[sdiy] Control Interfaces

[Gene Stopp]

Yeah, what Scott said!

In response to Don's comment, not only are these performance nuances the way
we can tell performers apart, but to me it makes the difference between just
a bunch of pitches versus time, and bringing tears to my eyes. When somebody
says "that guy really makes that guitar SING!" it's a closer analogy than
most people suspect!

And what Scott is alluding to is some way of touching the excitation and
modification processes directly. Guitars and violins and flutes et al allow
the performer to touch the sound itself, whereas traditional synthesizer
controls strip off something that starts in three dimensions down to one
dimension. It's like controlling a puppet with strings instead of just
"being" the puppet. In this respect the electric guitarist really has it
made, right from the start. No wonder this instrument is so prevalent.

Please note that MIDI is the ultimate dimension-stripper. No wonder so many
modern performances fail to move me very much. MIDI has its place, and it's
not in this thread.

What the sythesists lack in control has been made up for in sonic palette.
What exactly are the designers of alternate controllers after? My wife plays
the flute, and we have a WX-5. What this gadget does is not so much provide
the expressiveness of an acoustic musician, as to provide a wind player
access to electronic sounds. It's got its own little niche, not to replace
but to augment.

Do we want to create something that is unique and one-of-a-kind, a novelty?
Or something new that hoardes will embrace, a new artform? Something all our
own, or something to share? Or maybe just a fun DIY project...

If we try to concoct a way of touching the electronic sound directly,
through a physical process, will we not end up with an electrified acoustic
instrument that already exists?

Okay all that being said, what kinds of ideas are out there? Let's invent
some. Some kind of cavity... wait, how about a big chunk of CMOS foam with a
signal propigating through it? Uh, a cavity made of CMOS foam with a speaker
at one end and a mic at the other (like Scott started to say)... No wait,
optical - not like a 3D space you stick your hands in, more like the cavity
thing again, something you can hold... a string on a stick! Ooops, been done
already... hey maybe something like circuit bending, where you touch the
chip pins... naaah, too unpredictable...

Would the process cycle all the time, like a VCO? Acoustic instruments have
a definite start and stop, muscle-activated. And the start-up is usually
"funny" until the mechanical feedback sets in. Which is part of the charm.
And part of the expression.

Is monophonic the goal? Or limited polyphony? Darn, that guitar's lookin'
better all the time...

OK OK how about this... a trombone-like pitch control, like Scott says, so
it's continuous but you can touch it (unlike a Theremin). With pistol grips,
like a pump shotgun. Pressure-sensitive grips, you can squeeze in various
ways. During a hot jam onstage you can pretend you're shooting the bass
player or something. Put a laser in it for fog-enhanced visuals or shooting
at photocells to change patches.

Am I going in the right direction?

- Gene



-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Gravenhorst [mailto:music.maker at gte.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 11:51 AM
To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
Subject: Re: [sdiy] Control Interfaces (was Wakeman)


This has been a very interesting thread with lots of good ideas and
thoughts.