bassace Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Strange (or perhaps not) that my musical dislikes are percussion related. Drum machines, cajons and bongoes - bloody bongoes. When I was starting out in the sixties, er actually it was the fifties, anybody who couldn’t play but thought he was terribly hip would turn up with a pair of bongoes. We had to do a lot of bongo abduction in those days to stay sane. And bloody maracas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 Never been to Maracas ... they tell me it's nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Um. Am I the only one can see that video 👆. Showing a man playing the air? With sticks 😕? Only no one has commented on it. And I want to be sure I'm actually seeing it and it's not the final piece of my breakdown slotting into place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 13 minutes ago, Happy Jack said: Never been to Maracas ... they tell me it's nice. Twinned with Caracas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 (edited) 14 minutes ago, stewblack said: Um. Am I the only one can see that video 👆. Showing a man playing the air? With sticks 😕? Only no one has commented on it. And I want to be sure I'm actually seeing it and it's not the final piece of my breakdown slotting into place. Just to reassure you... What you perhaps cannot see are the reflective tips to his feet, and the reflective balls at the end of those sticks. Facing the bloke is a rather bright light, and a camera. This camera is picking up the reflected light from the player, and feeding the movements to software on a laptop. The movements are interpreted in real time as triggers for drum software, which sounds the kit pieces. When he taps his foot, the bass drum sounds. If he strikes the air before him, a snare is triggered. It's a good, reliable, system; it works well. I have a set, so I know that it works. However, the bright light required I find uncomfortable, and any surrounding light is treated as parasitic. I've not finished the mod I've planned, which is to replace the reflective pads and balls with LED light sources, so that the camera sees, not reflected light, but an original light source. It'll work; I just have to wire up the LEDs to the sticks, with a tiny Lipo rechargeable battery as power. I'll get round to it, sooner or later. S'good fun, though, 'air-drumming' for real..! Edited July 21, 2020 by Dad3353 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Dad3353 said: Just over-long oodles of fuzz-wah-synth bass played at high velocity with no discernable tonality nor timing. Occasional breaks to set the drum machine off again, then more blasts, ignoring whatever EZ-Drummer was beating out. That's jazz, baby! Though not your square non-hep living-in-the-past melodic bourgeois nonsense - this will be ART; and great ART is about suffering - both for the performer and for the audience. Especially for the audience! And any keeping to a rigidly enforced-by-the-man time is either a) purely coincidental or b) to show how free the ART is when not adhering to Society's Norms. And the problem with drummers, not being musicians, is that they just see the black and white of strict (arguably!) time and not the great array of possibility that is Great ART!!! 😁😜🤪 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 18 minutes ago, Dad3353 said: Just to reassure you... What you perhaps cannot see are the reflective tips to his feet, and the reflective balls at the end of those sticks. Facing the bloke is a rather bright light, and a camera. This camera is picking up the reflected light from the player, and feeding the movements to software on a laptop. The movements are interpreted in real time as triggers for drum software, which sounds the kit pieces. When he taps his foot, the bass drum sounds. If he strikes the air before him, a snare is triggered. It's a good, reliable, system; it works well. couple of questions come to mind: Would this work / be practical in a typical gig situation? Would your LED version work / be practical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 21 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said: ... they just see the black and white of strict (arguably!) time ... You've not seen me play..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 3 minutes ago, Nail Soup said: couple of questions come to mind: Would this work / be practical in a typical gig situation? Would your LED version work / be practical? A couple of answers come to mind... No More so, but still delicate, especially if there's any stage lighting. The camera won't distinguish between LED from the sticks and any other light source, so anything bright enough will trigger. It could be interesting, however, but somewhat random. The correct response is probably 'No, except maybe as a novelty spot'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 2 minutes ago, Dad3353 said: The camera won't distinguish between LED from the sticks and any other light source, so anything bright enough will trigger. It could be interesting, however, but somewhat random. So my next question about the patent status of the LED version is can be withheld then . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Just now, Nail Soup said: So my next question about the patent status of the LED version is can be withheld then . We can discuss licensing terms by PM; special rates for BC members (that don't laugh at me...). I'm not expecting to buy a Bentley from any profits, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Dad3353 said: Just to reassure you... What you perhaps cannot see are the reflective tips to his feet, and the reflective balls at the end of those sticks. Facing the bloke is a rather bright light, and a camera. This camera is picking up the reflected light from the player, and feeding the movements to software on a laptop. The movements are interpreted in real time as triggers for drum software, which sounds the kit pieces. When he taps his foot, the bass drum sounds. If he strikes the air before him, a snare is triggered. It's a good, reliable, system; it works well. I have a set, so I know that it works. However, the bright light required I find uncomfortable, and any surrounding light is treated as parasitic. I've not finished the mod I've planned, which is to replace the reflective pads and balls with LED light sources, so that the camera sees, not reflected light, but an original light source. It'll work; I just have to wire up the LEDs to the sticks, with a tiny Lipo rechargeable battery as power. I'll get round to it, sooner or later. S'good fun, though, 'air-drumming' for real..! So ... magic then! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 2 hours ago, stewblack said: Um. Am I the only one can see that video 👆. Showing a man playing the air? With sticks 😕? Only no one has commented on it. And I want to be sure I'm actually seeing it and it's not the final piece of my breakdown slotting into place. What video? There's no video there at all. In fact, who are you and what forum do you think you're on? This is Mumsnet. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 Drat ... I thought it was Asschat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Donkey's ages ago -- '88 I think -- some mates and I did some recording at a studio in Weston-super-Mare. The drummer lived in London, and got a lift to Weston from his brother. He arrives, unloads kit, off went bro, drummer sets up... no snare. This is back when mobile phones were still a yuppy's wet dream, remember, so no way to contact brother and beg for a lift back. So off goes drummer to the station for a train to London, while we do as much as we can to a click track. Drummer arrives back some hours later clutching snare drum. Sets up his now complete kit, only to find he has no sticks either... I bundled him into the car and gave him a lift into Weston to buy some, before the others could lynch him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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