The features and benefits of the Motion Synth components:

The AUUG grip, AUUG app, and AUUG cloud

AUUG grip

The AUUG grip positions the screen of an iPhone or iPod touch to be played by the fingers and secures the device to the user’s hand during motion. The AUUG grip design has been developed with these musician needs in mind:

auug grip array small white paint bucket alt2 alpha

  • Playability: We discovered that musicians could play melodies and harmonies far more accurately and comfortably if they did not have to grip their iOS device while playing, so the AUUG grip positions your iOS device in the optimal playing orientation and comfortably keeps it there.
  • Learn-ability: We also discovered that a touchscreen overlay could provide the tactile feedback that is essential for accurate note playing while the arm is in motion, and for accelerating practice-improvement.
  • Reliability: Touring musicians need super-durable and reliable gear, so the AUUG grip frame is made from a single sheet of aircraft grade aluminum, that is laser-cut, cold CNC-bent, and given a tumble-smoothed, clear-anodized finish. The front face of your iOS device is also protected by a rigid, tough, and super-light aluminum-composite frame.
  • Comfort: The unique form and pattern of the AUUG grip frame was designed with ergonomics and skin-breathability in mind, but only weighs a barely-noticeable single ounce (~28 grams)! Once you have adjusted the elastic section of the strap to fit your hand, you can quickly slip the AUUG grip on without further adjustment. The strap achieves both a highly-secure and comfortable fit by anchoring to a small section on the thumb side of the frame (via a super-tough polypropylene connector) and then widening to grip a large area across the back of the hand.
  • Upgradability: The durable front section of the AUUG grip allows the iOS device to be quickly and securely inserted or removed. Multiple front sections are available to precisely fit different iOS device sizes, and if you want to change your iOS device you can simply detach the front section from the AUUG grip and re-attach the right-sized replacement.

AUUG app

The AUUG app converts your iOS device’s motion sensor data into signals for shaping sound, and transfers these signals to other iOS sound apps or external devices. The AUUG app does not produce its own sounds, but instead acts to control other iOS audio apps running on the same device (as well as external devices), thereby giving the user the freedom and flexibility to choose from a much larger range of sounds than a single app could provide. The AUUG app can be installed on iPhones (4S and up) and iPod touch devices (5th generation and up).

AUUG app

The AUUG app also includes a variety of windows optimized for playing and configuration:

  • Performance window: This window includes 8 button zones, which are aligned precisely with the AUUG grip overlay, and are designed to play diatonic scales (e.g. C Major).
  • Notes menu window: Here you can choose the scale you wish to play (e.g. E minor), the scale’s octave, activation of orientation-based octave control, and other musical options.
  • Motion menu window: As an option for those who want to dig deeper, this window will include a simple menu system for selecting and combining the unique motion-to-sound translation algorithms we have designed, as well as configuring how these translations are outputted via MIDI.
  • Presets menu window: Here you can load or save presets, which include all app settings (as well as user motion-to-sound translation configuration changes). In this window you will also be able to export or import these presets for sharing with other users on the AUUG cloud.

AUUG cloud

Musicians are best able to hone their craft when they can share and learn from each other. The user-only AUUG cloud will be:

  • An online service at auug.com that allows AUUG app presets to be shared quickly and easily with other users via your iPhone or iPod touch (no laptop or desktop needed).
  • An online forum where users can share and discuss setup ideas and playing techniques.
  • An online platform for the core AUUG team to provide the latest product support, user guides, and video tutorials. Where possible ‘matched’ iOS app presets will also be provided: Many iOS audio apps allow the export/import of their own presets, so to make setup easier for our users we will share presets for these ‘target’ iOS apps. Once installed, these target app presets will rapidly configure the target app to be ‘played’ by the AUUG app in a specific way.