Real-Time Timbre Classification for Tabletop Hand Drumming

The plethora of electronic drum controllers on the market today are designed for “location-oriented” striking techniques, resulting in an interaction paradigm for finger drumming that is increasingly “controllerist.” Interfaces such as these use the controller in the manner of a musical instrument rather than a simple mixer. The minority of controllers that allow hand-drumming techniques also either conform to region-based triggering design, or, in a trade-off for expressivity, skip out on hardware connectivity options that are vital to the context of the electronic rhythm producer. This article describes the design and implementation of HandSolo, a real-time, timbre-classification drum controller that allows the use of natural hand-drumming strokes, while offering the same end-goal functionality that drum controller users have come to familiarize themselves with over the past decade.