The hybrid clarinet

(2014-2017)

My PhD topic (supervised by Dr David Sharp and Dr Robin Laney, at The Open University) involves the development and evaluation of a “hybrid wind instrument”. This can be understood as an electronic mouthpiece alternative for musical wind instruments.

https://widgets.figshare.com/articles/3848115/embed?show_title=1

The interaction between the electronic mouthpiece and the acoustic resonator of the clarinet is facilitated by a loudspeaker and a microphone, both placed at the entrace of the resonator. A way to understand the functioning is by imagining that an unstable feedback loop (a “Larsen”) can occur when the microphone signal is simply fed back to the loudspeaker. The fact that the resonator is placed in front then forces this unstable oscillation to occur at the frequency corresponding to the applied fingering. Meanwhile, inside the feedback loop’s chain, the signal can be modified as to imitate a real reed instrument’s embouchure.

Also other “excitation models” can be implemented in the feedback chain, so that the performer’s playing expressions can be  extended with new timbres.

A journal paper can be found here: [Buys2017Acta], and here are three peer-reviewed international conference papers: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kurijn_Buys/publications

Axoloti based laser harp

(2016 – frame design in final development stage)

A laser harp is an existing electronic musical instrument controller concept with an important performance aspect. A number of laser beams act as “strings”. When interupting a beam, a light sensor can trigger a synthesiser.

The current laser harp design features the convenient Axoloti synthesiser platform which allows for multiphonic synthesis techniques. Moreover, as the analogue sensor inputs can measure gradual voltage ranges, an extended control is achieved by partly interupting the laser beams.

(video and pictures to appear)

Cara Guitar effect

(2015)

A Cara Pils beer can hosts a microphone, which is picking up an incoming guitar sound being reproduced by a small loudspeaker. When the can is tilted (i.e. when “drinking out of it”), the microphone starts touching and squeezing the loudspeaker membrane, which creates a particular saturation, filtering and distortion effect.

(picture to appear soon)

Consciousnoise < CONTROL

(2015)

Tom Mudd’s CONTROL installation (presented at Café OTO) is a sequential compilation of (Max/MSP) interactive sound programs, each controlable with a single dial button and the sound being produced with a single speaker.

As one of the contributors, I designed a program that is based on a simplified personal interpretation of the functioning of our mind.

The program generates pure tones that appear as thoughts do. There is a short amount of time to shape the thought (to change the frequency), but then, a new thought appears and the previous remains perceptible but untouchable until it “surpasses the size of our consciousness”… You can get lost in an undesirable kakophony, but you can also keep in control and find your harmony!

The electronic discrete harmonic resonator

(2013 – in progress)

Typical harmonic resonators are strings and acoustic pipes: when energy is introduced (e.g. by respectively plucking or hitting on an open end), they produce a (short) harmonic oscillation.

It is possible to understand such oscillators as a discrete (i.e. a chopped-up) representation: a string can be thought of as a concatenation of masses and springs.

Given that there exists a theory that links the mechanical, acoustical and electrical basic principles, it is possible to represent this mass-spring concatenation as a discrete electronic circuit, consisting of a series of capacitors and coils (in technical jargon this is also known as a “discrete transmission line”).

However, in reality, these components also contain losses (which are not considered in the theoretical concept), which is the principal reason why such a circuit has never been explored for musical purposes.

Nevertheless, a careful theoretical study revealed that suitable components can be found, where the losses are minimal, so that such a novice electronic oscillator could be constructed. Two eight-node prototypes have been built, confirming the theoretical findings and producing the first electronic-harmonic resonances.

The next steps will involve the implementation of manipulatable electronic components to enable pitch control, and the design of suitable electronic excitation circuits to enable the production of self-sustained sounds (just like wind instruments and bowed strings do).

A paper discussing the development and functional evaluation of the first prototype can be found here.

Towards a hybrid clarinet: electro-acoustic excitation of a tube

(2012)

This early prototype of a hybrid clarinet is similar to the electro-aerophone (see below). Here, an “electrovalve” is used to convert an electronic signal to a fluctuating air flow. The embouchure of a single-reed mouthpiece is simulated with a special digital real-time computer, which allows for a precise implementation and practical control possibilities.

The wide variety of possibilities also allow for the implementation of unusual and/or physically impossible excitations, resulting in new timbres and hence new musical expression possibilities.

(A detailed description can be found in the paper “A hybrid reed instrument: an acoustical resonator with a numerically simulated mouthpiece”.)

Electro-aerophone

(2011)

The physical functioning of a mouthpiece can be imitated with analogue electronic components:

a capacitor represents the stiffness and a coil represents the mass of the reed. The air flow is nonlinearly related to the reed opening, which is realised with a transistor in the electronic circuit.

The acoustic and electronic worlds interact with each other via a loudspeaker, which is manipulated so that it also functions as a microphone.

This concept functions analoguely to a normal reed instrument, but the unusual combination of electronics and acoustics enables new sounds to appear. More information can be found in the report “Towards An Amalgamate Electroacoustic Musical Instrument: The Electro-Aerophone”.

Finger print sound

(2010)

The typical pattern of a finger print looks similar to the spectral representation (in a time-frequency axis) of many sounds.

Therefore, an idea that came to mind was: how would it sound like to convert the finger print into a sound?

My Matlab program answers this question for my own thumb print.

Sax feedback

(2008)

This saxophone is equipped with an internal electronic feeedback loop. A small microphone picks up the acoustic pressure signal in the mouthpiece and, after processing, a signal is send back to the mouthpiece via a loudspeaker that is mounted to it with a funnel.

This way, light but exotic sound variations can be accomplished.

Sound box

(2007)

This closed box starts making a humming and buzzing sound from the moment it is touched. The timbre variates with the orientation of the box.
The internal mechanism remains a secret!