Tangible Musical Interface "Tangible Sequencer"

As my projects unfolds I find myself becoming more and more interested in the way that computers are used to create a new and exciting music. Using technology to make live music gives the performer a much more versatile approach to making that music more remarkable. Other instruments, excluding the reactable, have also been developed and I am now going to share with you a few more of the ones I find most intriguing. 

The Tangible Sequencer 

http://www.tangiblesequencer.com/

I found this attention grabbing instrument whilst researching "tangible musical interface" on google. It's quirky and simple design is what first grabbed my attention, it processes eight different colored blocks, each have a large triangular play button design upon them, that lights up in time with the music that they produce. 

Pressing this button ques the music to play, this then becomes more fascinating when you start to place these blocks next to each other. When more than block is placed in sequence they become aware of each other and the sounds that they produce start to play in sequence with each other hence the name tangible sequencer. 

Composition is made by laying out the blocks on a flat surface in a shape like a line or circle. If the blocks are placed in a circle the music will loop, where as if the blocks are placed in a line the music will stop when the last block in that sequence plays. Yet the music can be changed in real time by moving the blocks from one place in the sequence to another.

So...... how does it works?

Each coloured box sends a signal to the computer via a low powered radio, called a zigbee radio, to play a sound, once the box has finished playing its sound it signals to any objects close to it via infrared and thus a chain of music can be heard.

The software that is uses is known as Open GL, GLUT and STK for the audio, yet I am unfamiliar with these forms of software.

Comparisons 

Like the reacTable the Tangible Sequencer uses tangible blocks, but it has a different approach to making music. 

They use different softwere and hardware,