SynthAxe

SynthAxe wikipedia

"This ain't no MIDI guitar" (inc labelled diagram)

Set up and demo

The SynthAxe is a good example of an instrument-like dmi in that it attempts to recreate the features of a guitar in a MIDI controller. The controller consists of a guitar-like neck complete with frets and strings. The strings are not responsible for producing sound themselves but rather provide control data when fretting and bending. Interestingly, it is also possible to attack the instrument by plucking strings but these strings are in fact a completely separate set. These strings are much shorter and are mounted on the instrument's body. They use magnets and the '"hall effect" for velocity control. As well as this there are also a set of 6 drum pad like controllers which can be used to play the instrument. Each pad acts the same as the 6 control strings but also has after-touch sensitivity. In this way individual notes in a chord can be modified as the chord is being held. There are also various other controllers on the body which presumably can be mapped as the player sees fit. There is also a whammy bar. Naturally the whammy-bar need not exclusively be assigned to pitch bends but can also be used to control things like filter cut offs to produce interesting effects.

This is certainly an interesting instrument and especially I think for its use of real guitar strings. This will naturally add a realistic level of haptic feedback for the player in that they will be able to feel the strings bending and vibrating with their fingers, giving an experience akin the naturalness of acoustic instruments. I would imagine this would greatly add to the experience and engagement when playing the instrument. The pads are a nice touch since they add a method of control not possible on acoustic guitars which will allow a different feel to the sounds being produced. One draw back is that although there is haptic feedback I assume there is no vibrotactile feedback. Also the sound source is located externally from the controller, which would unlikely even have the low audible noise output of an electric guitar. It seems a shame to have great haptic feedback but not to go the whole hog and give vibrotactile feedback as well as possibly an internal sound source to really create a complete system which feels like a "proper instrument" to the player. This is further confounded of course by the amount of extra equipment the instrument requires (rather than the pedals etc being optional extras like an electric guitar). Another point to make is that I assume the method of excitation used to play the string controller has no effect on the sound. To my knowledge the waveform imposed on the string is not measured so using different playing styles (finger vs plectrum picking for example) and changing one's position on the string will not have audible effects.

This instrument is cited as the inspiration for Futureman's "Drumitar." Futureman is the percussionist with (predominantly) the group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. He plays (amongst other things) a custom made MIDI percussion instrument called the Drumitar. The Drumitar uses a series of drum pads mounted on a guitar-shaped instrument to trigger samples. This is a great instrument and well worth looking at. It can also be said that Futureman is a virtuosic performer on his drumitar which proves its worth as an instrument. I can't confirm that the Drumitar is in fact a modified SynthAxe but the shape and style of the controller is certainly similar. Nor can I confirm exactly where each pad is located on the instrument since the decorations are weird and the layout seems frankly bewildering to look at.

An interview with Futureman gives a great demonstration of playing the Drumitar (though sadly lacks an description of what is or how it works, aside from mentioning samples). See part 1 and part 2.