nu desine: alphasphere

prototype of the ‘alphasphere’ instrument, created by nu desine

‘alphasphere‘, by UK-based design team nu desine, brings physical interaction to the live mixing and creation of electronic music, permitting any digital-ready sounds to be uploaded and then manipulated by interacting with the sphere’s surface pads.

using materials originally designed for robotics, each of the 48 programmable pressure-sensitive pads of the device offers a range of possible control over the sounds produced, from volume and pitch to warble and oscillation. ‘alphasphere’ is designed to interface with the MIDI-ready protocol open sound control, and while the team plans to pre-package sample sets and voices, the device will remain fully programmable so that any sound can be uploaded.

a speaker within the LED-lit ‘alphasphere’ itself offers a more physical experience of the sounds produced. the instrument can be used as a synthesizer, step sequencer, or MIDI controller, and, as nu-desine notes, the inclusion of 48 pads permits the mapping of up to four octaves of instrumentation around the sphere.

the ‘alphasphere’ prototype, unilluminated

‘really,’ explains nu desine founder adam place, ‘it’s about bringing electronic production away from computers and back to an instrument that anyone can play’. the prototype was developed through media sandbox‘s 2010 development program, and the team is currently seeking funding to develop a market-ready model of the product through the ‘alphasphere’ indie gogo campaign.

‘alphasphere’ demoed on its recent tour through the UK

detail of the tactile pads

concept rendering

early concept test, composed of paper products, to experiment with the optimal configuration of circular pads around a sphere

wiring the device

installing and testing the LEDs

the indiegogo campaign video for ‘alphasphere’