Introduction: Make Music With Your Brainwaves in Real-Time.

By MindMIDI
Video of the brainwave music:




MindMIDI is a revolutionary way of making music, with your brainwaves, in real-time. Brainwaves are like radio stations, with each station working on a different layer, and all the stations are always playing. MindMIDI works like a radio, allowing you to hear your brain's amazing electrical symphony. The music can be influenced with intention, and you can hear the immediate musical feedback. The MIDI can be routed to any DAW so you can have realistic sounding sampled musical instruments, or synthesizers. You can have multiple instruments, and each instrument can be controlled by a different band of the brainwave spectrum. For example, your Delta and Theta waves could be controlling a cello, Alpha waves could be controlling a piano, and your Beta and Gamma waves could be playing a violin. Best thing is MindMIDI is free!


What You Will Need:

- EEG Machine compatible with BioExplorer (I use a Pocket Neurobics Pendant EEG
www.pocket-neurobics.com - The EEG Wireless Kit comes with BioExplorer software).
- BioExplorer 1.5+ www.cyberevolution.com
- LoopBe30 www.nerds.de
- Reason 6.5+ (or other DAW with MIDI input) www.propellerheads.se
- MIDI Controller with lots of sliders/pots (25+) (Not required but easier to create musical arrangements)
- Windows XP+ (I have used a Mac running Windows XP using Virtual Box www.virtualbox.org)
- MindMIDI.zip  (www.MindMIDI.com)

Cost:
$1,160 EEG Machine with BioExplorer
$400    Reason 6.5
$300    MIDI Controller
$20      LoopBe30
-----------------------------------------
$1,880 Total

Step 1: Install LoopBe30

Get LoopBe30 at: www.nerds.de

     a. Ports after reboot - enter 4 (You might have to click the 'Change' button)
     b. Click OK
     c. Reboot computer
     d. Open LoopBe30
     e. Disable shortcut detection
     f. Click 'Mute None' button
     g. Click OK

Step 2: Open 'MindMIDI Presets.reason' in Reason 6.5+

Open 'MindMIDI Presets.reason' in Reason 6.5+  (located in MindMIDI.zip from www.MindMIDI.com)

     a. Under the 'Edit' menu, choose Preferences
     b. Click the 'Advanced' tab
     c. Set Bus A to '01 Internal MIDI'
         Set Bus B to '02 Internal MIDI'
         Set Bus C to '03 Internal MIDI'
         Set Bus D to '04 InternalMIDI'
     d. Setup MIDI Controller (If you do not see your device in the list choose )
     e. Click OK
     f. Map the sliders/pots to each slider on Reason's Mixer
     g. If you do not have a MIDI controller, you can use Reason's Mixer
     h. Verify that all volume levels on MIDI controller are turned all the way down (not master volume)

Step 3: Open 'MindMIDI.bxd' in BioExplorer

Open 'MindMIDI.bxd' in BioExplorer (located in MindMIDI.zip from www.MindMIDI.com)

     a. Under the 'Window' menu, choose Signal Diagram
     b. Change MIDI 1 - 8 settings (Device needs to be 01. Internal MIDI)
         Change MIDI 9 - 16 settings (Device needs to be 02. Internal MIDI)
         Change MIDI 17 - 24 settings (Device needs to be 03. Internal MIDI)
         (Nothing is routed through the Internal MIDI port 4 - More instruments may be added)
     c. If you want to record brainwaves (uses more CPU and Memory):
           1. Under the 'Session' menu, choose 'Capture'
           2. Press record button
           3. Enter filename
           4. Click OK
           5. Enter name
           6. Click OK
           7. Press play
     d. If you do not want to record brainwaves (uses less CPU and Memory):
           1. Under the 'Session' menu, choose 'Capture'
           2. Press play

Step 4: Creating and Recording Music

a. Turn up the volume of at least one instrument per range (One or more instruments from MIDI 1-8, one
    or more instruments from MIDI 9-16, and one or more from MIDI 17-24).

b. If you want different musical instruments, change them in Reason, but you will have to tweak the
    settings in the corresponding MIDI object in MindMIDI's Signal Diagram.

c. Audio Record Wizard is inexpensive and works well (www.nowsmart.com).

d. You can also save your reason arrangement and replay your recorded brainwaves.

Step 5: Notes and Troubleshooting

Notes:
Check to make sure that you have a steady green on CH1 and CH2.  If it is flashing red, check your electrode placements for good direct-skin contact.  Do not use in an area with a lot of electrical interference.  Double check that LoopBe30's shortcut detection is disabled.

Troubleshooting:
If the music is skipping beats or somehow off beat:
   - Check your electrode connections.
   - Try a different data transfer rate with your EEG (fixed a problem I had).
   - Shut down other programs.
   - Restart recording in BioExplorer.
   - Check LoopBe30 and make sure that shortcut detection is disabled.
   - Restart computer.
   - Possibly caused by background computer tasks like virus protection or computer maintenance.