CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (MuseWire) – Firmware version 4 continues to extend the expressive possibilities of the Continuum Fingerboard, the unique musical instrument from Haken Audio. Major software additions in this release include expanded internal sounds, a fully integrated computer editor application, and an innovative control system for the Haken Audio Continuum Voltage Converter. Version 4 is the latest evolutionary step in the continuing progression of the Continuum Fingerboard's unprecedented expressive capabilities.

The internal sound pallet has been expanded to include several types of sonically rich synthesis techniques. These newly designed internal sounds were prototyped using Symbolic Sound's Kyma, then hand coded for the Continuum's internal Sharc processor sound engine.

New synthesis techniques include: a dynamic new wind model, a timbre morpher, and a pitch shifter.

The Wind sound is based on physical modeling techniques, and includes an innovative approach to harmonic overblowing, allowing for very precise control of the model over a wide pitch range. The Timbre Morph extends a user selectable endpoint timbre pair into pitch and formant morphs over the entire Continuum range.

The Pitch Shifter will do real time external pitch analysis converting that information into a polyphonic sound source with individual note varying formant variances. As with the previous sound collection, immediate variances within a performer's playing technique are translated into sonic expression, creating a human-instrument feedback loop that responds startlingly like an actual acoustic instrument.

Every surface interaction, no matter how dramatic or subtle, is quickly transformed into musical expression. Delicate pitch inflections, wild timbral sweeps, pulsing amplitude shifts, and exotic tone clusters are just some of the possibilities.

Version 4 firmware is available now. Version 4 firmware is compatible with all Continuum Fingerboard models that have the internal sound engine. Visit www.HakenAudio.com for more details.