Starrlabs Ztar update

Started by Elantric, August 17, 2012, 05:06:54 PM

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Elantric

Latest Ztar news from my old friend Harvey Starr at Starrlabs:
http://www.starrlabs.com/

posted at Yahoo MIDI Guitar Group mail list
QuoteHi All,

We've got some new things coming out of the chute. So much new stuff....
Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been buried in development work.
It's becoming a pretty competitive world so I've got to get busy and
release the things we've been developing for the last couple of years.
And I'm aware how important it is to bring our instruments a a lower
cost. Not easy to do in the US in low volume and still maintain quality.

It looks like the RockController, the RC-1, is finally getting off the
ground. I've got the design into a factory in China and they seem to be
doing an awesome job. I should've made this leap long ago. I've been so
stuck in the world of ztar-option-permutations that it's been hard to
focus on a single high-volume design. Over the years we've built about
3000 Ztars and other controllers and they've pretty much all been
different in one way or another. To some degree each design has a lot of
merit as regards its hardware and software features and I've tried to
keep the best of everything in the RC1, including some of our regular
options. The Trigger Cap for access to the MIDI control side of life.

We'll be ready for Xmas this year and I guess it's about time to start
taking orders. Anyone who is on our waiting list may want to confirm. I
didn't take any purchases to this point I wanted to be sure we had a
production schedule before making any commitments. It has a touch
sensing, 19-fret rubber fingerboard. I'm asking the factory in China to
send some fotos just for the heck of it.

Also, we will be releasing a new Z55, a full-size Ztar with a Z6-style
body. This is the one that was reviewed by Marty Cutler at EM in 2010.
Sadly my plans to bring over lower cost bodies from China backfired. The
China factory hosed me and I never saw the bodies or my money. I
haven't been able to set up a new factory again until now. This is a
cherry sunburst body also from China but a more reputable company as
I've discovered a bit belatedly. It has a 24-fret tapered guitar-style
neck, touch-sensing with guitar fret-spacing and the soft rubber
strings. As always, the fingerboard can be played strumming, tapping,
and one-note-per-string, or full Poly-mode. This is much the same as our
existing Z6S that we sell for $2500+ but now that we're getting
production help I'm going to set the MSRP to $1299. And for the first
(50) we're introducing it at $999. This will be a stock instrument
without any options other than MIDI wireless and the TCA touch-pad
assembly. The software is the software in our high-end ztars only with
limitations in the Fingerboard zones, some MIDI function options and
number of added Sensors. It uses regular guitar strings as the Triggers
so the tension feels like a real guitar. The current software is not
only screamingly fast but it is adjustable to allow for a guitarist's
common problem of getting their two hands out of sync when playing fast.
A simple setting can make your picking as fast as your legato-style
playing. The Z55 is stock with a Joystick, Volume knob, and Volume and
Sustain pedal ports.

Also, the Clipper RGB-LED control fingerboard is now a standalone
instrument when installed on our small Z7 fingerboard-only instrument.
It's like our MiniZ but a bit longer and narrower, just large enough to
hold the LED fingerboard and a couple of continuous controllers, and
just large enough to hold like a guitar. The LEDs are interfaced to the
Ztar or a computer via a new MIDI-based control language that lets you
create and control your own dynamic lighting effects. We have some
videos up and more are forthcoming. We're busy finishing a 12-string
version that has to ship out to Oz asap. The interface extends to 24
strings which is a huge 24 x 24 array of full-color LEDs on a touch
sensitive control surface. The 24x24 has not yet been built with LEDs.
I guess it's also in no way a guitar, other than the Fourths tuning
which is close, so maybe this is an item for a different forum. sorry.

And last but not least is the iTar, our plugin fingerboard dock for the
iPad. Furious work afoot with this and I'll have something brand new to
release in about a week. There has been a lot of development in areas I
hadn't expected and the feature list has grown a bit. I made the
decision to move to the pro version of this as the low end consumer
version is going to be covered by another company. I'm quite familiar
with the fingerboard on their unit. It references my older design and it
may look strikingly similar to something you've seen elsewhere recently.
I've played it and I'm confident that our new one is a big improvement.
I'll have a lot more to discuss about the iTar in a week or two, with a
new video.

As a result of all this, our custom business will be fading out as the
work is so time-consuming and not profitable. In the past we'd build
whatever anyone wanted including developing new electronics, sensors,
and software for exotic MIDI applications. What a niche! Over the next
few months as the new equipment comes online you may see some
instruments change prices drastically or disappear from our line
entirely. I'm still searching for ways to say "Made in the USA" and yet
stay in the music electronics business. That's a tough one.

cheers,
harveyS

audiotrax

Wow!  That's all I can say.  I had totally given up on the Rock Controller.   :o
Owner of: VG-88, GI-10, Cubase 5, Kontakt, SampleTank, var VSTI's, Roland JV1080.  Strat with GK-2A, two Roland GR500 analog guitar synths

paults

#2
Here are the corresponding Starr Labs Forum posts:

Rock Controller:

Quote:
1000 apologies for my silence. We've been in "Stealth-mode" on some other projects lately.

Anyhoo, after two years of ups and downs, we've been able to have the Rock Controller, the RC-1, set up to build in a Chinese factory.
This is a big step for us to make the transition from our custom-built business to a volume product from China. Very expensive. That said, we are going to Kickstarter now to get some help to buy tooling and inventory from the factory, packaging, and all the other bits concerned with the marketing of a mainstream product.

The instrument will be of professional quality,  small but solid. 19 fret touch-sensitive rubber fingerboard with a whammy, MIDI/USB, and our TCA TriggerPads included for $399-$499. I"m still waiting to get final pricing for our BOM from the factory. Wireless is an option. Expected delivery is XMAS 2012.
cheers,
harvey


iTar:

Quote:

There's a lot to say. Sorry I've been out of touch. We've gone into "stealth mode" on this project for a couple of reasons. 1) in developing the interface to the iPad I came across a solution that spells an entirely new product category. The question arose whether to release the iTar as originally planned, or to consider adding something that wasn't in the original spec.  I can't say too much as we're about ready to finish this feature and I don't want to step on my own @!#$ if I get it wrong. Anyway, I bit off a pretty good challenge with this but I'm determined to make this the coolest thing I can! 2) I don't want to tip off our competitors until we're ready. They follow me closely. Does the ION fretboard look familiar? It should. Interesting story there.

Also my outside developers have not performed as I'd hoped and I had some false starts. And resources were not quite enough as the announcement of these inexpensive instruments has killed our existing business for professional equipment, so it's been a load of small-business fun! That said the iTar is about ready and you're going to flip when you see the final implementation! We should be shipping by late September is my plan.

I'll have a video demo of a finished iTar soon and all will be revealed. It's way cooler than our original Kickstarter instrument.
I should say that this has turned into a "pro" quality instrument and due to the new features we're adding the list price is planned at $399, not the $199 we posted at Kicktarter. No worries... if you've purchased an iTar at the original price I'll honor that.

The story about the patenting issue is also interesting, but it's not wise for me to say too much. sigh.

I appreciate everyone's patience. I think you'll be pleased with the feature set, look, and playability of the iTar.
One feature addition I can mention, is the optional "BabyZ" fingerboard that combines a hardware trigger section and 6 programmable Pads with a 16-fret fingerboard. I think the extra hardware will be really useful for electronic musicians' trying to get the most from iPad synths and other apps.

cheers,
harvey





audiotrax

The Rock Controller is the one I'm really waiting for.  It's been a few months now since these last comments.  Is it really possible that this will still be available by Christmas? How will they sell it, through stores?  Is Starr Labs equipped to handle multi-volume sales?  Any news from the inside?  :o
Owner of: VG-88, GI-10, Cubase 5, Kontakt, SampleTank, var VSTI's, Roland JV1080.  Strat with GK-2A, two Roland GR500 analog guitar synths

paults

This is not from the inside, by any means...

A new Z5S is supposedly available for $999. But, none in stock, so I wonder if one would be done before the first iTar is shipped.  I talked to Harvey on the phone several months ago, and was told things were on the verge of happening at that point.  I imagine the new iPad connector has delayed things even more.   

With all the vaporware we see in the world of Hi-Tech Guitar, if Fishman wireless MIDI hits the stores before the new Starr stuff, I think I'm ultimately going to throw some money that direction, instead.

Or, just plug my Les Paul into my Marshall ;)

mbenigni

QuoteOr, just plug my Les Paul into my Marshall

LOL - is that interface still supported??

paults

Quote from: mbenigni on October 31, 2012, 08:06:24 AM
LOL - is that interface still supported??

Not by most Sound Engineers - they are always happier when I show up with my GR-55 and Bose L1 ;)

Elantric

Harvey Starr Update Ztarr May 2013

All,I thought I'd come out of the batcave with a few random updates. I've been working my fool head off on new gear and as usual, my communications and marketing are lacking.Linkin Park and Maroon5 are now touring with Ztars. Bob Weir and Kesha's band became customers last year, if you can imagine more diverse styles! We're building an instrument for Pat Martino now, and I'm really looking forward to that as he's one of my heroes.We're getting into the DJ world now with a couple of Ableton controllers. It seems that modern music creation is transforming with the growth of clip-control and beat-sync software that easily integrates with traditional instruments. There's a new breed of musicians don't even play an instrument. It's a new world for an old guitar player!The Clipper is our touch sensing MIDI guitar fingerboard with full RGB lighting for each key. Lots of crazy lighting features in addition to remotely running an Ableton Live session from the guitar neck with the clip-grid lit up just as it appears on the computer screen. You can run Ableton in one fingerboard Zone and play a separate MIDI voice in another Zone, so you can jam on top of Ableton. This system can run wirelessly as well, using our AirPower MIDI Wireless. BTW, you can use the AirPower to wireless your YRG, Keytar, or any other MIDI controller. Or send MIDI wireless to and from your computer with our new USB-MIDI computer dongle, the AP2-stick. We have working prototypes of that and are going into production now.We have a brand new high-end Ztar that adds more MIDI control Pads. That said, I'm getting burned out building full custom instruments and I'm debating the future of that. These things are works of art and technology but very time-consuming and expensive to build one at a time. The instruments have been getting packed with more Pots, Pads, Ribbons, and other sensors, accelerometers, proximity detectors, wireless, wacky configurations of stuff with custom cosmetics.And, while our guitar performance has no tracking issues, musically the strings seem like training wheels for an electronic instrument. Also, after all these years, only a few players have explored our Poly mode which separates the Ztar from guitars and other guitar-like controllers. As with other MIDI guitars, most players are happy to pull up a piano patch but don't think to explore cluster voicings or try to think like piano players, which the Poly mode affords. Oh well.Our RC1 RockController project is in transition. I have a working prototype and one is at a factory in China. It's a cute little guitar, plays great and though it's small, it has a 21 fret neck, a Whammy, a bank of MIDI Expression pads, and some gaming controls that are leftover from the design when GuitarHero was popular. It's pricey to set up China production and I want to be sure that we have a compelling product. I just don't know how much people care about MIDI guitars right now. Really.My approach now is to build the iTar iPad guitar (we have a full working prototype after a year and a half, 4 new circuit boards and several major design twists and turns, while bringing online the other new products and trying to run the rest of our custom business... I'm toast...) as a modular system so that the fingerboard can plug into the iTar iPad dock or the RC1 body if someone wants to go the guitar route. Seems like a nice plan. It's ambitious but makes a lot of sense to me. The factory is into it and my goal is to make that happen this year.Happy picking (or tapping!) everyone!- HarveyStarr Labs] 

polaris20

Harvey's great and all, but nothing ever seems to actually materialize. The Rock Controller has been talked about for over three years now, then the iTar, etc.

stubbonla

2 bad was looking forward  4 the rock controller , i have the Z6S, works Gr8 , but i like the  string triggers  playing style  , but  to upgrade the string tiggers to  the recent Piezo ones , ( mine was the lazer Triggered ones that really suck)  Starrlabs is charging me  a bomb ,  well thats life ... sam

admin


Les Fradkin


My Starr Labs Ztar Live Setup-#1: Z7sXPA with Mac Laptop and Akai Professional APC-40. Software by Ableton Ableton Live NATIVE INSTRUMENTS ARTURIA Courtesy of River Canyon Gallery (Bailey, CO)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215665541091687&set=a.10204688392189825.1073741826.1236725441&type=3&theater&ifg=1

admin


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