Visionary Instruments
Our friend Moldover has been using our Brains in his work for quite some time. Moldover introduced us to his friend Ben Lewry who has been creating some truly unique guitar designs through his company Visionary Instruments since 2008. Ben was looking for a good solution for integrating MIDI controls into his designs, and Moldover turned him on to our Brain.
Integrating MIDI and guitars was actually how we got our start here at Livid. If you read up on our history you will see this from the very first controller I created in my parent’s basement back in 1999, to the HG (Hybrid Guitar) we showed at NAMM in 2006. We’ve taken quite a turn from the guitar in our current product line, though the spirit of the guitar lives on in all of our products. We’ve always looked at our instruments a the “new guitar” for computer music creation.
Now Back to Ben. We were really excited when Ben told us of his idea, which is why we created the Brain in the first place. Ben did however need something we didn’t have, which was stand alone MIDI operation without the need for a USB connection. Luckily we’ve been working on Brain v2, which does have this, so Ben was brave enough to try it out on his latest creation. After seeing the MIDI Control Electric Mandolin in person last month at NAMM I knew we had to do a story about it. So I sat down with Ben for a little Q and A.
Livid: How long have you been building guitars?
Ben: From Legos to model rockets, building things has always been second nature to me. I constructed my first guitar when I was 17 from parts in the Carvin catalog. I spent another ten years or so as a guitar tech doing repairs and designing custom instruments. Eventually this led to a Patent for the Video Guitar. In 2008 I moved to the Bay Area to start Visionary Instruments, with the goal of bringing custom electric guitars and computers closer together.
Livid: What are some of the custom guitars you have built?
Ben: The Tele-vision is probably my most popular. It’s a telecaster with a laptop LCD screen mounted in the body. It looks amazing on stage and is currently on tour with Porcupine Tree and Billy Idol. I’ve also built a number of guitars with some serious custom features. I’ve used exotic woods, sustaining pickups, dancing fretboard LED lights, and of course Midi controllers. Most of my instruments are quite a departure from classic guitar designs.
Livid: When did you start integrating MIDI into the guitars? How is it integrated?
Ben: I began building Midi controllers when I discovered that I could play my guitar through virtual effects in my computer. Back in 2005 learned about Guitar Rig II and Ableton, and it blew my mind. There were so many effect possibilities stored inside a simple software program. No more wires and 9v batteries. However, a mouse and keyboard is a poor way to interact with this software. I needed real time control at my fingertips. So I built knobs and switches into my guitar that could talk to the computer via Midi.
Livid: What is the difference between what you are doing and what we normally think of as ”MIDI guitars”?
Ben: That’s a great question. We normally refer to as “Midi Guitars,” as instruments that convert the notes that you play on the instrument, into Midi-Note data, so that you can play notes on other instruments, like a synthesizer. The “Midi Controller Guitars” that I build are different in that they send Midi-Control data to change parameters in your effects. This keeps the original tone of the instrument intact. The controls include knobs, sliders, buttons and accelerometers that can talk directly to your computer. It’s like being able to control your entire pedal board right from the front of your guitar.
Livid: What are some of the things you are controlling with the MIDI output?
Ben: Controlling effects with Midi has a number of advantages. It’s very simple to turn on and off effects like delay and distortion, or set a reverb decay time. But Midi controls can also be set up to do complicated tasks like turning on a whole chain of effects, or triggering loops and samples. The Volume Kill switch has become a very popular mod with electric guitarists, but it tends to cause a “pop” in the analog audio signal. However a Volume Kill switch using Midi does this silently and can be placed at different points in the effect chain.
My more advanced designs include an accelerometer that is imbedded into the headstock. This allows you to control effects like “wah” filters, or vibrato, just by shaking or turning the instrument. It’s not easy to play guitar and turn knobs at the same time, but the accelerometer allows control of your sound without taking your hands off of the strings. It sounds amazing is incredibly intuitive to use.
Livid: Have you found any differences between various Midi Hardware platforms?
Ben: There’s been a significant improvement of DIY MIDI devices over the last few years. I started working with the Livid Brain because it’s so flexible. The software editor makes it real easy to program. I like that it plays well with analog controls like knobs and faders. Data smoothing from analog to digital is a really important feature. Also, the Brain gets power from the USB connection. This eliminates the need for extra cables and batteries, which is a huge advantage for my customers performing on stage.
Livid: Who are some of your influences in guitar building / instrument design?
Ben: I’m greatly inspired by Les Paul. When he brought his solid body prototype to Gibson, they laughed and called his instrument a “broomstick with pickups.” Les Paul reminds me that the guitar will evolve, even if the big corporations are stuck in classic designs. I also admire Paul Bigsby for his meticulous craftsmanship and engineering. He stayed small and always kept his quality high. In modern luthierie there are so many greats: Ken Parker, Michi Matsuda, Ned Steinberger, Ulrich Teuffel, Bill Collings. I’ve met each of those guys in person and played their instruments. I tend to study guitar design as if I were in grad school.
Livid: Are your guitars available for purchase? Where can we see them in action?
Ben: At the moment each of my guitars is custom made per order, so you won’t find them in music stores. However I’m working on some production designs which will make my instruments more accessible. For now, the best way to reach me is through my website. I’m always happy to talk about new designs and custom instruments.
You can also see my guitars on stage with Billy Idol, Porcupine Tree, Katy Perry, Laura Pausini, Neon Indian, and College 11, to name a few.