The Sound of Touch, by David Merrill and Hayes Raffle (2007), is a new instrument for real-time capture and sensitive physical stimulation of sound samples using digital convolution. Their hand-held wand can be used to record sound and then playback the recording by brushing, scraping, striking or otherwise physically manipulating the wand against physical objects. During playback, the recorded sound is continuously filtered by the acoustic interaction of the wand and the material being touched. A texture kit allows for convenient acoustic exploration of a range of materials.

An acoustic instrument’s resonance is typically determined by the materials from which it is built. With The Sound of Touch, resonant materials can be chosen during the performance itself, allowing performers to shape the acoustics of digital sounds by leveraging their intuitions for the acoustics of physical objects. The Sound of Touch permits real-time exploitation of the sonic properties of a physical environment, to achieve a rich and expressive control of digital sound that is not typically possible in electronic sound synthesis and control systems.

Based on Roberto Aimi’s methods for realtime percussion instruments. For a paper on The Sound of Touch, click here