The Multi-Touch Light Table: A Turntable for the 21st Century

A college student’s senior project might change live music in a big way.

Gerg Kaufman (not a typo), a Kansas City Art Institute student, wrapped up his academic career by presenting the Multi-Touch Light Table. The device offers a fresh take on a very old instrument, the turntable. As with any new gadget introduced into a field that demands expertise and know-how, there is bound to be some backlash against the Multi-Touch, but live audiences and tech-savvy DJs should rejoice. The Multi-Touch gives the traditional turntable a digital twist without altering the essence of the instrument.

Here’s a look at the gadget’s specs:

• Each “record” appears as a rotating blob-like shape. You can set each track’s tempo by tapping your finger at the desired rate. You can skip ahead to a certain point in a song by turning the record faster
• Want to throw a new song into the mix? Don’t reach for your record collection, just grab one out of the device’s database, which you can pre-load with all the beats you need for your set
• Beat-matching is made easy: Using the Multi-Touch’s tap-rhythm technology, you can sync two tracks easily. You can also adjust the levels of the two tracks using a sliding bar
• It’s performance ready, with outputs that can be hooked up to amps or other instruments

If you want to watch the Multi-Touch in all its glory, take a look at the video, in which Gerg explains his creation in more detail than we ever could:

Multi Touch Light Table: GERGWERK from GERG WERK on Vimeo.

You can find more information on Gerg and his turntable project at gergkaufman.blogspot.com.

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