New Interfaces for Musical Expression

The EMdrum, a drum electromagnetically actuated in the manner of a loudspeaker, is presented. Design principles are established and implementation is described; in particular, two alternative electromagnetic actuation designs, moving-coil and moving-magnet, are discussed. We evaluate the time-frequency response of the instrument and present a musical application.

This project presents a control surface that combines a grid of photocells with a microcontroller to allow a musician to manipulate multiple analog components at once. A brief background on past uses of photocells for music and film composition and instrument-building introduces a few different implementations and performance contexts for the controller. Topics such as implementation, construction, performance scenarios and reflections on past performances of the controller are also discussed.