The Key-Bowed Synthesizer (Sneak Preview)

Designer Washiyama Giken created the Key-bowed synthesizer, a custom instrument that’s designed to combined keyboard keying with bowing, to give you expressive ‘string style’ control.

The synthesizer combines a Roland K-25m keyboard and a self-made bowing sensor with a vertical acrylic plate. The sound engine is based on an Arduino Uno R4 Minima processor.  Sound is generated by inputting the drive waveform, extracted by a piezo sensor, to a string vibration model.

The demo video features a performance of Carrying You, from the Laputa: Castle in the Sky soundtrack.

Previous examples of bow-controlled synthesis include Pen2Bow, a violin bow MIDI controller for iOS, and the O-Bow Optical Bow Controller.

via Yanko

2 thoughts on “The Key-Bowed Synthesizer (Sneak Preview)

  1. youtubes ugh bot sign in? no thanks!

    anyway, cool idea, crappy keybed, but neat idea! hope to hear it someday without googles icky fingers in it.

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