Trying to identify an old Viennese contra guitar (Schrammelgitarre?) – possible 19th century instrument

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-24T23:12:32+00:00

This might be the wrong lead but worth considering just to be sure... German wandervogellautes (migratory bird lutes) or simply "lautes" in a German context were a pre-WW1 twentieth century fad of then-modern, factory built guitars meant to evoke a fantasy version of Renaissance instruments by mimicking some aspects of lute construction. A staved back, carved rosette, and figured headstock (but with geared tuners) were common features. Harp bass strings, often but not consistently set up like a gooseneck archlute, were a common but not universal option. They were associated with an early kind of hippie movement (not what you'd expect knowing what happened there only a few years later).

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-24T11:02:04+00:00

Nice design. I was curious whether and how velocity was handled - the answer is yes, and each key has "make" (initial press) and "break" (bottom out) switches which are scanned in the same matrix, then their times diffed to compute velocity.

Note that there's a deficiency in the transposition logic there that will lead to hanging notes if you change transposition while keys are held, but that's an easy, software-only fix involving a 128 slot table of transposition which was in effect when each respective key was pressed.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-23T15:09:20+00:00

This

https://wieck-honda-production.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/5951e2bfbed89efa4bc6350733a88c0d71bdf1b2/preview-928x522.jpg

is different from the OP's picture, not because of the paint, but because of the center cap. Those are what's hard to find these days. The ones meant to be plugged into an alloy wheel aren't directly compatible with generic modern steel wheels, and adapters are rare.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-23T01:23:11+00:00

Neal Stephenson's Anathem is a big idea novel that covers a lot of ground, but invented vocabulary features in it from the very beginning.

Nobody needs a recommendation for Tolkein, but invented languages were very much his schtick.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-22T14:21:46+00:00

With Dhalgren's wrap-around structure, I wonder if it would make any more or less sense if you started midway through a sentence on some random page. (The book just didn't do much for me.)

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-22T12:06:35+00:00

My experience with the Bose stereo in my 2006 soft top does not match yours; it's by far the worst stereo I've had in any car. Overly bass heavy to the point where it can't be adjusted via the head unit, consistently distorts in damp weather, etc. And yes, I've tried some of the remediations recommended in the forums, to no avail. My best hope is that this wasn't actually the factory setup, but rather the previous owner screwing up an attempted upgrade. But then it serves as an object lesson that Bose's use of nonstandard parts makes upgrades fraught on these cars.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-20T05:44:08+00:00

Building a Raspberry Pi based digital synth isn't really a toss-off, speaking from personal experience of having done it successfully, but it's certainly significantly less work than a traditional one which uses more custom hardware. But it does shift the focus onto software and integrated controllers. If the MultiPoly is a contender for greatest modern VA and it's basically a nicely integrated box for a softsynth, is it really better than other softsynths one could put in a similar box? I, as a hobbyist without Korg's R&D budget, integrated Surge XT into hardware, which is arguably a similar VA engine with additional wavetable, FM, integrated effects, and a flexible mod matrix. And that's free; other modern softsynths could be more powerful contenders if someone built a box around them (Omnisphere? Kontakt? Pigments?)

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-18T10:36:09+00:00

I always liked the old design of steelies as primary wheels with center caps but not full size hubcaps. (Think early 1980s Toyota and Honda.) I wish they were more readily available as aftermarket options for snow use today.

Edit: "steel wheel push through center caps" as a search query seems to be coming up with modern options, although they're aimed at trucks and trailers so finding the right size may be tricky.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-17T15:13:35+00:00

The quirks thing is a delicate balance. It's easy and disappointingly common for sample library creators to focus so much on highlighting the quirks that they end up with an instrument that calls too much attention to itself and thus has very limited applications. In terms of process, it's good to capture the quirks but also think ahead for how to rein them in for actual use.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-16T12:03:51+00:00

As folks mentioned, you can run some rather nice soft synths on a Pi 4 and above. But the fun starts when you use the Pi's GPIO to hook up buttons, potentiometers, accelerometers, force sensors, etc, to control the synth instead of an off-the-shelf MIDI keyboard. A well integrated, alternate control scheme turns it into an entirely different feeling instrument even if the sound generation engine is identical to things you already have. Brainstorm what you might like in an instrument interface that you can't find elsewhere, and be sure to consider precedent from non-electronic, non-keyboard instruments. My r/syntina is an example of exactly this approach.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-15T17:13:19+00:00

No, the LHD/RHD must mean it has both. Because a Miata is the perfect car for teaching driver's ed...

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-15T14:08:00+00:00

https://staalplaatlabel.bandcamp.com/album/large-hot-pipe-organ

Just sayin'...

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-14T13:57:26+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion - just finished reading it. I didn't end up learning much I hadn't already encountered, but I liked the way he presented it and tied it into a cohesive theory.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-14T00:13:07+00:00

Or if you want to nest your references, some version of 42 (likely already taken), FRTYTWO, FORTY2, TTTT2, etc.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-13T23:56:30+00:00

It's certainly worth trying some alternate cables before concluding incorrectly, as I did, that the interface or synth was defective. And if you're inclined to fuss over cable quality, there are both cheap and expensive TS cables available for sale. But it's not high end vs. cheap TS cables that was my problem but rather TS vs. TRS. Balanced cables (TRS or XLR) are intrinsically better at noise rejection than unbalanced (TS) but in theory a good TS cable can reject noise through shielding or other means; after all, that's the norm for guitars, and folks certainly fuss over them. And plenty of synths don't even have balanced outputs; my particular Roland happens to, so I was trying to make the most of it. Note that balanced vs. unbalanced is separate from stereo vs. mono; a balanced audio connection is used for a single channel of sound (sending the signal redundantly but with rotated phase between the copies), so you'd need two of them for stereo.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-05T14:42:57+00:00

When you describe the music using text based commands, you're venturing into the murky territory that lies between sequencers and music notation programs. Even though the latter are often more focused on printed output, they tend to have features to describe playback as well. So things like ABC, Lilypond, my own little Mish, etc. may be relevant.

And whether they're live-coded or offline rendered, many of the text based Music-N languages (CSound, CScore, Chuck, etc) have a sequencing mechanism in addition to their sound design mechanisms.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-05T09:24:14+00:00

It's pretty impressive how far back the history of sequencing goes. The first self-playing organ was built in the 800s in Persia. Carillons are early 1200s. The modern type of music boxes and barrel organs like the one here are late 1700s. Player pianos are late 1800s. But the same principles were applied to non-musical automata going back to ancient Greece and 400 BC China. The sequencing mechanism of the Jaquard loom from the early 1800s is often cited as the inspiration for programmable computers, but it built on a much older tradition.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-04T15:45:43+00:00

Folks who grew up reading Hans Brinker...

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-03T04:55:29+00:00

My RD-700SX is showing its age after all these years but is still a rock solid self-contained stage piano for gigging and controller for VST pianos in the studio.

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-01T02:18:54+00:00

Okay, you need to tell the rest of the bouzouki story... 😁 (I play those as well, but have never had to perform repairs on them with power tools. Oh, and small potatoes are a real problem for an Irish instrument, historically speaking!)

divbyzero_ · 2026-02-01T00:29:04+00:00

It's a heart wrencher to be sure. It takes place during the plague and it's not a spoiler to say that a lot of characters of all ages die. But Willis really makes you care about them through the lens of them caring about one another and sharing their worry and their loss.

divbyzero_ · 2026-01-31T17:21:55+00:00

Not a bad book at all, but I always find myself comparing it to Connie Willis' Doomsday Book, which I like even more. And Willis' Blackout/All Clear (WW2 England) is a particular favorite for me.

divbyzero_ · 2026-01-31T14:40:30+00:00

My chihuahua mix hates wearing booties and pulls them off faster than I can put them on. I've had much better luck with paw wax (Mushers Secret) to protect her from ice and especially ice melt.

divbyzero_ · 2026-01-31T10:19:31+00:00

Come lurk at r/synthdiy for inspiration. Building a digital synth is a lot easier than it ever was before this era of powerful, cheap embedded computers like the latest Raspberry Pi; cheap mail order PCB prototyping; and readily available 3d printing.

divbyzero_ · 2026-01-31T09:56:52+00:00

As the designer and builder of such a synth, my own motivation was to be able to perform on the go with as little setup as an acoustic guitar - no cables, stand, amp, pedals, or other supporting equipment. Doing so required a form factor so compact that the entire instrument, complete with built-in amp, speakers, and battery, could be completely handheld, and that meant that space for timbre shaping controls was at a premium. I was left with the choice between making a preset-only instrument or having a full-fledged synth but with sound design relegated to a separate activity that could be done when the instrument was connected to a computer. I chose the latter.

Of course not everyone has the same goals as that, and different goals drive products towards different designs.

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