Indium Blog

The Sweet Sound of Semiconductors

Category:
  • Indium Corporation

  • Photo  / Webb Chappell Photography 2009

    Photo / Webb Chappell Photography 2009

    Before reading this entry, click here to learn about the Chameleon Guitar.

    http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/chameleon-guitar-0203.htm

     

    I got in touch with one of the designers for this project (Amit Zoran), here is what he had to say about the electronics involved:

     

    "The first version used linear analog processing:

    I am summing the signals (coming from 5 piezo ceramic sensors) and then amplifying the important frequencies for acoustic guitar's sound (110Hz & 220Hz are the resonance freq. - coming from the Helmholtz resonance and the size of the sound board). I am attenuating the resonance frequency that the new sound board (my resonator) create (500Hz). You can see it as a zero order interpolation for the 5 signals (each of the signals covers different vibration modes) and then linear filter - an equalizer.

     

    For the new guitar prototype, the one in the top picture of my web site, I intend to use Freescale Symphony DSP56371 digital signal processor with their Symphony SoundBite Development Kit and to develop in C (with Symphony Studio software tools). For that guitar, the locations' of the sensors were chosen to cover the important vibration modes. The idea is to try different digital processing approaches - linear filtering / finite element based approaches / sound synthesis based methods / well known digital effects for reverb. 

    The best way will be defined in the near future."

     

    You can find out more about Amit and his projects by clicking here.

     

    Authored by previous Indium Application Manager Jim Hisert