Yamaha Tenori-on
Before you ask, no this isn't a Yamaha version of Pac-Man! The Yamaha Tenori-on is a genuinely new concept that combines sound & light in a way that creates a fun & sophisticated way of making music. It is effectively a 16 layer step sequencer that works with sound and light. With a massive list of high-profile users including Bjork, Peter Gabriel and future Loop Foundation, the Yamaha Tenori-On is something that you should really pay attention to. To get to grips with this groundbreaking concept, Yamaha have created a whole web site dedicated to the Tenori-on & you can visit it at
http://www.tenori-on.co.uk/
Below is the over view of the product from the Yamaha Tenori-on web site
CONCEPT
Media artist Toshio Iwai and Yamaha have collaborated to design a new digital musical instrument for the 21st century, TENORI-ON. A 16x16 matrix of LED switches allows everyone to play music intuitively, creating a "visible music" interface.
TENORI-ON "Modes"
The TENORI-ON 16 x 16 LED button matrix is simultaneously a performance input controller and display. By operating and interacting with the LED buttons and the light they produce you gain access to the TENORI-ON's numerous performance capabilities.
The TENORI-ON provides six different performance and sound/light modes for broad performance versatility, and these modes can be combined and used simultaneously for rich, complex musical expression.
LAYERS
TENORI-ON layers can be thought of as "performance parts" or "recording tracks". The TENORI-ON has a total of 16 layers. Separate notes and voices can be assigned to each layer, and all layers can be played together in synchronization.
The 16 layers are divided into six performance mode groups as shown in the illustration below. The six modes have different note entry methods and operation. Up to 16 layers created using different modes can be combined for rich, complex musical expression.
BLOCKS
Once complete set of 16 layers is called a "block".
The TENORI-ON can store up to 16 programmed blocks (16-layer groups) in memory, and you can switch from block to block instantly during performance.
You could, for example, create a musical composition in one block, then copy that composition to another block and edit it to create a variation of the original composition. Or you can load a number of previously-created compositions into separate blocks from an SD Memory Card and switch between them to create variation during playback.
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