In his latest video, synthesist Hainbach takes a look a the Ondioline, a rare French electronic instrument, from 1939, that offers expressive capabilities that are still rare on synthesizers today.
The Ondioline was created by French inventor Georges Jenny (1913 – 1975), who made the instruments from the late 1940s through his death in 1975.
The Ondioline is a monophonic electronic instrument that’s a precursor to modern monosynths. But the Ondioline features expresssive performance capabilities that are still rare, including the ability to bend notes or add vibrato using gestures similar to what you’d use on a string instrument.
Georges Jenny Ondioline Demo:
“This is the story and sound of the Ondioline, an instrument I love so much I recorded an entire album with it,” notes Hainbach.
His new album, Breve, features the rare instrument. You can preview it below or via Bandcamp:
Cool, its the great grand-pappy of MPE! Its amusing to see how closely it comes in emulating acoustic instruments. It really is about the expressive gestures.
Hainbach always has the weirdest, coolest stuff.
That german vid was cool, playing back the expressive keyboard version of their performances.