Toronto Thumbs

Have You Ever Wondered…
Music Mastermind

Music and video gaming is making great progress; games like Guitar Hero have resurrected older music and brought it to the fore in the minds of kids; the Rock Band franchise is raising the bar by introducing pro-level instruments into the fray; DJ Hero brings music to folks in a new way, allowing them to pretend that they are DJs spinning platters and keeping the audience in the club pumped like so many bicycle tires. The question on my mind is: what’s next?

Really, it all boils down to accessibility. Guitar Hero and Rock Band allow people that may not normally play real instruments to feel like they are actually rocking out (and it causes some of us that knew how to play real instruments to forget); DJ Hero’s latest freestyle modes give some creative license to people, letting them scratch and crossfade the way that they wish to. But none of this is really about creation; certainly, it’s about fun (which is a good thing). Alas, while this gives many people access to music, it doesn’t do much to bring out the musical creativity of an individual.

Electronic devices like the Kaossilator line do help, by offering a simple interface with which people can tinker; but could you imagine what would happen if people could get their hands on magical professional studio equipment that could bring out the true musical genius inside each and every one of us?

Well, start-up company Music Mastermind has been working on such a thing; very recently, they revealed details of Soundbetter, a cloud-based technology that lets anyone create studio-quality music. This system takes complex digital workstation processes and simplifies them, allowing you to: enhance your voice; turn your voice into an instrument; create awesome-sounding beats; add backing tracks; and incorporate adaptable licks to collaborate with friends and other artists.

What’s interesting to me, is that there are game-like elements to this system; simple visual cues make this very accessible to all. CEO Matt Serletic* is very much about breaking down the barriers that get in between the average Joe (or Josette) and making music.

I’m pretty stoked to find out more about this new initiative; Toronto Thumbs plans on investigating this further and will keep you all posted. It sounds like there will be an announcement in a few weeks, so keep your eyes on this space**.

Click here to check out Music Mastermind! »

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