101
Backers
$18,241
pledged of $50,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on December 6.
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We will love you forever. Seriously, FOREVER. All you have to do is give us money... sweet deal, huh?
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
First and foremost will we love you forever, that goes without saying but it's worth saying anyway. So far no one was interested in one of our awesome Starr Labs posters featuring original artwork. Everyone has enough posters even though this one is a layout of our hot part-time bookeeper holding a ztar and little else. Very artistic. I had a cool idea to take all of your names and work them into a special piece of awesome art that we can post on the website for making this dream a reality, and... we would happily receive concepts from visionary artists reading this with the winner having their art posted and their name listed and linked if they so wish! Ok, forget that. Not interesting. Instead, I will send to you one of our touch-sensitive drum sensors, a 1" round pressure-sensitive membrane switch that you can connect to your own MIDI circuit creation. I will include the schematic for the part, lest there be any confustion regarding the connections. Ok, forget that. No one wants a responsive sensor for their project that would cost $20 somewhere else. Rather than offering plans for an anti-gravity machine, a solar-powered brewery, or an herbal extract that eliminates tooth decay, instead I'd like to offer our thanks for your helping to bring something musical to the world.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
At this level we can offer a smaller version of the iTar. The fingerboard is just 6 frets, about 6 inches long! The ultimate in portability, the little neck un-docks and fits easily in a backpack or laptop case. Our BOM says that this should cost $149 at retail, but we can Kickstart this at $100.
Pledge $200 or more Pledge $200 or more
For a mere 200 bucks you'll get a first-run edition of the iTar. Imagine, your very own MIDI controller/ fingerboard that transforms your iPad into a truly amazing instrument. Yes, we will also love you forever and send you the above gifts as well.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
At this level we add a pressure sensing strip on the neck and a MIDI wireless transmitter system for a complete professional performance rig.
Pledge $1,200 or more Pledge $1,200 or more
Rather than a custom paint job I think you're more interested in some new technology. We have developed a high-end version of our fingerboard with an RGB LED under each key. The command interface is MIDI so it's easy to use. In order to run it from the iPad we need to add a separate power supply. We're thinking of adding some high-quality speakers to the power supply module to enhance the audio output. Comments welcome. Apps in the iPad will be able to light the LEDs to create educational software, games, or awesome lighting effects. The LED fingerboard has been developed already but we will need an extra month to integrate the extra components. You can learn more about this on our website. http://www.starrlabs.com
Pledge $5,000 or more Pledge $5,000 or more
Music Education Charitable Contribution: The iTar represents a union of a programmable keyboard with a portable graphic interface. On such a small "music machine", the full breadth of musical concepts can be conveyed for relatively little cost. It's known that musical training enhances math skills and organization of complex thought. At this level we offer 40 iTars to seed a pilot school music education program and help create the next generation of innovators. Music education has nearly disappeared from our nation's schools for lack of funds and private individuals who are able to do so, are now making a difference in their communities. The iTar can be re-programmed to emulate other traditional musical instruments. We can't give every child a grand piano but we can provide a little keyboard/fingerboard that's easy for a beginner using a variety of special interactive iPad software. Next, the iTar can be re-programmed to emulate and teach the principles of every other traditional musical instrument which broadens one's understanding of some basic physics (resonating strings, membranes, columns of air). Not lastly, the iTar becomes a tool for creative expression. People who use these instruments now find them to be great for composition. Kids love it usually make some kind of music the first time they put their hands on one!
Pledge $10,000 or more Pledge $10,000 or more
The Benefactor: If you consider yourself a high-end electronic musician, all of the tools can be at your fingertips in one portable, playable package. Touch surfaces for both hands, strings, pads, pots, breath, d-beam, ableton control, wireless, embedded sounds, USB, MIDI, lighting. You will be one of ONLY five people on the planet to have an iTar and a blown-out Starr Labs Z6-SPX Ztar with LED Ableton-enabled fingerboard with matching custom paint-jobs. Take a look at our gallery and see some of our past creations, built to order. www.starrlabs.com Note: The Ztar is hand built and will take 8-10 weeks after funding before it will be ready.
Project By
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Harvey Starr is an inventor, musician and electronics engineer operating out of San Diego, California. He holds patents in various fields including three for electronic guitars. Harvey was educated at UCLA (Physics, 1972), ETI (Electronics, 1975), and GIT (Music, 1978). While in school Harvey pursued the dream by playing in various jazz and rock bands and singing in smoky, dimly-lit dives.
Mr. Starr's background in electronics manufacturing began in the early days of microcomputers during the late 1970's in the greater Los Angeles area. He designed, built and supported hardware for optical fiber communications, computer disk drives and printers, AI Lisp Machine minicomputers, Landsat satellite, high speed optical scanners, and motion picture special EFX, among others. Harvey opened a full-service electronics prototyping shop in 1986 to serve the electronics industry of Los Angeles, including a small machine shop for producing mechanical components and enclosures. Over the next few years he added capacity for in-house plastic and rubber molding, casting, silk screening, as well as sensor design and fabrication.
Since 1993 Harvey has been designing, building and selling electronic guitars under the company Starr Labs with the mission of providing guitarists with a high-quality performance instrument for creating music on a familiar guitar-like platform, now known as the Ztar. Along the way there have been numerous instruments and electronic music systems custom built for various applications including multi-rank keyboards, percussion systems, performance suits, custom museum installations, a MIDI harp, breath-based wind controllers and guitar-related effects circuitry.
yes, marc, that's pretty accurate. According to our costs, the list price will be $219.00. The Kickstarter folks will still have the instrument at $200. As far as magic, there are a couple of tricks we're adding that have come up in the process of building the first couple of prototypes. Come over to our website and order n iTar at $200. You won't be disappointed!
Harvey, why would you not re-list your project..? You started getting a good foot hold on the project and I feel like you just gave up half way thur...? You had quite a few people pushing for you but only posted two updates. You raised $18,241 dollars in funds... That's phenomenal...! I guess you threw out a number $50,000 and fell short. Maybe Kickstarter is not for you...? You committed/ reduced to a $150.00 pricing and now you are back to $200.00...? I wish you success but the excitement had faded. Some how that Is the magic of this type form for products. I realize the value of the product you are creating and find it fascinating at that price.
Thanks and all the best
Bummer!
I know you have plans. I'll be heading over to your site to order my itar, thx for honoring the deal for those who were backers.
This is going to be a hugely successful product!
Lol. Good luck that is. P.s. i don't play the guitar, which shows you how far reaching your potential market is.
I hope you make mega bucks harvey. Will definitely jump on your site and put an order through at $200 plus a tenner for international shipping. I'd also be interested in talking to you about distribution in my part of the world. Good lick. Talk soon.
Migration Notice:
As our Kickstarter campaign is coming to a close I wanted to say what an awesome experience this has been! I didn't know how people would respond to the idea of the iTar and the
feedback has been interesting, inspiring, and successful!
While it's tru that we won't hit our Kickstarter goal we had a lot of positive interest from top people in the music, gaming and mobile industries. I was approached with substantial offers of private investment capital and after a compressed negotiation cycle we've put together a team backed by just one major investor so far, a truly magical and talented entrepreneur who is investing sufficient capital to put our first run of iTars together. yay!!!!
Learning about the philosophy of Kickstarter and crowd funding has been a
huge eyeopener in seeing ways that a community of interested individuals can relate to each other with mutual support and hopefully empower the larger society through technology.
It feels very democratic in the true egalitarian, ThomasJefferson-onian sense.
I want to particularly thank people who are willing to put in their full
pledge for a project they know won't fund. God Bless you. That's nice.
Also, especially everyone who offered the many constructive comments on various
aspects of the project, a big thanks.
The fabulous infrastructure of Kickstarter has brought us offers for services in marketing and
fulfillment and we've established new relationships with both gaming and education developers.
So I'm inviting everyone who is interested in having an iTar please come to our website www.starrlabs.com , where we will be happy to take your order. For Kickstarter backers it's free shipping, so you can stick with your original pledge at only $200 total. Everyone else will pay $35 shipping in the US. If you like, you can go to Paypal to sales@starrlabs.com.
For those of you who were so supportive as to double up you pledge to $500, I really appreciate that. You can stick with those Kickstarter rewards at $500, or simply try the unadorned iTar for $200. Our investor funding won't show up for 4-6 weeks, and your purchase now would mean a lot.
At our website you'll be able to follow our progress as we move along. Also, by all means, I invite everyone who is interested, to come to our website to sign up for our newsletter or join the forum if you want to investigate MIDI mysteries or harangue about how MIDI effects modern politics and social order. String theorists are welcome.
There have been some minor mutations and refinements to the design to
account for the addition of a really nice powered speaker accessory. There
were a lot of questions regarding powered speakers so we've put together what we
think is an awesome solution for that. The speakers are definitely a cost
item and have to be accounted for in the price, but a lot of people use
headphones, USB, MIDI, a Marshall stack (ahh, the Brits...) for their sound reinforcement and don't need the speakers, so we're making that an accessory.
Harvey, have sent you some private messages as not to dominate the comments wall..Tx
Relating to an SDK for USERs to create their own controls...these are the people you need to get ot support the product.....as far as high end music tech users go anyway.
http://hexler.net/software/touchosc
They already do some excellent stuff to control midi devices via iPad.
Or as you say, perhaps there could be a card slot for Pro Audio users. Kids just get the basic headphone out. And the musicians can opt for High Quality Stereo and digital and face the extra cost?
Will the iPad charge if connected via USB?
I understand the dilemma of balancing cost to predicted market.
I come from the musician side. I have been dreaming about owning a z-Tar for a long while now...especially the Z7S with the string triggers, but simply don't have the funds now... Awesome machine!!!! .. However the portability and infinite expandability of new Apps for the i-Tar would be truly amazing and unique. Perhaps one day we'll see a hybrid?...dream dream!
My thoughts:
A good quality 'STEREO' analogue output would be a 'MUST' for standalone live performance for both Pro's and Kids alike for jamming. Midi output a 'MUST' also (but, I have backed for wireless midi anyway).
MIDI:- I imagine that midi down the USB, rather than the traditional midi 5-pin din (if you had to choose between the two) would appeal to most music technology users....so they can go straight into their Laptops, on a single USB cable, to control their many soft synths and DAW without using messy USB/Midi interfaces...(do I get the vote on that guys?)
Similarly the USB connection would be good for the gamers in a similar way. I guess different USB drivers for different things..firmware,midi,gaming...
2-way midi would be even better if possible..DAWs changing sounds on the iPad!!!
Perhaps there could be a 'USB to 5pin MIDI' accessory cable, sold seperatly ..for those who want to connect directly to a Hardware Synth without usinc a PC?
That's my suggestion for MIDI and analogue audio.
If you can pull off Pro Digital Audio down the USB (or other connector), then that should keep everyone gob-smacked. If you do ever create an i-Tar, with string triggers also, then perhaps I could part exchange all of my worldly possessions (except my laptop) for one.
BTW..I hope to live & work in the USA next year...I have a music technology degree..so if you need any new employee's...surely I am your man!!!
Excellent Work my friend!!!!!
Dan
There have been several requests for a nice embedded audio solution, but some people are more interested in going straight to an amp. This is going to be a very cost sensitive product and I'm worried about charging some people for anything they don't really want. This might make a nice detachable accessory. MIDI is going to be standard tho'. I wonder if people would mind if the price went to $250 when it gets to market? Cheap for a robust MIDI device but expensive for kids and gamers. ????
btw Harvey,
Are you going to add a high quality stereo audio output, to get audio out the iPad?
SPDIF out or audio & midi down the same USB maybe. Would be vital really!!
This idea is awesome!
Have made a $510 pledge and fingers are crossed tight....dont even own an iPad yet...haha!! Have created an ad 'event' on facebook for all to see.
Best of luck to all of us! :)
Wow, I put a Starr switch in my very first electric guitar ages ago and had no idea what the company had been up too since then. I just made my pledge. Hoping that something amazing happens in the next 10 days and the project gets funded.
Well, I got an email back fro ipadcreative.com today.
They said they would take a proper look at the iTar, which is good news
Ahhh. I wasn't aware they would do that for a product at this stage. They've been very supportive so far tho'. I'm not sure how or to whom I'd inquire about your suggestion. thanks! I"ll investigate
Thanks david, yes that's what i mean. Apple sell a number of different third party accessories through apple store globally. Stumping up the remaining $35k would be chump change for apple. You could enter into an agreement outside of kickstarter that allowed them exclusive rights to future sales with a profit-share arrangement. Just check out the accessories at http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad/ipad_accessories/app_enabled
Hi Harvey,
I think what Alexis means is in regard to getting iTar more exposure.
David
what do you mean? Spoken to Apple in what regard?
Have you spoken to apple about this product?
I think $200.00 is a very reasonable amount.....150 even better.
Thanks for the reply Harvey.
I talk about it on :
http://createdigitalmusic.com
but for now > nothing !
:-(
Harvey.
In my humble opinion $200 is a very fair amount for your project.
I don't think for a second that this is the reason for the low numbers of pledgers.
I think it just needs more exposure,
David
@Alexis, Done!!!
Harvey, in my short experience with Kickstarter, although I have possibly backed 38+ projects, i would say you are already ahead with updates to some funded and completed projects.
IMHO, there is no better way than what you are doing now - Video updates. Keep the updates coming and try and respond to as many comments as you can. This will certainly keep me and many others happy and informed of the progress from start to finish. Good Luck!
Everyone should promote the iTar on other sites. Go and like my link on the ipad 2 facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ipad-2/135090849888347…
HI! Sorry for the confusion. I thought I could push us closer to our goal by lowering the price of the iTar , the only way I could figure how to do it. I may be wrong and it may be just too few interested eyeballs to view this project. I know the $150 price isn't going to be easy for us. Anyway, if it helps us to get over the top, I'm offering the lower price, but you'll have to pledge the full $200 as usual and trust me to rebate the $50 after Kickstarter closes. You'll send us an email with the words "$50 rebate" in the subject and include your Kickstarter user-name in the body of the text. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Derik,
You are not the only one.
I have not a clue what this is about, or how it would help the pledge!!!!!
It does seem that this fantastic project needs some serious exposure.
I mean it has 1860 people saying they like it yet only 80 backers.
I am very frustrated to see the days ticking away still very far from the pledge amount.
I have already emailed one of the tech sites that I thought may be interested.
David
Does anyone understand the $150.00 update?
I really want this thing to work, but I'm starting to not really understand what to pledge on or how to do it.
I can't be the only one....
dw
You people are beautiful!! Thanks for the encouragement. One way or another we'll make this happen. I'm cranking on all the design work. We should be posting a live demo this week or next.
To all BACKERS, please help PROMOTING this everywhere Facebook Twitter etc.... talk to friends, guitar players, guitar teachers and help this projects.
Im sure there are way more then 200 ppl who would love to put $200 for this! Lets find them!
Harvey, Im sure with heavy promoting around blogs and forums of guitar, controllers, and iPad users you could get easily all the funding. Please consider hiring someone to spend a few hours a day wondering around the web writing about it, Im sure it will bring many ppl. Ill do my best too.
I second that LW. You have 23 days to go, and a lot can happen. And the timing is great. This product would make the coolest Christmas gift for any iPad owning musician. Talk about giving a gift that can't be duplicated, totally unique - unless by an amazing coincidence somebody buys one for a backer. You just need more good press and I think you'll be good to go.
OK - deal - upped my pledge. Have faith: Kickstarter projects often get a lot of pledges near the last days...
That is awesome news...! We can make our goal... I know you can do it...! Let me know how I can help spread the word.
The neckStrip is on the side of the fingerboard and naturally sits under your thumb when you're fretting or under your other thumb when you are tapping notes with the top hand. When you press the strip it sends a programmable message, like Pitchbend or Modulation, an effect or whatever you want. So if you have a bass in the bottom hand and a guitar in the top hand, you can assign the NeckStrip to bend just the guitar sound. Extremely versatile...
can you tell us more about this pressure sensing strip?
my intent is to use this as a midi guitar controlling my soft synths via USB (or midi if it's in it), and to play iPad synths.
I hope to use this as a studio instrument to play my vst's, and live to play awesine ipad synths like the new moog one.
I would pay about 500-700 for a really good midi guitar. This fits in that arena, but I already have the ipad. I may end pledging for two of these things.
I hope it hits the 50,000 mark!!
-dw
Hey Harvey, You have super cool ideas, patented too.!
I've played around with midi players via computer and dedicated hardware alike. The idea I'd like is that what ever the iPad processor can't handle that a midi box would stream its source via iTar or wireless..! Maybe a generation 1 iTar with exspanable bay to include any updates for future upgrades...?
hi Marc, at $200 you get a full-length neck. If you back us at that level i'll see what I can do about getting a MIDI connector for you. Remember, this product is intended for the iPad. If we get enough backers we can bring the costs down and add more features. Just curious, what are you plugging into via MIDI? How much would you ( or 'did' you?) pay for a MIDI guitar? How much would you pay for a professional quality MIDI guitar? I'm curious what most people would like to see.
Hey guys, what does the iTar look like at the $200.00 level..? Does it have a full length neck..?
I really would like a full midi input incorporated into the Tar.
...I think a professional product would use USB as well as a MIDI connector :-)
Commenting on Deriks question....I think he is talking about iPad apps that already support wireless capability...(in this case MIDI or OSC) which is already implemented into the Apple hardware devices....having your own Air Power MIDI would be good though for apps that do not support any wireless MIDI capability. :-)
Spelling correction...cheapo
I think having speakers in the external power module for the RGB LED fingerboard would cheapen the instrument. I think one should just plug it in like an electric guitar....only the capo electric guitars have a speaker on board. I would just offer the external power in two flavors...one is just a regular power adapter with a long cable....and a belt pack that is battery powered. With the belt pack...one can still be untethered in a live performance. Anyway, just my 2 cents :-)
Will the case design help amplify the ipad speaker? As the speaker is in the back, or will you include a built-in speaker?
HI!
- The wireless is a hardware transmitter installed in the iTar housing and a receiver that plugs into a laptop USB or MIDI synth. It's a version of our AirPower MIDI wireless.
- I'm not sure I understand your second question exactly.
- Regarding velocity, yes, it's velocity-sensitive.
Thanks Harvey,
I'm totally fine with USB personally. I was also wondering though, about the $500.00 version to send midi out wirelessly. Would that be in the specific iTar app?
If we use an app that already sends out wireless midi data with the iTar would that provide wireless midi out?
Just wondering.
Another thing. Will the iTar be able to pick up different velocities?
The iTar sends MIDI over USB. The case is slender, just fitting the iPad and there's no room for the MIDI jack. If we get enough requests for a MIDI jack I'll change the design to add a DIN connector.
Will the iTar send out midi? Do we need to pledge $500.00 to send out midi?