Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site aoa.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!qantel!lll-crg!seismo!uwvax!harvard!bbnccv!bbncca!aoa!rich
From: rich@aoa.UUCP (Rich Snow)
Newsgroups: net.music.synth
Subject: Re: Synthesizer Controlers:  A New One?
Message-ID: <353@aoa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Nov-85 14:54:01 EST
Article-I.D.: aoa.353
Posted: Wed Nov 27 14:54:01 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 29-Nov-85 21:49:06 EST
Expires: Tue, 10-Dec-85 00:00:00 EST
References: <1586@teddy.UUCP>
Reply-To: rich@aoa.UUCP (Rich Snow)
Distribution: net
Organization: Adaptive Optics Assoc., Cambridge, Mass. USA
Lines: 45
Keywords: percussion?
Summary: sounding good

In article <1586@teddy.UUCP> mjn@teddy.UUCP writes:
>I've been doing some thinking lately on non-keyboard controllers for
>music synthesis (no doubt a common musing for some of you as well).  I've
>Many years ago (1930's ?) there was an instrument developed called the
>theramin.  >By moving your hands through the air, one could control a
>VCO with one hand and a VCA with the other. 

>The original theramin used some sort of electromagnetic
>field to sense hand position.  A more modern
>construction could involve distance or motion sensors
>similar to the ones marketed by Polaroid.  These are often used in
>robotics to sense obstacles and walls in its path.  These are ultrasonic
>in nature, and may be more accurate that older methods.  Anyone have ideas
>on building such a thing?
>
>		Mark J. Norton
>		{decvax,linus,wjh12,mit-eddie,cbosgd,masscomp}!genrad!panda!mjn
>		mjn@sunspot

We should be freed of keys and frets!!!  

Seriously... You might think more about how to work your triggering of the
voice you use.  The amplitude envelope is an important part of voicing
(-and the Theramin sound).  In some cases, when you select a voice on
your synth it's going to be looking for a trigger for it's preset envelope
rather than a changing voltage.  Some sort of selectable threshold should
work, or throw in a light beam & detector which dumps a pulse when broken.

There was a designer's kit for the Polaroid sound circuit (prototype) which
was being sold by the big P here in Cambridge.  I can easily imagine a
system with many sensors controlling varied parameters. (stick your hand
in the path, move it until this or that parameter is changed, pull it out
and have the system hold the last value)

There's also a number of systems for "body tracking" which can provide
coordinates of body members (digital).  These are certainly more expensive
but will be cheap sooner or later (now >5K).  I am experimenting with
one such system which will control a video sythesizer over long distance
phone lines.  This is much more crude than the digital music synths which
you are talking about.  The synth is analog (video synths mostly are yet)
but will be controlled by the D/A'd tracking data.  Such a mess!

	-luck in all ventures
				rich snow
				(-bbncca!aoa!rich)