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Custom Laser Harps and Custom Laser Harp Installations For playing on stage as a midi performance instrument, your Laser Harp can be custom designed to fit your needs in just the size and configuration that you desire. For installation in your Science or Children`s Museum, I can design a compact lap of floor sized laser harp that looks just like a harp. Or I can design for you a laser harp installation in a shape that would look comfortable on "Star Trek", being played by Mr. Spock! Or for a entirely different approach, your Laser Harp installation could be in the shape of a grand old Oak tree, carved from figured Maple or Myrtle wood, with the lasers shinning down from the branches, onto the sensors in the exposed tree roots ! Let me know all your ideas and design requirements, I look forward to bringing your special Laser Harp project to Life, for All your Educational or entertainment needs.
. The Laser Harps shown above are from left to right: A custom 28 Laser harp with both Red and Green Lasers. Shown with theatrical haze The middle harp, and the detail at right are both of a custom carved laser harp, with 8 red lasers, created for the 'Strong National Children`s Museum of Play', in Rochester NY. It was created to be "The Giant`s Harp", from "Jack and the Beanstalk
I custom build very special MIDI harps that have red and/or green laser beams instead of strings. These laser shine onto optic sensors, located on the "sound board" of the harp, or elsewhere in the harp installation. The lasers are usually located in the neck of the harp, shining down on the "string rib", though in a larger installation that is not harp shaped they could be almost anywhere. The lasers are generally set about 2 to 3 inches apart, though they can be in a wider spacing. ( the spacing can be customized, depending on how you wish to use the harp, or installation). 'Framed' Laser Harps and Laser installations In this type of laser harp, the lasers shine onto optic sensors, located on the "sound board" of the harp. The lasers are located in the neck of the harp, shining down on the "string rib". The lasers are generally set about 2 to 3 inches apart, ( the spacing can be customized, depending on how you wish to use the harp). A 'framed' laser harp can be designed and created in almost any shape or size that will allow a stable beginning and end point for the laser beam and it`s sensor. And that will allow you to break that laser beam, and thus trigger the midi event or sound you have programmed, with your hand or in any other way. A room sized installation could be designed and custom built, with the lasers shining down from an elevated structure, down to sensors set on the floor, or from one wall to another. I can build these harps in any style and size, and I can also create a carved and sculpted laser or light beam harp that has a 'look' or style like any of the many custom harps I have built over the last thirty years. I can also build the same type of system using narrow beam visible colored lights, with optic sensors. The limitation of using these visible light beams is that they tend to spread out more than do the highly focused and narrow laser beams. The visible light beams will spread out to about 3 inches in diameter in any distance further than about 3 feet, or one meter. So the laser beam harps can be larger and more harp-like in shape and size than the visible light beam versions. 'Infinite Beam' Laser harps and installations I am working on some new designs for using both lasers and colored light beams in what is referred to as an infinite beam type laser beam harp. In this type of harp the lasers are pointed up in a fan shaped pattern, fanning out away from each other, from a compact harp body . In this type harp the lasers are reflected back to optic sensors set into the body of the harp. The number of sensors is only limited by the number of midi channels in the midi controller system hooked up to the harp. the usual is 8, 16 or 32 channels. The number of laser beams in this type of harp can be from 8 to 12. Micro Adjustable laser Mountings The most important thing with an Laser Harp, is that the frame or body of the harp, that supports the lasers and the optic sensors must be perfectly stable, in order to maintain the perfect aim of each laser to it`s optic sensor. I use micro adjustable aiming fixtures, to allow the lasers to be easily adjusted to be on target to the sensors. I can custom design the height and size of your own Laser Harp, or Laser Harp Installation, to fit your individual playing style and travel needs. Please inquire with me about your needs and ideas ! I can design and build for you a custom laser, with or without the midi controller and software. You may already have a midi controller and software program to use with my harps, or may wish to find and assemble your own such system. I give you the option of choosing my "plug and play" system, or for you to provide your own!
Custom Laser harp with 8 red lasers, created for the "Children`s Hospital of the King`s Daughters", in Virginia Beach Virginia, 2008. All the electronics and lap top computer are contained in the small Maple cabinet the harp is attached to.
In its simplest form, a Laser MIDI Harp or Laser MIDI Harp Installation is a light controlled switch. When a beam is interrupted or broken, a signal is created, which activates previously selected events. When the laser beams are broken by your hand passing through them, a signal is sent to your computer (lap top or desk top computer running windows XP), which serves as your controller unit. The windows XP software I supply , can be programmed to produce a variety of different sound and visual effects when you break any of the laser beams with your finger or hand.
This system is a simple
'plug & play' on a winxp PC or laptop.
Cabinet for the "Children's Hospital of the King`s
Daughter`s" custom laser harp, containing all the midi, stereo sound and
computer equipment and controls needed to run the harp. It is all plugged
into a AC/DC power supply in the floor. These prices (current March 2009) include:
This page is under construction, and will have a totally new look, with pictures, very soon, to all my pages. Please email me for more information, and photos. Glenn Hill March 2009 Here below are videos from U-tube, showing my latest laser harp I just installed in Sept 2008, in the " Children`s Hospital of the King`s Daughter`s "in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The video here below on the left, shows the harp playing cascades of harp notes. When each laser beam is broken, it plays a cascade of three octaves of actual harp notes that then play to end. As more lasers are broken, each sequence of harp notes overlays the previously triggered cascades already playing. The resulting sound is like a whole series of harps all being played at the same time.
This video on the right, shows the harp playing a 'jam session' programs
that combines many of the possible ways to use and trigger wave files
via breaking the laser beams. These are all real sampled sounds of real
instruments, vibes, piano, drums etc. The sound can be triggered instantly, and
for a moment, as well as a play to end file, or as a start with first
break, stop with next one, and then with a third touch, to change the
file being played. there is also several loops being triggered in this
sample, that give the back beat to the mix. This video here above, on the left, shows the harp playing a jungle music program with three various background loops, that can be changed via the lowest laser beam being broken, plus all kinds of animal sound wave files, each played to end, over-lapping each other, as the other laser beams are played. This harp above on the right, is playing various sampled Virtual DJ, James Brown samples and other vocals, with several different background loops, that can be changed by breaking the bottom beam repeatedly. This programming also has a "record scratching" type of effect, where every time you break some of the beams, the sound can repeat like when a DJ plays or "scratches" a record. Please visit our other web sites for highest quality Markwood Heavenly Strings & Cases and Cambria Harp Kits & Plans.
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