1930's Vivitone Electric |
Witness the Vivitone guitar by Lloyd Loar, the Dobro by the Doperya brothers,all the early electric guitars by various inventors and all the stomp boxes and signal processors, both analog and digital.
All were designed to make the acoustic guitar sound louder and different.
I profiled the Moog Guitar back in June 2012.
Unlike most synth guitars The Moog Guitar uses proprietary infinite sustain technology and harmonic blending to coax new and exiting sounds out of this instrument.
The Moog Guitar works best with the customized strings that give optimal sounds based on the strings metallurgy.
Unlike most synth guitars The Moog Guitar uses proprietary infinite sustain technology and harmonic blending to coax new and exiting sounds out of this instrument.
The Moog Guitar works best with the customized strings that give optimal sounds based on the strings metallurgy.
Some of you may recall the Moog Guitar was created by Paul Vo. Mr.
Vo has taken guitar technology to “infinity and beyond.”
Last year Vo unveiled the concept of turning an acoustic guitar
into a synthesizer with his LEV - 96. Through the new Vo – 96, Mr. Vo has taken
acoustic guitar synthesis a step farther.
The battery powered Vo – 96 fits on the lower side of an acoustic guitar’s sound hole and extends to the bridge.
Core 96 Module |
Roland technology uses the strings vibration to send signals via the hex pickup to the synth unit. The guitar becomes more of a controller.
Normally magnetic guitar pickups turn the vibrations of a string
into electronic signals that are then amplified.
All this is done in real time and creates a myriad of possible sounds.
The unit is not for sale. As of this writing, it is just a
concept.
The LEV-96 is a reality, but is being beta tested by guitarists
such as Phil Keaggy and Kaki King.
You have a steel string flat top acoustic guitar. Your
guitar should have a standard sound hole in the usual position. A
standard guitar sound hole of near 4 inches in diameter is necessary. At its closest, the sound hole edge
should be located at least 3 inches away from the raised wood of the
bridge of the guitar.
The spacing of your strings at the bridge measured
between the E1 and E6 strings should be between 2 1/8″ to 2 3/8″ or 2.125″ to 2.375″.
The guitar body must not be unusually thin. The Vo-96
reaches 3 inches down into the instrument measured from the top surface
of the guitar.
The waist of the guitar – the narrowest portion of the body
– must measure at least 8 1/2 inches across.
Most common acoustic guitars will meet these standards.
The one thing that could be an issue is string height. There
needs to be adequate room under the strings for the Vo-96 unit. There needs to
be at least a 1 centimeter clearance. This is about the width of a AAA battery.
The features of the Vo-96 include:
- 12 physical sensor
actuator channels, 2 per string
- 96 virtual
channels of harmonic control, 16 per string
- Capacitive
touch interface with LED status indication and lock-out
- Power,
harmonic blend and note duration touch-sliders
- Adjustable
modulation effects with instant preset save/recall
- 6
quick-change presets in 3 sets of 2 using odd, even and all harmonics
- 3 harmonic
arpeggios unique to six presets independently triggered on 6 strings
- Hex random
harmonic modulation with average rate and amplitude adjust
- Hex Tremolo
with separate triggers per string and rate touch-slider
- Bluetooth
Wireless connectivity for firmware updates and TBD advanced features
- No moving
parts - built to last as long as your guitar
- Attaches and
removes without marring your guitar
- Designed to
run on optional internal battery power or external power adaptor
- Optional 4/hr
advanced LiFePo4 battery with integral charging
- Hardware
platform has large uncommitted resources for firmware expansion
It is a very
interesting concept to utilize Bluetooth Technology instead of a guitar cord
connected to the amplifier or even a radio controlled signal.
Kaki King with the LEV - 96
3 comments:
The Piece about synth guitars is what drove me to your site,
I have been waiting for them to come of ages for 20 years lol
I am expecting a whole new generation of shredders when they take off :D
Can the pickups handle fast playing now?
This informative post has the potent to give precise info about this string instruments that have positive effect on music. Eastman Guitars is also one of the best musical instrument which can bring music in natural rhythm.
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