Liminaphone

“How can we make percussion speak the language of synthesizers?”

Liminaphone is a electronic instrument created to work alongside Passepartout Duo’s Fuzzy Synth project. The idea for the instrument stemmed from the question: “How can we make percussion speak the language of synthesizers?”

The liminaphone takes the signal of five contact microphones and converts them into the envelope, gate, and control voltage signals needed to change various aspects of the synthesizer’s sound.

Two sets of five knobs allow the performer to select specific voltages to send pitches or other parameters to the synthesizer when a contact microphone is activated.

We’re still discovering all the possible uses for this instrument, but we’ve found it compelling as a percussive keyboard, and an interesting way of connecting the sounds of the world around us to the synthesizer.

The Liminaphone was realized with the support of the fashion company JNBY, and textile materials were provided to us from their FabLab in Hangzhou. The project was developed during our residency at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency in Shanghai (2020). 

The Liminaphone is made from wood, electronic components, acrylic, and wool.