Are you up for a little gratuitous entertainment? Stumbling around the internet today, I tripped over these computer generated animations that mesmerized me and forced me (through subliminal mind control) to share them with the world. They were created by Animusic LLC, a tiny corporation formed in 1990 and, at least until 2017, based in Ithaca, New York.
The imaginitive animated intruments appear to play the music, but actually the music is created separately and the CGI (computer generated images – or in this case, computer generated instruments) do what the music tells them to do. This creates the illusion that the instruments are making music. A incredible amount of imagination, artistic talent, software engineering skills, many hours, and hard work went into making these animations.
The music is based on MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and is not… horrible. I remember MIDI music from the 1980s, when MIDI was just horrible noise to my ears, although I’m sure there were computer geeks who thought it was cool because it was computer-compatible. So, while the music presented here will surely not win any Grammy Awards, it does go well with the visual aspect.
Animusic has thus far released two DVDs, each featuring several animated music videos. The first DVD, titled Animusic, was actually a VHS cassette released in 2001, and later released on high-definition DVD in 2004. The second DVD, titled Animusic 2, was released in 2005. The material on each DVD took three years to create. There were plans to create a third DVD, but to do it in just one year. The company founders determined that that ambitious goal required their proprietary rendering engine software needed to be rewritten first; that project seems to have run over time and over budget. Very little has been heard from the group since about 2012. One key member left the organization, and the other suffered some kind of debilitating injury. The company website was taken down in 2019 and replaced with a minimalist place holder, which was meant to be temporary until a new website was completed (still holding).
Animusic 3 may never be completed, but Animusic’s first two volumes inspired a host of other software engineers to create their own works of art, either in tribute to Animusic or purely as imitation – which of course is always the highest complement. Without further ado, here are several examples of Animusic’s work:
“Animusic HD – Pipe Dream (1080p)” (3:24):
“Animusic HD – Fiber Bundles (1080p)” (5:17):
“Animusic HD – Heavy Light (1080p)” (7:16):
“Animusic HD – Starship Groove (1080p)” (4:06):
“Animusic HD- Pogo Sticks (1080p)” (3:21):
“Animusic HD – Pipe Dream 2 (1080p)” (3:53):
“Animusic HD – Resonant Chamber (1080p)” (4:31):
“Animusic HD – Gyro Drums (1080p)” (4:11):
“Animusic HD – Cathedral Pictures (1080p)” (6:07):
Question of the Night: What’s your favorite animated movie? (e.g. a PIXAR, Disney, or any other studio movie.)
