Rich Music Format (RMF): Beatnik
not streaming; RMF files are downloaded and cached
can incorporate MIDI data, digital audio and mp3 audio
control playback via javascript-based interface so audio can be integrated tightly with other elements of page content
can control sound or voice files in conjunction with mouseovers, graphic or link clicks; provide different music when user hits new page; change volume of background sound relative to mouseover events
invented by Thomas Dolby Robertson: musician frustrated by available sound design tools
offers 128 standard MIDI instruments; another 250+ special bank instruments (octopus piano, jungle bass), percussion and sound effects, musical cues and “groovoids”
also allows custom samples
Beatnik is integrated into JAVA and unreleased JAVA sound API; JDK 1.2 has the Beatnik engine in it: future expectation is Beatnik can be used w/o plug-in
Notes:
Let’s go back and talk a little more about Beatnik, because I thinking you’re going to be hearing a lot more about it in this next year too. Beatnik is trying to deliver THE platform for interactive audio on the net, but that’s tall order, given the popu
But in the last 8 months Beatnik has made deals with Yahoo, Viacom’s MTV Online, Barnes and Noble….and its gone from just 12 employees at end of 1999 to an expected 170 by the end of this year. They received their first $11 million in venture capital,
It was founded by Thomas Dolby Robertson, a musician frustrated by the sound design tools available to him. It is not a streaming format, the RMF files are downloaded and cached and can incorporate MIDI, digital audio and mp3 audio. You control playback v
Beatnik offers 128 standard MIDI instruments with more than 250 additional special instruments like octopus piano, jungle bass, percussion and sound effects, musical cues and what it calls "Groovoids."
In addition, it allows custom samples.
Beatnik's integrated into JAVA and the unreleased JAVA sound API: JDK 1.2 has the Beatnik engine in it....FLASH 4 supports it....and the future expectation is Beatnik will be able to be used WITHOUT any plugins at all.
As the company founder puts it: “Beatnik allows you to design sound and music into the page itself. As you you think about layout, text, graphics, links, and navigation, you can be thinking about sound design and how to enhance the user experience.This gi
Just as an aside--you might be interested to know that Dolby-Robertson--who started out composing music for electronic environments and founded a company called Headspace--discovered that the code that he and the engineers created was more valuable than t
So they turned it on its head and founded Beatnik which applied for its S1 license a month ago.
Robertson says he sees himself as representative of someone with creative mindset who wants to do this stuff but doesn’t want to depend on a programmer to make it work
I should also mention that BEATNIK can be synchronized with FLASH in several ways--and allows much more control than FLASHS 4's native sound