Sony has launched its Motion Sonic music effects controller first on Indiegogo before releasing the accessory in both the US and Japan, its home turf.
Sony Motion Sonic Launches on Indiegogo
The Motion Sonic is wireless effects gear to control sound in sync with hand motions.
Motion Sonic gives you a new music experience that makes sounds become a part of your body. Just let your body flow along with your emotion, it allows you to alter the sound in sync with physical movement of your body. Now, musical performance is more instinctive, expressive and creative.
The Motion Sonic doesn't support controlling MIDI instruments.
Aside from the Bluetooth-based controller itself, Sony also includes a band for your back hand, another band for the wrist, and a USB-C charging cable. The controller doesn't come in different wrist sizes because both bands are adjustable to fit any hand size.
For further information, check out Sony's Motion Sonic controller on Indiegogo.
Boosting Your Performance With Color
Aside from synchronizing sound with your body, the accessory offers a built-in LED light. If you're a DJ who would like to enhance their performance with color, you'll be able to do that with the Motion Sonic---just keep in mind that the LED drains the built-in battery.
The motion controller offers six hours of constant play with the illumination LED turned off. But turn the LED off and your run time is suddenly drastically shortened to just 2.5 hours of constant play---and that's with the default LED brightness.
Boost the brightness to the max and the battery will drain even faster.
Controlling Sound Effects With Hand Motions
The accessory features a sensitive six-axis sensor designed to capture subtle movements without interfering with a user's musical performance. An accompanying iPhone app is used to create specific musical effects that will react differently to your motion.
You could, for instance, configure the accessory to bend pitch as you roll your wrist. Or how about moving cutoff frequency for high pass filter in sync with tilting your hand up and down? Sony has shared a few videos included in this post, showing the controller in action.
Keep in mind that your iPhone must be connected to your instrument using an iOS-compatible audio interface (sold separately) to make it all work. This lets the Motion Sonic app alter the sound of the instrument in response to your hand motions.
A variety of motions and musical effects are already included in the app so that you don't need to create these things from scratch. Android customers may be disappointed because Sony currently does not offer an Android app to set up and control the Motion Sonic.
The Motion Sonic app requires iOS or iPadOS 13 or later.
When Is Sony Releasing the Motion Sonic?
Sony is currently offering a limited number of Motion Sonic units ahead of market release, with the first 400 units selling for an early bird price of 23,900 yen in Japan, which works out to about $218. The retail price has been set at 27,200 yen, or approximately $248.
Sony plans to commence deliveries of the motion controller in March 2023. The company wouldn't say whether it might ship the controller outside the US or Japan in the future.