Abstract
This dissertation presents the EV, an augmented string instrument developed over six years, together with a portfolio of compositions. The written document comprises the questions surrounding the instrument's genesis, an analytical survey covering nearly a hundred years of digital and analog augmented bowed string instruments, an account of the instrument's construction, a philosophical framework that explores the unresolved challenges and concerns orbiting the project, and a forward-looking vision for the instrument.
The greatest challenge in the instrument's evolution has become its central philosophical fascination: the dichotomy between the real and the representational. The translation of the string's vibration (a complex physical phenomenon) into a representational digital framework poses challenges ranging from fidelity and latency to feature extraction. In navigating this duality, the EV evolved from a control interface to an instrument that embraces both its vibrating string and its synthesis framework as it explores the boundary between the acoustic and the digital. Roger Penrose proposes a framework that illustrates an intrinsic bond among three realms: the physical, the mathematical, and the mental; this brings the real and the representational into dialogue with the human.
After five iterations, the instrument has emerged in two distinct forms: a 3D-printed version that connects to a laptop running Pure Data, and a CNC-cut solid-body wood version with an embedded low-latency Bela Gem running a custom-designed C++ synthesis framework. Both host an array of synthesis modules connected via mixing console and control matrix frameworks. They each employ an infrared pickup paired with a zero-crossing pitch detector that produces high-accuracy output, resulting in responsive performance.
Each composition in the portfolio explores the evolving feature set of the EV. Daughter of the Stars narrates a folktale rendered as an immersive ambisonic environment, where grain-delay loops and reverb decay layer the instrument's four voices into a spatial narrative. experiments from the n-space uses the EV's software engine to process a live acoustic quartet (saxophone, guitar, piano, percussion), coloring the instruments with FFT convolution and Paulstretch time-warping. light spaces in strange places introduces the noteFreeze module, letting one guitar capture and sustain the other's notes, an audible image of interconnection between two players. two tales from the shadows of the grid engages RAVE neural synthesis, turning the EV into a meta-resonator that listens to itself through a model trained on its own recordings, surfacing the sounds usually filtered out. Lastly, EV 3 Guthman Demo Piece showcases the EV 3, the self-contained solid-body instrument, as a stage-ready performance in its own right.
The EV makes a distinctive contribution to the field: a flexible and extensible synthesis platform designed specifically for string players. With ultra-low latency and a self-contained, stage-ready, rugged build, it is made to withstand the demands of a professional musician. Crucially, it is designed to be playable by any string player trained on a traditional instrument, with the hope that it can facilitate a broader creative shift toward electroacoustic string music.
