Indiegogo has come up with a fascinating new ring that lets you control your instruments using hand gestures. The ring, known as ‘Wave‘, can also produce different sound effects through your gestures depending on how you configure it. The unique features of the ring make it a welcome addition to the already amazing list of music production gear.
If you’re in the music industry and want good gear, it’s hard to go wrong with almost anything. There are great choices out there irrespective of the genre of music you pick. However, if you’re one of those people who would like to tweak a few things here and there or create sample sound effects by just moving your hand, then ‘Wave’ does just that. Don’t believe it? Check this video out:
The motion sensor is built into the ring itself which lets you control different things according to your preference. The controls can be mapped to anything on your software setup, depending on what you want to tweak using Wave. Not only does the small ring let you control different things through hand motions, but it also comes with buttons which can be mapped to things such as pause and play etc. Another cool feature as shown in the video is that you can set Wave to give you a sample sound of what you want (according to the settings you’ve put in) by just tapping an object.
Whether you’re a serious producer who’d conveniently get samples by a simple tap or just a regular user looking to create cool sounds through a magic ring, the Wave is an ideal choice. One can get multiple rings and use them to start their own little drumming session with just their fingers. The motion sensors currently support three different motions that signal the device to do what you want it to do: pan, tilt, and roll. All of these can be seen in action in the video above.
Wave gives a unique way to compose music for producers. However, the device is not the first ring-controller we’ve seen. Many other rings exist that offer a variety of features for the musician. However, those devices are primarily made for those with specific instruments such as the Enhancia MIDI ring which primarily serves keyboard users. Unlike others, Wave is more of a general purpose device which anyone can use, but from the looks of it, it’s bigger in size than the rest as well.
What remains to be seen is how well the motion sensors in Wave respond to movements. Some devices are over-efficient and respond to every little movement you make. However, in this context, that would become annoying really fast and it’s something Wave should look to avoid. Therefore, it’s important that Wave strikes the right balance with its motion sensors ensuring that the device only responds when prompted.
Another cool thing about Wave is the ability to your music without your phone, computer or playback device nearby. All you need to do is to pull your Wave’s Bluetooth connection into your MIDI chain. Indiegogo is offering another option as well in the form of a Eurorack receiver called a Wavefront. The receiver will allow you to get Wave’s output into a modular setup which could be convenient.
When does this magical ring hit stores? It’s expected to hit the stores by December this year and will reportedly sell for $149 for Indiegogo backers. If you’re interested in purchasing the Wavefront as well, then there’s a separate bundle you can purchase which includes both things for $199.
The company behind Wave is taking major steps in changing the way we make or preview music around us. They clearly know what they’re doing too, so it’s interesting as to where they go from here. For now, let’s wait and see how the Wave actually performs before getting too excited.