The latest announcement from Eventide sees the company launch a modern recreation of Music Mouse, a music-creation program originally designed in the 1980s by composer and technologist Laurie Spiegel.
Designed to turn the mouse into a musical instrument, the software was available for the likes of the Atari, Amiga and early Mac models, and allowed users to generate chords, melodies and arpeggios with the flick or a wrist or sweep of the hand. Now, it’s been treated to a modern overhaul that brings its capabilities into the modern world, along with a variety of improvements and newly added features.
“When Laurie first described Music Mouse to me, I realised how it stood apart. The emerging tech of the mid 80s was focused on adding effects or creating new sounds. Laurie’s idea was neither; it was different. She imagined using the computer as an intelligent musical tool that could be ‘trained’ to accompany and enrich a musician’s performance. She was lightyears ahead of her time. a new generation of Music Mouse is long overdue and it’s my honour to have helped breathe new life into Laurie’s creation.“ - Tony Agnello, First Engineer, Eventide
Laurie Spiegel, the creator of the original Music Mouse software.Photo: Marilyn McLaren
New & Improved
As well as recreating the experience of the original instrument, Music Mouse also introduces a whole host of new features, including:
- Perform live or record music into a DAW or music notation software.
- Sync to an external MIDI clock and lock to a DAW, notation program or external hardware.
- Expanded sound presets drawn from Laurie Spiegel’s original DX7 and TX7 patches.
- Clearer visual feedback around the Polyphonic Cursor.
- Optional UI guides, hint bar and scalable interface.
- Left- or right-handed layout options.
“Music Mouse orients you to think on a slightly larger scale of the phrase or the gesture. Of course, you can still wander around, making a mess for a really long time. We’ve all done that. But it’s an improvising instrument and it’s a brainstorming instrument.” - Laurie Spiegel, Creator of Music Mouse
Compatibility
Music Mouse is supported on PCs running Windows 11, and Macs running macOS 10.14 and above.
Pricing & Availability
Music Mouse is available now, priced at $29.
