Sound Design? Roland Olbeter, Fast Blue Air

Roland Olbeter and his team conceived, built and programmed the instruments and a MIDI to PLC converter, the incredibly inspired composer Elena Kats-Chernin wrote the score in Sidney before knowing the actual machines (at that stage she only knew a briefing of their possibilities and their note range).

"Music for strings and drum.
Seven musical pieces for five robot instruments: two violins, a viola, a cello and a drum.

The electro-acoustic instruments use pneumatic micro-pistons fired by a midi program to determine the
pitch of the strings. Each instrument has two kinds of pizzicato (piston) and two e-bows (a system of changing-polarity electromagnets), which keep the strings in resonance and produce an infinite sustain.They do the same as a traditional bow with a string instrument.

The sound is amplified and post-produced using synthesisers.

Written by the Australian composer Elena Kats Chernin, the seven pieces has been commissioned by the German company Festo and were premiered in April 2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Hannover Industrial Fair."

Composer:
Elena Kats Chernin
Instruments:
Roland Olbeter
Sound Engineer:
Carlos Fesser

Check his website. Its amazing  >>> www.olbeter.com<<<<