Zero Crossing's Knucklehead Is a "Classic Twin-T Filter" Synth You Can Play with Your Face
Designed to mimic the synthetic percussion generators of the '80s, the Knucklehead is a super-simple music-making marvel.
New York-based electronic music specialist Zero Crossing has launched the Knucklehead, a compact percussion generator based on the vintage "twin T-filter" configuration.
"Knucklehead (KH) is a device that utilizes the classic 'Twin-T Filter' configuration found in many of the 1980's approaches to a synthetic drum/percussion generator with a very high Q resonance," the device's creator explains, "that can be triggered into oscillation when 'excited' and ultimately returning to stability, creating the decaying 'envelope' associated with percussive instruments."
In short: It's a gadget which turns any percussive source nearby into a synthesized sound, with the decay adjustable via trim-pot to offer anything from "a 'tight' woodblock-like resonance to a self-oscillating (yet still excitable) drone, and all the envelopes and responses in-between."
The filter is based around a condenser microphone connected to a "tubular input passage," which acts as the source. "Any musical instrument (or even striking the platform KH is on with some drumsticks) will cause KH to react," the company explains. "Some sources work better than others (distortion wise)."
In a series of demonstration videos, the synth is shown reaction to a pen tap on a desk, adding its own beats to music playing nearby, and even showing off how it got its name: "The name Knucklehead began," Zero Crossing recounts, "when we discovered that with lips slightly parted very close to the input tube, lightly striking your forehead creates the desired effect and translates the sound of your 'noggin. Again, in our opinion, anyone attempting this would surely be a 'Knucklehead.'"
The Knucklehead is now on sale on the Zero Crossing Tindie Store at $39; buyers will also need a cable for connection to an amplifier and an NM21/23 12V battery.