Inventor Paul Vo (right), designer of the Moog Guitar, Moog Lap Steel and the Vo-96 Acoustic Synthesizer, has announced the creation of a new company, Vo, LLC, designed to turn his ‘acoustic synthesis’ designs into products.
Vo recently completed a successful Kickstarter project to develop the Vo-96 Acoustic Synthesizer – a new guitar, designed to explore Vo’s ideas for ‘acoustic synthesis’. The guitar includes electronics that let you control the vibration and harmonics of each individual string over time, making it possible to create sounds that are impossible with a traditional guitar, but that are still ‘guitar-like’.
Now Vo wants to focus on turning his ideas into instruments.
Michael Koehler, right, is CEO of the new venture. Koehler is not only avid user of alternate tools for making music, but he brings 27 years of experience in the music industry. Past experience includes music production, musical product development and intellectual property licensing.
“I am extremely pleased to announce that Michael Koehler has joined me as my business partner”, says Paul Vo. “Going forward I will concentrate on turning new inventions into products. By running the business side of our venture, Michael will free me up so I can stay in that creative zone where I get things done.”
“This division of responsibilities is going to put wheels on it!” adds Vo. “Michael is enjoying pulling everything together and I’m already designing our next product!”
Vo Inventions, Paul’s original company, will continue to independently service and support the Vo-96. All intellectual property has been transferred to Vo, LLC, which will continue firmware development to bring new features to the Vo-96, and to develop new products based on Paul’s research.
Vo, LLC is located in Asheville, NC. Their mission is ‘to develop revolutionary new methods, technologies and instruments for musical expression.’
Exciting times here in Asheville!
Cool!
Paul, if your listening: 6 vibrating motors (one on each string) digitally controlled by string amplitude and modulated by envelopes, etc, etc… make it happen
That’s a good idea. Let me see what I can do. Wait, wait… And here it is! It’s called a Vo-96 Acoustic Synthesizer!
holly crap!!! I must have missed that part of the article entirely! my username on muffwiggler is even called “VibratingMotorGate”
can the vibrations reach high enough amplitude and low enough frequency to create random rhythmic type pulsing?
The Vo-96 has an amplitude modulation mode with a steady adjustable rate — this is acoustic, real tremolo where the amplitude of vibration goes up and down rhythmically. We are on version 1 firmware; we’ve just scratched the surface of what is possible. Certainly your request of random rhythmic variation is possible, though it is not currently realized in the firmware. We are working on version II firmware but we are concentrating mainly on the sounds, looking to provide a very useful palette of timbres beyond those currently available.
this idea is in dire need of revolution, to make it more than just the truly crappy guitar-ish crap triggering as they’ve invented so far
in order to diss a product you have to know what it does first
The effects are actually pretty interesting, but acoustic synthesis seems tailored to subtle effects, more than most approaches.
I’ll be interested to see this applied to an instrument with more range, like a piano. It would probably be ungodly expensive, but it would allow broader range..
Bring back the Clavinet. Now, that’s a string synth!