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Welcome to the Hotz Store |
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Books
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Software |
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Unique Hotz Controllers are available on a custom order
basis, if you are interested please contact sales@jimmyhotz.com.
The Hotz Translator software below may be
used with any MIDi Controller to transform it into a Super Instrument.
Unleash the Future!
Transform your PC into a new kind of musical instrument for
the Digital Age that is indescribably powerful and fun to
play! Jimmy Hotz pioneered Interactive Music Technology and
he continues at the forefront, with technology that is still
years ahead of the field. "There is no question that this is
the greatest musical instrument since the invention of the
piano."
"I have seen three things in my
life that I instantly knew would have a profound effect on
the future; the personal computer, the mouse and the Hotz
Translator." Electronics, synthesizers, computers and digital
recording have all made an enormous impact on music composition,
performance and recording. Despite these advances, the process
of becoming an accomplished musician - especially one trained
in the theory and complex language of music - has remained
essentially the same for centuries. This consists of many
years of constant practice of physical patterns in conjunction
with the study of diverse approaches to music theory. Most
people with the innate potential to express themselves musically
are prevented from doing so when faced with such a difficult
path. Hotz technology addresses this problem in an elegant
and empowering way that enables anyone, regardless of musical
experience, to play music on a level that is fundamentally
impossible without Hotz Translator technology. "For songwriters, the Hotz Translator
is a dream come true." "This is the future of music."
"Hotz technology is a giant step
forward in the marriage of music and technology, allowing
musicians access to an encyclopedic wealth of musical knowledge
which they can immediately and musically apply." Doane
Perry - Jethro Tull "At last a dream come true. The Instrument
of Instruments." To our knowledge the Hotz Translator contains
the most complete database of musical structures available
anywhere in a single reference. The accumulated expert knowledge
base of musical structures from around the world, developed
over thousands of years, is embodied in the Translator engines’
database. It contains many unique structures that have not
been previously classified and many of the new and unique
structures playable on a Hotz Translator instrument are physically
impossible for one person to play on conventional instruments.
We humbly observe that it is probably not possible for a human
without computer assistance to memorize or mentally access
a musical database even remotely this advanced, let alone
have the training and dexterity to flawlessly perform all
of these structures in real-time. The Translator database
provides every possible voicing of thousands of culturally
cross-referenced structures, available in any key, with any
altered root notes and in any mode. [As a point of reference
around 50 different chord and scale structures can be used
to play the majority of music produced in Western culture.]
This means that on as little as fifteen pads or input keys
literally billions of voicing possibilities are available.
The incredible power of having all conceivable voicings of
a chord available simultaneously is extremely satisfying.
A novice can access and perform with a vocabulary of musical
structures that is very advanced the first time they play
the Translator. "I have seen the instrument of the
future, and it is definitely the Hotz Translator." "The most impressive interactive
technology I've seen yet." Additional Information on the Hotz Translator
Software · Real-Time Super-Human Music Performance.
Greatly enhanced functionality of traditional MIDI controllers
and/or computer keyboards. · Perform complex music much sooner
than is typically possible and perform passages that are otherwise
physically impossible.. · Immediate and practical real-time
access to an immense vocabulary of chord/scale structures.
Includes the most advanced musical structure knowledge base
available, this empowers and inspires players to explore. · User-expandable knowledge base, important
for development, research, education, etc. · Accelerated understanding of connections
between structures, styles of music, cultures... · Assists original and authentic expression
in every conceivable style and mood of music. Simplifies the
exploration and understanding of masterful compositions. · Upward path: There is no dead end
street! Hotz technology can take you as far as you wish to
go as a musician. The Hotz Translator was designed from the
ground-up to let the worlds most serious professional musicians
explore new musical realms and perform musical feats in real-time
that were simply not possible without Hotz technology. Electronics, synthesizers, computers and digital
recording have all made an enormous impact on music composition,
performance and recording. Despite these advances, the process
of becoming an accomplished musician - especially one trained
in the theory and complex language of music - has remained essentially
the same for centuries. This consists of many years of constant
practice of physical patterns in conjunction with the study of
diverse approaches to music theory. Most people with the innate
potential to express themselves musically are prevented from doing
so when faced with such a difficult path. Hotz technology addresses
this problem in an elegant and empowering way that enables anyone,
regardless of musical experience, to play music on a level that
is fundamentally not possible without Translator technology. Translator-based products enable everyone, including
musically untrained people, to creatively play along with music
on virtually any medium -- audio CDs, MIDI music files, video,
DVD and TV broadcasts. To enable the experience, a Hotz -file,
which is a MIDI*-compatible data file encoded with Hotz-code,
is created for a song. This file can be a completely self contained
musical piece, as in a MIDI file; used with music on media entirely
separate from the file, such as a standard off-the-shelf audio
CD; or broadcast along with a TV signal. Created with the Hotz Translator for Windows, a
Hotz-file contains information that translates all of the correct
notes of the current chord and scale (musical "structure")
for the musical piece being played into rows on the playing surface.
The "instrument" can be the computer's keyboard and
mouse, or an electronic keyboard or other type of MIDI instrument
connected to the computer through its MIDI port (the joystick
port on the sound card). In real time, as the musical key, scales
and chords change so does the translation of the playing surface.
The end result is that players have all the creative choices they
would have with a conventional musical instrument they practiced
for years, but without fear of choosing a "wrong," or
out-of-key note. By this simple and elegant process, Hotz Translator
technology reduces years of practice and study needed to experience
creative music improvisation and performance. Moreover, it allows
musicians who have played all their lives to perform music at
a level that is impossible on a conventional instrument. The Hotz Translator contains the largest database
of musical structures (chords and scales) available anywhere in
a single reference, with all structures playable using the simplest
of finger and hand gestures. The accumulated expert knowledge
base of musical structures from around the world, developed over
thousands of years, is embodied in the application. Moreover,
it contains many unique structures that have not been previously
classified. It is inconceivable that a human without computer
assistance could memorize or mentally access a musical database
even remotely this advanced, let alone have the training and dexterity
to flawlessly perform all of these structures. The Translator's
open and extensible database of more than one trillion chord/scale
voicings includes culturally cross-referenced arrangements from
around the world. Many of the new and unique structures playable
on a Hotz Translator instrument are physically impossible to play
on conventional instruments. Songs of any style and ethnic origin can have Hotz-files
created to translate the playing surface to the chord/scale structures
as the song plays. Through a computer sound card, the sound produced
can be that of virtually any instrument in the world. It is important
to note that the cost of creating Hotz-coded files for music-CDs
is quite low. The level of development effort is typically less
than one person-day per music track for a trained music technician,
depending on the length and musical complexity. A critical element of Translator technology is the
way in which it solves the problem of changes from one structure
to another while the keyboard is played. This crucial process
makes it possible to change a table while still sounding notes
that the player is sustaining from the previous table. The result
is indistinguishable from what a musician does when changing from
one chord or scale to another by changing fingering patterns on
a conventional musical instrument, such as a guitar or piano. Prior attempts to change note mapping tables in
real-time sound choppy and toy-like because all notes from the
previous table have to be turned off when the change takes place.
The Hotz Corporation's broad patent protection includes the fundamental
Translation process, which separates Translator-based products
from toy-like musical devices. Any musical instrument that aims
to provide users with similar music performance features would
have to incorporate this core technology to deliver realistic
improvisational control. The Hotz coding process automates the structure/table
changes without requiring the user to do anything but concentrate
on playing music. Thus the user can focus completely on which
notes of a particular chord or scale should be played and for
how long, which is the very essence of music performance. Structure
changes can be under pre-encoded software control, or made by
the player as a real-time composer. For those who have never played,
the result is real improvisational ability impossible without
decades of study and practice. And for those who have played for
years, the result is the ability to perform at levels that are
simply not possible using conventional instruments. |
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