Re: guitar synths are yucky anyway

["Jan P" <jan@gomotech.com>]

to me, this keyboard guitar feud is a classic difference in channeling
style.. whereas keyed instruments offer a more linear translation from 
inner
galactic transmissions to pitch, guitar offers the expressiveness found in
direct contact between the musical excitor [string] and the controller.

i am in the early stages of designing a custom instrument to overcome these
limitations.. the instrument uses contact mics sandwiches with 
force-sensing
resistors as keys-- the hand/mallet/whateveryouwant is in direct contact
with the audio surface-- and the sound of the contact between the finger 
and
the key is used as an excitor for various configurable audio processes-- 
for
example, a karplus-strong string resonator or a modal synth... the point 
is,
the instrument becomes a signalprocessor, not just a signal generator/// 
and
so we have a signal path that resembles both the tone generating
capabilities of the synth and the tone altering characteristics of
electronified guitar.... spanned across keysurfaces, instead of strings...

i am thinking of writing up a proposal for support from STEIM in 
amsterdam..

thoughtforms welcome pls

jan




-----Original Message-----
From: KB305@aol.com <KB305@aol.com>
To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com <Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com>
Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2000 10:03 AM
Subject: Re: guitar synths are yucky anyway


>Look, I'm a propellerhead just like anyone else on this list, I mean, I
have
>more boxes than I use.
>
>But my judgment is that most MIDI patches I've heard could stay on the New
>Age CDs they came in on.  And I wouldn't want my guitar to sound like 
>that.
>
>Mostly I want my guitar to sound somewhat guitar-like, even if it's a
guitar
>that's been wrapped around a Calder mobile.  The original guitar-ness is 
>in
>there somewhere.  I have no plans to go MIDI when I can get equally
arousing
>results from, say, an envelope filter (maybe a manila one), a bunch of
>distortion, harmonizing, reverb (ketchup), and some nice tube warmth, for
>instance.
>
>Besides, if I went with the guitar synth sound, someone might mistake me
for
>Pat Metheny, and I don't know if I can be psychotic enough to live up to
the
>role.
>
>k
>