Beamz Laser Harp

[JSngry]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/tech...ws/4257800.html

[mikeweil]

I'm awaiting Leonard Nimoy's debut recording on this axe.

[Jim Alfredson]

Does it just playback samples?

I'm partial to Clara Rockmore:

[Rooster_Ties]

Be afraid, be very afraid...

>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpDZ3WotLXY <<<

further reading (not just about how dumb the promo video is, but arguably how dumb the instrument is)...

"Beamz Infomercial Is Most Stupid Promo Video in History"

As best I can tell, breaking the beam merely triggers when the next pre-programmed, pre-set, pre-"timed" series of musical event(s) can start to occur (and continue to occur) -- and reconnecting the beam turns them off. In other words, it’s a complicated (and cool) user interface for turning on and off the equivalent of multi-track recordings of utterly complete crap music, one track at a time.

Look at the promo video -- I think that's pretty much it. Could be cool, but really isn’t.

Edit: Read the second link I gave above -- it's a little more complicated than just being on/off switches, but the musical result isn't much better than if it had been.

Edited April 11, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[7/4]

probably more interesting to play a real harp or guitar or somethin'.

.

[JSngry]

Well, my son's going to be selling them where he works (Sharper Image), so he asked me to put this up to see what kind of a response it would get. I warned him...

However, according to him, there are more complexities possible than what are demonstrated in that godawful promo. How many more, and of what sort, I do not know.

[7/4]

It's a neat idea and it has potential. I wonder what the latency is, the time between the "pluck" trigger and the sound.

.

[JSngry]

I alos wonder what you could do if you took it apart and put it back together your own way, kinda like Zawinul did with the synths back in the day.

[7/4]

I alos wonder what you could do if you took it apart and put it back together your own way, kinda like Zawinul did with the synths back in the day.

Or like those clocks I took apart when I was a kid and had spare parts left over after I put them back together.

[JSngry]

Did you eventually make a synth out of them?

[7/4]

The potential is still there.

[rostasi]

Well, my son's going to be selling them where he works (Sharper Image)

You mean that there's still a Sharper Image in business?

Major lawsuits and closing of (apparently not all) of their businesses

would have me looking for a new job.

Edited April 11, 2008 by rostasi

[Jim Alfredson]

Can you play Freebird on it?

[Rooster_Ties]

This appears to be real, and this thread seemed like the best place to post it...

[Dave James]

I just hope that those who drop $600 on this have checked underneath their beds to make sure there's room for it amongst the dusty exercise equipment once the novelty wears off. I'd much rather have a hang drum.

Up over and out.

[seeline]

Try $29.95...