Yesterday I happened to come across quite an amazing web page. The page featured an automated C melody saxophone called Autosax, by Godfried-Willem Raes, from the Netherlands.
Source: logosfoundation.org
This is how Raes describes the sax:
This instrument is a computer controlled acoustical saxophone. The instrument can be played by standard MIDI commands, but it is also capable of producing a wealth of multiphonics, slaptongues and other special effects. The sound production is realized through an acoustical but computer controlled reed mechanism using a compressor for the wind supply and a fast regulating conical valve for expression control.
Source: logosfoundation.org
The lightbulbs -clearly visible on the picture- are not just a visual feature but serve as voltage dependent resistors in series with the solenoid valves controlling the keys, thus preventing overheating of the coils when many keys are opened and stay opened for a long time. Different and non standard fingerings can be applied, leading eventualy to multiphonics.
The instrument is controlled via MIDI. It uses 3 PIC microcontrollers, one of which is a DS type used for the reed control, the tuning and the intonation, the other ones taking care of the keys and the airpressure and compressor motor.
The normal note range is 48 to 81, but due the possibilities of the reed mechanism, we provided in an extended range in the low end, descending down to midi note 0. Of course users should not expect a realistic C-melody saxophone sound from this range. The sounds produced in this extended range are far too interesting to leave them out of the range of possibilities.
The development of this automated saxophone took us some 15 years and <Autosax> has known 3 different working realisations in its history. We are now, 2007, at version 3.
There is a great deal more information on the Autosax page. Unfortunately most of it is in Dutch, and much of it is technical & schematic in nature. However, something that becomes very clear, is that Autosax is just one instrument of a robotic orchestra that has been created. A sound sample of Autosax, as well as some of the robotic instruments, can be found on the More Automats CD information page.
Other instruments in the robotic orchestra include: other wind instruments such as an oboe, tuba, valve trombone, cornet; a variety of organs; percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals, cowbells, rototoms; and stringed instruments such as a cello, and a couple different pianos. (This is only a very partial listing. For the full list, please see the Instrument Catalogue.)
The Logos Foundation has a huge website, and poking around it will net you a great deal of information about the automatons, the orchestra, the upcoming show season, and more.
Hmm… I gotta quit talking about youse guys on my blog. ;o)
I’m not worried. Only nice people play saxophone, and only nice people blog about people who play saxophone. And since you’re a saxophone player, and a blogger, you must be OK. However, your obsession with silver clarinets has me a bit concerned. Just don’t drift over to the dark side, and start collecting wooden ones! 😀
Yes, my blog’s set up for trackbacks and pingbacks. I haven’t disabled the feature, despite it sometimes being more trouble than it’s worth. But you’ve got nothing to worry about Alan…Or do you? 😉
That’s clever (Comment 3) – didn’t realise that if I linked to this blog from mine, it’d come up as a comment here… I’d better be careful in future, eh ? 🙂
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The only sound sample on the whole site, at least that I could find, is on the More Automats CD page.
If you scroll down the page, the Autosax is the 7th instrument. There is an MP3 file for the tune “SPHK”. Judge for yourself. Doesn’t sound like any sax I’ve ever heard before.
I need to hear it, but can’t seem to find any sound samples – did you find any ? Surreal…