Contribution
Sick Kick: A Foot Controller for Expressive Sound Manipulation
* Presenting author
Abstract:
This contribution investigates the parameters of an electronic foot-controlled instrument that offers drummers new expressive possibilities. Unlike acoustic bass drums pedals, electronic pedals do not need a beater and spring mechanism to hit the drum head with sufficient power. Nevertheless, most e-drum pedals rely on the imitation of this mechanism to give the user the familiar playing feel, although there are hardly any possibilities for sound variation apart from the hit velocity. In order to give the musician the opportunity to control the sound with more expressiveness, sole sensors were added initially to conventional kick pedals. In the further development process, the design was reduced to the essentials. The resulting prototype no longer has any mechanically moving parts. Two sensor surfaces for the front and rear of the foot recognize foot gestures and a microcontroller converts the input into MIDI signals. The musician can now vary the sound expressively, by bending the toes or shifting the contact point of the ball of the foot. Additionally, the sound can be triggered and then modulated by applying pressure with the heel. This article discusses the limits and possibilities of this novel approach to electronic foot percussion.