The Robotic Slide Bass plays the bass in the machine. It has four strings. On each string a slider sets the pitch, and an actuator with a guitar pick plucks it.
How it works
- The slide
- A sliding actuator moves along each of the four strings and reaches the right pitch within milliseconds.
- It can do slides and vibrato, and also fast chromatic runs and jumps that are impossible for a hand.
- The picks
- Actuators with guitar picks pluck the strings.
- The strings
- A custom pickup system captures the strings, from very deep bass up into the melodic midrange.
- In the open
- The mechanics are not hidden, so you can watch the sliders and picks work while it plays.
Choosing a string
A note can usually be played on more than one string. When a MIDI note arrives via Open Sound Control (OSC), the bass works out which string should play it, using a cost function:
- Distance: how far the slider has to travel. Shorter moves mean less delay.
- Tone: notes close to the nut sound fuller, so they are preferred.
- Availability: a string that is already sounding costs more to interrupt than an idle one.
The string with the lowest cost plays the note. The decision takes less than a millisecond.
Sound
The signal runs through our Bela based DSP system, with real-time effects such as saturation, delay and reverb.