Digitaize Violin - Instrument and MIDI Controller - All In One!

Here's our interview with Rafal Zalech, creator of the Digitaize Violin!

[@ChrissieCaulfield]

Really interesting stuff. I agree with may of the other commenters here that an electric would more more useful (to me anyway), but I'll follow the progress with interest. I've long followed the terribleness of MIDI-connected violins and this does look like a way out. I did something similar myself a few years ago now with an IMU sat under the fingerboard of a Bridge Aquila, and a variable resistor attached to the side of the neck, amongst other things - it didn't do MIDI notes but I did have it controlling parameters in Ableton - and later a GT-1000 (because I hate gigging with a laptop). It's nice to see these ideas being made into more useful products than my shonky 'engineering' :)

[@OlssonTony]

I've modified a YEV05 with a GK3 and custom bridge and been having a heap of fun with playing around with VSTis running the violin through an SY1000 or GR55. Still a few things to tweak it but its been fun taking the violin and SY1000 to gigs and showing what it can do! The Sy1000 seem to like bow playing a lot more than the gr55 but I could go on about the all day so will just leave this here for now :p

[@danielcbrecht]

That's incredible!

[@AlexeyKurkdjian]

Fantastic! So many possibilities...😃🎻

[@ElectricViolinShop]

Indeed!

[@peterhodgkinson5095]

FINALLY something that will save me the pain from having to use the keyboard for my composition projects on Logic Pro X

[@feelinghealingfrequences7179]

amazing!

[@mackenlyjones]

Very cool!

[@markusmars]

Awesome!

[@lenmcwilliams1058]

I'm hoping that DigitAize is well on the road to being successful at creating a true MIDI violin. Here are my questions to judge their level of success: (1) Does the generated MIDI accurately capture pitches as played at speed- without unwanted triggering of unwanted MIDI pitch data (e.g., from accidental string touches or sympathetically resonating strings). (2) Does the generated MIDI capture the attack, decay, and expressive characteristics of a violin - i.e. doesn't sound like a velocity-sensitive MIDI keyboard controller. (3) Is a violin-like dynamic range captured? (4) Are characteristic violin bowing techniques captured?

[@alexeyaslamas732]

crazy!!!

[@koenvanmeerbeek]

Heyhey I just discovered the Digitaize. 3 questions come up in my mind right away: * I'm a viola player. When I buy the DIY Viola kit, how does it fit to my instrument? Since there's no default size for a viola? Are there any video's on installing the hardware? * How thick is the digital fingerboard? * Since the midi notes are triggered by placing fingers on the fingerboard, how do you play an open string?

[@LionmightOfficial]

Need!

[@MindRabbits]

we need that stuff on our Vipers :)

[@gabrielfonseca8895]

Hi amazing, can u put more example of sound please

[@ElectricViolinShop]

It’s a MIDI controller. It can make literally any sound.

[@aidanloewen2712]

Very cool tech. I would want something like this at some point. However I would personally prefer this as an electric or silent instrument. is it an acoustic so the microphone can produce an envelope from the intensity of the playing? Couldnt that problem be solved on an electric instrument with the pickup? I suppose the acoustic serves its own purpose by being an acoustic.

[@digitaize]

@@LeekowalskiWalker the DigitAize doesn't rely on pitch to midi analysis, it behaves more like a regular midi keyboard - the custom radio protocol allows a latency far below 10ms - so the delay isn't here a thing. You can see it as any other midi keyboard with the difference that the keys are packed-in in a form of a fingerboard.

[@digitaize]

@@LeekowalskiWalker of course you could just take a piece of wood, or any other surface and glue a bunch of sensors - that would also work. However, when you could use the potential of your trained skills on a given instrument and combine the acoustic qualities with the possibilities of the digital domain that would bring some new perspectives in the fiddlers universe.

[@PhearNone7]

wow 🎻

[@ChampViolinist]

❤

[@annaruthboyce]

Is there a way that you can play the digitaize violin with the bow, and only the midi sounds come out of it? (Only the midi and not any of the acoustic sound with it?)

[@ElectricViolinShop]

No. It's actually an acoustic violin.

[@FiddleDave]

wow. this looks like a game changer.

[@ElectricViolinShop]

It's really, really cool.

[@anishckumar]

if I change string tunings, will it work the midi notations correspondingly, for example if I changed the tuning of 2nd (A) string to C, will it work the midi notations Accordingly. And how about the open string notations?

[@rafalzalech]

It’s not about pitch to midi it’s more about a ribbon controller that detects the positions of the strings according to the current calibration. You could tweak it in any way you can imagine.

[@jesusibanezjj9636]

Will it be available for double bass in the future? Awesome work 🙌🏼

[@ElectricViolinShop]

((Shrugs)) Who knows?

[@UpcomingJedi]

They should sell the pickup and electronics seperately. Whats a DAW and a PUSH? But this idea of an internal battery sucks if its not user replaceable like most tech thes days

[@ElectricViolinShop]

If you're not familiar with a DAW or a push, then this instrument is probably not what you're looking for. The feature set is designed for Ableton users.

[@davidlong3696]

But can You play Rock Smith with it?

[@danilo1615]

am I wrong or this just looks to have solved once and for all the tracking pain in the a$$ we violinists always had when it came down to midi playing?

[@ElectricViolinShop]

ALL of the pain? Probably not. But it's the best tool I've seen so far.

[@krisnamurtienvacances2651]

Can it works for 5 strings violin too ? E A D G C

[@ElectricViolinShop]

They don't have a 5-string version yet.

[@UpcomingJedi]

6 string version.