“The Sonimba transforms the familiar into the extraordinary, combining tactile expression and cutting-edge processing to create sounds you’ve never heard before.”

The Sonimba is a groundbreaking reimagining of the Kalimba, combining tactile expressivity, advanced sensors, and powerful real-time audio processing. With its innovative parameter space implementation and extensive processing capabilities, it transforms live performance and sound design into an interactive and deeply creative experience.

Key Features and Design

1. Reimagined Kalimba
   • The Sonimba begins with a traditional Kalimba that has been carefully dismantled and reassembled into an innovative platform.
   • Pickup System: The Sonimba’s metal tines are fitted with a custom pickup system, capturing their resonant vibrations with clarity and detail. This signal is fed into an embedded DSP platform built using Bela.io for advanced real-time processing.
2. Integrated Sensor Array and Controls
   • IMU Sensor: The Sonimba features the Adafruit BNO055 IMU sensor, capable of tracking orientation and acceleration in three dimensions. This allows gestures such as tilts, rotations, and shakes to dynamically modulate sound parameters.
   • Trill-Bar Sensor: A trill-bar sensor tracks up to five fingers, each functioning as an independent control point to scrub, manipulate, or trigger sounds thereby functioning as a control surface for dynamic sound manipulation, enabling multi-touch interaction.
   • Potentiometers: Precision rotary controls adjust parameters like effect intensity, layer blending, or modulation speed in real time.
   • Pushbuttons: Intuitively placed pushbuttons provide direct control for triggering loops, toggling effects, and activating features such as reversers.

Real-Time Audio Processing

The Sonimba excels in sound design and performance through an extensive set of real-time audio processing capabilities:

1. Real-Time Looper
   • Pushbutton Control: A built-in looper allows performers to capture and layer audio snippets effortlessly. The pushbuttons provide intuitive access to recording, overdubbing, and playback, empowering on-the-fly composition.
2. Granular Engine
   • Dynamic Buffer Control: The granular engine enables live audio snippet capture for granular synthesis.
   • Trill-Bar Interaction: Each finger on the trill-bar acts as an independent playhead, scrubbing and manipulating the audio buffer in real time, creating intricate textures and layered soundscapes.
   • IMU Parameter Mapping: The IMU sensor drives a multidimensional parameter space, controlling granular parameters such as grain size, playback speed, pitch, and jitter through natural movements.
3. DSP Effect Chain
   • A robust DSP effect chain transforms the captured audio with high-quality effects, including:
     • Saturation and Bitcrush: For adding analog warmth or digital grit.
     • Distortion: To create aggressive, powerful tones.
     • Filters: For sculpting frequencies dynamically.
     • Tape-Delay Emulation: Classic delay effects with vintage tape-style modulation.
     • Flanger, Phaser, Chorus: Rich modulation effects for adding depth and motion.
     • Reverb: Expansive, lush spaces to enhance atmosphere.
4. Reversers
   • Continuous Buffering: Incoming audio is continuously recorded into a buffer, allowing instant playback in reverse.
   • Pitch Manipulation: The reversed audio can be pitch-shifted in real time, with octave shifts being the most musically effective. This feature opens up unique possibilities for creating haunting or otherworldly textures.

Dynamic Parameter Space

1. Interactive Configuration
   • OSC-Based Interface: The parameter space is configured through a computer interface using the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol. This allows users to adjust parameters for effects, granular synthesis, and other sound properties with precision and ease.
   • Parameter Exploration: Users can fine-tune settings for effects like reverb, filters, grain size, or delay modulation until the desired sound is achieved.
2. Preset Mapping
   • Tilt-to-Save Functionality: When a cool-sounding parameter combination is found, the Sonimba can be tilted to any position to save that setting as a preset in the parameter space.
   • Building a Landscape: The user constructs a “landscape” of presets, where each location corresponds to a specific tilt orientation. This intuitive approach ensures that the presets are naturally linked to the instrument’s physical motion.
3. Active Parameter Space
   • Interpolation Between Presets: Once the setup is complete, the parameter space becomes active. As the Sonimba is tilted or rotated, its orientation is tracked by the IMU sensor, and the parameter space interpolates between saved presets.
   • Fluid Sound Transformation: This dynamic system creates seamless transitions between parameter settings, allowing for expressive and evolving soundscapes that respond directly to the performer’s movements.

Creative Possibilities

The combination of advanced real-time audio processing and the dynamic parameter space opens up unprecedented sonic possibilities, allowing for:

• Dynamic Granular Soundscapes: Transition smoothly between different grain sizes, playback speeds, and timbres, all tied to the instrument’s orientation.
• Expressive Modulation: Use tilt and rotation to morph between reverb-heavy atmospheres, gritty bitcrushed tones, and lush harmonic layers.
• Live Performance Mastery: Create landscapes that evolve organically, giving performances an improvisational and interactive edge.

A Unique Role in Tromleorkestret

The Sonimba is not merely an instrument—it is an integral part of Tromleorkestret’s creative vision. With its ability to produce evolving textures and adapt to real-time performance needs, it serves as both a musical voice and a tool for sonic experimentation. Its seamless integration with the ensemble’s other instruments, sound engines, and effect chains ensures it remains an integral part of their groundbreaking performances.

Conclusion

The Sonimba is a shining example of Tromleorkestret’s innovative spirit, taking the humble Kalimba to extraordinary new heights. Its fusion of tactile playability, advanced sensors, and real-time processing opens a world of sonic possibilities, making it an indispensable part of Tromleorkestret’s captivating performances. Through the Sonimba, Tromleorkestret continues to challenge the boundaries of music and technology, delivering unforgettable experiences to their audiences.