HARDWARE
Your Palm may not play MP3s, but it certainly can rock out with Swivel Systems' SG20. The 2.4-ounce gadget clips to the base of a Palm III, transforming the handheld into the world's smallest MIDI sequencer and synthesizer. By harnessing the MIDImusic-studio standard, you create sequences that control full-size drum machines, synths, and samplers. The clip-on also generates 128 instrument voices and 140 percussion sounds so that you can hear your tunes through headphones. With earphone and MIDI in and out jacks, as well as an RCA audio output and volume control, the SG20 lets you compose and store music anywhere.
I tried an early version of the clip-on that will be ready for wide distribution later this fall. After a one-minute lesson on the bundled BeatPad software, I was creating a live remix of an included sample song. It was mind-boggling: Suddenly I'd become a DJ inside my 'phones.
NotePad software, which is also included, lets you compose and edit. You can choose onscreen piano keys, piano-roll grid, or traditional musical notation, complete with glissandos and arpeggios. I could imagine a whole band playing just their Palms, and karaoke buffs practicing their craft alfresco. The setup is ideal for capturing offhand noodling or tunes that pop up in your head on the bus.
The system's author, Simon Gatrall, pecked in a few notes with the stylus, tried out some sounds, and created a catchy loop sequence for me during a demo. Then he added more layers, one by one. I was impressed - though it reminded me of that joke: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
The device's onboard sounds are generated by a combination synthesizer chip, digital-to-analog converter, and amplifier - similar components to those in an inexpensive PC sound card. For pro-quality sounds, you can use the included dongle to connect to MIDI-compatible studio equipment. Each song in the format takes up only 30 to 60 Kbytes, so your Palm can hold a lot. Roland and Yamaha have hardware-based sequencers about the size of a VHS cassette, but an SG20-equipped Palm beats them both for portability, simplicity, and overall features. Take it to the beach and transfigure the sounds of surf, seagulls, and spume into your own personal music program.
SG20: $200. Swivel Systems: +1 (415) 474 7446, www.swivelsystems.com.
STREET CRED
Kvetch of the Day
Babes in Toyland
Jog-O-Rama
The Nuonvision Revolution
Memory Gardens
Alpha and Omega
The Zero Effect
ReadMe
Music
Surroundabout
Fear of a Freak Planet
Hasta la Vista, Baby
Just Outta Beta
Master of Vine Arts
Hooked on Symphonics
Contributors
