Steve Vai and Mativision have just released Vai360°, an interactive iOS app which lets you stand onstage with Steve and band to experience a live concert happening all around you. Captured at a recent Vai show at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, the app gives you access to six different cameras which you can virtually rotate (either manually or using your device’s gyro feature), or you can put the app in Auto mode to call the shots for you. There’s also a tour of Vai’s Harmony Hut studio where you can covet his guitars and amps in 360 degrees while he talks you through what’s what. I’ve been messing around with the app this morning and it’s really cool. Man, Vai uses every centimetre of that stage, doesn’t he! Check out the video below and read the press release. Then go get it in the app store!
PRESS RELEASE: Always on the forefront of musical creativity, guitar Alchemist Steve Vai brings fans a revolutionary virtual experience with the release of Vai360°, an innovative new iOS app available on February 18, 2014. Vai360° includes two groundbreaking interactive capabilities and many unique features. Exclusive to this app are a 360° interactive live concert experience and the capability to virtually transport fans to Vai’s personal studio.
Within the app, fans can view three songs captured using Mativision® multi-camera 360° video technology from Vai’s recent show at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Each user can direct the show by manipulating Mativision’s multi-camera iOS player, seamlessly choosing to watch from among six different cameras. Users are able to rotate camera angles, use the device’s built-in gyroscope or simply switch to “auto pilot” choosing to enjoy the show without interaction. Users may also virtually tour Vai’s studio, Harmony Hut, using the same technology as during the concert, guided by Vai himself.
Along with the cutting-edge interactive content, the Vai360° App also includes continually updated photos of Vai’s guitars, picks and equipment news as well as current information about Vai such as a biography, discography, photos and tour information.
Mativision plans to deliver frequent updates to the app, providing additional exclusive content. The Vai360° App is available on the iOS AppStore (February 18, 2014), priced at $4.99. Get it now: https://itunes.apple.com/app/vai-360/id781359646?mt=8
About Steve Vai: Throughout the years, Steve Vai has awed fans of all genres with his exceptional guitar skills and musicianship. He boasts career sales of over 15 million records, 15 Grammy nominations, and three Grammy wins and has toured the world as a solo artists and with bands such as Alcatrazz, The David Lee Roth Band, and Whitesnake. As an accomplished audio producer, Vai has written, produced, and engineered all of his solo albums, released via Favored Nations, his own independent record label that has released over 70 albums by legendary musicians such as Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Lukather, Eric Johnson, Billy Sheehan, Larry Carlton and many more. For Vai, virtuosity and versatility are not mutually exclusive. He has created music for blockbuster films, bestselling video games, national sports franchises, and corporate brand initiatives. His career accomplishments have earned him honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Musicians Institute. While many artists fit easily into a single category, Steve Vai remains unclassifiable. He is a musical alchemist of the highest order.
Mativision® delivers THE ultimate interactive “I Was There” Experience (Live Streamed or VOD). Mativision technology captures live performances/events by using multiple special 360° Mativision cameras. The multi-camera Mativision Player© then allows the performance to be viewed from almost every angle in full 360°. Users can choose between multiple synchronized cameras, rotate their view (look around), zoom in and out, switch to “auto pilot”, with access to lyrics, photos, videos, links to Artist related sites and full social networking connectivity. Mativision Players are available for embedding on any web site, (including YouTube, Facebook etc), standalone desktop and/or Apple mobile platforms (iPad, iPhone and selected iPods). Find out more about Mativision at: www.mativision.com or facebook.com/mativision and follow @Mativision on Twitter.