Re: Real instruments vs. electronic instruments vs. electricinstruments

[Matthias Grob <matthias@grob.org>]

>speaking of, i'm thinking of getting a malletkat and i was wondering if
>anybody has suggestions for a good sound engine for acoustic sounds.  it's
>not so off-topic...the reason i don't get an acoustic
>marimba/vibraphone/etc. is because it's very easy to loop with an 
>electronic
>device (as opposed to looping a pair of mics) and loop with this device i
>will.
>
>-jim

right, the origin of this threat is not OT at all: Electronic 
instruments somehow dont fit with the what most of us like about live 
looping. We want to take advantage of the organic playing which has 
been "opressed" by electronic music. And loop units are basically 
capable, but we have a feedback and noise problem. So far nothing new.

Now, there is a clear distinction between electric and electronic 
instruments. Unfortunately those names are not very clear: An 
electric instrument picks up a physical vibration while the 
electronic instrument generates electronically.

So what we want for looping are electric instruments!
They do not only preserve your organic operation of it, but in many 
cases enhance it!
For example, a PARADIS guitar has a dynamic you could never get from 
an acustic instrument. My electric clay pot has a dry bass kick note 
when you close one hole and hit the other hole. With both holes 
closed, no acoustic sound comes out, but a headphone cell between 
inside and outside grabs it drasticly!
We can create very small electric instruments that would never work 
acoustically.
I made a bass Kalimba for example, by attaching a weight to the 
tongues. The ordinary small Kalimba box is never able to transmit 
such low notes, but a piezo pickup is!
The same goes for all vibrating materials with little surface: they 
dont move air, but the pickup gets the vibration authentically, so 
you can make every silent object audible!
I am sure, a marimba with a piezo in each tone sounds much fuller, 
more balanced and more dynamic than it ever could through 
microphones! And probably cheaper.

The problem is always where to put the pick up. Sometimes the wire is 
also a problem, but usually lesser than a mikstand would be.
In case of the marimba, the point where the key is supported would be 
obvious. But I see two problems:
- the key may be too loose and vibrate off the support, which would buzz 
ugly
- the hit of the mallet is fully translated to the pickup which might 
be to much of attack.
So the pickup would have to be glued into the wood. I am sure it 
picks up, because I have done such things before. But then, you have 
a wire to every key and its inevitably sensible also, since its end 
is at the piezo. So you have to conduct it in a way that it cannot be 
touched and does not dampen the keys vibration... should be possible, 
no?

So please go ahead and build those instruments, unfortunately I dont 
find time for it...
it has been my work before the looping story and I still find it just 
as important for the development of the music culture!
-- 


          ---> http://Matthias.Grob.org