Common Definition of “Augmented” and “Actuated” Musical Instruments: Musical instruments
inspired by existing acoustic instruments, building upon their existing design, playing technique and performance practice with new electronic and/or electro-mechanical vibrating elements added that extend their expressive capabilities
Difference in emphasis between “Actuated” (as commonly used by researchers and designers of such instruments) and “Augmented” Instruments
Indeed, “Actuated” and “Augmented” musical instruments BOTH generally use a large number of electronic filters to “shape” sound output and, of course, audio amplifiers to drive the actuators. The fact is that most of the invention work on Actuated instruments is being done by computer scientists.
Much of the work on Actuated instruments is happing at the Stanford University, Department of Music, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (better known as CCRMA), the Aalborg University, Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology in Aalborg, Denmark and the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology.
For example, in a recent paper, Dan Overholt, et. al. (Overholt, D., Berdahl, E. & Hamilton, R., Advancements in Actuated Musical Instruments, the authors clearly state that...
"Actuated musical instruments are physical instruments that have been endowed with virtual qualities controlled by a computer in real-time but which are nevertheless tangible."
So...
Actuated Instruments
Emphasis is on computer control aspects of controlling the vibrating elements (i.e. actuators). It is all about the software!
Augmented Instruments
Emphasis is on lutherie (the making of stringed musical instruments such as guitars and violins) aspects, especially...
- Capitalizing on traditional methods of sound generation of the instrument, such as utilizing as much as possible of Helmholz Resonance as possible. This is why the actuators of Augmented Instruments are generally mounted on the OUTSIDE of the instrument, so that that vibrations are pushing inwards on the sound box, disturbing and pushing out the internal air so that that new air is drawn back through the sound holes...like breathing, by analogy. This effect increases the sonority of a stringed instrument, especially on the low notes.
- Carving and shaping the sound plates of instruments (especially violins) to optimize interaction of electro-mechanical vibrating elements (i.e. actuators) and the sound plates and internal bracing elements, which also have a vibration distribution function (e.g. the bass bar of a violin or the "fan" bracing of a guitar).
Examples of Lutherie Aspects of Don Rickert's newest competition instrument, EAAV-A, plus B+B+C (Electro-mechanically Augmented Violin, Version A, plus Baritone, Bass and Contra-bass)
- How does the graduation of the violin top (plate) of a traditional violin need to be different from a violin for which an electro-mechanical actuator rather than a bridge is used to directly excite the plate?
- How to support a bridge that “floats” above the instrument top rather than coming in contact with it?
- How does the internal bracing of augmented instruments need to be modified for use with electro-mechanical actuators?
- Which aspects of Helmholz resonance apply and how to use these aspects to best advantage?
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