Jamie Oliver Awarded Top Honors With Silent Drum Controller
Jamie Oliver just won 1st Place in the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition at the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology (GTCMT) with a new percussion controller dubbed the Silent Drum.
The Silent Drum Controller is a transparent drum shell with an elastic head. As one presses it, the head deforms and a variety of shapes with peaks are created reflecting the shape of the mallet or hand. These shapes are captured by a video camera that sends these images to the computer, which analyzes them and outputs the tracked parameters.
This new controller began development three years ago by Jaime who collaborated with percussionist Matthew Jenkins. Initially the team was going to use mallets, however, through further experimentation, they developed a hand technique and thus, the name Silent Drum was born.
Harmonix, makers of the games Guitar Hero and Rock Band, co-sponsored the competition, which was supported by family of Georgia Tech alum Richard Guthman.
More information on the Silent Drum Controller.
