The AlphaSphere is a MIDI controller designed by the Bristol-based company Nu Desine. The device consists of a spherical shell with 48 pressure-sensitive pads on its surface which can be used to control third-party DAWs through the open source AlphaLive software.[1]
Early versions of the AlphaSphere were shown at the NAMM Show, Musikmesse Frankfurt, three TEDx conferences, and the Future Everything Festival.[2] The device received press from Sound on Sound, BBC, Wired and MusicRadar.[3]
Development
editAdam Place (Founder of Nu Desine) produced the initial concept and prototype for the AlphaSphere while studying at Nagoya University of Arts in Japan.[4] In September 2010, Place was commissioned by Media Sandbox (a development funding scheme within iShed, a former subsidiary of Bristol's Watershed) to research smart materials and develop the AlphaSphere.[5] Place formed the company Nu Desine, hiring engineers, designers and software developers to facilitate the production of the AlphaSphere.[6]
In April 2012, Nu Desine began taking pre-orders for a limited edition series of AlphaSpheres.[7] The first batch was shipped in March 2013.[8] Later in 2013, the standard version of the AlphaSphere was made available in music stores in the U.S. and Japan and on the AlphaSphere website in Europe.[9]
References
edit- ^ 90 Seconds Media (2012-03-09). Alphasphere. Retrieved 2024-11-13 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "nu desine Events". nu desine. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
- ^ "AlphaSphere Press". nu desine. Archived from the original on 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
- ^ "AlphaSphere Futuristic Musical Instrument". TokyoTek. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
- ^ "DCMS - Bristol: the UK's answer to Silicon Valley". Clare Reddington. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "About nu desine". nu desine. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "Pre-order AlphaSphere elite series". nu desine. Archived from the original on 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
- ^ "elite series ships". nu desine. Archived from the original on 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
- ^ "AlphaSphere nexus hits Europe". nu desine. Retrieved 2012-11-21.