Adventurous Muse: Musical Instruments and Whimsical Things

One Use of the New Don Rickert Lutherie Series 6 SX Electric Violin Body

One of Don Rickert’s newer musical instrument creations is the Rickert Series 6 XS Electric Violin. It is a small instrument (slightly larger than a pochette) with a standard 4/4 scale length. It uses the Rickert Adjustable Shoulder Rest and a small over-the-tailpiece type chin rest.

Specifics:

The sound box of the Rickert Series 6 XS Electric Violin is very similar to the Rickert Mountaineer Backpacker Fiddle. It has highly-resonant Western Red Cedar sides without a bass bar or sound post but, rather, special internal bracing that performs the function of those components. The top is Sitka Spruce (reclaimed, of course) and the back is Curly Maple. While the top is glued, the back is screwed on to allow easy removal for installing electronic components. The neck uses a unique bolt-on system, which allows it to be raised and lowered in order to change the string height.

What the Rickert Series 6 XS Electric Violin is for

The Rickert Series 6 XS is designed and created specifically to be configured as either an electric violin OR as a platform for certain types of violin synthesizers. Given its size, the Series 6 XS is very “live” acoustically for an electric violin body (“live” is indeed a relative term), making ideal as a practice instrument as well.

The Rickert Series 6 XS is one of several violins being used as part of the Active Acoustics research for the “Overtone Fiddle”, the brainchild of Dr. Dan Overholt. See announcement for recent colloquium at Stanford University by Dr. Overholt below.

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Colloquium by Dr. Dan Overholt at Stanford University Last Summer

The Evolution of Established Instruments vs. Novel Controllers: Introducing the Musical Interface Technology Design Space

Date: 

Wed, 06/30/2010 - 10:00am

Location: 

CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics) Classroom (Room 217) Stanford University

Event Type: Colloquium

The Evolution of Established Instruments vs. Novel Controllers: Introducing the Musical Interface Technology Design Space

Speaker: Dan Overholt
Date: Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Time: 10AM
Location: CCRMA Classroom (Room 217) in the Knoll

This presentation examines the problems associated with designing, controlling and performing on new musical instruments, and introduces the Musical Interface Technology Design Space (MITDS); a term conceived to enfold many of these issues into a conceptual framework that attempts to enlighten theoretical approaches to designing, implementing, evaluating, and iteratively refining new families of musical instruments for the real-time expressive control of digital signal processing algorithms. Results from both past and present research will be presented, focusing on the design patterns and performance techniques exemplified by various interfaces. The MITDS promotes a continuing evolution of musical instruments, and aims to see what is possible, given the combination of some of today’s most advanced technologies, and traditional musical skill and practice.

During this research, the electronic Overtone Violin was developed in order to investigate the advancement of established musical instruments in an innovative way that supports both traditional and extended-technique interactions through gestural control. This instrument will be compared to the currently-in-development Overtone Fiddle, an active acoustics instrument that is primarily aimed at utilizing traditional playing techniques to enhance the sounds emanating from the instrument. These two instruments occupy different spaces along the continuum of possibilities between instruments based on well-established paradigms, and completely novel designs. They also explore a middle ground sometimes called "mixed reality"; such approaches need to consider questions regarding which aspects of an instrument should be real (physical), which aspects should be virtual (synthesized based on sensor-input), and which aspects should combine both the real and virtual (augmenting fixed physical vibrations with digital algorithms, allowing the flexibility of programmable behaviors).

Index Terms: instrumental interaction, gestural control, interaction design, digital audio synthesis and effects, musical interface technology design space MITDS

NEW Series 7 Electric Violin from Don Rickert Design

We are putting the finishing touches on the new Series 7 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design. It will be available in a day or so via the Adventurous Muse Store. The Rickert Series 7 is a chambered-body electric violin (or fiddle) with the newest version of our revolutionary damping system. The damping mechanism controls the physical acoustic properties of the instrument top. The damper can easily be adjusted (by a knob rather than the socket screw we used to use) to make the instrument respond to the bow like a solid body, an acoustic body or anything in between.

Anybody who has played an electric violin knows that a solid body, besides having a different "dry signal" (the sound of the instrument with NO effects, EQ adjustement, etc.) than an amplified acoustic, responds VERY differently to the bow. A well-designed solid body usually affords incrediby fast bowing; whereas an acoustic violin with a pickup or a well-designed chambered (semi-hollow) body instrument responds to bowing expression in a more "natural" manner. There are advantages to each. Player preference, of course, plays an inportant role.

We'll get into the sound of the "dry signal" in the next post. Let it suffice for now, that almost any electric violin can be made to sound good with the right effects and amplifier. We are of the opinion that the unaltered signal should also sound GREAT!...The Series 7 is engineered to sound great so that you do not have to find the right external electronics to get something other that a thin, crappy sound associated with electric violins, especially solid and "skeletal" bodied instruments.

Stay tuned!

Adding Over 20 Store Items Today!

In addition to updated descriptions of the Electric Violins from Don Rickert Design, we are adding many electric violin accessories to the Adventurous Muse Store. We just added the complete lineup of Realist violins yesterday.

Are we becoming an electric violin shop?...This worries some of our customers.

Not exactly. We will especially NEVER compete with our good friends and colleagues, the Electronic Violin Shop. If anything, we hope too become a supplier of instruments to the Electric Violin Shop.

But...based on the lack of vitality in the acoustic instrument market, combined with our long-term involvement with electric, synthesizer and electronically-enhanced ("active acoustics") violin development (especially our collaboration with Stanford University and Aulborg University in Denmark), we recently made the push to commericalize electric instruments that were previously one-off custom instruments.

Our commitment to Acoustic Bowed Instruments (some, anyway)

Our commitment extends as far as customers' commitment to us. In practical terms, this means that we plan on remaining the preeminent designer and maker of travel and backpacker violins and fiddles as well as designers and makers of the finest baritone (octave) violins and fiddles in the world. These are the instruments that people are buying from us in numbers that will allow us to rebuild our company to what it once was.

As for other acoustic instruments of all types, we will continue to sell instruments at reasonable prices but spend close to zero effort on marketing...people buy violins and fiddles where their kids' teachers tell them to buy them. I am sure that there are no kickbacks happening there, eh?!

Entire Family of The Realist Electro-Acoustic Violins at Adventurous Muse Store

We pleased to announce that we now carry the complete line of Realist Violins by David Gage, which includes two 4-string models and two 5-string models. Our prices are the lowest allowed for a Dealer to charge, so if you find a lower price on any model, the seller is not an official Dealer. This is only relevant if you care about things like warranties. All models come with a nice case at no extra charge and a Planet Waves Gold Plated right angle plug cable.

The Realist Violin…

• Is a fully functional acoustic violin carved from fine wood
• Comes with an on-board Realist Transducer engineered to clearly amplify the subtleties of the violin’s acoustic sound
• Has a discreet volume knob to allow for on-stage control

The Details

The Realist Violin is a carved wood violin. Its sound is produced by the finely crafted spruce top and elegantly molded maple ribs and back. Quality wood and a well-tested violin design make the Realist Violin’s acoustic tone recognizably sweet and rich. The patented Realist technology that has made The Realist Transducer the world’s most respected pick-up for acoustic instruments is built in to the Realist Violin’s acoustic body.

Well-Designed by Professional Designers

They thought of all the seemingly small details

The Realist Violin seamlessly blends technological advances with time-tested hand-craftsmanship.

The input jack is built in to the back, which is crafted to accommodate the added weight and material. In its position at the violin’s corner block and the back, the jack is easily accessed, and allows the patch cable to be dressed away out of sight and out of the player’s way. The player’s bow arm is free to move unimpeded because of the jack’s placement and the instrument’s acoustic sound is unaffected.

The Realist Violin’s volume control, integrated in the treble-side rib, is ingeniously camouflaged in the color of the violin’s varnish. The control is easy to use and is easy to miss, if you’re not looking for it.

Unparalleled Amplified Sound Color and Texture

The built-in Realist Transducer delivers all of the natural luster of the instrument’s true sound. The violin retains its organic qualities when amplified or acoustic, so there’s no need for the player to adapt to it.

The pick-up system in The Realist Violin is completely serviceable. The electronics are easily removed for repair or upgrade without compromising the instrument’s structural integrity.

The Realist Violin represents a step forward to a new, better future for the violin. From now on, playing the violin will be a pleasure, not a compromise.

Ships with case and, for a limited time, a Planet Waves Right-Angle Gold-Plated patch cable.

INTEGRATED REALIST TRANSDUCER™ The same technology that has been celebrated by acoustic musicians the world over is built in to The Realist Violin.

You will find all 4 current models at the Adventurous Muse Store.

The Realist 4-String Standard

The Realist 4-String Top Grade

The Realist 5-String Standard

The Realist 5-String Top Grade

You may also be interested in the Rickert Electro-Acoustic Performance Fiddle, by Don Rickert Design, which pairs a Realist under-the-bridge pickup with a bridge pickup, feeding both into an active on-board pre-amp with separate volume controls for each pickup.

 

How Was the New Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin Recieved at Live Oak?

See post on Live Oak Music Festival.

Our newest bowed string instrument, the Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin (learn more about the Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin) made it way around the Live Oak Music Festival last weekend. The Rickert Series 6 SX was in good hands, Dr. Dan Overholt, who was able, given time constraints, to install some of the necessary transducers, actuators and electronics (mostly invented or modified by Dan Overholt) to transform the Rickert Series 6 SX into a playable prototype of an “Overtone Fiddle”, a new kind of electronically-enhanced violin based on "active acoustics" (learn more about the Overtone Fiddle and its predecessor, the Overtone Violin).

All accounts on the sound and playability of the Series 6 XS (partially instrumented as an Overtone Fiddle) were really good...even when played acoustically. We got some excellent feedback on some needed improvements on the Rickert Adjustable Shoulder Rest that was installed on the instrument.

Bottom Line: This instrument has legs and you are going to be hearing much more about it (and hearing it as well), both as an electric violin and as an "active acoustics" Overtone Fiddle.

Don Rickert Design and Adventurous Muse at the Live Oak Music Festival

See post on Live Oak Music Festival.

Actually, our newest bowed string instrument, the Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin (learn more about the Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin) is to make an appearance at the Live Oak Music Festival…wish we could be there! The Rickert Series 6 SX will be in good hands, Dr. Dan Overholt, who will be installing the necessary transducers, actuators and electronics (mostly invented or modified by Dan Overholt) to transform the Rickert Series 6 SX into a playable prototype of an “Overtone Fiddle” (learn more about the Overtone Fiddle and its predecessor, the Overtone Violin).

The NEW Rickert Series 6 XS Electric Violin

General Description

Don Rickert of Don Rickert Design’s newest musical instrument creation is the Rickert Series 6 XS Electric Violin. It is a small instrument (slightly larger than a pochette) with a standard 4/4 scale length. It uses the Rickert Adjustable Shoulder Rest and a small over-the-tailpiece type chin rest.

Specifics

The sound box of the Rickert Series 6 XS Electric Violin is very similar to the Rickert Mountaineer Backpacker Fiddle. It has highly-resonant Western Red Cedar sides without a bass bar or sound post but, rather, special internal bracing that performs the function of those components. The top is Sitka Spruce (reclaimed, of course) and the back is Curly Maple.

While the top is glued, the back is screwed on to allow easy removal for installing electronic components. The neck uses a unique bolt-on system, which allows it to be raised and lowered in order to change the string height. The instrument has planetary-geared tuning pegs…the photos have Perfection Pegs/PegHeds, but instruments sold will have Wittner Fine-Tune planetary pegs.

Photos

 

What the Rickert Series 6 XS Electric Violin is For

The Rickert Series 6 XS is designed and created specifically to be configured as either an electric violin OR as a platform for certain types of violin synthesizers. Given its size, the Series 6 XS is very “live” acoustically for an electric violin body (“live” is indeed a relative term), making ideal as a practice instrument as well.

The Rickert Series 6 XS is one of several violins being used as part of the Active Acoustics research for the “Overtone Fiddle”, the brainchild of Dr. Dan Overholt. The Overtone Fiddle is a successor to the “Overtone Violin”, an earlier invention of Dr. Overholt, on which much has been written over the years.

Predecessor the Overtone Fiddle, the Overtone Violin

As usual, click on the images for larger views.

It is VERY important that one understand the difference between the brilliantly-conceived earlier invention, the Overtone Violin and Dan Overholt's new project, the Overtone Fiddle. While an oversimplication, but the best this Industrial Designer can do, is that the earlier Overtone Violin was more of a synthesizer violin in the way that we think of such instruments; whereas the in-development Overtone Fiddle is something completely new and, in fact, impossible to implement until fairly recently...think of the feedback problems one would encounter with an instrument like the Overtone Fiddle that is both the sound actuator AND the sound emitter.

The Overtone Fiddle is the brainchild of Dr. Dan Overholt, as was its predecessor, the Overtone Violin, of which much has been written over the years. Here are some photos and a couple of links to get you started.

Overtone Violin CREATE / STEIM

University of Cambridge Article

Dr. Dan Overholt and His Overtone Fiddle

We cannot tell you much about Dr. Dan Overholt’s new musical instrument invention, the Overtone Fiddle, right now…for a lot of reasons. But we can tell you a little bit. Imagine a violin synthesizer that does not send MIDI codes for processing by a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with the sound ultimately emitting from a loudspeaker.

The Overtone Fiddle itself IS the amplifier AND the speaker; hence the phrase “active acoustics”; which is often used to describe the Overtone Fiddle.

Photos Sets of Two Versions of the Overtone Fiddle Prototype (NOTE: There are others and will be more)

Version based on Don Rickert Design Series 4 Electric Violin

Version based on Don Rickert Design Series 6 XS Electric Violin

 
 
About Dan Overholt, Ph.D.

Dan is an Assistant Professor at Aalborg University in Denmark. He is also a prolific inventor and musician. Among other things, he is a fiddler, who has won the California State Fiddle Contest several times as well as the U.S. National Old-Time Fiddling “Fancy Fiddling” category at the National Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention in Idaho. The links below give you a glimpse into his many accomplishments:

Dan Overholt's blog

Dan's Curriculum Vitae

Overholt LinkedIn Profile: Assistant Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark

Collaborators on the Overtone Fiddle Project
In addition to Don Rickert Design, of course, there are many collaborators on the Overtone Fiddle project and the larger Active Acoustics research, within which the Overtone Fiddle project exists.

Aalborg University, Denmark

I would not know where to begin to start with a list of Dan’s team and colleagues at Aalborg University. We will have a list in a future post.

Stanford University, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics

Dan is collaborating with researchers at the Stanford University during the summer of 2010…same situation with the list of names as with Aalborg University. We do know, however, that the undisputed father of computer music, Max Matthews, is working with Dan this summer. Max is of such stature that he has a Wikipedia page dedicated to him and his work beginning in the 1960s and 1970s on sampling, what we now know as DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation software such as Cubase, Ableton Live! and so forth) and electronic instruments, including violins. Pretty cool, eh?!

The Series 5 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design

The Series 5 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design is a hybrid between a "skeletal" electric violin, such as the Yamaha Silent Violin series but also with a full top and back plate. The violin combines ancient design elements with an “industrial” look. The curvy top is formed old spruce rather than carved. Click on the image or link below to see a slide show of this truly innovative electric violin.

Series 5 Electric Violin by Don Rickert (www.AdventurousMuse.com)

The Series 5 Electric Violin by Don Rickert Design is a hybrid between a "skeletal" electric violin, such as the Yamaha Silent Violin series but also with a full top and back plate. The violin combines ancient design elements with an “industrial” look. The curvy top is formed old spruce rather than carved.

It has a completely adjustable neck angle and an adjustable damping mechanism. It is currently set up with a Shadow Twin (two transducers) bridge pickup, but many other options are available. The stock pickup will be a Kromona bridge pickup. The standard tuners are Wittner Finetune internal planetary-geared tuning pegs. An under-the-bridge David Gage Realist pickup and an internal stereo Schatten preamp are suggested upgrades to take full advantage of what this instrument can do.

Acoustic properties matter a lot with electric violins. The undamped tone of this instrument is audible and quite pleasing, making it an excellent "unpluged" practice instrument. With the damper fully engaged, it is still a wonderful practice instrument, but very quiet! Available through www.AdventurousMuse.com in early Sept. 2009 and other stores in the near future.