Musiq Electroniq

Pics of The Don Rickert-Designed Violin Synth Prototype 3

And a little commentary as well...

Here are photos from every possible angle of the new prototype. I am not going to tell you what the string sensing technology is, so you will have to ponder it based on the form factor of the "bridge." What you can easily see is that the actually strings are used on this prototype not only for fingerboard position sensing but for the bowing sensing as well. ALL wiring is concealed and the wireless technology is inside the instrument. There are no external controls on the instrument at this time, so the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) controls are necessary right now. After some more design research, we will figure out the physical controls that should be on the instrument and what form they should take (e.g. buttons, sliders, knobs, pads, etc.)

The prototype pics do not represent the final final form of the synthesizer, but it is getting close. The next prototype iteration will have a neck angle adjustment feature and a MUCH less obtrusive tuning "thing" (for lack of a better term) that sits where the tailpiece would normally be. Like Professor Dan Overton's (of Aalborg University in Denmark http://media.aau.dk/) "Overtone Violin", we will be using knob type tuners like those manufactured by Steinberger for electirc guitars.

A "Conventional" Electric Violin Spinoff

Also, The basic form factor (the the changes mentioned above) will be the platform for a state-of-the-art electric violin, to be available in a conventionally tuned version and a version optimized for use as a baritone (octave) violin.

The Photos

The woods used are hard maple (some of it "ebonized"), spruce (all of it ebonized) and high-quality Baltic Birch plywood, finished with clear buffed nitrocellulose lacquer (i.e. guitar finish) over amber stain mixed according to Don Rickert's secret recipe...final coat of carnuaba wax. The body is "chambered", meaning essentially a solid body with large chambers to accommodate the various electronics, including several I-CubeX MIDI controllers and a wireless transmitter/reciever.

Click on any of the thumbnails for full-size views.

 

baritone, bowing, bridge, controls, Dan Overton, DAW, Don Rickert, fingerboard, I-CubeX, MIDI, octave, Overtone Violine, positions, prototype, Rickert, sensing, Steinberger, synthesizer, tuning, wireless, wireless

One Really Expensive Junk Pile!

Pictured here is a pile of the various bowing surfaces we have designed and built for use on our Violin Synthesizer in development. I am not going to say much about them, as there is at least a little bit of technology in each that we might use for something in the future. NONE of these bowing surfaces have passed my test for acceptability, the most important criterion being that an expert string player be able to use their bowing expression skills unencumbered by the technology. All are based on technologies to accurately sense bowing pressure and speed (i.e. attack) with physical sensors.

Adding up the development hours, this is at least a $50,000 pile of junk. Natural inventors take this in stride, often with the motto, "fail early and fail often."

Anyway, we have given up on vibration and pressure-sensing sensors for the time being for the bowing surface. What could be next? The knowledgeable among you will be able to tell in the series of photos in the next posting that we are using something else altogether to sense which string or strings are being bowed and the "dynamics" of this bowing.

Don Rickert

attack, bowing, bowing expression, dynamics, physical, pressure, sensors, surface, synthesizer, technologies, technology, vibration, violin

Just Might Have Some Initial Photos of Our Violin Synth Prototype 3

I know, we have been promising a glimpse at what is looking like a close-to-production violin synthesizer for a while. As with everything, things take longer than hoped or expected. I can tell you that we have designed and made working models of 4 different bowing surfaces that DO NOT work the way we want them to. Don't know if we are going to show them, as we might patent them anyway.

We discovered along the way, that we may have two new instruments based on the same physical instrument, just with really different electronics...Remember, that Dr. Don Rickert, a Professional Industrial Designer (as close as the ID profession has to licensing) is a human factors/ergonomics expert, especially in the musical instruments domain.

1. A REALLY playable, nice sounding and beautiful state-of-the-art "conventional" electric violin
2. A violin type synthesizer that looks superficially the same as the electric violin, but totally sensor-driven with its own pickup system.

More on this two new instrument "aha!" in future postings.

Dr. Don Rickert, electric, electronics, ergonomics, Human factors, instruments, musical, photos, pickup, Professional Industrial Designer, synthesizer, violin

Rickert Violin Synthesizer Prototype 3 Almost Ready for Demonstration

After spending a week on an electro-mechanical bowing surface contraption, we decided to go back to using the strings themselves as a bowing surface. This might seem like the obvious thing to do, but it is actually much more complicated technically to use regular violin strings as a bowing surface, at least with our technical design, because with a true violin synthesizer (not merely a MIDI-compatible electric violin), the strings are simply sensors...actual part of a multi-part sensor. Transforming the output of any new kind of sensor to something that can be understood by the MIDI processor part of the synthesizer is always easier imagined than done.

Anyway, we are still using sound synthesis system on Ableton Live as the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation software) also running Tension, which is an Ableton Live add-on. We will have demo videos of the next prototype pretty soon.

Abelton, DAW, demo, Live, prototype, Rickert, synthesizer, Tension, videos, violin

Video Demos of Rickert Violin Synthesizer Prototype 2

Note: This second prototype demo, a combination of stuff that really works and simulation just like the first, uses a really nice sound synthesis system on the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation software), Tension, which is an Ableton Live add-on. We will have videos of the next prototype in several weeks.

Video Demos of Rickert Violin Synthesizer 1

Note: This first prototype demo, a combination of stuff that really works and simulation, uses enhanced standard MIDI sounds, which are not that great, especially on the higher pitched stuff. Native MIDI does great with organ and piano, however. The sound synthesis is MUCH better in the demos of the second prototype.

demos, MIDI, prototype, Rickert, simulation, synthesizer, violin

Presentation on Prototype No. 2 of the Rickert Violin Synthesizer (MIDI Control Surface)

control surface, MIDI, Rickert, Synthesizer, Violin

Update on Our New Violin Synth

Don Rickert has designed a true violin synthesizer, which is in the prototyping and simulation stage of development. Some of the best computer scientists, industrial designers, DJs and musicians are signing on to be part of this ambitious and expensive (hint: INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES!). A few photos of an early functional prototype are shown below, as well as a YouTube video player so you can see it played and hear it.

Click on any thumbnail to see a full-size view.

control surface, Don Rickert, MIDI, synth, synthesizer, Violin, YouTube

New Violin Synth Designed by Don Rickert in Development

Don Rickert has designed a new TRUE violin synthesizer with multiple MIDI control surfaces. The project is getting a lot of attention and some world-class experts are signing on to this project, which is in the prototyping and simulation stage.

There are photos and YouTube demo video links both at www.DonRickertMusicalPortfolio.com and here at www.MusiqElectroniq.com.

This amazing new instrument and instruments like will probably be sold under the MusiqElectroniq(tm) brand rather than the Rickert & Ringholz brand, which has an established identity for unique acoustic instruments.

control surface, Don Rickert, MIDI, MusiqElectroniq, synth, synthesizer, Violin, YouTube