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Instruments and interfaces

Any instrument you can think of, and many you can only imagine!

We use, adapt, design and build instruments and interfaces for our workshops – here is a taste of the Drake Music NI instrument library!

Video Demo of the Soundbeam 6

Sound Beam

Soundbeam is a ‘touch-free’ device which uses sensor technology to translate body movement into music and sound. In performance, education and therapy, this uniquely creative and expressive medium is widely recognised as a ‘must-have’ technology.

Skoog

This Skoog is an exciting new musical instrument with accessibility at its heart. It is designed explicitly for special education to empower those unable to play traditional instruments. The Skoog is a soft, squeezable object that simply plugs straight into your computer or laptop’s USB port by simply touching pressing, squashing, twisting or tapping. The Skoog allows you to play a wide range of instruments intuitively.

Meet the Skoog
Musician Marylouise smiles at camera, along with the musician Tim and his carer Chris during the Wired Ensemble session in Belfast.
Musician and composer Marylouise McCord, a member of the Wired Ensemble that played at the opening of Drake Music’s state-of-the-art studios on Springfield Road, Belfast. The space enables Drake to double the number of disabled musicians it can accommodate to compose and perform music.

Roland TR-8

The TR-8 is a performance rhythm machine that melds the legendary sound and vibe of the TR-808 and TR-909 with features and functions for the modern age. It allows you to perform sequenced drum rhythms in real-time and have control over the input of notes, volume and effects.

Novation Launchpad Pro

The Launchpad is a MIDI controller which consists of a 64-pad grid with RGB LED lights that match the colour of your clips in Ableton Live. This controller has become ubiquitous with the evolution of electronic music, letting you launch clips, play drum racks and control your mixer, all while creating LED light shows.

Musician and composer Tim* smiles while playing the Launchpad Pro during the 'Wired Ensemble' session at Drake Music’s studios in Belfast.
Musician and composer Tim Leathem smiles while playing the Launchpad Pro during the Wired Ensemble session at Drake’s studios in Belfast.
Participant Claire smiles while playing the Ableton Push 2 during the Brain Injury Matters workshop session in Belfast.
Participant Claire smiles while playing the Ableton Push 2 during the Brain Injury Matters workshop session at the BIM centre in Belfast.

Ableton Push

Ableton Push is more than just a music controller. Push is a hardware instrument that seamlessly integrates with Live to give you a hands-on and expressive music-making experience. It is a tactile device that allows mouse and keyboard-free manipulation of sound in Ableton music software on your computer.

iPad

The popular iPad is used in many of our homes and workplaces, yet the iPad is also an adaptable and accessible music-making tool. There are many music programmes designed for the iPad that make use of its portability, connectivity and customisable interface. Our tutors utilise the iPad to make use of the many applications to explore and compose original music in individual and group sessions. Create your own iPad orchestra with an ensemble of digital iPad instruments. 

Musician and composer Eoin Fitzpatrick smiles while playing a music app on the iPad during the Wired Ensemble session at Drake’s studios in Belfast.

AudioCubes

AudioCubes are smart wireless light-emitting objects, capable of sensing each other’s location and orientation, as well as the distance to each other and objects nearby (e.g. your hands). Each AudioCube has 4 onboard high-speed and low latency infrared sensing and communication ports, capable of communicating with our AudioCubes nearby, as well as sensing your fingers and hands. AudioCubes are used by artists around the world for sound design, composition, live performance, music education, interactive installations, music therapy, and many other projects.

Video Demo and performance of the Audiocube
Video demo and introduction to the Beamz

Beamz

The Beamz is a gestural controller, this instrument will add full control for the musician with disabilities while adding visual interest for the audience. Using new visual interfaces such as this will give full credit to the musician with disabilities for the generation and control of the music.