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    Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

    (www.nanassound.com)
    54 points bepitulaz | 13 comments | 04 Jul 25 19:40 UTC | HN request time: 0.842s | source | bottom
    1. johng ◴[04 Jul 25 20:05 UTC] No.44467465[source]▶
    This is really cool, thanks for sharing.
    2. Animats ◴[04 Jul 25 20:25 UTC] No.44467610[source]▶
    Theremin.

    Here's someone playing a theremin who's reasonably good.[1]

    [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6KbEnGnymk

    3. CharlesW ◴[04 Jul 25 20:39 UTC] No.44467706[source]▶
    Imogen Heap demonstrating her Mi.Mu gloves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci-yB6EgVW4

    Using the gloves during an NPR Tiny Desk concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QtklTXbKUQ&t=555s

    4. vunderba ◴[04 Jul 25 20:44 UTC] No.44467751[source]▶
    From the article: "When using AirBending for pitch control, you can lock your gestures to specific musical scales and keys. This ensures every note you play is perfectly in tune with your composition"

    Reminds me of the Moog Theremini - that was a fun bit of kit.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremini

    5. singularity2001 ◴[04 Jul 25 21:32 UTC] No.44468026[source]▶
    Great work but wouldn't the iPhone with the lidar depth sensor be a better device?
    replies(1): >>44468149 #
    6. bepitulaz ◴[04 Jul 25 21:55 UTC] No.44468149[source]▶
    It’s on the plan to expand this app for iPhone. But, I haven’t tried lidar, so I decided to release for macOS first.

    Also with iPhone, I have to think how to transmit MIDI data to DAW on laptop. Well, most likely via USB or network.

    replies(2): >>44468460 #>>44468552 #
    7. blacksignal ◴[04 Jul 25 22:23 UTC] No.44468401[source]▶
    Not just a ‘theremin’ — that totally downplays the power of midi. Someone else mentioned the mimu gloves, and I love the idea of a vision based controller - almost everyone has a phone, tablet or laptop with a camera, especially if theyre making music.

    I also love that this could blur the lines of music playing and dance.

    Great job OP, thanks for sharing.

    8. import ◴[04 Jul 25 22:31 UTC] No.44468460{3}[source]▶
    I do this with "Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter". iPad basically talks to the midi sequencer via USB.
    9. docEdub ◴[04 Jul 25 22:45 UTC] No.44468552{3}[source]▶
    Apple devices can do MIDI over Bluetooth. I've used this in the past to send VisionPro hand tracking data as MIDI.
    10. abalaji ◴[04 Jul 25 22:59 UTC] No.44468645[source]▶
    Seems like the same software could be used as a soundtrack for Tai Chi exercises. Would be pretty neat.
    11. Obscurity4340 ◴[04 Jul 25 23:45 UTC] No.44468939[source]▶
    This instruments timbre and tone are literally dream shit to me, so wavy and I dont know—unearthly/worldly
    12. irvanputra ◴[05 Jul 25 01:00 UTC] No.44469295[source]▶
    I wonder if Linux version will be available.