Composer + synthesist Marius Leicht shared this live performance of Nachtblau, featuring the sound of the Oberheim Matrix 1000 synthesizer.
“The piece Nachtblau has gone full circle,” he notes. “I originally wrote it as a synthesizer piece, when I got GForce Software’s Oberheim Eight Voice emulation, OB-E for review.”
“While recording my first solo album, Weltmaschine, I transformed it into a piano piece and recorded it with Nils Frahm’s Zwicki Piano at his studio in Funkhaus, Berlin.”
“As there is not always a piano available when I play live shows, I rarely played that piece on stage. But since it gets requested a lot, I now went on to create a sound on my Oberheim Matrix 1000 which can be played very nuanced in dynamics and color, so I can do this expressive piece justice.”
Synthesist Jonathan Block shared this ambient improvisation featuring the classic sound of the Mellotron.
Here’s what Block shared about the technical details:
“Here’s an ambient Mellotron improv in AUM using the following apps from Igor Vasiliev: Stellarvox, VintageRack and Classic FX. Igor provided me with these apps since I’ve used his SpaceFields app extensively. The main sound is the classic Mk2 3 Violins but I also use sounds from the M400 such as cello, choirs, flute, oboe and saxophones.
This improv is based around Stellarvox, a hybrid reverb app that’s gives you extensive control over reverb tails, including space, tone and time. ClassicFX provides some modulation and delay while Vintage Rack is at the end of the chain for compression and to widen the stereo field with a Dimension D effect.”
Developer Asep Bagja shared this synth jam, created with the AirBending camera-based MIDI controller.
AirBending is a macOS app that transforms hand gestures into musical expression using computer vision and MIDI technology. It tracks hand movements in real-time using Apple’s Vision framework, detecting precise hand poses and finger positions.
With dual-camera control, you can control multiple MIDI devices using up to two camera inputs, and each camera can have its own preset.
AirBending is one of the nominees in the Accessible category of the 2025 MIDI Innovation Awards, an annual event, organized by The MIDI Association, NAMM, and Music Hackspace. The awards highlight products and projects that use MIDI 1.0 and 2.0 in novel ways.
Another example of AirBending in action:
The developer says that AirBending can make music-making more accessible by eliminating the need for special instruments and devices. Unlike traditional MIDI controllers that require touching keys, knobs, or faders, AirBending transforms the surrounding space into a musical instrument using only hand gestures and built-in Mac camera, without the need for additional hardware.
This provides a new option for people that may not have access to, or may not be physically able to use traditional MIDI controllers.
You can find out more about AirBending at the developer’s site.
