The EV: A New Digital/Acoustic Hybrid Stringed-Instrument Synthesizer

video upload by Brian Lindgren

"The EV is a new digital/acoustic hybrid stringed-instrument synthesizer. The instrument’s FFT convolution algorithms combined with the unique and expressive synthesizer create a gritty and textured realism. Using a novel pitch-tracking technology the instrument achieves both high accuracy and low latency; in this way it overcomes the hurdles that have historically plagued pitch-tracking or ‘MIDI’ stringed-instruments. Most importantly, the EV is reliable, expressive, and enjoyable-to-play. The most unique feature of the EV is its sound. While the pitch-tracking technology allows for a responsive and accurate playing experience (which cannot be overvalued), the FFT convolution unlocks new dimensions of sonic possibility and a uniquely responsive electronic instrument. The parametric customizability of the synthesizers, transfer functions, and FFT engines (not to mention the timbral-responsive nature of the FFT convolution algorithms) allows for a responsive and far-reaching sonic palette. Most synthesizers utilize an interface for pitch input that forces the player to adhere to a ‘Western’ twelve-tone scale system, for example, a keyboard. As the EV is a fretless stringed-instrument, it allows for the creation of synthesized music of any particular tuning system. In this way it suggests the creation of music beyond the Western canon, suggesting myriad musical possibilities."