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Artiphon is designing new instruments to empower the next billion musicians. Their goal is to enable a world where everyone can be musical, where music is a universal element of our collective creative vocabulary.
INSTRUMENT 1 and Orba, their first two smart instruments, launched with record-setting success on Kickstarter thanks to ...
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- 05/09/202305/09/2023
Artiphon Launches Minibeats: A New AR Music App That Lets You Paint with Music
Powered by Snap AR, this musical camera lets you draw with sound in augmented reality, dance to create music, and even play songs with your face.
Nashville TN, May 9, 2023 – Minibeats, a new AR music app from Artiphon, has just launched on iOS. Minibeats offers a simple way to create musical selfies, draw with AR instruments, and turn everyday moments into musical memes. Using Camera Kit technology from Snap AR, Minibeats offers a view of what’s possible when the best AR...
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Powered by Snap AR, this musical camera lets you draw with sound in augmented reality, dance to create music, and even play songs with your face.
Nashville TN, May 9, 2023 – Minibeats, a new AR music app from Artiphon, has just launched on iOS. Minibeats offers a simple way to create musical selfies, draw with AR instruments, and turn everyday moments into musical memes. Using Camera Kit technology from Snap AR, Minibeats offers a view of what’s possible when the best AR toolkit is applied in an app focused on immediate multimedia creativity.
The new Minibeats iOS app makes music as simple as waving your hand. Watch the demo video here.
The Minibeats App
With an intuitive interface and zero learning curve, Minibeats allows you to make music in innovative ways using simple gestures. Dance to the beat as Minibeats tracks your movements and mixes the music. Wave your hands to draw across the sky with sparkles, lasers, and ripples. And even play music by smiling and frowning as Minibeats detects your emotions and scores it with a mood that matches the moment.
Features include:
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AR instruments let you create music by moving your hands and fingers in the real world
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Simple touchscreen controls that let you draw with sound directly in video
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Dozens of colorful AR visual effects
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Hint videos help you learn how to play each instrument
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Simple, camera-like UI featuring one-button recording with the world and selfie cam
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Sharing capabilities – users can save their creations to their Camera Roll and share directly through text, email, and straight to social networks like Snapchat
Camera Kit Integration
Minibeats is powered by Camera Kit, enabling partners to bring Snap AR into their own applications, websites, and physical locations. This integration allows Minibeats to detect face, hand, and body movements and turn them into musical instruments. The platform also powers the app’s colorful, audio-reactive VFX.
Minibeats is just one of the numerous ways that Artiphon has leveraged Snap’s AR technology. Artiphon has also participated in Snap’s Ghost fellowship program, allowing Artiphon to experiment with emerging Snap AR tech. For example, Artiphon used Snap’s visual search tool Scan in “Scan Band,” a Snapchat Lens allowing users to beat by tapping AR stickers.
Minibeats Artist and Brand Lenses
The Minibeats app follows a line of artist and brand Lens experiences that Minibeats has launched over the first part of 2023, demonstrating enormous versatility and creative possibilities. For example, with a custom Lens built for LP Giobbi, users can build a version of her new single, “Body Breathe,” with interactive AR objects shaped like mushrooms and flowers. Likewise, San Holo’s Minibeats Lens uses elements of his album artwork and lets users remix his song by bobbing their heads in different directions.
These artist-focused Lenses have taken off on Snapchat. Collectively, they received over 10M plays in the first two weeks alone, demonstrating Minibeats’ explosive potential. Over 80,000 users have shared the Snaps they’ve created with these interactive songs. One of the primary goals of this launch was to build more exposure for the artists themselves, and that hypothesis is proving true as these artists see real hits on their social and music pages. LP Giobbi’s Lens had a 10% click-through rate, leading to thousands of additional streams on the new single.
San Holo remixes his own song with his Minibeats Lens.
You can download the Minibeats app here and follow Minibeats on social media: Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
About Artiphon
Minibeats is a new app from Artiphon – the Nashville-based tech startup known for its award-winning Orba and INSTRUMENT 1 smart musical instruments. Backed by Warner Music Group and other industry leaders, Artiphon previously released Scan Band on Snapchat, as well as Orbacam for iOS, the first app that lets you create music directly in videos. Artiphon is currently seeking additional brand, artists, and industry collaborators for future Minibeats Lenses and AR Music integrations.
Media contact:
press@minibeats.app
AR Music is a sticky idea, as Minibeats is starting to show.
Turn into a vinyl record as you play your own version of “Green Onions”
Minibeats has linked up with Rhino Records to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the classic “Green Onions” by Booker T. & The M.G.’s. The collaboration enables anyone to easily remix this iconic song as an interactive Snapchat lens.
An emergent disruptor in the social media space, Minibeats is a new company introducing “AR Music” to the world – integrating fun, interactive camera lenses with a suite of intuitive musical tools to enable content creation like never before. Just last month, Minibeats launched a set of Snapchat lenses featuring different artists, allowing fans to remix their songs in an entirely new way with AR instruments (more on this below).
AI & Tech - Promoting Accessibility and Innovation
“Green Onions” is being reimagined with these three new interactive lenses: all with a stunningly simple UI. Music listeners will be turned into a green onion, and as they dance, they’ll be able to hear the organ playing of Booker T. Jones himself. Likewise, users can transform into a spinning vinyl record and use their mouths to play the music.
There are three “Green Onions” Snapchat lenses: a green onion, a simple color pulse, and a spinning vinyl record.
This is made possible by using AI Stem separation. Originally recorded decades ago in a converted movie theater to analog tape, finding stems – the individual audio files that make a full mix – would normally be impossible for a song this old. The Minibeats team partnered with a new music technology company called Audioshake to solve that problem. As users interact with these animated lenses, they can make their own customized version of the song using their favorite parts - unlocking unlimited possibilities for track versions.
The legacy of “Green Onions” and breaking boundaries
Ranked no. 181 in Rolling Stone’s original list of the top 500 greatest songs, the instantly recognizable “Green Onions” arrived over sixty years ago when Booker T. & The M.G.’s transformed an impromptu studio jam into one of the most popular instrumentals ever recorded. In celebration of the anniversary, Rhino recently digitally released a newly remastered version of the Green Onions album on CD and green vinyl. Listen Here.
The Future: Explosive Potential of Interactive AR lenses
The “Green Onions” lens joins a line of artist lenses that Minibeats has launched over the first part of 2023, demonstrating enormous versatility and creative possibilities for audiences. For example, with LP Giobbi, users can build a version of her new single, “Body Breathe,” with interactive AR objects. Likewise, San Holo’s Minibeats lens uses elements of his album artwork and lets users remix his song by bobbing their heads in different directions.
These artist-focused lenses have taken off on Snapchat. Collectively, they have received over 10M plays in the first two weeks alone, demonstrating Minibeats’ explosive potential. Over 80,000 users have shared the Snaps they’ve created. One of the primary goals of this launch was to build more exposure for the artists themselves, and that hypothesis is proving true as these artists see real hits on their social and music pages. LP Giobbi’s lens had a 10% click-through rate, leading to thousands of additional streams on the new single. Her team found this most valuable: the ability of a digital experience to engage a new audience, especially the young, music-hungry demographic Snapchat is known for.
San Holo remixes his own song with his Minibeats Lens.
Minibeats has given “Green Onions” a new life for the next generation of music listeners, and is already looking to expand its creator tools to be readily part of any social media experience. With AR music, Minibeats may be driving the next big revolution in social media.
About Minibeats
Minibeats is a spinoff brand of Artiphon – the Nashville-based tech startup known for its award-winning Orba and INSTRUMENT 1 smart musical instruments. Backed by Warner Music Group and other industry leaders, the Minibeats team previously released Scan Band on Snapchat, which became the #1 Lens at the Snap Partner Summit, as well as Orbacam for iOS, the first app that lets you create music directly in videos. Minibeats is currently seeking additional brand, artists, and industry collaborators for future lenses and AR Music apps. Drop us a line at press@minibeats.app.
Transform San Holo’s single “All The Highs” with interactive movements and create a psychedelic world with LP Giobbi’s track “Body Breathe.”
San Holo remixes his song with his Minibeats Lens.
Minibeats launched as a preview on Snapchat last month, bringing forth beautifully-designed AR Music Lenses in collaboration with artists, merging musical co-creation and visual creativity for fans. San Holo and LP Giobbi are now launching their own Lenses with Minibeats, transforming their hit songs into multimedia experiences for social expression and sharing.
"The combination of music and AR has introduced so many unique ways for artists to build a world around their music,” says Julie Nguyen at Jet Management. “The AR lenses that Minibeats have developed with artists like LP Giobbi and San Holo bring their music to life and provide a fun experience for fans to immerse themselves in the music beyond streaming."
Create your own AR world with LP Giobbi’s “Body Breathe”
Merging music with AR visuals and recording capabilities, Minibeats is at the forefront of a new era of social, multimedia creativity. Minibeats Lenses offer users a fun way to play with music while supporting artists by providing additional exposure and monetization avenues for their music.
San Holo is a powerhouse artist and producer in the electronic space, selling out iconic venues including Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Shrine. Minibeats channels his lyrics, “all of the highs, all of the lows” directly visualized through interactive AR artwork. His vibrant Lens allows fans to jump to different sections of the track just by moving their head, and even choose when to drop the climax of a song. Try the Lens here.
DJ, producer, pianist, and activist LP Giobbi brings her track “Body Breathe” featuring Monogem to Minibeats, channeling elements from her animated and illustrated music video into AR space. Fans can populate a virtual dancing garden with these animated illustrations, adding music to their scene as they place plants. This animation was done by a woman-led animation studio called OK Motion Club out of Atlanta, Georgia. Try the Lens here.
Minibeats will continue collaborations with artists to bring more Lenses to Snapchat, as well as their soon to be launched AR social music creation app featuring a revolutionary set of interactive musical experiences.
ABOUT MINIBEATS
Minibeats is a spinoff brand of Artiphon – the Nashville-based tech startup known for its award-winning Orba and INSTRUMENT 1 smart musical instruments. Backed by Warner Music Group and other industry leaders, the Minibeats team previously released Scan Band on Snapchat, which became the #1 Lens at the Snap Partner Summit, as well as Orbacam for iOS, the first app that lets you create music directly in videos. Minibeats is currently seeking additional brand, artists, and industry collaborators for future lenses and AR Music apps. Drop us a line at press@minibeats.app.
Minibeats is a new AR Music platform enabling interactive music for social expression. Minibeats is launching first on Snapchat with a set of Lenses that let you play your own versions of artist songs paired with vibrant AR effects. Minibeats gives music lovers a new way to express themselves in radically approachable, highly visualized, and instantly shareable ways.
Open any Minibeats Lens, and the world around you transforms into one that perfectly matches the mood of the song:
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Decorate yourself with Musical Tattoos as you create your own version of “LOSER,” the hit single from KILLBOY (Atlantic Records).
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Become Alice Glass and use AR gestures like waving your hand and opening your mouth to trigger interactive phrases from her new single, "Lips Apart.”
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Turn your room into a playable version of Taetro’s beat-making loft, complete with Musical Objects that rattle off parts of his song.
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Open your hand and wear a Musical Mask that sings Phil Good’s chorus to “Crying, Dancing”
Minibeats offers a groundbreaking way for fans to connect with their favorite musicians. “I wouldn't be here without my fans, and I love being able to share my world with them,” says Canadian Singer and Minibeats collaborator Alice Glass. “Minibeats is exciting to me because it allows users to interact with my music in a personal way that hasn't been done before."
Minibeats is launching with four interactive artist songs.
Minibeats Lenses on Snapchat also feature “Lenses with digital goods,” a first for Snap (and social media in general). With artists and labels eager to cut through the noise on existing media platforms, Minibeats enables interactive songs that utilize the latest AR and music tech, such as playable stem tracks. Minibeats goes even further by allocating artists a 50% share of their revenue from lenses, a bold new benchmark in an industry that typically offers sub-5% royalties.
Minibeats will launch their full-fledged AR social music creation app shortly after this teaser version launches on Snapchat, which will feature more artists and brands fans know and love. Minibeats is currently seeking additional brand and industry collaborators for future lenses and AR Music apps. Email press@minibeats.app to get in touch.
ABOUT MINIBEATS
Minibeats is a spinoff company of Artiphon – the Nashville-based tech startup known for its award-winning Orba and INSTRUMENT 1 smart musical instruments. Backed by Warner Music Group and other industry leaders, the Minibeats team previously released Scan Band on Snapchat, which became the #1 Lens at the Snap Partner Summit in 2021, as well as Orbacam for iOS, the first app that lets you create music directly in videos.
Artiphon has launched a new feature for Orba 2 in collaboration with two-time Grammy Award-winning pop star Kimbra and others. Music lovers can now create their own versions of studio recordings using stem-based loops. Orba 2 is the follow-up product to Artiphon’s award-winning synth, looper, and controller. This new interactive stem experience is made possible by the device’s upgraded sample playback engine and app.
New Zealand-based singer, songwriter, and producer, Kimbra is one of the first to release a single in this innovative format. Her song “replay!” can now be loaded onto an Orba 2 so that anyone can create their own remix in seconds.
With Orba 2, fans will now feel like they are playing along with the artist. They’ll get a glimpse into the artist’s creative process as they make sonic choices that reflect the original vision. “I feel like my fan base is really going to connect with this because I think they're real listeners,” adds Kimbra. “I think this is a way I can live out some of my deeper values – of not just being a performer and entertainer – but the craft of songwriting and production.”
Stems are the isolated audio tracks that make up a fully-produced song, such as the drum or the chord parts. The user chooses when and which parts of the song to trigger by tapping and holding pads, creating a magical remix that is completely their own. This experience becomes especially interactive when paired with the built-in gestures such as Tilt and Bump, which add effects and translate the movements from your fingers and hands directly into sound.
Play these new experiences from Kimbra, Annie Shred, and others in the latest version of the Orba 2 app, where you can load them from the Songs tab.
About Kimbra
New Zealand-born pop star and two-time Grammy Award-winning tour de force, Kimbra, is readying her fourth studio album, A Reckoning. A Reckoning features singles “Save Me” and “replay!,” which channel heartbreak amidst a global pandemic into a bold new sonic territory.
About Artiphon
Founded in 2011 and based in Nashville, TN, Artiphon designs smart instruments for the next billion musicians by combining hardware, software, and shareable content that anyone can play. The company’s electronics products, Orba and INSTRUMENT 1, are award-winning handheld smart instruments that let anyone create music wherever they go. Artiphon’s founder/CEO Mike Butera holds a Ph.D. in Sound Studies, and Artiphon’s investors include Warner Music Group, Shure Microphones, and other industry leaders.
