Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller • Hacker News Board

Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#1

Post by bepitulaz » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 7:40 PM UTC

Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller
nanassound.com

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#2

Post by johng » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 8:05 PM UTC

This is really cool, thanks for sharing.

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#3

Post by Animats » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 8:25 PM UTC

Theremin.

Here's someone playing a theremin who's reasonably good.[1]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6KbEnGnymk

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#4

Post by CharlesW » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 8:39 PM UTC

Imogen Heap demonstrating her Mi.Mu gloves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci-yB6EgVW4

Using the gloves during an NPR Tiny Desk concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QtklTXbKUQ&t=555s

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#5

Post by vunderba » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 8:44 PM UTC

From the article: "When using AirBending for pitch control, you can lock your gestures to specific musical scales and keys. This ensures every note you play is perfectly in tune with your composition"

Reminds me of the Moog Theremini - that was a fun bit of kit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremini

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#6

Post by singularity2001 » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 9:32 PM UTC

Great work but wouldn't the iPhone with the lidar depth sensor be a better device?

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#7

Post by bepitulaz » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 9:55 PM UTC

singularity2001 wrote: post #6

Great work but wouldn't the iPhone with the lidar depth sensor be a better device?

It’s on the plan to expand this app for iPhone. But, I haven’t tried lidar, so I decided to release for macOS first.

Also with iPhone, I have to think how to transmit MIDI data to DAW on laptop. Well, most likely via USB or network.

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#8

Post by blacksignal » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 10:23 PM UTC

Not just a ‘theremin’ — that totally downplays the power of midi. Someone else mentioned the mimu gloves, and I love the idea of a vision based controller - almost everyone has a phone, tablet or laptop with a camera, especially if theyre making music.

I also love that this could blur the lines of music playing and dance.

Great job OP, thanks for sharing.

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#9

Post by import » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 10:31 PM UTC

bepitulaz wrote: post #7

singularity2001 wrote: post #6

Great work but wouldn't the iPhone with the lidar depth sensor be a better device?

It’s on the plan to expand this app for iPhone. But, I haven’t tried lidar, so I decided to release for macOS first. Also with iPhone, I have to think how to transmit MIDI data to DAW on laptop. Well, most likely via USB or network.

I do this with "Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter". iPad basically talks to the midi sequencer via USB.

Re: Show HN: AirBending – Hand gesture based macOS app MIDI controller

#10

Post by docEdub » Fri, Jul 04, 2025, 10:45 PM UTC

bepitulaz wrote: post #7

singularity2001 wrote: post #6

Great work but wouldn't the iPhone with the lidar depth sensor be a better device?

It’s on the plan to expand this app for iPhone. But, I haven’t tried lidar, so I decided to release for macOS first. Also with iPhone, I have to think how to transmit MIDI data to DAW on laptop. Well, most likely via USB or network.

Apple devices can do MIDI over Bluetooth. I've used this in the past to send VisionPro hand tracking data as MIDI.