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General Discussion: Eigenharps vs Soundplane?

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written by: keyman

Thanks Mark, for steeping in and filling the "big topic" with some wise words ;-)

About temptations-to-get-a-soundplane i'm on the same boat… in the middle got the crazy idea of the Double Pico…. Happy with the result; whats the next chapter? who knows….

written by: Break Aes

Sun, 13 Apr 2014 04:30:48 +0100 BST

Hi all,

Has anybody tried both an Eigenharp and the Madrona Labs Soundplane? http://madronalabs.com/hardware

If so, can you give me your opinion on the pros and cons of each?

I'm curious about both of these, and want to make the right purchasing decision, since they are both so expensive.

Thanks


written by: keyman

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:57:51 +0100 BST

Considering Stage performance….

Pico, Tau or Alpha - Free movement, away from screen displays, near audience.

Soundplane - complimenting a keyboard/controlism rig (ala Nine Inch Nails recent video) Would also like to try one; big topic here….




written by: TheTechnobear

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:57:32 +0100 BST

Im with Antonio, Id love a Soundplane to complement an Eigenharp.

But, I don't really think they are comparable, I think they would be great for different purposes.

I don't think the soundplane would be comfortable for playing conventional pieces
(unlike the eigenharp tau/alpha which is great in this regard)
a) its not a soft surface, it has limited give.. this i think will not be ideal for playing lots of notes, say like a piano
b) although its a good size surface, there are limitations with finger spacing, and I suspect that it might be difficult to find a general purpose layout with a good range, that allows 2 handed playing with chords. (the eigenharp has shown me, despite lots of keys, finding a good working layout is tricky)

If I were considering it as a main instrument, i would mock up a layout (dimensions are on madronas website) put notes on it, and see if you can play what you would like.. in particular pay attention to number of octaves, and playing triads using a chromatic scale, you could also put a small piece of rubber/foam (a few mills thick) under it, and see how it feels to play on a semi hard surface.

of course, if your not planning on using it in the same way as a conventional keyboard, it may be fine.

On the flip side, I can really imagine molding sounds, and sliding around the surface on a soundplane, which could be 'zoned' for all sorts of different purposes - I think it would be fantastic for this.
(this could be done to some extent on an eigenharp, but not in quite the same way)

I can also imagine having some fun on less conventional pieces, or for just 'noddlng' around, trying out ideas... it would be great to have in front of the computer and just slide it forward to play.

in this regard, I think it would be similar to how I still use my pico... ie. i just grab it when I'm not sitting down to 'actively' practice/play, I'm just messing about... perhaps playing with a VST or something

doh... i wish you hadn't brought this up... I don't need more temptations to get a soundplane :)


written by: keyman

Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:26:13 +0100 BST

Thanks Mark, for steeping in and filling the "big topic" with some wise words ;-)

About temptations-to-get-a-soundplane i'm on the same boat… in the middle got the crazy idea of the Double Pico…. Happy with the result; whats the next chapter? who knows….



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