About this project

JP1971 and the Future of Multi-touch Audio_Midi Control

While the iPhone and iPod Touch allow programmers and users to experiment with audio and MIDI applications that take advantage of the platform's innovative multi-touch interface, the limitations of processor speed, programatic and physical memory, and screen resolution relegate these applications, for the most part, to the realm of novelty. With the iPad, however, Apple has created a platform well suited to the demands of modern music performance and production. JP1971 is in the process of designing a MIDI controller application for the iPad that will allow the user to mix and match various controller types such as button arrays, cross-faders, piano rolls, rotary encoders, sliders, x-y axis pads and more. The working title, appropriately, is Mix and Match MIDI Pad or MxNM for short. MxNM will communicate with a host computer over a wireless network allowing for control of popular applications such as Ableton Live, Logic, Max/MSP/Jitter, Pro Tools, and virtually any other application that receives and sends standard MIDI messages.

Once MxNM is complete, JP1971 will move forward on the design and production of other audio and MIDI applications. These future applications will include (but not be limited to):
-a dedicated channel strip (striPad),
-a DJ mixer (1s & 0s),
-a step sequencer (stePad),
-a graphical random music generator (centiPad).

Ahead of the Curve

Although an early adopter when it came to Apple computers (I got my II+ around 1983), I was a late adopter when it came to the iPhone. I got my first as a hand me down from my mother last fall. At the beginning of this year, I dove in and started developing for the iPhone OS. My first app, a promotional platform for an indie record label, was cobbled together from sample code, developers' forums, long days and late nights, and a whole lot of hitting my head against the wall. Once it was done though, I was hooked.

Then, the iPad was unveiled. I was immediately struck by the possibilities. I downloaded and installed the development kit within minutes of it being available. I worked my way through the seminal texts on Objective-C and iPhone OS programming. On April 3rd, I am going to the nearest Apple Store, picking up my iPad, and installing the beta version of MxNM the moment I get home. Once the hardware based bugs are squashed and the App Store is open for iPad submissions, I will upload MxNM 1.0.

And Now for the Computathon...

Your donation will help insure that JP1971's MxNM is, in fact, ahead of the curve. Money from donors like you will be used to offset the cost of a first generation iPad and pay for valuable development time. In order to get MxNM into the App Store and, subsequently, the hands of users in the first wave, I am having to put a couple of iPhone development projects on hold - projects that pay the rent and bills.

But wait, just like any fund raiser or telethon, there's something in it for you too. Check out the panels on the right for a breakdown of my exciting reward packages.