BRuce Hornsby and the Noise Makers & Flecktones

Futureman's Synthaxe Drumitar

FutureMan Synthaxe Drumitar

This technology has been brought back from the future allowing the Flecktones to take advantage of cutting edge technology. Futureman has used current devices to create a working drum set. His main instrument was a SynthAxe once owned by Lee Rittenour. Just about all the original electronics have been stripped from the instrument and piezo triggers have been added to the body and neck of the Synthaxe to create what we now know at the Synthaxe Drumitar. There is only one!

The trigger impulses are carried from the instrument through a multipair cable, to his rack. The trigger information is converted to MIDI information in the Alesis D-4 and Alesis D-5. The MIDI information is then routed to aRoland TD-7 as well as two Roland S-760's. The D-4, D-5, and TD-7 contain preset sampled sounds. The S-760's are hooked up to a Ramteck D545. This is a hard drive unit that allows Futch to load an infinite number of sampled sounds.

Each trigger on the Synthaxe Drumitar can be assigned to a different sample via MIDI channels. These samples can range from a snare sound to a kick sound to any percussive sound. Also the samples can be whistles, voices, train horns, buzzers, anything Futch can visualize. Some of the sounds reproduced are a blend of sounds from the different samplers. For example, the one snare sound is a blend of snares from several of the factory sounds as well as imported samples.

All the outputs from the samplers are routed to a MidiMan mixer and ported out to a left and right output. This is the signal that is sent to the PA system and what you, the audience, hears. Because the triggers are velocity sensitive, the harder Futch hits, the louder the particular sound. This allows Futch to mix the sound of the entire kit himself.