Description
In the 1990s, composer, inventor, and educator Tod Machover (MIT Media Lab) coined the term hyperinstrument to refer to a virtual instrument that augments the virtuosity of a performer. This patcher allows the performer to fluidly control chromatic pitches (via the pitch wheel) and loudness (via the modulation wheel) at rates and gradations not possible using traditional MIDI keyboard playing techniques. This patcher was inspired by the Theremin, an early 20th-century electronic instrument where the performer independently uses one hand to gesturally control frequency and the other hand to control loudness.
Objects
Further Reading
- Tod Machover et al., Hyperinstruments – https://opera.media.mit.edu/projects/hyperinstruments.html
Updated: 9/22/25