The Bela. Image: Liz Seabrook/Motherboard
Chris Heinrichs waving around the Vangelisiser. Image: Liz Seabrook/Motherboard
Chris Heinrichs with the Air Harp. Image: Liz Seabrook/Motherboard
Bela is in some ways a logical step forward in the experimentation of the Augmented Instruments Laboratory."Most traditional institutions look at digital platforms as distribution platforms, and not as a creative tool itself"
The Hammond Organ keyboard, which also uses the Bela. Image: Liz Seabrook/Motherboard
The interior of the Air Harp, with the Bela inside. Image: Liz Seabrook/Motherboard
Labmate Moro notes another advantage to Bela: "The fact that it's dedicated allows you to get things done that you wouldn't be able to do on [a computer], because it's not dedicated to that," he said. He compared the Bela's CPU to that of an iPhone 3GS. "It's not as powerful as in an iPhone 6," he added. "But with an iPhone 6 you can't do anything that's close to us, because the operating system is doing other things. It's handling the graphics, it's handling the touchscreen, it's handling the internet and all the apps in the background. Whereas this is just doing audio.""The lonely genius in the attic who creates the masterpiece and brings it to the public—that period is over"
Some of the tech in the lab. Image: Liz Seabrook/Motherboard
Andrew McPherson hitting a single note on the TouchKeys. Image: Liz Seabrook/Motherboard
Robbie Jack plays his tile instrument. Image: Liz Seabrook/Motherboard
