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Playtime Engineering, the company behind the Blipblox line of toy-like instruments for ages three and older, has announced the upcoming launch of Blipblox myTRACKS, a groovebox and sampler for kids.

Combining the colorful aesthetics and safety of a kids’ toy (with the functionality of a legitimate musical instrument) with the sounds and style of a hip-hop-inspired groovebox, Blipblox myTRACKS brings the joy of making music to anyone, anywhere. A crowdfunding campaign to support the launch opens early next month.

In addition to being a drum machine and basic sampler, the Blipblox myTRACKS is a complete music production studio. The instrument features a built-in microphone for sampling, two FX processors, five tracks, and 25 play pads that trigger over 50 acoustic, electronic, and percussive instrument sounds.

myTRACKS’ set of 25 backlit pads can be used to trigger sounds from its library of 48 instruments and drum kits or play back samples recorded via the built-in microphone. Sounds can be layered and sequenced over five tracks and run through two FX processors (filter and delay) that can be modulated using the levers on the sides. The groovebox is battery-operated and has a built-in speaker.

Designed to “eliminate complexity and maximize fun”, myTRACKS promises to simplify beatmaking for kids by keeping musical key and style consistent across tracks and sounds. There’s also a randomize button for instantly generating new songs using myTRACKS’ built-in sounds. New sound packs and sets can be downloaded from Playtime’s website and uploaded to myTRACKS. The powerful randomize feature instantly creates new songs for unlimited fun and inspiration.

“Creating music with synthesizers and modern music tech has always felt like play to me,” says Troy Sheets, Co-founder of Playtime Engineering. “By merging the portability, durability, and safety of toys with high-quality and advanced functionality of a legitimate instrument, we’ve created a fun and accessible music-making machine that anyone can play.”

myTRACKS is equipped with 3.5mm audio out, MIDI Out for hooking up with external gear and a USB-C connection for power and sound pack upgrades.

To fund the launch of this newest addition to the Blipblox product line, Playtime Engineering is opening a Kickstarter campaign on April 9. Tiered pricing will range from $249 – $299 for Kickstarter contributors, and the first round of products is expected to be delivered in November 2024. Find out more on Playtime Engineering website.

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Music Hackspace, The MIDI Association, and NAMM have opened submissions for the 2024 MIDI Innovation Awards, a showcase for music innovation using MIDI.

MIDI has been at the center of music technology innovation since 1983, and MIDI 2.0 is poised to build on MIDI 1.0’s global success. To further MIDI’s development and artistic impact, the fourth edition of the MIDI Innovation Awards continues to acknowledge MIDI innovation.

Tim Carroll, President of The MIDI Association and CEO of Focusrite Group, remarked, “The MIDI Innovation Awards are particularly special to all of us at the MIDI Association: a real testament to the limitless possibilities when empowering technology like MIDI 2.0 is in the hands of imaginative artists and creators. We very much look forward to seeing what new innovations are in store this year”.

The MIDI Innovation Awards provides musicians and inventors around the world with a unique opportunity to present their ideas on a global stage, as well as win valuable prizes, including exhibition space at the 2025 NAMM Show, Music China 2024, and Synthfest Sheffield 2024, as well as significant support from The MIDI Association for the development of MIDI 2.0 prototypes.

John Mlynczak, President and CEO of NAMM, added “NAMM is proud to once again support the MIDI Innovation Awards. Since MIDI was launched at The NAMM Show 40 years ago, we have continued to be amazed at the innovation of companies and are excited to see where MIDI 2.0 takes us in the future.”

Open to individuals, artists, and companies who work with MIDI to build innovative products or interactive experiences, the MIDI Innovation Awards are classified into five unique categories:

• Commercial Hardware Products
• Commercial Software Products
• Prototypes and non-commercial hardware products
• Prototypes and non-commercial software products
• Artistic/Visual Project or Installation

The MIDI Innovation Awards welcomes entries from, but not limited to: MIDI instruments, controllers, software, art installation, MIDI peripherals, I/O boxes, lighting systems, automated systems, and more.

Entries to the MIDI Innovation Awards competition are open, and applicants are invited to submit their entries here: Awards Submit – MIDI.org

A jury is being assembled to represent the wider music industry and its many facets, including artists, engineers, and innovators. Entries will be judged on four attributes: innovation, inspiring and novel qualities, interoperability, and practical/commercial viability.

JB Thiebaut, CEO of Music Hackspace added, “The MIDI Innovation Awards stand as a pivotal platform for independent developers, makers, and artists, offering a path to worldwide acclaim, especially now with the expansive opportunities MIDI 2.0 brings”.

“The world’s leading music technology magazine,” Sound On Sound, is the official media partner, supporting and covering the competition. NAMM, Music China, and SynthFest UK are among the prize partners who will showcase the winner’s products.

Entering the competition is free, and registration is open until May 18th. Innovators are invited to submit their entries by visiting The MIDI Association website. More information about the MIDI Innovation Awards is here.

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In December last year, Google launched a music-making tool as part of its Arts & Culture Lab. This week the browser-based tool has been made available to those in an increased number of territories, including the UK.

Described by Google as an “AI experiment”, Instrument Playground is a browser-based sampler that relies on Google MusicFX AI model (formerly known as MusicLM) to generate audio clips that can be played, sequenced and recorded via an easy-to-use interface.

Open up Instrument Playground, and you’ll need to start off by generating a sample using Google’s AI model. You’re given the option to choose one of over 100 instruments from around the world, from Western instruments such as the bassoon and banjo to the West African kora, the Japanese koto and the ghatam, an ancient percussion instrument from India. You’re also able to enter an adjective of your choice to guide the AI towards generating a sample in a particular mood or style.

Once generated, the 20-second sample is loaded into the interface, and can be played using a number of different playback modes. Beat Mode lets you chop up the sample into a number of slices spread across the keyboard, while Pitch Mode maps one slice across the keyboard to be played chromatically, and Ambient Mode creates a rather lovely granular effect.

There’s even a sequencer onboard, accessed by hitting the Advance button, which lets you program a pattern of up to 16 steps with four instrumental layers. Here you can also adjust the tempo or quantize your patterns. Hit the Record button at any time to record the output of Instrument Playground and download the results as a .wav file.

Find out more and try Instrument Playground over at Google Arts & Culture Lab.

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