How to build a jammer

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

If you are interested in the Thummer(tm) and the whole class of instruments called jammers, see http://musicscienceguy.vox.com/ for info on how jammers work and how to build one. Input is sincerely wanted.
MusicScienceGuy.

seraph · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:12 am Post subject:

Hi MusicScienceGuy
welcome to electro-music.com Very Happy

Thanks for posting the link to your site. very interesting Exclamation

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Hello good people.
I've built a couple of jammers like the Thummer that Jim P. is trying to get financing for. I've put on my blog reasonably detailed instructions on how to make a gig-grade jammer from a M-Audio 88es conventional keyboard. Cost is circa $400 plus 3 fairly solid weekends of work (possibly less). Naturally I'm a proud father and want to show it off and hope someone, somewhere finds it useful Smile

.

Ken, MSG

seraph

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

seraph · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:04 pm Post subject:

scary

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

ericcoleridge · Joined: Jan 16, 2007 Posts: 889 Location: NYC

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

jjj · Posted: Sat May 31, 2008 10:23 am Post subject:

I just had another bright idea: How about using ordinary buttons, tailors use for clothing, as key tops? For instance, you could choose the right button; i.e. convex shaped and round-edged, so that one can slight the finger along the keys. Buttons come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Even the sewing holes don't interfere and there exist also buttons without holes. Otherwise it might be even more costly to manufacture a special batch of such buttons.

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Brilliant idea. I'll check it out.

seraph · Posted: Sat May 31, 2008 12:18 pm Post subject:

be prepared to discuss this matter with female jammer player regarding color and shape of those buttons Twisted Evil

jjj · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:14 am Post subject:

ericcoleridge wrote:

jjj · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:35 am Post subject:

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Thanks for the laugh!

Every morning I get up, and witness a miracle - it's a miracle the glass in my bathroom mirror does not break. Surprised

Ken.

jjj · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:42 pm Post subject:

Quote:

attach a joystick to the keyboard

Normally, your both hands are busy playing the keyboard. So, there wouldn't be much of a chance to control expression etc. with the left hand.
Yamaha Tyros2 (for example) offers players one finger accompaniment control and thus, they have more opportunities to control/handle other settings.
Live-Styler.de offers the same for only US 51.18
Then you can mount ten more controls on top of the Synth. Smile

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

<ahem>
To get back on topic, what do you think of the option to attach a joystick to the keyboard? if mounted on the hand, thumb, foot or mouth, ti would give 2 extra dimensions of expression. They are cheap too, about $7.00 each.

Ken.

jjj · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject:

Your Joystick question is answered above (in this string).

I'm fond of that Tyros 2 Synth, but I would have a problem to benefit from its "super articulation", because it's controlled by key pressure/ velocity.
In that case I would have to settle for a Janko adapter (the same I built on my Roland Synth) or using Yamaha's BC3 breath controller with a plug-in keyboard.
Of course the next one I build will have slightly convex-shaped keys with rounded edges; similar to professional button accordions.
It would be great if they could be made hexagonal to avoid empty spaces, but then again, it doesn't bother button accordion players. Maybe their key-down depth is less than (that of my Synth) 10mm ?
More important is that the bottom of the key tops is almost bellow the key-down level of adjacent keys. I don't think yours are, Ken. That's when your fingers might get hooked underneath adjacent key tops and that's why all the corner sides should be rounded. The thickness of the keys should be about 6 to 7mm. Here's how the keys should be shaped to allow the finger to slide over it:

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MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Rounding the keys - good idea
Actually, my keys have rounded edges and rounded corners. It was a true pain to make them so, but would have been more painful yet to have left them square - they'd be pretty sharp to play.

Rounding the keys was very labour intensive. - 130 or so keys, most with 6 sides, and most with 6 corners to round.
The underside was not rounded. I have definitely not found that to be problem.

On a better design and mount for the mod wheels
Mounting a 2 big pitch bend/mod wheels on the end of the keyboard, as is standard design is just plain silly - and marks them as design afterthoughts. Much worse is that it's hard to integrate using the wheels with using the keys. So the wheels are used as gimmicks, gimmicks that one can use only one at a time.

So how about if we replace the mod wheels with one or 2 joysticks, and put them in the center, or even mount them on a glove you can wear? Then you can adjust your pitches and timbre as you play.

What do you think?

Ken.

jjj · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:21 am Post subject:

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Ah, but as Jim Plamondon points out, we do have thumbs.
Ken.

jjj · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:41 pm Post subject:

But that only works with Wicky... and even there it might be pretty difficult to vary tremolo/ volume (like with accordion) changes and at the same time playing melody or manual bass/chord accompaniment.

That's why I planed to use an old 120-button accordion bass box for manual and automatic (Live-Styler) accompaniment, suspend this box onto springs, (mounted in a frame) so that (similar to bellow movements) I can easily & precisely shake the whole box and so, induce volume/ tremolo variations. This ingenious arrangement even works with BC3 without using breath from my mouth, but rather a self-made Mini air-bellow attached to a lever.

Since your design doesn't offer any of these possibilities, I'm afraid you'll have to go without it! ...Unless of course you come up with an equally ingenious device idea (of which I didn't think yet), which successfully resolves this dilemma.
Think hard and harder, for the success of your project is all yours!

Obviously, for your project the simplest solution is to advice buyers to use apply the BC3 breath controller for effective volume & tremolo variations.

jjj · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:05 pm Post subject:

That how th BC3 breath controller works: move the slider 69% forwards... that you hear the Sax.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qksKsEnsxpU

---------------
The BC3 requires a separate MIDI interface box, unless the Synth has an input for it.

Breathalizer:

http://www.synthony.com/vintage/midisolutions.html

Can you please see how much this one cost, because here (in Chile) the price isn't shown They explain that they ship only to US & Canada.

MusicScienceGuy · Joined: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 97 Location: Vancouver, Canada

That link gives me no information - it just dies when I link to it.
Ken.

seraph · Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:59 pm Post subject: