Curator of Communication Technologies @IngeniumCa // Adjunct Professor @Carleton_U // Sound, Museums, History // he/il
Ottawa, Ontario
Joined January 2011
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Calling all electronic music researchers 🎛️🎹: @Carleton_U's School for Studies in Art and Culture and @IngeniumCa just launched a new postdoctoral fellowship in Electronic Music History. Application details in link below:
ingeniumcanada.org/postdocto…
ALT Over-the-shoulder shot of curator and conservator peering under the hood of the Electronic Sackbut synthesizer. Internal wiring and circuitry behind keyboard is exposed.
Tom Everrett retweeted
Carla Ayukawa worked with Ingenium’s @CommTechCurator to explore ways of collaborating with blind and low vision communities to create accessible and engaging virtual exhibitions.
Read about it: ow.ly/8zws50P3XwF
#AccessforAll #Accessibility
Total aside: many thanks for reissuing Strange's book 🙌 We bought a copy from your campaign for our museum library. Great to see it in person.
Interestingly Le Caine hated the term when it came into popular use for similar reasons as Strange (signalling artificiality, etc). Arriving at a clear-cut definition of synthesizer, particularly in relation to voltage control (the "killer app"), is among our end project goals.
Hi Jason, thx and absolutely. We're defining synth (for now) in relation to what came to be recognized as a synth in post-1960s music culture. Key elements: voltage-controlled oscillators, filters, etc.; waveform synthesis, filtering, etc.; emphasis on control, expressivity, etc.
Latest update on the Electronic Sackbut project can be found below, including photos of work in progress. Happy to answer any questions 👋
ingeniumcanada.org/channel/a…
Interesting approach. I'll pass the note along to our tech team. Thanks Chris. They're working on the surface controls rn, but I imagine they'll be back to the keyboard in the next few weeks. Def useful feedback
Exactly. Since the keybed was moveable, but super stiff, the rounded keys offered some leverage. That's why we want to stick to a stiff bed. To get an accurate sense of the original playing experience – at Ottawa, Ontario
Haha that would definitely do it. We're pulling some other tricks like that where we can, but only when it won't lead to much of a departure from the original design/feel. But as a last resort, we'll keep the ball bearings+pot option in play ;)
Ya, the keybed needs to move horizontally only a fraction of a mm, which is how we think Le Caine did it - enough to provide roughly a semitone pitch bend (each way) for each key. Going to experiment with a few possibilities. Vertical pressure will be achieved via after touch. – at Ottawa, Ontario
Pretty much nailed it. Key contacts are super finicky rn, so we will need to tweak that design. After touch will give us pressure sensitivity. We still need to implement horizontal pressure circuitry (likely a moveable key tray with accelerometer) to achieve key-based vibrato. – at Ottawa, Ontario
Absolutely, thanks Chris. Decisions on specific tech still evolving as the project progresses (still a moving target, learning as we go) so nothing written up yet. Would be happy to chat any time though 🙌 – at Ottawa, Ontario
A look under the hood of the Electronic Sackbut synth reconstruction-in-progress. Keyboard and surface controls wired up. Next steps: making connections to digital sound engine and adapting physical/electronic components to best match functionality of the original 1948 instrument
ALT Reconstruction of the Electronic Sackbut synthesizer with top control surface open revealing electronic components and circuitry underneath.
Tom Everrett retweeted
Carlile Sea worked with Ingenium’s @CommTechCurator to explore strategies for representing accessibility in Ingenium’s artifact collection. You can read Carlile’s thoughts on the topic here: ow.ly/W5eO50OzN3T
Tom Everrett retweeted
This week is Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound!🔊🎵
They have an incredible lineup of performances and workshops for their 25th anniversary of the festival.
⏰June 1-4
📍Throughout #KW
For more details and festival passes, visit openears.ca
On December 17, 1972, Canadian scientists working in the Arctic descended into a plexiglass bubble anchored 40ft underwater and made a phone call to PM Pierre Elliott Trudeau. @IngeniumCa has the artifacts and curator @SEJaworski wrote a story about them:
ingeniumcanada.org/channel/a…
