NICHOLAS WARHOLAK
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER
The Tabla MIDI
Evolving an instrument locked in cultural stasis
Tabla MIDI is a first-of-its-kind MIDI controller dedicated solely to its namesake host instrument. MIDIs are typically seen in contemporary genres such as EDM and pop, but are virtually nowhere in the tabla scene. This traditionalist percussion instrument has seen little evolution since its inception, but some are begging for that to change. When approached by the humanities department of NJIT to design a device that had a chance at changing the paradigm among tabla culture, I saw an opportunity to create something truly unique.
Design Challenge
Designing the Tabla MIDI required two main solutions: a rethought interface for operating while playing the tabla, and a novel method for attaching the device without dampening the tabla's sound or interfering with the musician's performance.
A successful prototype would have to demonstrate a comfortable interface, the ability to operate with ease while performing, and the capacity for live alteration of a performance.
Here's the big problem...
Traditional MIDIs are riddled with buttons, which is fine in a studio production setting, but not so much in the fast paced context of a live tabla performance. A control panel that looks like mission control is bound to complicate a performer's playing abilities.
Can we have both?
These buttons are there for a reason though, to deliver diversity to their host instrument. Two preset buttons are far more limited than say a four by four grid. So is there a way to retain your many sound options AND have a minimalist interface?
So I had this thought...
Instruments themselves are examples of interfaces that use few inputs to create many permutations. Although the guitar has only six strings, it can produce thousands of unique chords based on the arrangement of the musician's hand. So what if we used the skills already present in a seasoned tabla player, their finger coordination, and leveraged that ability to reduce the inputs for their MIDI?
The Interface
Tabla MIDI reduces its interface to an 8 button system. The leftmost key acts as a shift button, while the other 7 act as both inputs and/or presets. Different 'modes' can be entered with different button combinations. Once in a mode, the keys act as a gradient from left to right. For example, if you want to change the volume, the first and second key would be struck to enter that mode. Then, once in that mode, the keys are reassigned as volume controllers, the leftmost and rightmost being low and high volume respectively, with a range between them. This allows for 8 unique modes, each with 7 preset/input options, allowing for a total of 56 inputs, all customizable to the user.
The
Electronics
Tabla MIDI uses a Teensy 3.2 micro controller to interface with the tabla player's live editing software, usually a laptop enabled with Ableton Live.The circuit uses 8 simple on/off switches for the keys, as well as 8 individually addressable LED's to indicate which key or mode is active.
Logistics
How do we attach this thing?
With the interface solved, there was still the question of how the MIDI would work physically. Tabla's have no obvious hardware mounting surface, so a floor-sitting MIDI might seem like the way to go. However, tabla players frequently shift their tabla to different angles using a donut shaped cradle that the tabla rests in, meaning this MIDI would also have to be able to adjust alongside the tabla.
I found a solution using the tuning straps of the instrument. Hide straps surround the drum at an effectively consistent spacing, and only vary slightly instrument to instrument. The answer came in the form of a static wedge that could use the tension of the straps to hold the entire MIDI in place, which requires a single operation taking less than 5 seconds to install.
