Turn an iPhone Into a Pocket Theremin

Earyauteur writes "The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) is running a story on an interesting motion-controlled iPhone application which uses the iPhone's 3-axis accelerometer to control a digital synthesizer. The musical instrument is played much like a theremin with the added ability to perform music using different musical scales. TUAW also links to a YouTube video which shows a performer demonstrating the iPhone instrument."

Comments

Re:really?

[retchdog]

I noticed the same thing, but came to a different conclusion: it's real, and it's shit. Even past the registration inaccuracies, the transitions between pitches are just plain awful. They could have at least tried for some sort of smooth (possibly adaptive) interpolation. As it is, "musical instrument" is too generous a label, let alone "theremin".

I guess for $2 you don't expect much, but please don't even compare this trash to a theremin.

Fixated on touch

[SuperKendall]

If you get the same results for very similar input, in what way is it not like a theremin?

Some posters here seem way too fixated on the fact that you are holding the phone while waving it around, while ignoring it's a similar control scheme to a real theremin.

I mean, what if in theory you could just wave your hands around and make sounds like a theremin. Would that not essentially be having a "portable" theremin? Now hold a phone in your hand and do the same thing, suddenly it's totally different... I don't see it.