E-mu/Buchla Hand Percussion Controller

E-mu Systems, Inc. announces the release of the E-mu/Buchla hand percussion controller, a polyphonic, gesture-tracking MIDI controller and instrument, and the first in a series of collaborations between E-mu Systems and Don Buchla and Associates. Continuing Buchla's pioneering efforts of providing revolutionary multiform, multifunction, alternate MIDI-control devices, the new E-mu/ Buchla percussion controller is one of the most powerful, programmable, and expressive MIDI instruments ever created.

Revolutionary noncontact optical-array technology

Combining a traditional touch surface and a patented new optical-array scanning technology, the E-mu/Buchla hand percussion controller provides pinpoint three-dimensional control over several aspects of a sound. The optical pickup technology uses light reflection instead of impact, which makes it capable of translating even the most delicate touch into a vast array of dynamic MIDI-note, trigger and continuous controller data. The optical sensor detects velocity, aftertouch, position and motion of a finger depression around the head. This provides the musician/composer with precise gestural control of melody, timbre, rhythm and dynamic space relation to a degree never before attainable in a single instrument.

Additionally, the sensing technology is polyphonic, meaning that each finger can have a specific sound assigned to it, and sounds can be played individually or as chords. Add to this the ability to transmit all the controller data over 16 MIDI channels simultaneously and the result is nothing short of spectacular.

This controller allows sounds to be played by tapping, scratching or strumming the playing surface, and notes that are triggered can be modified using MIDI controllers to fade, pan or filter the sound in real time. "Never before has an electronic instrument offered such articulate and expressive control," explains Chris Cotton, Product Manager of E-mu's line of controllers. "Playing the E-mu/Buchla hand percussion controller is as easy as fingerpainting with sounds, from traditional percussive and melodic instruments, to techno/hip hop sounds, hits and grooves," adds Cotton.

E-mu provides the sounds to complete the system

This revolutionary controller subsystem is married with an E-mu designed 32-voice polyphonic integrated sound module, with patented H-chip digital filters, to provide complementary expressiveness to the control functions. "Our products are uniquely suited to work with the various real-time control aspects of the optical scanning technology, and the results are both gratifying and impressive," remarks David Bristow, E-mu Vice President of Marketing.

The E-mu/Buchla hand percussion controller provides 64 preset and 64 user programmable patches, that define the function and response of each of the controllers' 19 multifunction zones. The 256 unique internal instrument sound presets utilize E-mu's unique sixth-order resonant filters, and were specifically designed to respond to the hand percussion controllers vast melodic and percussive input. This product is a unique multifunction, multizone, self-contained controller and instrument in one playable package.

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