Randy George Music

Category: Software

  • New Theremin Tech: Merlin Tuner

    New Theremin Tech: Merlin Tuner

    Visual Pitch Preview Display

    Merlin-Tuner

    I’m very excited to announce and publish a new software product! Last month, July 2021, I was invited to present two workshops on my theremin playing approaches for the 2021 edition of Theremin Academy, this time hosted by Lydia Kavina and Thierry Frenkel. In conjunction with the event and my presentations centered around vibrato and theremin technical development, I decided to publish a new software tool.

    Its name: Merlin Tuner

    It is a versatile theremin training tool in the form of a precision equal temperament semitone tuner. Its core functionality was extracted from my previous software release MIDI Merlin, which I will wholeheartedly admit has been a golden key in unlocking the most mind bending aspects of precision theremin playing technique. Now, after proven success in my own development, it’s time to share the technology with the theremin playing community. Merlin Tuner offers much greater accessibility and ease of use compared to MIDI Merlin due to being much simpler in design and in package distribution.

    See theremin pitch reflected back to you in real-time

    With a desktop Mac or Windows computer, an installation of Cycling ’74 Max software and a computer audio interface, it’s easy to get started building a new level of awareness in precision theremin playing technique, body stability, and calibration, among a host of other difficult-to-nail-down theremin nuance.

    The base window has three pages, the first one providing a detailed readout of the incoming pitch information, the second page offering some device customization and the third dedicated to audio input device settings.

    Merlin Tuner is software that runs on a connected desktop computer, that can be used for improving a great number of aspects of theremin playing. The key difference between this and any typical hardware or software tuner boils down to one thing: timing.

    Visit the Merlin-Tuner page on RandyGeorgeMusic to learn more and to purchase securely from my web store’s product link. The introductory price is $15 USD.

  • MIDI Merlin on the Software Blog

    Hey Everyone! Welcome to the software blog on my website. I thought I would make a special category for software related posts to make it easy to find updates for MIDI Merlin and other projects I have going on in the realm of development.

    Version 2 of MIDI Merlin is progressing steadily. The main page will eventually host all the essential details of the product itself, as well as the hooks to my online shop to buy the software when it is finally released. In this blog, I’ll post things that may not make it Facebook or Google Plus. I’d like to eventually build some kind of forum if/when there is enough interest in the product.

    The application itself has a few components left that need to be added, but the bulk of the work is done. The user interface will be cleaned up a little and simplified where possible. After the features/appearance is satisfactory I will begin the beta testing process. The beta testing team will be a small group. For now the initial group of people I’ll give access to will be the people who are part of my Fund Razr Campaign’s MIDI Merlin Dev contribution level.

    Find details about this at my Campaign Page. I will later open it up to a few others. If you are interested… please let me know by sending me an email. Your name will be added to a list, and when the time comes I’ll add people in the order they were received.

    I think this is a good time and place to let everyone know a key detail about the MIDI Merlin project. I have been building this big project over the past couple of years with no budget and no timeline. There have been a handful of contributions made to support me during development. Thank you very much to the people who have donated! The bulk of the work has been done when I have free time. I had considered creating a kickstarter or indiegogo campaign to help me with the project, but I kept on putting it off for various reasons. Ultimately, I felt it’s better to keep a steady but slow pace, because I don’t want to burn myself out, like I have done many times in the past.

    On this software blog, I will post as much MIDI Merlin related content as I can muster. The best stuff will most likely surface in social media streams, but if you are interested in how the project is going this will be the place to get the inside scoop.

    If you use a RSS reader, here is the feed for this blog: RGM Software Blog Feed