

[crash]

"Ok, I am so saving up the $8000 needed to order the full-sized box (with shipping). I wonder what Atari/Amiga/PC/Mac software can make use of it with the translator software?"

 

Since this is a standard MIDI controller, it can be used just like any MIDI keyboard to play into any and every sequencer. I've used it with Logic 2.5 and Cubase Audio Falcon for the Atari ST, as well as many other Atari MIDI program (special thanks to Tim Conrardy's web site and hard work). I've also used the Hotz controller with Emagic Logic 5 Platinum for Windows PC.

 

The Hotz controllers are unique because the are composed of a flat membrane that is velocity sensitive (how hard you hit the keys) and pressure sensitive (how hard you press when you are holding a key). They also have pressure sensitive modulator sections (each group of three keys) for pitch bending, filter sweeps, vibrato, volume, or any other continuous controller information that you want to get out of it. The Hotz was designed with the fastest multi-processing available for MIDI information, and I believe has yet to be surpassed to this day.

 

Still, the Hotz controller is only half the system - the Hotz Translator software for Atari ST, and Hotz Translator (II) for PC combined with the respective computer, turns the Hotz controller into an intelligent music machine that understands a multitude of types of scales and chords. When playing a Hotz or any other MIDI controller through a Hotz translator, the keyboard is remapped so that it will only play the notes that are appropriate for the selected scale and key, which you can change while you are playing. This means that you can concentrate on playing, and don't have to worry about hitting a wrong note, or playing a chord that doesn't go well together with your melody.

 

Anyone that can press a key can play the Hotz Instrument.

 

While the Hotz controllers are amazing instruments, and offer a lot of functionality not possible with a different type of keyboard controller, the Hotz Translator software can be used with any MIDI device that has a MIDI out port, or even with the computer keyboard as seen in the video demonstration.

 

What this means is that you can setup one computer with Hotz Translator, and another with your favorite sequencer. Whether you are using a Hotz Box, Hotz Guitar, the Computer keyboard, or a standard MIDI controller, these run through the Translator then out to your sequencer for recording. Hotz translator output should be compatible with all Atari/Amiga/PC/Mac software.

 

I haven't even gotten the Translator for PC software installed yet, but it appears to have support for stand-alone song creation and recording too, so an additional sequencer may not be necessary.

 

I hope this answers a few questions, and will update this post with any corrections if I've misstated anything here.

 

Cheers!

[crash]

Here is a link to the newest Hotz Box Video:

 

 

Wow

[crash]

And a link back to the other videos that were moved:

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/Hotz777

[NightSprinter]

Damn, why doesn't Hotz bring this into a new era of musicians? It revolutionized musical creativity then, it can re-revolutionize it today.

[crash]

I suspect that when the Hotz technology was first introduced, it was too far ahead of the curve. Perhaps now is the right time for a rebirth.

[NightSprinter]

Yes. Maybe we should petition him to start with a new line?

[callaghan]

here is a forum /group with all our hotz answears

 

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/midi-translator/

 

 

in my opinion all he should do is sell his ideal to korg or akai

and develop a hotz pad key board ...way more than software.. i know!!!

 

ok

maybe he already has , who knows , i stay to the atari side of things

 

callaghan charles

[crash]

"maybe he already has , who knows , i stay to the atari side of things"

 

Greetings,

 

Perhaps you may notice that the Hotz Box was originally sold with a gigantic Atari logo on the back, and the software was for Atari ST While that Atari corp is not around anymore, I believe that they showed vision by getting involved with this technology, and that's what attracted me to Atari in the first place. Of course it helps that I was interested in music, and Atari computers gave me a way to express creativity and learn about music in a way that I could not have otherwise. Putting MIDI ports on a computer was revolutionary in my opinion.

 

Cheers!

[ggn]

Anyone that can press a key can play the Hotz Instrument.

 

Let me assure you that it usually only takes a key for me to crash stuff

 

Damn, why doesn't Hotz bring this into a new era of musicians? It revolutionized musical creativity then, it can re-revolutionize it today.

 

How? If I read this correctly, then the only use I can think of that thing is for lame-ass bands that know as much about composing music as myself and get a keyboard pre-setup so they can press a series of single keys and everyone would think that they actually played music. My God, I don't think I can stand another techno period

 

(of course I only had a quick look and I am a bit narrow minded regarding music, but oh well )

[crash]

"How? If I read this correctly, then the only use I can think of that thing is for lame-ass bands that know as much about composing music as myself and get a keyboard pre-setup so they can press a series of single keys and everyone would think that they actually played music. My God, I don't think I can stand another techno period "

 

I think that to really use the Hotz software to compose music, you do have to learn about scales, keys, and chord types, since the song structure would have to be built from these. You still have to choose the chord progression. The point is that the Hotz software "knows" tons and tons about this, so you can choose from the knowledge built into its database without having to memorize all of them. I'm sure the Hotz translator has more types of musical scales available than the majority of musicians are likely to ever use. Many bands hardly use more than three chords, or even more than a few keys. The Atari Hotz translator had at least 128 scales available!

 

On the other hand, the translator was designed to allow known song structures to be loaded or synchronized to, so that you could play along with minimul . I think part of the original idea was to try and get Hotz encoding on music CDs so that you could pop one in and jam along with it, although getting the music business to do anything that doesn't solely benefit them is an impossible task. The ability for anyone to play along with a selection of musical styles is in there, but to compose original music, you have to do more than holding down a key while the computer plays away. This is not a performance sequencer which you might associate with techno music. This is software that allows the keyboard to dynamically re-map itself depending on your needs.

 

Try to imagine an instrument where you can focus on performance, articulation, and timing, but where you don't have to study music theory for 20 years to have access to a tremendous wealth of musical knowledge. This is what Hotz offers. The first time I played a Hotz box through the Hotz translator, and started choosing different scales and chord types as I experimented with melodies, it was like magic. You still have to be creative and play the music, it just helps to expand what you can do, and removes the possibility of hitting notes that don't sound right, unless you really want to

 

Please see the following link for a well written tutorial to the Atari Hotz Translator:

 

http://tamw.atari-users.net/hotz.htm

 

Cheers!

[ggn]

I think that to really use the Hotz software to compose music, you do have to learn about scales, keys, and chord types, since the song structure would have to be built from these. You still have to choose the chord progression.

 

Well, my point is that if a potential "artist" can obtain some of those ready-made chords, then all he has to do is hit on the keyboard and listen to the progressions he likes

 

The point is that the Hotz software "knows" tons and tons about this, so you can choose from the knowledge built into its database without having to memorize all of them. I'm sure the Hotz translator has more types of musical scales available than the majority of musicians are likely to ever use. Many bands hardly use more than three chords, or even more than a few keys. The Atari Hotz translator had at least 128 scales available!

 

Exactly! I couldn't stand another wave of songs like these

 

Try to imagine an instrument where you can focus on performance, articulation, and timing, but where you don't have to study music theory for 20 years to have access to a tremendous wealth of musical knowledge. This is what Hotz offers. The first time I played a Hotz box through the Hotz translator, and started choosing different scales and chord types as I experimented with melodies, it was like magic. You still have to be creative and play the music, it just helps to expand what you can do, and removes the possibility of hitting notes that don't sound right, unless you really want to

 

Sorry, but isn't studying music part of the fun of composing? To a codie (like I proclaim to be ) this sounds like, for example, a person trying to code by ripping other people's sources and changing some bits here and there and hope noone will notice

 

 

Don't take all this TOO seriously, after all this is what the Internets is all about

 

[crash]

Well, my point is that if a potential "artist" can obtain some of those ready-made chords, then all he has to do is hit on the keyboard and listen to the progressions he likes

To some extent, yes, but perhaps it may be more accurate to consider this as if it were a new type of piano, where some of the keys are chords, and others are notes. Then imagine that as you choose the chords that you want to play, the notes change to match the scale of the chord you chose. You still have to play the chords and melodies, you still have to choose between major and minor, and you still have to choose the timing and rhythms. Imagine that you can go straight to developing your performance.

 

I like to think of technology such as this as something that can help to remove barriers to creativity, and open musical expression to those who may have otherwise found it too daunting. I took piano lessons, studied music at three universities, but really never found my place until I plugged a keyboard into an Atari computer. This allowed me to focus on creating music instead of just learning theory and sight reading, which wasn't very rewarding to me.

 

To me, music should not necessarily have to be about memorization and calluses.

Exactly! I couldn't stand another wave of songs like...

I wouldn't suggest that the Hotz technology is designed to, or intended to allow people to create simplistic or repetitive music. To the contrary, it offers the possibility of much more rich and complex music because it simplifies the interface between your brain and the music. It also introduces and allows you to play scales and chords that you may not have even heard of, and may not even be possible to play with one hand. Guitar chords and piano chords are different, right? Not anymore!

Sorry, but isn't studying music part of the fun of composing?

Of course, for some people... but for others, it is an obstacle. It is worthwhile to consider those who may enjoy playing music, but do not have the time or dedication to learn. Many people who tried to learn music but found it too difficult or not rewarding enough in the short term, subsequently gave it up. Maybe there is a better option for some people.

To a codie (like I proclaim to be ) this sounds like, for example, a person trying to code by ripping other people's sources and changing some bits here and there and hope noone will notice

I'm not sure you can equate the use of specific chords or scales to the use of someone else's code. Chords and scales from many cultures throughout human history are there to be used to create music, whether you play the guitar, sitar, koto, Santouri, or Hotz Box. I don't know of too many artists that can claim to own a specific chord or scale, at least not many that didn't live hundreds of years ago.

 

To be honest, I'm not sure it is possible to learn to create original music without taking influences from music that you have already heard. Maybe you take a latin rhythm, mix it with a funk bass line, and then add opera vocals, why not? All that matters is that you are trying to express yourself, and hopefully not borrowing so much from someone else that you aren't even trying. I do have issues with music that samples an entire song, then sings, raps, or plays over it. I personally believe that sampling should be used for timbres, not for song structure.

 

In an attempt to explain my opinion about the use of technology to remove barriers to musical expression, I'll use this example... Yes, yes... I'm a big ole neeeerd!

 

There was an episode of Star Trek, The Next Generation where a race of people demonstrated a musical instrument that was essentially a little box you put your hands on, imagine music, and the music comes out. That's it - no strings, no sheet music, no carpel tunnel syndrome, just imagine music and you can hear and share the music in your imagination. I suppose that to me, the Hotz technology is the closest thing I have seen yet to a music instrument that allows this kind of free musical expression. It isn't for everyone, but I happen to think it is pretty special.

Don't take all this TOO seriously, after all this is what the Internets is all about

I'm quite pleased to have a good discussion about this, and I do appreciate your candor. I can accept that not everyone may share my enthusiasm about Atari stuff, Hotz stuff, or anything else that I enjoy. I would not expect that any technology will replace conventional instrumentation, the study of music, singing, or traditional musical performance; however, I do believe other options are always a good thing. All that I can suggest is that if you have the chance, give the Hotz technology a try. Nothing can adequately explain it better than playing it for yourself.

 

I discovered the Hotz technology at a time that it wasn't available anymore. Now that it's back, I just want to help share these technologies which may help to give some people a different kind of appreciation of music.

 

Thank you for your consideration

Edited July 26, 2007 by crash

[ggn]

Well, my point is that if a potential "artist" can obtain some of those ready-made chords, then all he has to do is hit on the keyboard and listen to the progressions he likes

To some extent, yes, but perhaps it may be more accurate to consider this as if it were a new type of piano, where some of the keys are chords, and others are notes. Then imagine that as you choose the chords that you want to play, the notes change to match the scale of the chord you chose. You still have to play the chords and melodies, you still have to choose between major and minor, and you still have to choose the timing and rhythms. Imagine that you can go straight to developing your performance.

 

I like to think of technology such as this as something that can help to remove barriers to creativity, and open musical expression to those who may have otherwise found it too daunting. I took piano lessons, studied music at three universities, but really never found my place until I plugged a keyboard into an Atari computer. This allowed me to focus on creating music instead of just learning theory and sight reading, which wasn't very rewarding to me.

 

To me, music should not necessarily have to be about memorization and calluses.

 

Well, that's the pessimist in me talking anyway! I just remembered all those hateful tunes that I heard as a child/teenager and was really thinking that I could use a soundtracker or similar tool to create tunes exactly like those. So when I hear about automation tools in music (and no, I'm not making a plug about CD menus in this sentence ) (oh well, maybe I am unconsciously ) I just freak out!!

 

Exactly! I couldn't stand another wave of songs like...

I wouldn't suggest that the Hotz technology is designed to, or intended to allow people to create simplistic or repetitive music. To the contrary, it offers the possibility of much more rich and complex music because it simplifies the interface between your brain and the music. It also introduces and allows you to play scales and chords that you may not have even heard of, and may not even be possible to play with one hand. Guitar chords and piano chords are different, right? Not anymore!

 

Well, my statement above covers this too

 

Sorry, but isn't studying music part of the fun of composing?

Of course, for some people... but for others, it is an obstacle. It is worthwhile to consider those who may enjoy playing music, but do not have the time or dedication to learn. Many people who tried to learn music but found it too difficult or not rewarding enough in the short term, subsequently gave it up. Maybe there is a better option for some people.

 

Well naturally this covers a range of people, but I think we should draw a line at some point. There are some (many I'd say) people that start to take up music as a hobby. Now, if they can't find a way to allocate time (and money, that's important too) to continue then maybe (MAYBE) they weren't passionate enough about it to begin with, so it maybe wasn't a good decision on their part from the beginning?

 

To a codie (like I proclaim to be ) this sounds like, for example, a person trying to code by ripping other people's sources and changing some bits here and there and hope noone will notice

I'm not sure you can equate the use of specific chords or scales to the use of someone else's code. Chords and scales from many cultures throughout human history are there to be used to create music, whether you play the guitar, sitar, koto, Santouri, or Hotz Box. I don't know of too many artists that can claim to own a specific chord or scale, at least not many that didn't live hundreds of years ago.

 

That can be applied to programming too. Most of the programmers have influences from demos or games or even source codes published (or disassembled ). So, to the end user the result might not be as visible or audiable as music, but the fact remains that influences are there.

 

To be honest, I'm not sure it is possible to learn to create original music without taking influences from music that you have already heard. Maybe you take a latin rhythm, mix it with a funk bass line, and then add opera vocals, why not? All that matters is that you are trying to express yourself, and hopefully not borrowing so much from someone else that you aren't even trying. I do have issues with music that samples an entire song, then sings, raps, or plays over it. I personally believe that sampling should be used for timbres, not for song structure.

 

My mind immediately went to this post from Viznut's amazing blog. I couldn't express myself better than he did

 

In an attempt to explain my opinion about the use of technology to remove barriers to musical expression, I'll use this example... Yes, yes... I'm a big ole neeeerd!

 

There was an episode of Star Trek, The Next Generation where a race of people demonstrated a musical instrument that was essentially a little box you put your hands on, imagine music, and the music comes out. That's it - no strings, no sheet music, no carpel tunnel syndrome, just imagine music and you can hear and share the music in your imagination. I suppose that to me, the Hotz technology is the closest thing I have seen yet to a music instrument that allows this kind of free musical expression. It isn't for everyone, but I happen to think it is pretty special.

 

Fair enough... as long as one that ever used "Autohack" doesn't proclaim himself a hacker

 

Don't take all this TOO seriously, after all this is what the Internets is all about

I'm quite pleased to have a good discussion about this, and I do appreciate your candor. I can accept that not everyone may share my enthusiasm about Atari stuff, Hotz stuff, or anything else that I enjoy. I would not expect that any technology will replace conventional instrumentation, the study of music, singing, or traditional musical performance; however, I do believe other options are always a good thing. All that I can suggest is that if you have the chance, give the Hotz technology a try. Nothing can adequately explain it better than playing it for yourself.

 

Yep, thanks for not getting cross or anything, because I wasn't attacking (or anything remotely close to) the interface itself. In any case a tool's a tool (OT: I get to see the band Tool live again in less than 1 year for 25€ \o/), it's how you use it that matters. It all boils down to: lamers, keep away from it