March 2017 News Updates From Active Music Joystick

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Active Music Joystick

There's plenty going on with Active Music Joystick right now, and so we thought we'd let everybody know about the latest news at AMJ.

New Duja instrument

Active Music Joystick have launched their brand new Duja joystick.

This new joystick, the third available from AMJ following the Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks, is a unique singing instrument which can be used in connection with the various levels of AMJ software, along with providing some intriguing, exclusive new features.

They include the utilising of the special and simple sine wave audio, created within the computer upon connection with the AMJ software; providing an extensive understanding of scales (in particular, the harmonic scale), as well as an understanding of and opportunity to practice with playing specific notes in time; focusing on pitches as frequency numbers, either in steps or free changes as bands and theremin; understanding and playing the different characters available for colour and wave structures; experimenting with musical phrases; and developing knowledge and experience with utilising articulation within music.

The Duja instrument provides new elements of music control and education, and when used alongside the AMJ software, you can really develop your understanding of music creation in a great many forms.

You can find out more about the new Duja instrument at www.forumliverpool.net/education.

AMJ catalogue now available

Active Music Joystick have produced a full-colour catalogue containing all of its products.

This catalogue is easily accessible, and provides extensive information on all of the AMJ products to date.

They include the original Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks and all six levels of Active Music Joystick computer software. This includes the physical features, benefits and, in the case of the software levels, the enhancements made based on the progression and increased musical knowledge and experience of the user.

The catalogue also covers the recently-released audio games, which are Crosby, Reality and Audi, along with their standout features. This includes full-colour images throughout, and it can be accessed online and downloaded as a PDF file, or it can be requested in print form.

The catalogue is an ideal tool when determining which AMJ joysticks, software packages and audio games are right for you based on your level of music creation expertise. It is also particularly handy when attending music events and exhibitions alongside industry insiders. All of the products contained within the catalogue are available on our website, as well as Amazon.

To download the AMJ catalogue and for a sneak preview of the publication, you can visit www.forumliverpool.net/news.

AMJ to attend Musikmesse 2017 trade fair

Active Music Joystick, led by Reinhard Fuchs, will be on hand at the annual Musikmesse trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany this April.

Musikmesse is an annual event, and it is amongst the world's most important international trade fairs for musical instruments, sheet music, music production and marketing.

Active Music Joystick will be in attendance at this prestigious event, and Reinhard will be present on behalf of AMJ at stand 9.0 C49, showcasing the entire range of AMJ products as well as providing useful advice and handy hints about how best to utilise the range of joysticks, software and audio games.

Musikmesse 2017 runs from Wednesday April 5 to Saturday April 8, from 10.00-18.00, and it takes place at Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage, 1 D - 60327, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

For more information about Musikmesse 2017, visit www.musikmesse.com.

For further details about any of the topics included within this news update, and for more information about Active Music Joystick, visit www.forumliverpool.net.

Huge depth to brand new Active Music Joystick Level 6 Software

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Active Music Joystick

Active Music Joystick have just released their brand new Music Joystick Software Level 6, which has the most in-depth core set of features of any AMJ software to date.

As well as providing the benefits of Levels 1-5, this page of software (which requires either a Thrustmaster or MADCATZ joystick to operate) offers a particularly special product.

Level 6 contains 80 tunes which can be used in conjunction with Kanon singing; they mostly come from the renowned Der Kanon book, which is a Western-European tradition of classical music. The tunes include light-hearted children's favourites such as Row The Boat and Brother John, as well as ancient classical Mozart music and the works of such composers as the famous Italian, Dona Nobis Pacem.

The software also includes .aiff samples for Kanon singing, which are played with traditional instruments such as cello, and which can be formatted by the joystick for normal playback. You have further options than just regular playback or recording back tunes, though: you can modify the playback feature with the option to delay this up to four times, which creates a Kanon effect.

In addition, you can create up to four instrumental delays and four vocal delays during each tune, and if you have eight channels open in the software, you can play eight different sounds at once.

Music Joystick Software Level 6 has microphone connectivity, allowing you to sing along to the tunes and thus create your own audio. This can be modified with a delay up to four times as well, allowing you to create the exact moment when you form Kanon singing, as well as providing you with greater control over your voice, such as enhancing the quality of your vocals and the pitch of your singing.

If you happen to play a tune that you really like and you wish to purchase that song, a simple double-click directs you to buy the song via Windows Media Player or iTunes. This can be done without the use of a joystick, making the process even easier.

Music Joystick Software Level 6 is available for the reduced price of £10.00 at www.forumliverpool.net, and you can also purchase the Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks here for £32.00 each. In addition, Levels 1-5 of the Music Joystick Software can be purchased for £20.00 each.

To find out more about Active Music Joystick or to purchase any of the products, you can get in touch by calling 0151 280 1080 or by emailing fuchsjoystick@forumliverpool.net.

Innovative new options provided by Level 3 Software from Active Music Joystick

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Active Music Joystick

You can now purchase Music Joystick Software Level 3 from Active Music Joystick.

As well as retaining the core elements of the first two levels, the third model provides a wealth of new features and control options.

This programme, which requires both AMJ joysticks (Thrustmaster and MADCATZ), allows you to control up to 30 Midi devices. You can perform all tasks that the previous Midi keyboard did, as well as being able to play chords, far-stretched tone combinations and all chromatic notes, covering the entire scale from A to a to g. In addition, it has an easy switch to go between four octaves that can be accessed by the tip of your fingers.

The software includes an additional page; one page contains stand-out parts of Level 2, and the new page provides the option to play Midi for any device. It plays the same notes, but it allows you to put these sounds on four octave layers via the wheel.

Level 3 allows you to play as many tones and chords as your fingers can reach, and in any order depending what you consider to be most logical. Amongst the tools are a slider that covers around 100 programmes, channels, a bend option (via a stick) and volume controls. Attack-release values are also here, and have a distinctive control-out selection from the slider.

In addition, there is a special switch included for preparing the main chords I, II, III, IV, V and VI minor. There is also the option to use a kit, which if you a strong drummer allows you to have even more fun if you use this software with a partner. Finally, depending on the octave layer, you will discover a wide variety of elements in regards to audio and voice control.

Music Joystick Software Level 3 is available for £20.00 at www.forumliverpool.net, and you can also purchase the Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks here for £32.00 each.

To find out more about Active Music Joystick or to purchase any of the products, you can get in touch by calling 0151 280 1080 or by emailing fuchsjoystick@forumliverpool.net.

New Level 4 Software from Active Music Joystick boasts enhanced features and depth

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Active Music Joystick

Music Joystick Software Level 4 is now available from Active Music Joystick.

The fourth model builds upon the features of the first three levels and adds much more control and depth, serving as an open live sample processor and composer of music.

This programme contains 10 units of Ircam France objects, with five available in runtime within the main setting, whilst unit ten can only be used with the addition of a music box, and the remaining units can only be used with full programming.

These are the full details of the units:

Unit 1 shows the fundamentals of wave-processing, including loop and range settings (two sliders control these), sample rate haus-position (choose 0.5 for ½ rates with a low octave, 1 for a normal rate, -1 for a reverse rate and 2 for a double rate with a high octave); eight changes from the starting point; two regulations for the volume (which can be managed by both sliders and the main joystick); a selection of .aiff numbers along with a confirmation button that includes page changes; and a trigger play option with a reset button.

Unit 2 includes some motion changes, such as ten presets for MDSR curves. These are controlled by set-domain time frames, with X1 representing the duration of sound.

Unit 3 has filters and opens an extra page which boasts a cool Ircam visualisation of the frequency-with-gain system, and it has the option to add volume to lift the fundamental mains up. The particular stand-out aspect of Unit 3 is that you can use the right joystick to do all of the filtering manually as it is audio- and visual-controlled (the fourth model of software requires two joysticks for use on all units). In addition, there are 40 automatic ejies developments within the three parameters, where you can just find a number and play it.

Unit 4 has reverberation; you can open this unit by turning it on with a slight movement of the left slide, and from there you can decide the eight parameters.

Unit 5 involves transposing, as it gives you the option to transpose within the eight steps, and sounds can follow these changes of transposition.

Units 6-9 can only be used if you have access to the music box codes from Ircam, as these are of the highest quality and are DJ-compatible. You can look on Ircam’s official website at www.ircam.fr for more information on how to access these codes.

Unit 10 plays the samples in the same manner that they would be played in the first model of AMJ software; consider Unit 10 to be the basic setting to play tunes in model 1.

Music Joystick Software Level 4 is available for £20.00 at www.forumliverpool.net, and you can also purchase the Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks here for £32.00 each.

To find out more about Active Music Joystick or to purchase any of the products, you can get in touch by calling 0151 280 1080 or by emailing fuchsjoystick@forumliverpool.net.

Music Joystick Software Level 1 now available

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Active Music Joystick

Music Joystick Software Level 1 is currently available from Active Music Joystick.

There are five levels of software, each with varying levels of features and detail aimed at the skill set and musical knowledge of the user.

Level 1 is a beginner's package, primarily aimed at young children and is designed to give them a basic introduction on how to use the joystick to create music.

Music Joystick Software Level 1 is easily installed via a CD, and the software has the same features whether it is used on a desktop PC, a laptop or on an Apple Mac.

The purpose of the software is to allow users to use the Active Music Joysticks to control musical sounds, which for the Level 1 package consist of sine waves.

It allows users via the joysticks to make decisions which other instruments cannot do, such as adjusting pitch, managing volume and switching between notes, in the same manner of a musical keyboard or a piano (A-G notes)

The joysticks connect via a USB cable, and both the Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks can be used for this beginner's level of AMJ software.

The joysticks have similar button and toggle stick features to your typical videogame control pads, except that in this case the primary functions of the joysticks are to control musical audio.

They also include a reset button so that you can start afresh, should you choose to do so, and a slide stick which allows you to create a "high-to-low" effect with the music; in addition, you can press multiple buttons to create tunes which have more than one note or pitch audible at specific points.

The Level 1 software is a perfect starting point for those interested in controlling and creating music, as well as for young children who want to understand the difference between musical sounds and the range available by making minor adjustments to the pitch and note.

Through practice and understanding, one can quickly begin to create unique tunes or even existing forms of music, such as nursery rhymes or national anthems.

The software and associated joysticks are currently exclusive to the UK market, but they can be installed and used on computers anywhere in the world, making them a unique commodity if you are, say, based in the United States or in China.

Music Joystick Software Level 1 is currently available for £20.00 at www.forumliverpool.net; here, you can also purchase the Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks for £32.00 each.

To find out more about Active Music Joystick or to purchase any of the products, you can get in touch by calling 0151 280 1080 or by emailing fuchsjoystick@forumliverpool.net.

New joystick products from Active Music Joystick

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Active Music Joystick

Active Music Joystick is currently promoting its brand new products, which are designed to assist young people, particularly those suffering from autism or disabilities.

The joysticks are part of the musical instruments in that their button combinations and functions allow for musical sounds to be played, and when connected to a laptop through software programming, they control music on the computer itself by playing songs, their own inventions or existing tunes. The joysticks act as controllers, which boast two axes, a turn-stick, flexible levers and a range of face buttons.

The Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks have similar functions to create notes, adjust volume and change the pitch of tunes, but possess physical differences based on a user's preferences.

The Thrustmaster is a high-resolution joystick made of solid material and has two large button fields. Its functions alternate between those who are right-handed and those who are left-handed, and it lights up when the stick passes the centre-point.

The MADCATZ is a two-levered joystick which can be dismantled for travel, and has several functions for the thumb to perform at the same time, whilst its head is designed as a wheel.

Other features of the instrument include the use of the sine wave, a special and simple sound created within the computer; the software providing an understanding of scales, in particular the harmonic scale; and allowing a chance to look at pitches as frequency numbers. In addition, each joystick comes with a tutorial CD to introduce users to the product and allow them to quickly learn its functions.

Young children will enjoy the opportunity to practice using computer equipment in an easy-to-handle, straightforward and clear fashion given the design of the buttons and the flexible nature of the joystick. Previous experiments have found that children enjoy how soothing the music is to the ear; they can be creative, or play different tunes. There is variety as the genres covered include folk, Christmas and pop.

But the joysticks are of even greater benefit to autistic children, and those with learning difficulties. Users can feel and touch the joysticks, and make music with their hands and their arms. There is the chance to play their own melody or to replay tunes from their memories. They can understand and practice how to play notes in time, understand and play different characters of colour and wave structures, try out musical phrases, and learn about articulation. The tutorial nature and the overall set-up mean that there is no such thing as a wrong piece of music with this device, and it assists users in becoming a part of the digital society.

Most importantly, the joysticks allow users to recognise and play tunes which, with further use and training, could open the door for kids to lead a singing group or participate in a small orchestra. Music is easily detectable, and the joysticks act as a medium to express one's inner feeling.

As for existing musicians and technicians, the ability to change tunes and adapt one's singing to music makes the joysticks a good training device for any budding choir singers, and those who aspire to work in a technical role within the music industry. So, the joysticks are beneficial to a wide range of people and skill sets.

Both the Thrustmaster and MADCATZ joysticks and the associated software are now available online for £32.00 each at www.forumliverpool.net.

To find out more about Active Music Joystick or to purchase any of the products, you can get in touch by calling 0151 280 1080 or by emailing fuchsjoystick@forumliverpool.net.