Animusic is a two-man company that uses software they've developed to make computer animations out of MIDI-based music. These animations are made from the MIDI files, rather than animated separately from the music. In Layman's Terms, music goes in, computer animation comes out.
Currently, Animusic have released two DVDs of their works, and a third is in development.
Animusic: A Computer Animation Video Album:
- "Future Retro"
- "Stick Figures"
- "Aqua Harp"
- "Drum Machine"
- "Pipe Dream"
- "Acoustic Curves"
- "Harmonic Voltage"
Animusic 2: A New Computer Animation Video Album:
- "Starship Groove"
- "Pogo Sticks"
- "Resonant Chamber"
- "Cathedral Pictures"
- "Pipe Dream 2"
- "Fiber Bundles"
- "Gyro Drums"
- "Heavy Light"
Animusic provides examples of the following tropes:
- Alien Sky: "Heavy Light" has quite a few of the gas giants float around in the background.
- The sky in "Resonant Chamber" appears to contain multiple moons.
- All CGI Cartoon
- Bizarchitecture: Most of the videos qualify.
- "Heavy Light" takes this a step further by having the instruments built into the building.
- Bottomless Pits: Used in "Drum Machine", "Acoustic Curves", and "Gyro Drums".
- However, a floor is implied in Drum Machine (especially in the solo cam that shows all the gears), and the split-screen view of Gyro Drums shows a small circular light base which doesn't appear in the main animation.
- Concept Art Gallery: Included as a bonus feature on the DVDs.
- Easter Egg: On the Animusic 2 DVD, there is a hidden loop button to the right of the main buttons.
- Ethereal Choir: Used in "Beyond the Walls", "Future Retro", "Fiber Bundles", and "Heavy Light".
- Frickin' Laser Beams: Commonly used in the videos.
- Genre Shift: Often happens in the middle of a song.
- Hard Light: "Heavy Light", of course. They produce music and percussion.
- Heavy Meta: "Acoustic Curves".
- The Oner: "Drum Machine".
- Piano Key Wave: "Starship Groove", played with Yamaha's Disklavier piano.
- Series Mascot: A Chapman stick called "Mr. Stick", first appearing in "Stick Figures" and later on in "Pogo Sticks".
- Shout-Out: According to Word of God, "Fiber Bundles" was done In the Style Of the music from Ratchet and Clank.
- Signature Style: Combining the natural with the bizarre; robots playing otherwise traditional instruments seems to be a favorite.
- Humans never being seen is one of the most overarching aspects of the Animusic signature style. When the instruments aren't being played by robots, they play themselves.
- Slow Electricity: Used in "Harmonic Voltage" and "Fiber Bundles".
- Space Is Noisy: Seen in "Starship Groove".
- Truck Driver's Gear Change: Seen in many videos.
- "Drum Machine" literally has the gears synced to the tempo.
- "Pogo Sticks" evokes this whenever the musicians/instruments enter a tunnel. You can probably say they play a bridge when they pass under a bridge.
- Uncommon Time: "Starship Groove" is in 7/8 time, and parts of "Resonant Chamber" are in 5/8 time. The second half of "Drum Machine" is in the latter time frame, too.
- Weird Moon: Seen in "Resonant Chamber". There is a moon in each of the four windows, and each of them is at a different phase.
- Xenophone: Some of the instruments in the videos.
- Zeerust: "Future Retro" uses futuristic sounds with retro-styled instruments.