This India-inspired electronica jam features electronic tabla driving a DIY sequencer.

Details on the patching and performance controls below.

via behanger:

My electronic tabla (it says “proffessional”) controls my home built 32 step sequencer, of which 20 positions are used for this rhythm. The Sool rhythm has 10 beats per cycle.

The sequencer not only plays these voltages up or down, but it can also derive other patterns. I worked these out and implemented these in hardware. I would have to look up how I did this. I do not think of it anymore, as each of the patters is useful. So in a live situation, I just choose a different one at random.

The output of the sequencer is analog, and sends out 0-10 volt. This is then converted to midi by my new miduino, a circuit by Tom Scarff. The software was partley rewritten by me. to make it play in the key of my choice. Using a very secrative math trick called rounding, I made the sequencer play in a minor key, rather than in the 12 tone system. This allows for live tweaking of the knobs without ever being out of key. Freedom!

Then there’s my Arcade joystick, which has an home baked circuit that converts the 4 switches and the fire button to 15 different notes, and connects right onto the keyboard matrix of an old casio childrens keyboard which cooks midi note messages. I would do this in the miduino too if I needed to do it again. A series of if/else statements is much easier and more flexible than soldering and debugging a circuit with 8 logic IC’s and a over a meter of wire.

Then there’s the large joystick. It has a doepfer midiconvertor on board. The miduino has enough pins to do it all together, but I like the fact that it is a funtional unit on it’s own. It controls all the effects of the Arcade channel.

The pitch of the tabla can be controlled by the sequencer as well as by the Atari paddle. I made this input on the tabla when I replaced the tuning pot with a precise ten-turn pot. It works with two vactrols.

Sound sources are: cymbals, a Raagini shruti box, the tabla box, a Waldorf Blofeld running 2 patches amplified by a 40 year old Italian tube amp.

I recorded it with my photocamera, which has a rediculously low audio sampling rate. They all have. It’s just not a number the camera’s are sold by. I should have checked weather I was in the image myself. Now I am a pair of hands on youtube too, looking like the Lorax of Dr. Seuss. A well. It’s just a test drive to check if my work is getting somewhere.

In this video, a Cyndustries Photon module is used to control a modular synthesizer with light:

The Photon Interface module comes with a black metal Littlelite brand high-intensity gooseneck lamp, a rheostat dimmer, heavy duty right-angle 4-pin panel connectors, and an independent 12 Volt DC power transformer for system lighting right where you need it.

The lower half of the module features a sensitive photocell with its own dedicated voltage processor which can be used as a performance controller when your hand passes between photocell and lamp.

The voltage processor has an adjustable attenuator and comparator and offers both positive and inverted outputs. Rushing the photocell suddenly with your hand will also generate a Gate Output for triggering different things, and you can switch between an external signal input or an adjustable internal voltage supply simply with the pull of a knob.

via hexenduction:

This is the Photon Interface module by Cynthia. The positive CV output from the Photon is controlling the filter frequency of the Serge Creature and later the tempo of the Cynthia VC Tabla. The lower half of the module features a highly sensitive photocell with its own dedicated voltage processor which makes for a great performance controller when your hand passes between photocell and lamp. The gate out from the VC Tabla is triggering the Pulse Divider on the Serge Gator. These divisions are doing various tone changes in the Creature. 2 of the Malekko Echo Bright 600 pedals are being used for delay.

This video demonstrates instrument articulations in the North India Kore Soundpack, a new Hindustani instrument library for the Kore platform. Examples include the Sitar, Tabla and Bansuri.

More on NI’s North India Soundpack at the Native Instruments site.

If you’ve used the North India Kore Soundpack, leave a comment with your thoughts!

Description:

The Tabla (also known as Arabic drum, darbukkah, darbouka or dumbak) is a single-headed hand- drum found in most Arab music ensembles.

This application provides a Tabla with 5 different beat sounds, the “Doum” in the middle, and 4 different “Taks” in the four corners of the drum. For best sound quality, connect your iPhone/iPod touch to external speakers or headphones.

You can play your iPod music in the background while using this application.

“Sitar Nation” was designed to address the lack of sample collections focusing exclusively on Indian instruments with a level of depth normally reserved for violins and pianos. Priced at $119 as a digital download, the library enables any composer or producer with Kontakt to create realistic, expressive performances of the sitar, tambura, tabla and baya.

You can preview Sitar Nation below:

Details:

“Sitar Nation” features over 2.7 gigabytes of 24-bit samples programmed for Kontakt, making full use of the sampler’s scripting, mapping and processing capabilities. Users can choose from three mic positions for any of the primary playing techniques, which range from fingered and picked plucking to glissandos, whole tone bends, mordents, tremolos, phrases, strums, drones, and more. Extensive velocity layers and round robins are used throughout the library to reduce the “machine gun” effect and improve realism. For composers and producers looking for quick inspiration, a collection of tabla and baya MIDI grooves are included which feature a range of styles and are compatible with any sequencer at any tempo.

Along with a variety of important articulations and strokes, the library also includes a folder of special “FX” patches which make use of extensive offline and realtime processing to create entirely new sounds from the core audio content. Patches in this category include both inharmonic, warped and distorted sounds as well as warm pads, flute-like tones, granulized textures, and a number of others.

The library was produced and designed by composers Andrew Aversa and Wilbert Roget, II. Professional musicians were hired to perform the sounds in a high-end facility in Philadelphia, PA using Neumann and AKG microphones, API preamps and Pro Tools HD.

“Sitar Nation: Classical Instruments of India” is available now directly through the Impact Soundworks website where it can be purchased for $119 as a digital download. The library is programmed for Native Instruments’ Kontakt sampler, versions 2 and higher.

DSK has released a new free virtual instrument for Windows, DSK Indian DreamZ.

Features:

• 6 Indian Instruments: Sitar, Sarod, veena, Tar, tampura & Tabla
• Velocity response
• Amp. envelope and micro-detuner
• HP/LP Filter
• Midi automation