Soundbeam 2 Handbook

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Page 1

PART 1

GETTING STARTED

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK

THE SOUNDBEAM PROJECT

Page 2

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK

INTRODUCTION

Soundbeam was first introduced at the Frankfurt International Music Fair in

November, 1988. Ten years later, our own experiences with it - together with

the growing enthusiasm of many of its, by then, more than 1,000 users

worldwide - encouraged us to design a new, radically improved and, we

hope, even more user-friendly

Soundbeam 2, offering greatly enhanced

possibilities for imaginative and expressive music making to all ages and

abilities, amateur and professional alike.

For one thing, we have tried to make

Soundbeam 2 much more easily

accessible to first time users - plain sailing to connect, trouble free

to operate, and, if you get lost, simple to get back to where you started from

- in fact, fool-proof, we hope, even for the most timid of techno-phobes.

At the same time,

Soundbeam 2 opens up new imaginative horizons for

professional users already experienced in MIDI technology - the composers,

choreographers, performing musicians and dancers who will be able to

explore the greatly enhanced creative and expressive possibilities of this newly

expanded MIDI controller and performance instrument.

And, of course, whatever your interests - dance and movement, therapy or

just plain music making - don’t forget that Soundbeam is one of the very

few ways of playing a musical instrument which enables people with differing

levels of dexterity and physical ability to play together as musical equals.

This 3-part “Soundbeam

2 Handbook” - with its Appendix A, “Set-ups

and Pitch Sequences” - is designed to cover everything that anyone, from

beginners to advanced users, might need to know. We have tried

to provide, in as simple and logical a way as possible, a comprehensive

description of how

Soundbeam 2 works and how to use it, so that you

can explore the enjoyable and stimulating expressive possibilities it offers.

Edward and Judy Williams,

The Soundbeam Project, Bristol, January 2002.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

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SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK - PART 1

GETTING STARTED

HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK

WHAT IS SOUNDBEAM

. OPENING THE BOX 5

PREPARATIONS

MAKING THE CONNECTIONS

Sensor to Sensor Driver 11

Sensor Driver to Controller

Controller’s MIDI Output to musical instrument’s MIDI Input

Musical instrument’s signal outputs to amplifier and speakers

Musical instrument’s power unit to the mains supply

Soundbeam’s power unit to mains supply 14

SWITCHING ON 15

B. A LIGHTNING TOUR OF THE CONTROLS 23

PITCH SEQUENCE 25 RANGE 27 DIVISIONS 30 TRIGGER MODE 33 TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

SENSOR

SET-UP

TO SUMMARISE - A FEW SIMPLE TIPS

FINALLY - IF YOU GET LOST...

MAKING MUSIC WITH SOUNDBEAM 2

CONTACTING US

SOUNDBEAM is a Registered Trademark throughout Europe and the USA.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

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How to Use This Handbook

Part 1 - Getting Started

The first section, entitled Opening The Box, will help you recognise the various components of your new machine, check whether you’ve been sent everything you need for the kit you ordered, and connect everything up.

After that, follow through A Lightning Tour of the Controls in the second half of Part 1, trying out the different settings suggested and beginning to get to grips with using Soundbeam for your own purposes.

Once you have started using Soundbeam in earnest, you will probably want to move quickly on from the Locked Set-ups and Pitch Sequences (pre-set in the factory) - with their various settings for Sensor, Range, Divisions, Trigger Modes, Transpose and MIDI Utilities - to developing your own new, personal ones, and saving them to the User Set-ups and Pitch Sequences - ie those defined by you. For this, you can consult

Part 2 - Step by Step

which gives examples of all the procedures you need for any of the Soundbeam operations. It may be useful to try them out first yourself, as they stand, before adapting them for use for your own specific needs.

Part 3 - EXPLANATIONS

has detailed explanations of everything you need to know about how Soundbeam 2 works, together with various practical suggestions, a section on Trouble Shooting and a glossary of many of the terms you’ll come across in the course of using Soundbeam to make music with electronic musical instruments.

APPENDIX A - SET-UPS and PITCH SEQUENCES

has details of all the settings collected in each of the 30 Locked Set-ups, and all the sequences of notes or chords in each of the 30 Locked Pitch

Sequences, as well as those for User Set-up 31 (repeated in User Set-ups Nos 32 - 128). and for User Pitch Sequence 31 (repeated in User Pitch Sequences Nos 32 - 100).

In the folder on the inside back cover of Part 3, you will find 3 blank duplicates of each of the two forms for you to photocopy. They are for recording details of the User Set-ups and Pitch Sequences you define and Save yourself.

And finally, of course, if you’re really in difficulties you can ring Robin Wood’s helpline - 01726 883265 (working hours, weekdays, British time)

Edward Williams, The Soundbeam Project, Bristol, England

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

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WHAT IS SOUNDBEAM®?

an invisible

expanding MIDI

keyboard in space

It sends out a ‘Beam’ of ultra-sonic pulses - like a bat -

too high for us to hear,

listens for ‘echoes’ from any interruption of the beam,

and converts them - together with their changing distance from

the Sensor and the speed of the movements in the Beam –

into MIDI instructions for playing electronic musical instruments.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

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GETTING STARTED

A. OPENING THE BOX

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

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MIDI IN

MIDI OUT

MIDI IN

MIDI OUT

Your new SOUNDBEAM

2 kit will contain

a: The Soundbeam 2 Controller

- with a Power Unit to connect it to your Mains supply

b: 2 MIDI leads, A and B, with 5-pin connectors, each labelled at both ends

for connecting the ‘MIDI Out’ and ‘MIDI In’of the Controller to the MIDI

Input and Output of your MIDI musical instrument.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

* The ticks indicate

the number of each item normally supplied with each Kit

Kit A ✓

Kit B ✓

Kit C ✓

Kit D ✓

Kit A ✓

Kit B ✓

Kit C ✓

Kit D ✓

Page 8

and

c: The Soundbeam 2 Handbook

Part 1 - Getting Started,

Part 2 - Step by step

Part 3 - Explanations.

Appendix A - Set-ups and Pitch Sequence

There will also be -

depending on whether you have ordered Kit A, B, C or D -

d: One or more

i. Sensors,

ii. Spring Clips - to clip Sensor(s) to Stand(s)

iii. Stands (optional) - on which

to fix the clips which hold

the Sensor(s) on

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Kit A ✓

Kit B ✓

Kit C ✓

Kit D ✓

Kit A ✓

Kit B ✓✓

Kit C ✓✓✓

Kit D ✓✓✓✓

Kit A ✓

Kit B ✓✓

Kit C ✓✓✓

Kit D ✓✓✓✓

Kit A ✓

Kit B ✓✓

Kit C ✓✓✓

Kit D ✓✓✓✓

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iv. Sensor Drivers - to power and control the Sensor(s) and to send

information from them back to the Controller.

v. Driver Leads - to connect the Sensor Driver(s)

to the Controller

and lastly - if you’ve ordered it there will be-

e: the 8-input Switchbox.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

SB2

DRIVER

Kit A ✓

Kit B ✓✓

Kit C ✓✓✓

Kit D ✓✓✓✓

Kit A ✓

Kit B ✓✓

Kit C ✓✓✓

Kit D ✓✓✓✓

Please make sure that all

the items for the Kit you

have ordered are present -

let Robin Wood, of EMS,

Cornwall, know immediately

if there are any omissions

or breakages.

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FINALLY - DON’T FORGET

Soundbeam is not itself a musical instrument -

it’s an exciting new and expressive new way

of playing one -

so…

you will need an electronic musical instrument -

a MIDI Keyboard,

Sound Module

or Sampler.

And, unless you are using a keyboard

synthesiser with built-in amplifier and speakers,

you will also need an amplifier and a pair of

speakers - or a pair of self-powered speakers

with their own internal amplifier.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

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THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Preparations

a: Some consideration of the space in which

you intend to use your new SOUNDBEAM 2 will save you time.

Setting up the Sensor(s), Sensor Driver(s) and Controller

in a clear space (minimum, say, 2m by 3m, unobstructed

by furniture, within a larger room) will help to avoid

unwanted interruptions of the Beam(s) and the

confusions they can easily cause.

Just as hard, shiny wall surfaces produce reverberant

acoustics, similarly, the echoes of ultra-sonic pulses may

perform multiple bounces - like the ball in a squash court -

some of which may occasionally be picked up by the Sensor.

(See Handbook Part 3 “Explanations” 2.1.4. Suitable

Spaces for using Soundbeam pp. 16-17.)

Inserting

3-pin. 5-pin and 6-pin plugs into

the designated sockets on the Sensor Drivers, Controller

and MIDI musical instruments

can be tricky

unless care is taken

to identify the proper match of plug to socket.

Then firm pressure -

not force - can be used to push them home.

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Making the Connections

Even if you have ordered a Soundbeam Kit with more

than one Beam (ie more than one Sensor and one

Sensor Driver), we strongly recommend that you

start by exploring Soundbeam with just a single Beam

connecting more Sensors and Sensor Drivers later,

as you gain experience

Here’s how to get started

Connect the Sensor to the Sensor Driver

i. Mount the Sensor on the Stand

using the Spring Clip provided

ii. Using the Sensor’s fixed lead, insert the 3-pin connector plug labelled

‘Sensor’ into the socket marked ‘Sensor’ on the Sensor Driver

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

SENSOR

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Connect the Sensor Driver to the Controller

i. Using the lead labelled ‘Driver’, insert 6-pin plug also labelled ‘Driver’ into

the 6 pin Socket marked ‘Controller’ on the Sensor Driver.

ii. Insert 6-pin plug at the other end of the ‘Driver’ lead -

labelled ‘SB2’ - into the sockets on the SB2 Controller’s

rear panel marked ‘Sensor Driver 1’.

iii. Place the Sensor Driver on the floor by the base of the Stand -

or anywhere you can easily see its LED flashing whenever the Beam

is interrupted.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

DRIVER

SB2

Page 14

Connect the Controller’s MIDI output to the MIDI input of your MIDI musical instrument

i. Using MIDI Lead A, insert 5-pin plug labelled ‘SB2 MIDI OUT’

into 5-pin socket labelled ‘MIDI Out’ on Controller back panel.

ii. Insert 5-pin plug at other end of MIDI Lead A -

labelled ‘SOUND MOD MIDI IN’ - into 5-pin socket on

sound module, sampler or MIDI keyboard marked ‘MIDI IN’

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

SB2 MIDI OUT

SOUND MOD MIDI IN

You won’t need to use MIDI Lead

B (to connect the MIDI Out socket

of a MIDI keyboard to the MIDI In

socket of your Soundbeam 2

Controller) until you want to start

recording your own User Pitch

Sequences, as described in

Handbook Part 2 “Step by

Step” 3.2.4. To Record the

Notes of a Pitch Sequence p. 39.

Meanwhile, keep MIDI Lead B in

a safe place.

MIDI In

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Connect the signal output(s) of your MIDI musical instrument to an amplifier and speakers or to a pair of self-powered speakers

Connect the Power Unit of your MIDI musical instrument to your room’s mains supply

Connect your Soundbeam Controller’s Power Unit to the mains supply

i. Insert plug of Power Unit

into Mains Socket

ii. Insert connector labelled

‘SOUNDBEAM’ on Power Lead

into socket on Controller

rear panel labelled ‘Power 9v AC’

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Page 16

Switching On

First

make sure that there’s nothing likely to interrupt the Beam of the Sensor within 2m in front of it.

Then

i. If there is a switch for

your room’s mains supply, switch it on.

ii. Switch on the ‘Power’

switch of your MIDI musical instrument.

Wait a second or two until the instrument has finished its ‘start up’ routine -

then

iii. press the ‘Power’ switch

of your SOUNDBEAM 2 Controller

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

SOUN

DBEAM

Page 17

YOU SHOULD SEE

a: The 4 red indicator lights (on the left-hand side of the Controller’s upper

surface) light up for about 3 seconds

and, simultaneously,

b: On the LCD Screen (on the right-hand side of the upper part of the

Controller’s upper surface)

followed a second later by (something like - but not exactly)

followed a second later by

At the same time you should hear a quiet buzzing sound. This is a by-product

of the mechanism of the Sensor, as it alternates rapidly between acting as a

loudspeaker (sending out ultra-sonic pulses) - and as a microphone (listening

for the echoes).

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

SOUNDBEAM

CONTROLLER

VERSION 1.32

7/10/1999

Set-up: 001P

Echoes

SOUNDBEAM CONTROLLER

VERSION 1.32

7/10/1999

Set-up: 001P

Echoes

Page 18

IF NOT (1)

If you Don’t see the lights and

screens described above

Press (to release) the Power Switch on

the Controller’s back panel and

switch off the current…

2. Check that current is actually being

supplied to the room mains supply

socket you are using.

Try plugging

another device into this socket

- a lamp or electric fan, for example - and

switching it on to make sure.

Check that the Soundbeam Power Unit plug is properly pressed home

into the room mains supply socket

Check that the Soundbeam Power Unit

connection is properly pressed home into

the Power supply socket on the back panel

of the Controller

Press Controller’s Power Switch once more

to switch on current to SOUNDBEAM 2

You should now see the 4 Indicator Lights and the 3 Screens shown on the

previous page - and hear the ‘buzz’.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

If they still do not show,

try repeating the whole

connecting procedure once

more, very carefully, step

by step as described

above, before ringing

Robin Wood on the

helpline - 01726 883265

during working hours

(British time) on weekdays.

SOUNDBEAM CONTROLLER

VERSION 1.32

7/10/1999

Set-up: 001P

Echoes

Page 19

if you now see the Indicator Lights and Screens described on page 16

Move your hand backwards and forwards -

between about 15cms and 60cms away

from the Sensor.

YOU SHOULD SEE

The 1st (on the left) of the four indicator lights flashing on and

off to indicate that something is interrupting the Sensor’s Beam.

YOU SHOULD HEAR

A rising and falling sequence of musical notes

Your Soundbeam 2 is working - and your movements in the Beam are triggering sounds from your MIDI musical instrument.

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Success!

Page 20

IF NOT (2)

If, however, you DO SEE the left-hand

indicator lamp flashing

but DON’T

HEAR

the music

then your Soundbeam 2 is probably working properly but

failing to activate your MIDI musical instrument.

This may be because of a failure in the chain that conveys

Soundbeam’s MIDI messages from the Controller to your MIDI

musical instrument and then on to amplifier and speakers.

These links are

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

MIDI messages from the Controller travel via MIDI Lead A to a MIDI musical instrument - keyboard, sound module or sampler.

the resultant signals are sent to an amplifier and speakers for conversion…

…

into sound.

Page 21

So check that

i. The correctly labelled 5-pin MIDI Out plug on MIDI Lead A

is pushed firmly home into the MIDI Out socket on the

Controller’s back panel

ii. The correctly labelled 5-pin MIDI In plug on MIDI Lead A

is pushed firmly home into the MIDI In socket of your

musical Instrument

iii. Current is actually being supplied to the socket of your

room’s mains supply - ie. try plugging in a lamp or

a fan as above.

iv. The plug of the Power Unit of your musical instrument

is firmly pushed home into the socket of your room’s

mains supply

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

MIDI Out

MIDI In

Page 22

So check that…

cont

v. The Power switch on your musical

instrument is switched ON.

vi The volume control of the signal outputs

of your musical instrument is turned

up high enough for you to hear

any output.

vii. Unless you have a keyboard with internal amplifier and speakers -

the lead(s) carrying the (sound) signal from your musical instrument,

either

a. to an amplifier, and then on from the amplifier to the speakers

b. directly to a pair of self-powered speakers,

are properly connected

at each end

and finally

viii Your amplifier and speakers - or your self-powered speakers - are

connected to the mains supply and

switched on with the volume turned UP

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

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THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

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THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK

PART 1

B. A LIGHTNING TOUR

of the

controls

Page 25

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

After you have had a preliminary try-out with Soundbeam 2 and your MIDI keyboard, sampler or sound module, by moving your hand, head, foot - or anything else - in the Beam, you could begin the following guided tour to give you an idea of some of Soundbeam’s other possibilities and how to get to them.

If you have just finished the procedure in “Getting Started” or if you have just switched on Soundbeam 2 - the display will be showing the default* screen -

First, then, try changing some of the settings assigned

to Beam 1 in the default Set-up No. 001 P.

This is done by pressing one of the keys - Pitch Sequence, Range, Divisions, Trigger Mode, Transpose, MIDI Utilities - to access the specific setting you want to modify

and then using the Rotary Control Wheel to change it.

*The “Default” settings for Set-

up, Sensor, Pitch Sequence, Range and so on, are those

which have been chosen (and held in Soundbeam’s memory) to re-appear each time Soundbeam is switched on. The default settings in the

User Set-ups and Pitch Sequences can be changed

and preserved by Saving the Set-up or Pitch Sequences in which changes have been made.

Set-up: 001 P

Echoes

Page 26

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Start by pressing the

Pitch Sequence Key

The screen will show the default Pitch Sequence assigned to Beam 1 in

Set-up 001

A Pitch Sequence is any sequence - scales, arpeggios, tunes - of up to 64 single notes or 2-, 3- or 4-note chords. They can be assigned to up to 64 Divisions of the Beams (at any Range). Soundbeam can store a library of 100 Pitch Sequences. 30 of these are Locked Pitch Sequences (preset in the factory). You, yourself, can define the other 70 Pitch Sequences by using a MIDI keyboard to play the notes or chords into Soundbeam’s memory via the Controller’s MIDI IN input.

Note the cursor under the ‘5’. This denotes

the number or letter which will be changed

when you turn the Rotary Control Wheel.

SET-UP SENSOR

PITCH

SEQUENCE

RANGE

DIVISIONS

TRIGGER MODE

TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

ENTER

SAVE

EXIT

PitchSeq: 005

Maj Triad + 6th

Page 27

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Now turn the Rotary Control Wheel anti-clockwise - a step at a time

(you can feel a click at each of the 4 steps) to Pitch Sequence 1.

The screen will show

Move your hand backwards and forwards in the Beam - between about 15cms and 60cms away from the Sensor - to hear the notes of a major chord rippling up and down.

Next turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise to

Pitch Sequence 002 - then move your other hand in the Beam to hear the new set of pitches.

Then slowly work through the remaining Locked Pitch Sequences, Nos. 01 to 27, triggering and listening to them in the same way. End by returning to

A Pitch Sequence is one of the two components of Soundbeam’s musical output which can be defined by the user and Saved to Soundbeam’s memory for use whenever required. The other is the Set-up.

N.B. Any Pitch Sequence can be assigned to

any one

SENSOR – or several SENSORS –

or even all 12 SENSORS

any one SET-UP – or several SET-UPS –

or even in all 128 SET-UPS

PitchSeq: 001

Arp. Major Triad

PitchSeq: 002

Arp. Minor Triad

PitchSeq: 005

Maj Triad + 6th

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SET-UP SENSOR

PITCH

SEQUENCE

RANGE

DIVISIONS

TRIGGER MODE

TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

ENTER

SAVE

EXIT

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Now

Press the

Range Key

The display will show

The Maximum Range of Soundbeam is the furthest distance from the Sensor within which interruptions of the Beam will be detected. It can be set to any distance from 0.56m to 6.00m. The Default Range is 0.60m and, unless you change the Default Range setting, 0.60m will be selected each time you power up Soundbeam 2.

NB. Interruptions of the first 17cms of the Beam from the

Sensor will not usually result in any notes being triggered.

Select Max Range

Beam 1: 0.60

0.17m

Page 29

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

At this point, there are two possibilities you might like to try.

I: First

, If you have plenty of unencumbered space - 5m x 5m, say - turn

the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise to a setting of around 3.00m (10’)

The display will show

And the Sensor will now send pulses to - and listen to echoes from interruptions of the Beam up to 3m away.

Now, try walking towards the Sensor from, say, 4m away (in the

direction which the Sensor is pointing) - listening for the exact place where your body meets the furthest end of the Beam from the Sensor and starts to generate sounds.

Select Max Range

Beam 1: 3.00

Page 30

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Next, walk in and out of the 3m long Beam, listening to what happens

and trying to judge when you’re interrupting the Beam and when you’re outside it.

Finally, turn the Rotary Control Wheel anti-clockwise to a setting of

about 1.00m.

This is a Range - a length of Beam - which will spread the notes out a bit more than the default setting (0.60m), so that when you move your arm in front of the Sensor you can more easily hear each one separately.

The screen will show

It is also possible to select a Minimum Range which defines the distance between the Sensor and the nearest part of the Beam which will respond to interruptions. For an explanation of Range and its applications, see

Handbook Part 3 “Explanations” 2. Gathering Information from Movement - 2.1. to 2.2.3 pp. 12-26.

Select Max Range

Beam 1: 1.00

Page 31

SET-UP SENSOR

PITCH

SEQUENCE

RANGE

DIVISIONS

TRIGGER MODE

TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

ENTER

SAVE

EXIT

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Now we can turn to the

Divisions Key

When you press this, the display will show

Divisions are the numbers of equal sections (from 1 to 64) into which the Beam’s length - at any Range - can be divided. Each of the notes or chords

of a Pitch Sequence, can be assigned to one of these sections.

If you move your hand slowly along the Beam from the nearest point to the Sensor to furthest away and back again (with the Range setting as you left it above - at around 1m), you should be able to count the number of separate notes you trigger - 16 of them, in fact, about 1cm apart along the Beam.

Divisions for:

Beam 1: 16

16 Divisions

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THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Now, turn the Rotary Control Wheel anti-clockwise until the number

of Divisions of the Beam is reduced to 1.

The screen will show

This time, moving your arm along the Beam - or interrupting it at any place along it - will produce the same note.

Next, turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise to 02

The screen will show

This time, moving your arm along the Beam, or interrupting it either side of halfway, will give you two different notes - one for each half of the length of the Beam.

Divisions for:

Beam 1: 02

Divisions for:

Beam 1: 01

1 Division

2 Divisions

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THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Once more,

turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise, this time on to 03

The screen will show

This time, moving your arm along the Beam will give you three

different notes - one for each third of the Beam’s length.

Next, use the Rotary Control Wheel to select successively 4, 5, 6, 7 and

so on - any number up to 64 Divisions. You will find your interruptions of the Beam producing sequences of more and more audible notes of different pitches within the same length of Beam (or Range).

Now,

turn the Rotary Control Wheel anti-clockwise back to 16.

Divisions for:

Beam 1: 03

Divisions for:

Beam 1: 16

3 Divisions

64 Divisions

Page 34

SET-UP SENSOR

PITCH

SEQUENCE

RANGE

DIVISIONS

TRIGGER MODE

TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

ENTER

SAVE

EXIT

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Turn to the

Trigger Mode Key

The Trigger Modes are the different ways of starting and stopping the notes sounded by interruptions of the Beam. You will find a full description of the effects of the various articulations listed below in Handbook Part 3 “Explanations” 9. Trigger Modes pp. 85-90.

For the moment, listen to the effect - on the sounds produced by movements of your hand in the Beam - of one or two different Trigger Modes.

Press the Trigger Mode Key, and the Display will show the default setting.

The screen will show

As you will have noticed already, with this Trigger Mode setting, a new note is played every time your hand enters the Beam, or moves within the Beam towards or away from the Sensor.

Now, turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise to select “Poly Sustain”

The screen will show

Trigger Beam 1

Re-Trigger

Trigger Beam 1

Poly Sustain

Page 35

Inactive Area

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

In Poly Sustain Mode - if you are using sounds which can be sustained

indefinitely (e.g. organ, choir, bowed strings, wind instruments) - each time you

make a fresh interruption of the Beam, a new note will be sounded and

sustained, even when the interruption ceases.

Each new interruption adds a note to a growing chord or cluster of notes, which

will continue to sound until you silence it by passing your hand through the

Inactive Area of the Beam, close to the Sensor.

Note, however, that - unlike Re-Trigger - if, after interrupting the Beam, you

move your hand towards or away from the Sensor, no new notes will be sounded

until you remove your hand from the Beam, and then re-enter it again.

Try moving your hand in the Beam at various distances from the Sensor.

Next, turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise again

to select “Re-trig Sustain”

The screen will show

This has the same effect as Re-Trigger - as you move your hand in the Beam towards and away from the Sensor, again you articulate a series of notes, but this time all the notes you trigger go on sounding until you pass your hand through the inactive area close to the Sensor - or switch to the next Trigger Mode.

Trigger Beam 1

Re-trig Sustain

Page 36

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Trigger Beam 1

Gated SingleShot

Trigger Beam 1

Gated Re-Trigger

Trigger Beam 1 Trigger Off

Trigger Beam 1

Single Shot

Trigger Beam 1

Re-Trigger

try the other Trigger Modes by turning the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise again

The screen will show

Separate interruptions of the Beam will trigger notes which are sustained (if no other notes are triggered) for a variable length of time, set by the user.

Same as Re-Trigger (p.33), except that the last note triggered is sustained for a variable specific time, set by the user.

Here, interruptions of the Beam don’t produce notes. The Beam is ‘muted’, and although the Sensor continues to operate, information derived from interruptions of the Beam is ignored.

Now, turn the Rotary Control Wheel anti-clockwise as far as it

will go to

Only separate interruptions of the Beam trigger notes.

and finally, with one last clockwise turn, back to

Page 37

SET-UP SENSOR

PITCH

SEQUENCE

RANGE

DIVISIONS

TRIGGER MODE

TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

ENTER

SAVE

EXIT

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Now press

Transpose Key

The screen will show

This enables the whole Pitch Sequence - the sequence of notes which is heard when you move your hand backwards and forwards to and from the Sensor - to be shifted up (+) or down (

) by the number of semitones

you set with the Rotary Control Wheel.

To try this out, move your hand backwards and forwards in the Beam

(towards and away from the Sensor).

Transpose for

Beam 1 +00

Page 38

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise to change the Transpose setting - first to “+19”.

The screen will show

and you will hear the notes of the Pitch Sequence shifted an octave and a fifth above the original pitch.

Next turn the Rotary Control Wheel anti-clockwise again to change the

Transpose setting to “

26”.

The screen will show

and the whole Pitch Sequence will sound 2 octaves and a tone below the original pitch.

Finally, turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise once more to return the Transpose setting to “+00”.

The screen will show

and the whole Pitch Sequence will sound once more at the original pitch.

Transpose for

Beam 1 +00

Transpose for

Beam 1 +19

Transpose for

Beam 1

Page 39

SET-UP SENSOR

PITCH

SEQUENCE

RANGE

DIVISIONS

TRIGGER MODE

TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

ENTER

SAVE

EXIT

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

MIDI Utilities Key

This key is used to access settings for a number of different Soundbeam 2 possibilities - most of them to do with assigning sources and destinations for MIDI messages and instructions. For the moment you can disregard them. They are fully explained in the Handbook Part 3 “Explanations”

11. MIDI pp. 95-105.

However, you might like to try just one of these MIDI Utilities, since you can use it to explore the various sounds stored in your MIDI musical instrument, and which you could select to use in your own music-making.

Press the MIDI Utilities Key

The screen will show

MIDI Program Nos. denote the various sounds - or timbres - available in your MIDI musical instrument.

Sensor Beam 1

MIDI Program 092

Page 40

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Next, use the Rotary Control Wheel to scroll through the changing sounds from “001” to “128” and back to “092” - using your other hand (or your head or foot) in the Beam to hear them.

As you scroll through, the screen will show the MIDI Program Nos. denoting the sounds you will hear in turn

and finally, once more

Sensor Beam 1

MIDI Program 001

Sensor Beam 1

MIDI Program 128

Sensor Beam 1

MIDI Program 092

Page 41

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

All the settings we have looked at so far - Pitch Sequence, Range, Divisions, Trigger Mode, Transpose, MIDI Utilities - have been

those assigned to Beam 1, the first of the 12 possible Sensors (4 ultra-sonic Beams and 8 Switches) available in the default Set-up

001

However, before we look at the Sensor Key, now is the time - if, you have ordered a Soundbeam Kit B with 2 ultra-sonic Sensors - to connect your second Sensor to your second Sensor Driver, and then connect that to the Sensor 2 input on the back panel of your Soundbeam Controller. Use the labelled leads supplied in exactly the same manner as described in the first section of Part 1 “Opening the Box” Making the Connections pp. 11-14 (above).

NB. The single MIDI Lead A connecting the MIDI output of your Soundbeam Controller to your MIDI musical instrument will carry ALL the MIDI messages from all 4 Beams and 8 Switches.

Interference

If you are using 2 or more Beams, you will find that directing them towards each other - or even inadvertently allowing the widening edges of two parallel Beams to overlap - will generate some interesting (but usually unwelcome) interference patterns. You might find them worth trying - and they’re easy to avoid

Now press

Sensor Key

SET-UP SENSOR

PITCH

SEQUENCE

RANGE

DIVISIONS

TRIGGER MODE

TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

ENTER

SAVE

EXIT

Page 42

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

and the screen will show

This means that any changes you make to settings accessed via other Keys - Range, Division, Trigger Mode, Transpose, Pitch Sequence or MIDI Utilities - will affect only the settings applied to information derived from Beam 1.

Turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise

Next, using the Keys and the Rotary Control Wheel, try out the default settings for Pitch Sequence, Range, Divisions, Trigger Mode, Transpose and MIDI Utilities assigned to interpreting your movements in Beam 2. They will nearly all be different from the settings you experienced as you followed ‘A Lightning Tour of the Controls’ using Beam 1 and the settings assigned to it.

Of course, if you only have one Sensor and no switches, there will be no response to any Sensor other than Beam 1. However, you could still try out the settings for Beam 2 by unplugging the Sensor/Driver connections to Sensor Input 1 and re-connecting it to Sensor Input 2.

Then turn the Rotary Control Wheel clockwise to scroll on through

and

Select Sensor:

Beam 2

Select Sensor:

Beam 3

Select Sensor:

Beam 4

Select Sensor:

Beam 1

Page 43

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Select Sensor:

Beam 1

and on through to

Finally - one more step clockwise back to where we started at

All the settings that you have used so far in this ‘A Lightning Tour of the

Controls’ - Sensor, Pitch Sequence, Range, Divisions, Trigger Mode,

Transpose and MIDI Utilities - have been assigned, by the currently

selected Sensor number, to the control of one of two channels of

information derived from interruptions of Beam 1 or Beam 2

in Set-up 001.

In addition, there are a further 10 channels of information - 2 more

Beams and, via the Switchbox, 8 Switches - all offering the same range

of control setting possibilities (except for Range in the case of Switches)

as those for Beams 1 and 2 we have been exploring.

Complete collections of all the settings available for each of the

4 Beams and 8 Switches can be saved as a Set-up. There are a total

of 128 possible Set-ups. 30 of these are preset in the factory, and ‘Locked’ so

that any subsequent changes you make to the settings are lost when another

Set-up is selected, or when Soundbeam is switched off - and are replaced

once more by the original factory preset settings.

You are currently using the Locked Set-up No. 001 - “Echoes”.

Select Sensor:

Switch 8

Select Sensor:

Switch 2

Select Sensor:

Switch 1

Page 44

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

So now, press

Set-up Key

The screen will show

NB. The letter M after the Set-up number 001 shows that some of the default

settings of the Set-up have been Modified - but not Saved (which, in any case,

is not possible for Locked Set-ups). If none of the settings of Set-up 001 had

been changed, the Set-up number would have been followed by a P for Preset

SET-UP SENSOR

PITCH

SEQUENCE

RANGE

DIVISIONS

TRIGGER MODE

TRANSPOSE

MIDI UTILITIES

ENTER

SAVE

EXIT

Slct Set-up: 001

Echoes

Page 45

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Locked Set-ups

The first 30 of the 128 Set-ups available in Soundbeam 2 - Nos 001 to 030

- are pre-set in the factory, and Locked to protect them from being altered by

mistake - though they can be altered if you really want to. (See Handbook

Part 3 “Explanations” 5 Set-ups pp. 45-50 for how to do it.) We have

tried to design these Set-ups to offer a wide range of possibilities - music

making pure and simple, dance, special and mainstream education for both

classroom and one-to-one teaching, as well as sound and music therapy.

So, while you can make changes during your Soundbeam session to any of

the default settings of these 30 Locked Set-ups, they can’t be Saved; and if

you select another Set-up, and then return to the current one - or, later,

when you power-up Soundbeam again after switching off - all the original

default settings will be back in operation again.

However, you can copy your altered settings to a User Set-up (see

Handbook Part 2 “Step by Step” 1.3. To Copy the Modified Settings

of a Locked Set-up to a User Set-up pp. 11-13)

User-defined Set-ups

All the default parameter settings assigned to Beams 1 - 4 and Switches

1 - 8 in each of the remaining 98 User Set-ups - Nos. 31 - 128 - can be

re-defined by the user and Saved. They will re-appear in the new form when

you return to them after a change of Set-up - or when Soundbeam is

powered up again after being switched off.

Try using the Rotary Control Wheel to select another Set-up,

say No. 015 “Cine Dream” -

The screen will show

NB. When you scroll through the various Set-up names using the Rotary Control Wheel, although the screen will show the name

and numbers of a Set-up, the new Set-up (and its settings) won’t actually be activated untill Enter is pressed.

Selct Set-up: 015

Cine Dream

Page 46

Now press the Enter Key

The screen will show

Try some movements - in both Beams if you have two - to find

out what this set-up offers -

then

- press Set-up again, and use the Rotary Control Wheel -

followed by Enter - to try another one

and another

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Set-up: 015P Cine Dream

Set-up: 026P

Mystery

Set-up: 021P

Arabian Nights

Set-up: 012P

Gremlins

Page 47

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

To Summarise - A Few Simple Tips

i: If you want to change the sequence of notes generated by

your movements in the selected Beam or by your operation of the selected Switch

press PITCH SEQUENCE and use the Rotary Control Wheel to try out other possibilities.

ii: If you want to make the selected Beam longer or shorter,

press RANGE and use the Rotary Control Wheel to set a longer or shorter RANGE.

iii: If you want to get more (or less) notes into whatever length (Range)

of the selected Beam you have chosen -

press DIVISIONS and use the Rotary Control Wheel to increase (or decrease) the number of Divisions.

iv: If you want to change the articulation - the way the sounds start, stop

or overlap each other - to build up chords, for example,

press TRIGGER MODE key and use the Rotary Control Wheel to change to “Poly Sustain”, perhaps, or to “Re-Trigger Sustain”.

v: If you want to make the notes of your Pitch Sequence sound higher

(or lower)

press TRANSPOSE and use the Rotary Control Wheel to move the whole Pitch Sequence up or down.

vi: If you want to change to a different sound

press MIDI UTILITIES and use the Rotary Control Wheel to change the MIDI Program No. Then, scroll through the possibilities, listening to the changing sounds articulated by the movements of your other hand in the Beam.

vii: If you have more than one Sensor (Beam or Switch) connected, and

you want to adjust the settings on a different one from the one you are currently using

press SENSOR and use the Rotary Control Wheel to select the one you want.

viii: If you want to try out a different collection of settings for SENSOR,

PITCH SEQUENCE, RANGE, DIVISIONS, TRIGGER MODE, TRANSPOSE or MIDI UTILITIES

press SET-UP and use the Rotary Control Wheel to select different Set-up No., then press ENTER to try it out.

Page 48

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Finally, if you get lost or confused by Soundbeam 2’s many possibilities - or simply want to go back to where you started

Switch off Soundbeam - then, after a short pause, switch it on again.

After the start-up sequence, you’ll find yourself back where you were when you first powered up

with the display showing

The settings will include

the default Sensor … Beam 1

the default Pitch Sequence … No. 005 - “Maj Triad +6th”

the default Range setting … 0.60m

the default number of Divisions … 16

the default Trigger Mode … Re-Trigger

the default Transpose … +00

the default MIDI Program … 092 - “Pad 4 (Choir)”

all part of

the default Set-Up … No. 001 - “Echoes”

Set-up: 001 P

Echoes

Page 49

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

MAKING MUSIC WITH SOUNDBEAM 2 A NOTE FOR BEGINNERS

It’s important to realise that Soundbeam is not in itself a musical instrument, but a

ground-breaking new way of playing one – a sound module, perhaps, an electronic

keyboard, or a sampler. Effective, expressive use of Soundbeam will very much

depend on your understanding and management of whichever musical instrument

you decide to use. So, to begin with, if you haven’t already done so, you should try

to get to know the particular MIDI musical instrument that YOU are going to use.

Whatever it is, - keyboard, expander module, sampler, drum machine or any other

electronic musical instrument - it will have to have a MIDI Input and Output if it is

to be used with Soundbeam - so check this first!

(MIDI is the code which enables a Roland keyboard, for example, to communicate with a Yamaha sound module)

If the instrument you will be using is a sound module supplied by us - the Yamaha

MU 50, for example - then you can easily explore a good deal of it from the Soundbeam Controller. As soon as your sound module is connected to the MIDI Out from the Soundbeam Controller, and to the signal input(s) of your amplifier

(and speakers) - or to your self-powered speakers - you can use the Controller’s

MIDI Utilities Key to select the MIDI Program No. page and the Rotary Control Wheel to scroll through them while you move the other hand in the

Active Area of the Beam. In this way you can try out all 128 of the available sounds assigned to MIDI Program Nos 001 to 128. (see pp. 38-39 above)

If the instrument belongs to the school or institution in which you work, perhaps

you could take it home for a few days or at weekends, so that you can try it out at

your leisure. Spend as much time as you possibly can exploring and playing about

with it - the design of modern electronic musical instruments means that playing

music is much easier than it used to be - and it’s fun!

Begin by finding out how to use the press buttons, sliders, switches, wheels and

other controls to try out as many as you can of the various sounds it has to offer.

Most MIDI musical instruments, nowadays, have a large range of sounds they can

make and store - and many possibilities for combining them. It will take you a long

time to explore them all - but, in the meanwhile, we have tried to make some of the best of them available to you by way of the Locked Set-ups on your

Soundbeam 2

Page 50

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED

Listen to the difference between the short sounds (piano, xylophone, guitar)

which die away very quickly however long you hold down the keys - and the

long sustained sounds (organ, violin, saxophone) which go on sounding until

you take your finger off the key. Make a note of those - of both kinds - that

you like best.

Many electronic keyboards can play a number of different percussion rhythms

- fast or slow - and these can often be used to give a lively rhythmic

framework to whatever melodic or harmonic ideas you are developing with

hand or other body movements in the beam.

You can also usually put accompanying chords to these rhythms simply by

adjusting the appropriate controls (consult your instrument’s handbook) and

then touching one of a dozen or so notes at the bottom (left hand) end of

the keyboard.

Some keyboards can be set up so that body movements in Soundbeam can

be used to change these chords too. Try out this amazing new way of using

your own body movements in the beam (without touching the keyboard) to

make music!

Finally, it’s important to remember that, as with any other musical technique,

you won’t become a virtuoso in 10 minutes. A good deal of time, application,

exploration and practice will be needed - both with Soundbeam 2, and with

the sounds of the various MIDI musical instruments it can be connected to -

to find out which of its many possibilities will ultimately help you to achieve

your own personal musical goals.

Remember,

your most important bits of musical equipment

are still your own ears.

What sounds right to them will (probably!) be right

Page 51

Soundbeam 2 is manufactured for

The Soundbeam Project

Robin Wood,

EMS (Cornwall),

Trendeal Vean Barn,

Ladock, Truro,

Cornwall, England, TR2 4NW

Soundbeam Helpline

tel. 044 (0)1726 883265

fax. 044 (0)1726 883283

(weekdays, 9.00 to 17.00 British time)

email . [email protected]

Information, Training, Sales

Tim Swingler,

The Soundbeam Project,

Unit 3, Highbury Villas,

St Michaels Hill, Bristol,

England, BS2 8BY

tel. 044 (0)117 974 4142

fax. 044 (0)117 970 6241

email. [email protected]

Technical Information, Dance, Exhibitions, Museums, Installations

Mark Newbold,

The Soundbeam Project,

Unit 3, Highbury Villas,

St Michaels Hill, Bristol,

England, BS2 8BY

tel. 044 (0)117 923 7075

fax. 044 (0)117 970 6241

email. [email protected]

Visit Our Website at www.soundbeam.co.uk

SOUNDBEAM

is a registered Trade Mark throughout Europe

and the USA

THE SOUNDBEAM®2 HANDBOOK • PART 1 • GETTING STARTED