Digitally controlled dynamics - sustain/damping

[ashcatlt]

I guess this could be considered an effect.

This guy seems to have taken the more "traditional" sustainer set up and stuck a computer in there to control how it reacts.

[4real]

Yes, much like what the Moog does...some of the sounds are a bit piercing, but in the end, a guitar string can't be forced to be a 'synth' as the Ebow attempts to suggest. Digital manipulation of essentially the phase of the signal will of course give you a lot more 'control' and even create an 'anti-sustainer' effect as shown in some of the clips...but those amazingly high harmonics that are not dampened will set of the neighbours dogs while you emulate your banjo. Things like the fluty sounds are of course possible...because with infinite sustain you can control the envelope quite a bit...unfortunately, the picking noise and piezo artifacts detract from the overall effect. Had he combined volume swells or auto envelope effect to the front of the note it would be a great sound.

In the end, the devil is in the detail...an achievement, but you are looking at a driver replacing the bridge pickup, quite a sophisticated piezo bridge system...and a computer to drive the strings and the end result not that much greater, and less 'organic' (it is intended for more even controlled sustain obviously) than a guitar that is really feeding back and levels controlled by compression and the like...something far easier to do. And while the signal may be digitally manipulated and fine tuned, the system is essentially physical in the way it drives the strings.

There are some lovely applications at the very end of the vid and in the 'event' (not sure what he means there) clips...on the other hand things like the trem thing is a bit pointless and better achieved with processing I suspect, especially in such a controlled setting...and the dampening thing, really kind of sounds 'bad' in the way...perhaps a filter could take out those extreme high end noises.

What I always wondered though was that if one were to be getting more and more into 'control' by following this route (which does take a bit of computer power to achieve) if perhaps a similar effect of 'infinite sustain' would not better be achieved by sample and hold kind of effects...maybe even combining with midi. Many guitar synths can now do these kinds of things very effectively continuing to play strings, without even having to continue to fret them...allowing for a whole other realm of playing potential.

I went to a demo of roland's flag ship synth and controller with fenders V strat and it was impressive. On this kind of sustain front, all manner of sustain effects were possible and parameters controlled by an infra read beam. You could for instance, bring in the infinite sustain effect or hold and such, just by the proximity of the headstock say to the beams source and receiver...or if one were to feel more traditional...a foot pedal.

Once you require that kind of computing power to analyse a strings vibration and move the phase to control it in real time...why not just use a computer to sample what is being played into it by an ordinary guitar and apply algorithms to it as to how it will react...

Unless of course, one really wants the organic sound of the feedback guitar..and that is where the effect seems really to shine in use, even in these clips....the bloom of the harmonics and the way the notes 'evolve' through time. The digital manipulation does give you enhanced control...but also controls the most organic effects to quite a degree...there is a place for it...but I think the effect can be done and maximized by simpler means.

It's interesting...but the devils are in the details and the 'cost' is kind of disguised. Yes, it uses a piezo for the signal which being none magnetic allows for the use of an electromagnetic driver near it in that position without a screaming loop...but then, you can't have an operating electromagnetic pickup near it and not create that problem either. So, you lose your bridge pup and have to have an onboard computer of sorts...a variax type of instrument would be far more an obvious choice for such a device I always though...taking out the magnetic pups completely along with all it's problems...and already has a piezo bridge and onboard processing power and remote power required.

Still, a fine effort and there are some nice touches of how one might use such an instrument in a musical way which is nice. For that damping with less fuss and cost...thread some cling film through the strings...use tin foil right and you might even make a sitar! Of course Leo and others had such an effect with the flip up mute...but I am not sure that anyone found that necessary either when you have a far more responsive mute in your own hands...or of course, taking up banjo!

[jcgss77]

Pretty neat. His technique had a very haunting, yet still a beautiful sound. Well, until it went into a continuous feedback.