Animusic is an American company specializing in the 3D visualization of MIDI-based music. Founded by Wayne Lytle, it is incorporated in New York and has offices in Texas and California. The initial name of the company was Visual Music, changed to Animusic in 1995.
The company is known for its Animusic compilations of computer-generated animations, based on MIDI events processed to simultaneously drive the music and on-screen action, leading to and corresponding to every sound.
Unlike many other music animations, the music drives the animation. Other animations animate figures or characters to the music, while the animations here are created first, then will follow and play what the music tells them to play. 'Solo cams' in the Animusic DVD shows how each instrument actually plays through a piece of music from the beginning to end.
Many of the instruments appear to be robotic or play themselves using curious methods to produce and visualize the original compositions. The animations typically feature dramatically-lit rooms or landscapes.
The music of Animusic is principally pop-rock based, consisting of straightforward sequences of triggered samples and digital patches mostly played "dry"; i.e., with few effects. There are no lyrics or voices, save for the occasional chorus synthesizer. According to the director's comments on DVD 2, most instrument sounds are generated with software synthesizers on a music workstation. Many sounds resemble stock patches available on digital keyboards, subjected to some manipulation, e.g. pitch / playback speed, to enhance their timbre.
As of 2006, two video compilations have been released:
* Animusic: A Computer Animation Video Album
* Animusic 2: A New Computer Animation Video Album
Animusic was re-released in 2004 in a special edition DVD. Animusic 2 was released in 2005. The Animusic website has announced that the company is making Animusic 3, and 8 new animations are planned, the dvd will be released in 2010.
Animusic has been promoted at SIGGRAPH since 1990, and has been promoted on Public Broadcasting Service and other television networks such as Tech TV's "Eye Drops". Wayne Lytle and his works have also been featured on Fox News and over 30 other local stations in January 2007. Animusic's 'Pipe Dream' was released as a real-time demo for ATI's Radeon 9700 series graphics cards. Animusic also rendered 'Resonant Chamber' and 'Starship Groove' in HD resolution for Apple's Quicktime HD Gallery. There was an internet rumor that the "Pipe Dream" video was recreated at the University of Iowa from farm machinery parts.
According to the company's FAQ, animation is created procedurally with their own proprietary MIDImotion software, Discreet 3D Studio Max was used for modeling, lighting, cameras, and rendering. Maps were painted with Corel Painter, Deep Paint 3D, and Photoshop. They have also created their own software called AnimusicStudio.
Resonant Chamber from Animusic 1.
Harmonic Voltage from Animusic 1.
Beyond the walls from Animusic 1.
Acoustic Curves from Animusic 1.
Pipe Dream from Animusic 1.
Drum Machine from Animusic 1.
Aqua Harp from Animusic 1.
Stick Figures from Animusic 1.
Future Retro from Animusic 1.
Laser Show from Animusic 1.
Starship Groove from Animusic 2.
Pogo Sticks from Animusic 2.
Cathedral Pictures from Animusic 2.
Pipe Dream 2 from Animusic 2.
Fiber Bundles from Animusic 2.
Gyro Drums from Animusic 2.
Heavy Light from Animusic 2.
The company is known for its Animusic compilations of computer-generated animations, based on MIDI events processed to simultaneously drive the music and on-screen action, leading to and corresponding to every sound.
Unlike many other music animations, the music drives the animation. Other animations animate figures or characters to the music, while the animations here are created first, then will follow and play what the music tells them to play. 'Solo cams' in the Animusic DVD shows how each instrument actually plays through a piece of music from the beginning to end.
Many of the instruments appear to be robotic or play themselves using curious methods to produce and visualize the original compositions. The animations typically feature dramatically-lit rooms or landscapes.
The music of Animusic is principally pop-rock based, consisting of straightforward sequences of triggered samples and digital patches mostly played "dry"; i.e., with few effects. There are no lyrics or voices, save for the occasional chorus synthesizer. According to the director's comments on DVD 2, most instrument sounds are generated with software synthesizers on a music workstation. Many sounds resemble stock patches available on digital keyboards, subjected to some manipulation, e.g. pitch / playback speed, to enhance their timbre.
As of 2006, two video compilations have been released:
* Animusic: A Computer Animation Video Album
* Animusic 2: A New Computer Animation Video Album
Animusic was re-released in 2004 in a special edition DVD. Animusic 2 was released in 2005. The Animusic website has announced that the company is making Animusic 3, and 8 new animations are planned, the dvd will be released in 2010.
Animusic has been promoted at SIGGRAPH since 1990, and has been promoted on Public Broadcasting Service and other television networks such as Tech TV's "Eye Drops". Wayne Lytle and his works have also been featured on Fox News and over 30 other local stations in January 2007. Animusic's 'Pipe Dream' was released as a real-time demo for ATI's Radeon 9700 series graphics cards. Animusic also rendered 'Resonant Chamber' and 'Starship Groove' in HD resolution for Apple's Quicktime HD Gallery. There was an internet rumor that the "Pipe Dream" video was recreated at the University of Iowa from farm machinery parts.
According to the company's FAQ, animation is created procedurally with their own proprietary MIDImotion software, Discreet 3D Studio Max was used for modeling, lighting, cameras, and rendering. Maps were painted with Corel Painter, Deep Paint 3D, and Photoshop. They have also created their own software called AnimusicStudio.
Resonant Chamber from Animusic 1.
Harmonic Voltage from Animusic 1.
Beyond the walls from Animusic 1.
Acoustic Curves from Animusic 1.
Pipe Dream from Animusic 1.
Drum Machine from Animusic 1.
Aqua Harp from Animusic 1.
Stick Figures from Animusic 1.
Future Retro from Animusic 1.
Laser Show from Animusic 1.
Starship Groove from Animusic 2.
Pogo Sticks from Animusic 2.
Cathedral Pictures from Animusic 2.
Pipe Dream 2 from Animusic 2.
Fiber Bundles from Animusic 2.
Gyro Drums from Animusic 2.
Heavy Light from Animusic 2.
