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Subject: Re: Ondes Martinot

From: "Sean" <fourtytwominds@yahoo.com>
Date: 2010-03-27

It appears they also used it heavily on the Kid A album. I was gifted a copy of this album. I know little else about Radiohead but I love the sounds of this album. It also seems to my ears, that they used either the string or gong Ondes speakers for some vocal work on the album.

-Sean

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, "Thomas C. Doncourt" <tomdcour@...> wrote:
>
>
> Radiohead used one on OK computer. They toured with a midicontroller based
> on the Ondes martinot.
> >
> > --- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, Bruce Daily <pocotron@>
> > wrote:
> >>
> >> Thanks Rick-
> >>   I noted your refernce to the Ondes Martinot, and looked it up. 
> >> Found lots of references, both on Google and youtube. I hadn't heard
> >> of this instrument before.  Truely fascinating, a synth ahead of its
> >> time.  The keyboard has lateral touch sensitivity which
> >> produces vibrato like a stringed instrument.  Good voicing selections
> >> and volume/attack control.  The "ring on a ribbon"  finger control is
> >> like a physical theremin connection.  I'm not sure what the other
> >> devices shown in the pictures are, possibly a string controller and
> >> speakers.  Attatched is a pix I downloaded.
> >
> >>    -Bruce D.
> >
> > The other devices are various transducers. Each has a different timbre, as
> > you can imagine. The one at the top does indeed have strings, which
> > resonate at various frequencies. Below it is a regular loudspeaker, and
> > the other one is a small gong.
> >
> > I've seen these beasts played several times since the late '70s and
> > delight in it always. I don't know if they still exist (they don't have
> > any web presence), but there used to be a quintet - yes, five of them! -
> > called Ensemble d'Ondes de Montreal. I knew of the device earlier, from
> > the Toronto Symphony recording on RCA of Messaien's Turangalila Symphony,
> > but a performance by those folks was the first time I'd seen one in the
> > wild.
> >
> > It appears there are several youtube videos of the Ondes, so I'm sure
> > there must be at least one that explains something of how they work.
> >
> > Waving goodbye.
> >
> > Jim Bailey
> >
> >
>