Bastl — acoustic drum machine
Acoustic Drum Machine
Sounds acoustic, but is played via MIDI: up to twelve solenoids strike wood, metal and glass.
What is it?
Real strokes, digitally controlled.
The drum machine listens to MIDI – from a keyboard or straight from the computer. Every note makes a solenoid strike: on wooden drums, metal parts or glass.
That way any beat can be programmed or played live – velocity-sensitive and with no noticeable delay. That makes it sound natural and rich in detail.
Audio sample
The machine in action
Acoustic Drum Machine · 2020
Wooden frame, aluminum profiles, solenoids
How it works
from keypress to strokeMIDI in
Keyboard, pad controller or DAW on the computer – every note triggers a stroke.
12 solenoids
Up to twelve solenoids, each with its own resonating body: wooden drums, metal parts, glass, cymbals.
Velocity
Velocity is passed along too: soft notes tap, loud ones really hit.
Playable live
Hardly any latency – you can play the machine like an instrument, not just program it.
Control
At its heart is the automatcontroller by dadamachines: MIDI in, twelve outputs for the solenoids out.
In use
Part of Microcosm
Live, the drum machine plays along in the audiovisual project Microcosm – between accordion, electronics and light.
