If you’ve ever wished you could translate your epic air guitar skills into real music, there may be a solution for you. Recently launched on Kickstarter, Mictic is a set of wristbands that convert your own movement into music – no instruments or lessons required.
By using some very clever sensors and a paired app, anyone can start jamming in minutes. Sweeping cello solos, snarling guitar riffs and sick EDM beats are all possible just by moving your arms.
The Wristbands
Mictic works by attaching the two slim bands to your wrist, just like a watch or activity tracker. The band’s built-in sensors pick up the movement of your hands and are able to determine their direction, angle and other cues, which are then sent to the Mictic app via Bluetooth.
Each hand can control different aspects of the selected instrument – one hand might control pitch while the other plays the melody for instance. Based on the project’s videos, this makes instruments like the guitar or cello seem very grounded in the way you’d actually play their physical analogues.
Once the music starts, the sound either comes from the synced smartphone/tablet, or a connected external speaker.
Check out the videos below to see a demo of Mictic in action:
The Instruments
The included Mictic app currently lists 5 different instruments and another 5 soundscapes, which essentially transform your hands into David Guetta.
Mictic Instruments:
- Acoustic Guitar
- Electric Guitar
- Cello
- Drums
- Violin
Soundscapes:
- Hip Hop
- Trap
- Latin
- EDM
- Rock
For when the creative muse alludes you, there are also games bundled into the app that convert your motion into robot noises, lightsaber swishes and other neat effects.
Mictic’s Kickstarter campaign states that the device will also function as a widely compatible MIDI controller if you want to use more than their limited instrument list. This means the movements of your body can connect to the vast array of sounds in digital audio workstations like Ableton, Logic Pro, Garageband and others.
How to order Mictic
If you’d like to (literally) try your hand at a whole new music-making experience, Mictic can currently be pre-ordered through their Kickstarter campaign. An early bird pledge of $97 scores everything needed to get started – 2 Mictic wristbands, charging cables and the iOS app.
The project has already exceeded its funding goal with initial units estimated to deliver September 2021.