libreVibes
Percussion MIDI controller
libreVibes is a research project that arises from my experience as a percussionist and as a teacher. In the day to day percussionists frequently encounter difficulties for the development of our profession that go beyond the musical chore. The high cost of instruments, the difficulty in moving them, finding spaces with the appropriate size and acoustic insulation are some of the most common obstacles.
libreVibes proposes a possible solution to these problems. It consists of an electronic percussion instrument based on hardware and free software inspired by the marimbas or electronic vibraphones that currently exist on the market. The instrument is 4 octaves in length and its approximate measurements are 130cm x 30cm x 15cm. The development of the prototype for digital manufacturing was carried out by the Industrial Designer [Walter Reiner] (https://ar.linkedin.com/in/di-walterreiner)
This instrument has 48 pads with piezoelectric sensors driven by a microcontroller that sends messages to a computer. The impact received by each pad is transformed into an analog signal that is filtered and routed to an input of the microcontroller. The microcontroller uses this data to generate a MIDI message with the velocity value corresponding to the note that was struck. This message is sent via USB connection to PC for sound generation.
This project obtained a Special Mention from the jury in the framework of the Award for Innovation in Art, Music and Technology 2016, National University of Quilmes.
It was presented at the Audio Engineering Society Expo 2017 in C.C. San MartÃn, Buenos Aires and in the 9th edition of the ISA Festival of the Arts, University of the Arts, Havana, Cuba in 2018.
Presentation at AES Expo 2017 in C.C. San Martin, Buenos Aires
#MIDI #hardware #software
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