victorian synth

.forum - week one.

victorian synth on youtube

Making a ‘Victorian Synth’ in Music Tech forum was a fun and simple introduction to the realm of instrument construction. As far as I could tell, the two main ways to alter the sound of the speaker being connected to a 9V battery was to, firstly, alter the signal flow between the battery and speaker (like running the connection point over a metal file) or to, secondly, alter the output capability of the speaker itself (like burying the speaker in a bowl of rocks). Using the second of these possibilities, Seb used a paper clip to generate a pitch sweeping pseudo-oscillator tone. For me this was the most impressive used of the victorian synth.

Mitchell Whitelaw’s keynote presentation at ACMC last year featured a video in which a small green dot wobbled around and expanded into different shapes. I was really impressed with by this video. He went on to explain how it was created; by connecting a weird mishmash of electronics into a video input. I am hoping that this ‘Electronics, Instruments and Improvisation’ course touches on other media (particularly visual) at some point.

This kind of experimentation with electronic componentry can obviously have breathtaking results, having said that, I do not think I will ever need to play a victorian synth again. Just on that, if we were to compare what we were doing with the vicorian synth to the tele-visual media, that is, if we were outputting through a screen rather than a speaker, we would then have been perhaps drawing on a screen and putting objects on it, like we were doing to the speaker. However in the visual medium one would tend not to do this, it seems a little stupid, and having said that I am happy working from the behind the output device. The possibilities of what one can create and send to a speaker, rather than what one can create by altering the vibration of that speaker, are greater and preferable.

This course intends for each student to create an instrument, which to then use for improvisation. I have idea for my own interface/intrument, which springs from this dilemma: Oftentimes I am sitting at my computer tapping a beat on the desk then trying to write this into a program like Sibelius or Reason. While both extensive experience with this, and years of aural classes have diminished this problem for me, I still feel that an interface which cuts out the middle man between my desk, my brain and the computer should exist (perhaps one does?). So basically what I am envisaging is an electronic drum kit that is played with your fingers and is primarily (but not exclusively) a tool for composition. As I have said already, the avenues toward visual output are also attractive. Just an idea.

.sources.

Haines, Christian. Tomczak, Seb. Whittington, Stephen. 26.07.07 "Introduction to Electronics, Instruments and Improvisation," EMU, Adelaide University.