2021
First integrated prototype
Two strings under electromagnetic control
The instrument combined individually amplified strings, electromagnetic sustain and stepper motors that alter tension and therefore pitch.
← Instruments
I—01 / 2021—ongoing
Sustain Puppeteer
A two-string experimental instrument combining electromagnetic sustain, motor-controlled string tension, custom pickups and cross-feedback.
Development history
Prototype → feedback system → museum work.
Sustain Puppeteer began as the small-scale instrument through which the feedback behaviour behind the later Misfit Harp was first discovered.
2021—2022
Cross-feedback discovery
The accident that became the method
Cross-coupling the strings allowed the resonance of one string to excite another. As motorised tension changed, the feedback produced unstable harmonics and unpredictable melodic behaviour. Rather than eliminating this instability, it became a compositional resource.
19 Oct 2022
Sonology Discussion Concert
Live dialogue with Énacteur & Misfit Box
Sustain Puppeteer and Misfit Box were performed in dialogue with Farzaneh Nouri's Énacteur artificial improviser.
Apr 2026—
Museum iteration
Music Machines & Me — Museum Speelklok
A new version of Sustain Puppeteer has been on display at Museum Speelklok in Utrecht as part of Music Machines & Me.
Earlier documentation
Original prototype
Video documentation from the earlier version of the instrument.