[sdiy] Radiohead's Synth Controller

[James Husted]

This sounds like a re-creation of the classic Ondes-Martenot which was
designed to emulate a Theremin but be easier to play. Check out:
http://www.obsolete.com/120_years/machines/martenot/index.html
I assume that's why it's called the French Connection.

-James 

on 9/4/01 6:50 AM, Dr Strangelove at phdinfunk at hotmail.com wrote:

> Hi All,
> 
> This weekend I drove to the audio playground in Orlando Florida.
> Joseph Rivers, the curator, had acquired a new piece which was very
> interesting.  It was a French Connection controller made by analogue
> systems.  The One RadioHead had played was a prototype and this was the
> first production unit.  Radiohead had opted to keep their prototype and this
> was bought by the synth museum for their collection.  There has been some
> questions about this controller so I'll shed as much light as possible on
> what's going on.
> I got to play the controller feeding CV and Gate to an AS modular.
> There is a little ring you put your finger in and slide a string across two
> pully's.  When your finger is located where a note on the keyboard is then
> the string will be on that note, its sort of hard to get EXACT notes, though
> the machine IS calibrated very well to the keyboard.  It's just that if you
> are on the top or bottom edge of a key than you'll be a tad bit sharp or
> flat.  I was trying to play some melodies, it's certainly easier than a
> theriman.  Also, there are little dents in the board below the keyboard to
> mark notes.  The controller also can be used as a normal keyboard.
> Personally, I can play a fretless bass, I almost feel like the thing would
> be easier to use if it had NO ring on your finger and you just pushed a
> string down to make contact with a resistive strip, listening to where the
> notes were.  The little ring that went on the finger sometimes slipped off.
> As well as having a joystick controller which is pretty nice, The
> controller has a big wooden button on the side panel.  The wooden button
> puts out a voltage which increses as you push down on it.  Most of the
> increse happens in the last few millimeters of the button's travel though.
> There is a total travel of maybe 1/2" so I wish it was more of a linear
> response.  Overall I thought the button was very expressive, however, and
> could make nice swells and tremelos.  The owner of Analogue Systems was on
> the telephone and he said for a classic Ondes Martenot sound to route the
> sine wave through a VCA and control the VCA amplitude by pressing the big
> wood button.
> 
> -=<Jonathan Pratt>=-
> (Phdinfunk at hotmail.com)
> 
> 
> 
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