Piezothing feedback instrument

Equipment
#1

Didn’t see anyone post this here yet and thought it might be of interest to folks so…

Looks like a fun feedback/contact mic instrument. Basically the victorian oscillator idea but using a transducer, and then using the feedback to vibrate on other surfaces rather than the speaker cone. All implemented in a nice rechargeable wire-free little package. I can imagine having a bunch of these going in a resonant space with some different surfaces could be really fun.

Daniel Araya does nice work so I have no doubt its well built- he worked on the restoration of the Synthi 100 at Radio Belgrade and at least did (probably still does?) work at EMS Stockholm as a tech and is very friendly.

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DIY Scaled-up EBow-type Feedback Device
DIY Scaled-up EBow-type Feedback Device
#2

just snagged a pair of these! excited to run them through my norns while i feedback on some pianos

#3

That’s really cool!

I actually have the parts on my desk to build something along the lines of this. I saw a friend using some similar DIY things like this (on cymbals) a while back and it was badass sounding.

Does anyone on here have one? I don’t want to spoil anything, but if someone could show a picture of the bottom that would be sweet. (mainly curious how it would fair on curved surfaces)

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#4

From the manual, it says the transducer it uses is a DAEX13CT-8, which is a solid one (and I think what I have on hand too!).

Also built in a way that it’s possible to swap out the transducer and/or contact mic, which is a nice touch!

edit:
placed an order for one!

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#5

I’m interested in what kinds of things you can use these for. I watched the video online but couldn’t quite work out what’s happening beyond it being a vibrating box, where does the feedback come into play?

I was tempted to just order one to find out but seemed a bit steep for what my limited knowledge can decipher?

#6

The feedback is the only thing it’s really doing. As in, you’re picking up the sound of whatever it’s on, then pumping back into the same surface.

I don’t see any videos using it on his webpage, but last time I saw a friend of mine (Luigi Marino) perform he had some DIY versions of the same thing on his huge china cymbals. He basically used them as acoustic oscillators as they would end up tuning into nodes of the cymbals, and would change as he moved them around.

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#7

Ok, thanks I think I get it now…interesting. I like how it has a line out on it too that opens up some ideas.

Is this typical of the kinds of effects you’d get? I’m wondering how subtle it could be but I guess that really depends on the surface material. Interested to try it with my archtop guitar.

#8

Yeah, that’s the general ballpark. The material/surface matters a lot, as does the size and distance of the piezo/transducer.

You can also get some similar results by doing the trick where you touch your headstock to the amp, so the feedback you get comes from being coupled to the speaker, as opposed to just air-based feedback.

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#9

He finally posted a video showing the stuff:

edit:
one with a build-in LFO too:

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#10

Very interested in this, I think I might have to get one! New version with Bluetooth seems extra interesting for cross-path feedback potential

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#11

That’s really great he’s made it an upgrade thing too.

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#12

Hmm I wonder if this is made with using Piezothings… https://ochiaisoup.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-laundry

#13

I had a listen to this, and really enjoyed it. I agree, it does sound like it could be Piezothings on drums and cymbals. However I looked on Tatsuhisa’s website and he states that “all the tracks were produced with the sound of laundry”, whatever precisely that means…

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#14

This is also interesting

edit: found another thread about this device

DIY Scaled-up EBow-type Feedback Device