Dec 4, 2016
NOTE: This podcast is the second interview in our collaboration with Synthtopia.com on expressive MIDI controllers developments. You can listen to the podcast here, on the synthtopia website (in an embedded player) or on iTunes. But you can also read the article as well as search for information by viewing the transcription available here:
http://www.synthtopia.com/
Everyone in the MPE/expressive controller game talks about Geert Bevin. He got his bones working on the Eigenlabs Eigenharp, but has been instrumental in helping a number of instruments come onto the market - most recently the Roger Linn Linnstrument.
But Geert is more than just a coder; he's a long time musician, guitar player, songwriter and instrument experimenter. He doesn't just work on the code, he works on the instrument, helping each device to sing its own peculiar song. Talking with him helped me understand the reverence that others had for him, because he sees the holistic nature of instrument development, and is able to think this way about making the instruments into a playable reality.
You can learn more about Geert from a number of sources, but perhaps his most interesting writings can be found on http://expressiveness.org/ where he talks directly about the devices he's built/used, and also provides a view into the things that he finds interesting in that world.
Enjoy!