Sound Actions by Alexander Refsum Jensenius

Author:Alexander Refsum Jensenius
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: musical instruments; music technology; techno-cognition; synthesizers; interactive music systems; digital musical instruments; musical gestures; musicking; human-computer interaction; music performance; music analysis; music theory; musicology; sound and music computing; new interfaces for musical expression
Publisher: The MIT Press

Figure 8.6

A Victorian synthesizer is possibly the most simplistic electric instrument. It only contains a speaker element, a battery, and cables between them. The instrument can be played by adding metal pieces to the circuit.

There are numerous examples of more complex analog instruments; see, for example, the excellent overview of analog synthesizers by Jenkins (2007). When browsing catalogs of commercially available analog instruments, one realizes that the keyboard quickly made its appearance. Famous examples of early analog instruments—such as the Ondes Martenot—rely on a piano-like control surface. As we know, keyboard-based control has remained remarkably popular in later generations of analog instruments and has also been the de facto standard in digital interfaces. Of commercially successful instruments with keyboard control, one could mention the Hammond organ, Wurlitzer piano, and Moog synthesizers. I find it interesting that while the Hammond and Wurlitzer are often referred to as “organ” and “piano,” respectively, many Moog instruments are called “synthesizers.” This may be seen as part of the shift of attention from instruments being sound makers to music makers. Many of the early synthesizers could be thought of as something in between: “sound modifiers.”

It is also worthwhile reflecting on the use of the term “keyboard.” The word itself refers to the controller of an instrument, as you would find in a piano or organ. Synthesizers, however, come in all shapes and do not necessarily need to have a keyboard-like controller. So what is the difference between playing a “synthesizer” and playing a “keyboard”? I have heard people argue that the main difference is that synthesizers do not have speakers built in, while keyboards do. The same people may also disregard such keyboards as toys for kids. In my thinking, the two terms are incomparable. One describes the controller (keyboard), while the other the sound engine (synthesizer). Numerous instruments with a synthesizer as a sound engine are not controlled with a keyboard interface. There are also examples of keyboard-based instruments that are not based on sound synthesis, such as sample-based devices. Nowadays, it is also common to buy keyboard controllers with no sound engine or speakers.

The gradual modularization of electro-acoustic instruments—both analog and digital—has changed how music is made. The first analog devices were standalone instruments, complete with a control interface, sound engine, and built-in speaker. Then the speakers were “removed,” before the controller was also split from the sound engine. Finally, the sound engines were split into many small components. This gradual modularization was at least partly driven by the ability to route control voltage signals in different ways (Bjørn and Meyer 2018). With an increased standardization among manufacturers, it became possible to send electric control messages between devices. The development of digital MIDI signaling reduced the need for passing electric signals between devices. Analog instruments saw a general decline after the introduction of digital devices in the 1980s. Still, analog devices kept being developed and used, and we have recently witnessed a revival (Barlindhaug 2019). Several manufacturers have taken up production of old analog models or developed affordable versions of old synthesizer concepts.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.