The Ondes Martenot had a ring on a string pitch controller as you can see pictured in Karen Evil's design to the left. It acts much like a ribbon controller but instead of pressing down you place your finger in the ring and hope it doesn't get sliced off. jk. :)
There is also the gate/trigger pedal contraption to trigger notes as you can see in the video.
If you aren't familiar with the Ondes Martenot, see the label below for previous posts.
"Here is my video showing how my self-made Ondes Martenot MIDI Controller prototype works. I used an Arduino to control software synthesizer "KORG Legacy Collection Mono/Poly for Mac OS X" in this system. At the end of this video, I played "The Swan (Saint-Saens)" on my Ondes Martenot MIDI Controller.
More info at "Ondes Martenot MIDI controller project"
Part1 http://gam.boo.jp/blog/archives/2012/07/midi.html
Part2 http://gam.boo.jp/blog/archives/2012/08/midi_1.html
Part3 http://gam.boo.jp/blog/archives/2012/09/midiondes_marte.html"
"My uCVC module has arrived from Evaton Tech. It's a CV converter that takes the USB output of the Hakken Audio Continuumini (little sibling to the Hakken Continuum keyboard) and breaks it into usable CV outputs.
I got it specifically to use with the Ondes VCO, because the original Ondes Martenot after which the Ondes VCO is modelled used a...well what to me appears to be a ring on a string. So a continuous pitch movement rather than quantized by keys. I already had the Continuumini, so figured it should be a perfect match.
This is me running through the various voices on the Ondes VCO and different pitch ranges on the Continuumini to see what we get.
For a sequencer-based demo, see my earlier video on the Ondes VCO:"
Ondes VCO from Therevox - Ondes Martenot in Eurorack format
video upload by
"This is a first look at the Ondes VCO. It just arrived, and I'm so pleasantly surprised by the sound that I figured I'd put a quick video up so others can hear it as well.
It's not a 'standard' VCO. Based on the Ondes Martenot, each of its voices are, on the one hand, traditional (sine, square, triangle), and on the other specifically treated to give a sound that's unique. And because it allows for onboard mixing of waves, all sorts of variety is possible.
I'll dig in deeper later, but for now, have a listen to some of the very
particular voices that come out of this module.
Sequence from Stochastic IG. Envelope from Zadar.
00:00 Intro
00:20 Individual voices
01:28 Slow sequence
05:19 Add reverb and delay
09:16 Fast sequence
10:55 Tighter envelope"
First three parts of Richard Lainhart's lecture at the Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival on Friday, May 6, 2011, 2PM PST. These cover the CEMS (Coordinated Electronic Music Studio - see the CEMS label below for more), theremin, and ondes Martenot. The audio on these are a little on the low side so remember to turn your speakers back down after listening. You can find a full transcript for each part below in case you can't quite make things out. You can catch Richard Lainhart's lecture on the Buchla 200e and Haken Continuum, followed by a performance, in this previous post.
This app captures the magic of early classic slider controlled synthesisers such as the Ondes-Martenot (1928) Trautonium (1929) and Tannerin/electro-theremin (1950s)
The E Theremin has three oscillators that generate a rich fat analogue tone, with a choice of 4 waveforms (saw, square, triangle and sine) octave shift and amp control. The E Theremin can achieve portamento, vibrato and quarter-tones with precise control. 4 presets allow you to store your sounds and jump quickly between them during performance.
– Ideal for professionals looking for an alternative to the keyboard controlled synth.
– Great for anyone interested in synthesizers, particularly early analogue.
In 1928 Maurice Martenot created one of the first electronic musical instruments, entitled; the Ondes-Martenot, the prerunner to the theremin, similar in sound but with a very different type of user interaction, an inspiring slider on a cord was used. Later in the 1950s Paul Tanner invented the Tannerin a.k.a. Electro Theremin. The Tannerin used the same slider controls as the Ondes-Martenot to control pitch. The Tannerin went on to play a large role in records such as The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”.
Summarized Features
– Three oscillators (osc2 unison)
– 4 waveforms
– 3 octave slide control
– Fat analogue sound
– Jump between 4 user presets
– Classic slider pitch control
– Retina GUI
Les Diffuseurs (La Palme and Le Metallique bundle) are inspired by famous and highly unique speakers (called “diffuseurs”) that came with the Ondes Martenot, featuring a palm-shaped resonance chamber laced with 12 strings or a gong cabinet, which adds a specific metallic character to the Ondes Martenot sound.
With the help of Nori Ubukata and Yves Usson we reproduced these classic speakers, La Palme and Le Metallique. In addition, more possibilities have been added, such as the ability to mute any string, global transposition and real-time change of the gong's size.
But this was not enough!
The True Stereo Dynamic Engine ( TSDE ):
We pushed the concept even further by offering a True Stereo engine, so that you could position the two units, left and right, in a stereo image. True Stereo doesn’t mean a simple panoramic tool, with our TSDE you can place a speaker in front of the stereo field or farther back: You master the Space!
"In which I demo an instrument amplifier inspired by the 1932 designed Resonateurs Métalliques by Martenot. The out-of-production Eowave Metallik Resonator is a beautiful sounding instrument, that instead of speaker cone uses a gong to turn electrical signals into sound. Thanks to @Josh Semans for showing the Ondes Martenot in this video."
"The French Connection is on of the greatest Controllers ever built... A truly elegant and beautifully built controller. This one is early serial number 10... In super excellent condone with very minor wear and tear from use inside a climate controlled professional studio..."
"Based upon the legendary Ondes Martenot, the French Connection is a unique controller for virtuoso performance. By placing a finger through the ring suspended below the physical keyboard, the player can glide smoothly between notes by moving the playing hand from left to right, creating a very natural vibrato in the process. Theremin effects are easily obtained by connecting one of the CV outputs to an external VCO with sine wave output.
The French Connection is a 49-note CV/Gate keyboard controller supplying (3) CV outputs, (1) Gate output, and (1) Trigger output. In addition, there is an XY Joystick Controller, selector switches for normal keyboard duties, and the Ondes Martenot Controller via a Wire Traveller and pressure resistant wooden button. The French Connection controller does not have MIDI and does not emit any sound, but by connecting it to a minimum of (1) VCO with sine or saw waveform, plus a VCA, the Martenot effect is easily obtained.
The user can line up the Wire Traveller with a raised and indented reference grid below the Traveller (a wire under tension with a ring that the user puts his finger through) to land accurately on the desired notes, or can use the keyboard as a visual aid.
The user can select between Traveller and Keyboard modes with the 2 selector switches for Button and Conventional Keyboard playing. For example, if the expression is routed from the button to a VCA with LFO routed thru it (for vibrato), the player can achieve effects much like the Arp PPC controller on an Odyssey III / Axxe II.
The French Connection is housed in a gorgeous American Walnut cabinet and each one is hand built. This instrument has received worldwide attention since Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead started using his in their studio sessions and on their live tours."
"Experiments with my ondes Martenot and the ZVEX Mastotron pedal. Part of an ongoing series of videos pairing the ondes Martenot with various effects pedals and sound processors."
"We recently started working on an arrangement of the first of Satie's three Gymnopédies, adapted for ondes Martenot and Piano. This is audio from a recent rehearsal of our arrangement, accompanied by some assorted video clips from the same rehearsal.
It's not a 'live' video, so to speak. The audio and visuals are largely asynchronous.
Ondes Martenot (Ondomo) & Piano by Josh & Joshua, Video captured and graded by Mark.
"Ondes is an extraordinarily fun and expressive musical instrument for iPad.
Inspired by early electronic instruments such as the Ondes Martenot and the Theremin, Ondes emulates the fluid playing style of those classic instruments with an interface and synthesis engine firmly grounded in the present day.
Whether you’re gliding through melodies & chord changes or creating dense polyphonic sci-fi soundscapes, Ondes is an instrument unlike any you’ve played before.
Recommended for use with headphones or external speakers.
Ondes is the latest music app from Olympia Noise Co., developer of App Store Editor's Choice* Chordion.
◆◆◆◆ Expressive Playing Surface ◆◆◆◆
Slide freely between notes, Ondes doesn’t limit you to the keys on a keyboard.
Adjustable note snapping for ultimate flexibility in playing style and ease of use.
Vertical movements change volume, adding dynamic possibility to your music.
More polyphony than you have fingers!
One and half octave keyboard range moveable from C1 to F#6.
Guidelines in any major or minor key.
◆◆◆◆ Unique Synthesis Engine ◆◆◆◆
Morphing wavetable oscillator with five wavetable sets.
Wavetable modulation sources include y-axis, sine wave, noise, circle, and ADSR envelope.
Resonant low pass filter.
Filter modulation sources include ADSR envelope, sine wave, and y-axis.
Amplifier section with master volume and ADSR envelope.
◆◆◆◆ Effects ◆◆◆◆
Large selection of reverb types with adjustable amount.
Delay effect adjustable level, feedback, time and filter.
◆◆◆◆ Beautiful Design ◆◆◆◆
Visualization of synthesis parameters makes for fun and intuitive editing of parameters.
Clutter free screen lets you focus on making music.
◆
Built-in Manual
Audiobus and interapp audio included. Record directly to Garageband and other audio apps on your iPad.
Supports Audiobus State-Saving
* Chordion: App Store Editor's Choice in 23 Countries, App Store Best of 2013, Innovative Music Apps, China, Japan, and South Korea."
"Based upon the legendary Ondes Martenot, the French Connection is a unique controller for virtuoso performance. By placing a finger through the ring suspended below the physical keyboard, the player can glide smoothly between notes by moving the playing hand from left to right, creating a very natural vibrato in the process. Theremin effects are easily obtained by connecting one of the CV outputs to an external VCO with sine wave output.
The French Connection is a 49-note CV/Gate keyboard controller supplying (3) CV outputs, (1) Gate output, and (1) Trigger output. In addition, there is an XY Joystick Controller, selector switches for normal keyboard duties, and the Ondes Martenot Controller via a Wire Traveller and pressure resistant wooden button. The French Connection controller does not have MIDI and does not emit any sound, but by connecting it to a minimum of (1) VCO with sine or saw waveform, plus a VCA, the Martenot effect is easily obtained.
The user can line up the Wire Traveller with a raised and indented reference grid below the Traveller (a wire under tension with a ring that the user puts his finger through) to land accurately on the desired notes, or can use the keyboard as a visual aid.
The user can select between Traveller and Keyboard modes with the 2 selector switches for “Button” and “Conventional Keyboard” playing. For example, if the expression is routed from the button to a VCA with LFO routed thru it (for vibrato), the player can achieve effects much like the Arp PPC controller on an Odyssey III / Axxe II.
The French Connection is housed in a gorgeous American Walnut cabinet and each one is hand built. This instrument has received worldwide attention since Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead started using his in their studio sessions and on their live tours."
Update: in case you read this post when it first went up, be sure to give it another look for a few updates. It's a bit convoluted with quite a few tangents, but that's how it goes sometimes.
The following are some excerpts and tie-ins to other bits of synth history.
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Initially a saxophone player, Bruno Spoerri explored electronic music in the 1960s on.
"In 1964 he was invited to a job in an advertising agency and began to work with electronic music using a Ondes Martenot and, after, using lots of synthesizers and also experimenting with electrified/synthesized saxophones..." "As a saxophonist and jazz improviser I always looked for ways to play without a keyboard."
Pictured above is Bruno with his EMS Synthi 100 (videos previously posted here and here).
On the Synthi 100: "I bought the Synthi 100 in 1971. In 1987 I gave it to Felix Visser (Synton) in exchange for a Fairlight CMI; some years he had to sell it at an auction, and I don't know where it is now (I would recognize the instrument, as I did some small changes on it)." It was listed on Vemia back in 2009 posted here and here. Click though for pics.
In 1974, he recorded the album 'Iischalte (Switched-on Switzerland)'.
Bruno Spoerri - Le Ranz Des Vaches
Uploaded on Jul 25, 2011 Aura Archange Maudit·57 videos
Imágenes de la película La lunga notte di Veronique (1966)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183441/
Video made by Aura Archange Maudit"
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"On 'Voice Of Taurus' (1978), Bruno Spoerri experiments a lot with electrified wind instruments and also with jazz-rock and rock."
Bruno Spoerri - Hymn Of Taurus (Taurus Is Calling You!)
Uploaded on Nov 19, 2009 MrJJBonanza·29 videos
Re-Published on Sep 30, 2014 Bruno Spoerri - Topic
"First track of Bruno Spoerri's 'Voice Of Taurus'
1978 Gold Records, Switzerland
Cat# 11 061 (Vinyl, LP)
Bruno Spoerri on 'Hymn Of Taurus':
"The rhythm track was created with my very first primitive ring modulator (4 diodes and 2 transformers) that is why it is so dirty The voice went of course through the EMS vocoder, the choir was created through the VAKO Orchestron."
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Again, don't miss the full interview with Bruno Spoerri on Astronauta Pinguim here. There's some fascinating history there including Ginette Martenot and the Ondes Martenot, Oskar Sala with his Mixturtrautonium, and Joel Chadabe. Regarding his original gear, "most of my analog gear is sold (most of it to the remarkable Swiss Synthorama of Martin Hollinger), but I still have my first synthi, the EMS VCS-3 (from 1970), the ARP 2600 with sequencer and the Lyricon I and II. I use the lyricon quite often in performances, the other gear mostly for demonstrations to visitors."
I was fortunate enough to visit Synthorama back in 2008. You can find my pics and videos from the visit here. See the Synthorama label for other posts including a one of a kind modular, the Airböurne, created by the curator of the museum, Martin Hollinger.
"Les diffYUseurs is a device that emulates the sound & effect emitted by the different diffusers (loudspeakers) made by Maurice Martenot for the Ondes Martenot. It was created and designed by Yves Usson aka Yusynth (http://yusynth.net/index_en.php).
I have been testing a prototype Yves sent me (with my logo & name on it, so classy!!!) with my theremin. Yves did add some additional effects to this pedal - i am only showing a few in the video:
D1 - principal diffuser
D2 - resonance diffuser
D3 - metallic diffuser
D4 - Palme diffuser
Ring modulator
Tremolo & reverb
Bell
Additional effects are : chorus, flanger, pitch shift, pitch echo, transpose, a second palme diffuser, a second metallic diffuser.
A few other people also got a diffYUseurs and after our feedbacks, Yves will make some adjustments and offer a totally "theremin friendly" diffYUseurs. It will be available at the next Theremin Academy in Lausanne in February 2019. (https://theremin.academy/fr/)
Theremin & Video : Therminal C (Coralie Ehinger)
Music : a few notes taken from JayJay Joahnson 'so tell the girls that i am back in town'"
"Full titles read: 'For generations the invention of new music-making instruments has almost stood still. Today we present Professor Maurice Martenot with his new electrical creation.'
M/S's of Martenot playing the new instrument. The invention has a keyboard similar to that of a piano, however it also has a strange wire that lies on top of the keys, which Martenot holds as he plays. Martenot explains that the machine works by electrical devices and opens up the it's top to look inside. He makes several sounds with the device including the sound of a bird and of a double bass, just by pressing a few buttons.
Note: Appears to be a very early form of electrical organ or synthesiser. Ron Saunders says "This Frenchman's accent puts Sellers / Clouseau's to shame".
90,000 historic films, all SEARCHABLE on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/britishpathe Join us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/britishpathe Tweet us @britishpathe FILM ID:1094.22"
Ondes is a fantastic app in my eyes for special playing with synthesis. You can also add it to your modular synthesizer setup
Inspired by early electronic instruments such as the Ondes Martenot and the Theremin, Ondes emulates the fluid playing style of those classic instruments with an interface and synthesis engine firmly grounded in the present day.
Whether you’re gliding through melodies & chord changes or creating dense polyphonic sci-fi soundscapes, Ondes is an instrument unlike any you’ve played before.
Olympia Noise Co. has released version 1.4 of Ribbons, their Ondes Martenot-inspired electronic instrument. With this free update, Ribbons is now universal, supporting iPhone 5s and newer, and adds support for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) output.
On the iPhone, Ribbons now can use touch pressure (Z-Axis) to control various parameters of the synth, including LFO Depth and Rate, Wavetable, Volume, and Filter setting. Z-Axis can also be used to control MPE parameters. Z-Axis is only available on devices that support 3D Touch (iPhone 6 and newer).
When Ribbons (née Ondes) launched in 2014, MPE was not yet a MIDI standard, so the implementation of the MIDI output was a bit of hack; Each finger could be mapped to a unique MIDI Port and Channel, allowing each touch to control a different MIDI destination. While this mode is still available (“Classic mode”), Ribbons now supports the MPE MIDI standard, allowing you to use the unique Ribbons interface to control MPE synths like Moog Model D and Model 15.
For a full list of features, visit Ribbons on the App Store"
"A selection of presets from the Poly Ondes, a polyphonic version of the Ondes Martenot. This synth is included in Soniccouture's Ondes Virtual Instrument: http://www.soniccouture.com/en/produc..."
