Slashdot Mirror
MIDI Keyboard/Computer: Neko64
An anonymous reader gushes "Just got back from NAMM, and saw the coolest thing for music geeks - it's a MIDI keyboard with a dual Opterons and a 15 inch touchscreen. While other vendors crow about 5 inch screens (Now With Color!) these guys have a beautiful UI on a live performance instrument that is also awesome studio gear. 4 interchangable control surfaces, and battery backup to boot! If the power cord gets yanked out in the middle of a performance, there's plenty of time to bitch out the roadie and get it plugged in without missing a beat. These guys truly Get It."
Yeah, but can I play Doom on it?
DROS - Open-Source Robot Software
...is the price.
How much is this thing likely to cost? And since it's essentially a server and a midi-instrument all rolled into one, will anyone outside of major studios and universities be able to afford it?
libertarianswag.com
These guys truly Get It.
and the reason nobody else got it or will get it is the price.
I am getting a casio keyboard on monday, but this keyboard looks really nice, wouldn't mind giving it a shot. What is the price?
That's how we pirated music a decade ago
If i remember correctly, this thing has been demoed at at least the last NAMM, and possibly the one before.
From what I heard, it was pretty much an empty shell last year and was utter vapourware....
Did you see it on?
Did it boot?
Could you do anything with it?
i don't read slashdot anymore.
The first time I ever played with Reaktor I thought to myself "damn when is somebody just going to put a PC in a synth with a lightweight real-time customizable OS (open source if possible), a big screen, lots of programmable control surfaces, and a something flexible and powerful like Reaktor?"
.. except for the OS. Still this is pretty damn cool!
..later..
And here it is
PS: Anybody else get a chuckle out of this:
NEKO 64? frees you from all of the frustrating limitations imposed by closed, proprietary systems, while still maintaining the virtues of an all-in-one keyboard instrument.
NEKO 64? is so versatile it can virtually run any plugin or application designed for the Windows XP operating system including products from Steinberg, Native Instruments, Synapse Audio, IK Multimedia and many others!
I guess their definition of "proprietary" is different than mine!
It's probably not so important for the average musician but I hope all the interfaces are MIDI or otherwise accessible by the programmer.
Thats the biggest microsoft smart phone ive ever seen!
Someone will need to mirror this soon.
I know there is this rift right now in the community. Some people hate laptops on stage, some people love it. I'm a big pusher of the "Powerbook"/build your own interface. I don't see particular use in incoporating my computer keyboard into my piano keyboard. I personally prefer just to put my laptop on the top. Mind you I also prefer to have 88 keys.
This is probably a very cool toy, but I don't think its a "must have" for anyone.
Some linux developers have developed a similar keyboard that is based on opensource software. I haven't compared specs in detail but I'm guessing the hardware is similar based on voice count.
http://www.lionstracs.com/
I'm totally linux-centric (unlike most slashdotters) so I wanted to make reference to those musicians who'd like to support *true* opensource development.
-ry
*anyway* what I wanted to say
is how could it be 64-bit computing, if they run 'Microsoft Windows XP Professional' ?
Am I missing something? do they run something specially licensed from M$? *something in those lines?, like 'they're running a beta of their upcomming 64-bit XP..'?*
I don't claim I know more than I know, and if you know you know more than I know, then by all means, let me know.
I make music for hobby, and am married to a musician - plus, I know lots of other people that make music for a living or for fun. I know that these people are put off by the slightest alien noise, when they "work".
And this device consumes a lot of power. Have a look at the specs: "Whisper Quiet Cooling Fans (Internal Chassis, Processor & Power Supply)"
Well, they may be whisper-quiet, but they'll annoy all the musicians I know. Some of them have chosen iMacs for the only reason that they were quieter than anything x86. I may not be that picky with regards to PSU fan noise, but all others certainly are.
Of course, I expect that such an expensive and complex piece of gear must have had some serious marketing and product management work done before they nailed the product specs, right? Therefore, these particular PSU fans are actually unhearable. I hope. Hmmm......
Sigged!
Maybe if by "music geek" you mean "guy who knows more about computers than music". Any *actual* music geek would prefer a good, straight up keyboard: 88 keys, hammer action, weighted (at least partially, preferably fully), and minimal other crap. Maybe a pitch bend wheel or a few programmable hotkeys, but not a gigantor LCD screen and a full qwerty keyboard: that's just going to get in the god damn way.
Is listed as a feature. It will give the musician the ability to blame a virus for a missed beat.
Did you update your keyboards anti-virus?
Does it require MS activation?
I do want a keyboard with DRM, just in case I need to pay some royalties for playing "Happy Birthday to You"
Get a free ipod.
What were you doing over there all this time?
Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
- "An anonymous reader gushes" ... this is news? I could like, hobble something like this together with a laptop and an old keyboard, ... could I be on Slashdot then? Please?
... please, break your hands now and spare my ears.
- "These guys truly Get It"
- Runs on Windows XP
- (No sound samples on the web site)
- (May just be a "shovel us money" prototype)
Um like
and last but not least...
It's all about the music for godsakes. If you need this piece of gear to sound good and can't do it on a freakin' roland juno-106 from the 1980s... or a piano
(Not flamebait, and/or troll... just a musician that is sick of crap like this. It is the opposite of inspiring.)
...MS(tm) DRM(tm) Clippy(tm): It looks like you're trying to play happy birthday, a tune that is still (?!?!?) under copyright. Shall I:
;o)
a) Shut down the keyboard you filthy copyright stealing musician/terrorist (delete as appropriate, with extreme prejudice).
or b) send $350 from your online bank account to ASCAP.
Reminds me of that simpsons christmas special where the family are carol singing outside the lawyers house, who promptly comes out and tells to "cease and decist" as the songs they are singing are owned by his clients.
I am NaN
Uhhhhh, guess you weren't kidding about step #3.
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. - Mark Twain
I could buy a good musical keyboard, and a good PC. Actually I could do so for less than this. Other than the "wow" factor is there any real advantage to this (other than perhaps musicians who really find it inconvenient to lug both keyboard and computer around).
Anyone here know why the high cost? Any particularly extra-special redeeming features that would make you buy it?
You're thinking "open" as in computers. They're talking "open" as in music equipment platforms. Most music equipment uses huge amounts of completely proprietary systems. Their reference to "open" means that you can buy off-the-shelf products that have no ties to the company that makes the keyboard. If you want to install Fruity Loops, Reaktor, Acid, Reason, Traktor, Logic, etc. you can. This is very VERY open when it comes to music equipment.
And, yes, "open" has a lot of meanings. Open source, open store, open marriage, open secret. To speak of which, do they even mention "open source", or is it just a slashdot thing where readers see "open source" whenever they see the word "open"?