Buchla Lightning

Don Buchla's Lightning I (1991) & Lightning II (1995) are in the family of MIDI controllers consisting of specialized devices which are used to manipulate data spatially.

Description

Two infrared emitting wands are used to transmit location, acceleration, velocity, and direction to photo-sensors. The brain of the device translates these actions into corresponding, pre-programmed system data.

Featured Examples

Don Buchla

• En Plein Vol (1991)
• Trajectories (1992)

George E. Lewis

• "Virtual Discourse" (1993)
• " Crazy Quilt" (2002)

Andrew Schloss

• "Virtual Iyesa" (1997)

Lê Quan Ninh

• "Oscille" (1997)

External links

• Buchla website

Projects using Buchla Lightning

• Scott, Richard. “Getting WiGi with It: Performing and Programming with an Infrared Gestural Instrument: A Case Study.” eContact! 12.3 — Instrument—Interface (June 2010). Montréal: CEC.

Of Related Interest

• Thunder, a tactile MIDI controller
• Marimba Lumina, a specialized MIDI control device
• The Theremin, original analog electronic musical instrument to incorporate spatial manipulation as a function of control.

References

• Chadabe, Joel (1997). Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music. 
• Hopkin, Bart (1996). Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones: Experimental Musical Instruments.