A short history of mechatronic music and instruments in the 80s
This is a brief history of computer-controlled musical instruments and sound sculptures in the 1980s. In the first half of the 20th century, optical and mechanical techniques were used to control musical automata such as player pianos or orchestrions, but starting around 1980, instruments appeared in which electromagnets struck strings, drumheads, or sound objects, or opened a valve allowing air to blow through an organ pipe; a microcontroller (a computer) controlled the electromagnets or motors, and this microcontroller could in turn be programmed. In this article, I examine the innovations that artists and instrument makers explored thanks to this new computer control. (I use the term “mechatronic” instruments for this, a contraction of mechanical and electronic.) I list the musicians and their achievements, and also briefly discuss the further development of their artistic careers in relation to those computer-controlled instruments. The period covered in this article runs from 1978 to 1989, these are the early days of mechatronic musical instruments. The dates in this article are based on public articles, concerts, exhibitions, releases (on LP, CD, cassette), not on interviews or anecdotes of the artists themselves (for example, talking about the devices they built in their youth).
The reason for writing this article is the observation that the current literature on this early, pioneering phase of mechatronic musical instruments and sound installations is rather incomplete and poorly structured. The knowledge used to write this article is based on my work and long-standing involvement with the Logos Foundation (Ghent, Belgium), magazines and newspapers from the 1980s-90s, and my own research. This article is a first step; hopefully, I will find the opportunity in the future to expand it into a more comprehensive, scholarly article.
Two figures from the installation manual of the Pianocorder.
In 1978, Marantz introduced the Pianocorder, a computer-controlled piano available in two versions: one as a “do-it-yourself kit” that a professional could install on existing upright pianos, and a second “all-in-one” version in which the computer controls and electromagnets were fully integrated into the piano. Over the course of the 1980s, other piano manufacturers (such as Nippon Gaki, Yamaha, and Bösendorfer) followed Marantz. They also developed their own versions of the computer-controlled player piano, with Yamaha’s Disklavier being the best known. The Pianocorder played a significant role in the artistic development of computer-controlled musical instruments, particularly the “do-it-yourself kit” version. As you will read later in this article, various sound artists, composers, and instrument builders experimented with this Pianocorder between 1980 and 1995, disassembling it, using its parts, or modifying it to create their own mechatronic instruments or sculptures.
the rebuilt piano by Riddell (left) and the original pianocorder (right).
Fresh out of college, Alistair Riddell (b. 1955) began installing parts of the Pianocorder on other pianos and, from 1982, composing works for these instruments. He built versions in which the piano is played via hammers (as is customary), in which electromagnets hit the strings directly (as with a zither), and in which the metal piano strings are made to vibrate by the magnetism of the electromagnets, a technique similar to that of an e-bow. Riddell composed eight musical works for these various pianos. Starting in 1986, he developed software that allowed him to influence and adapt the composition in real time. He described his final work, Black Moon Assails (1987), for two computer-controlled (modified) pianos as an improvisation. Starting in the 1990s, Riddell became more involved in digital (speaker) music and the development of interfaces for electronic music, and less so in mechatronic instruments. Riddell’s inventive work with player pianos took place in Australia; his compositions and innovations did not become widely known outside of Australia in the 1980s.
Teitelbaum playing the piano(corder) and controlling two other pianocorders
Richard Teitelbaum (b. 1939) also began working with the Pianocorder instruments; unlike Riddell, he did not modify them but, starting in 1982, began developing software and creating live performances in which he improvised at the piano (or a keyboard) while one or more mechatronic pianos “played along”: the latter are programmed (via a computer or digital interface) to transform or respond to Teitelbaum’s improvisations. In the 1980s, Teitelbaum released two LPs featuring works for computer-controlled pianos: Blends & The Digital Piano Music (1984) and Concerto Grosso (1985). By 1980, Teitelbaum was already a well-known figure in the world of experimental, live electronic, and improvised music; among other things, he was one of the founders of Musica Elettronica Viva in the 1960s. His work with mechatronic pianos thus gained international recognition. For his Concerto Grosso, he also received an award (Computer Music) at the 1987 Ars Electronica festival in Austria. Teitelbaum remained active as an experimental improviser and composer well into the 21st century, regularly performing with mechatronic pianos (mostly the Disklavier).
Talking Machine of Martin Riches
Martin Riches (b. 1942) has been active since the 1970s as a creator of kinetic installations, and later kinetic sound installations. Since 1982, he has also been building mechatronic instruments, such as his Sound Machine (1982), with technical assistance from composer Roland Pfrengle. Until around 2020, he continued to create both computer-controlled and mechanical instruments, often featuring a minimalist design (primarily in wood) and refined, visible mechanical components. Among his best-known works are his sound sculptures that are directly inspired by the human voice, such as Talking Machine.
Aesthetic Research Ensemble (Carney and Bernstein)
Daniel Carney (b. 1954) and Alec Bernstein (b. 1954) studied music composition in the United States (Baltimore) in the 1970s and also took computer courses together. In the early 1980s, they formed the “Aesthetic Research Ensemble.” They began modifying parts of the Pianocorder, reprogramming the digital interface, and thus building computer-controlled pianos and percussion instruments (vibraphone and rototom). They composed new music for these instruments and began performing in the US in 1984, and in Europe two years later. After a few years, just like Riddell and Teitelbaum, they programmed software that made it possible to make live adjustments during the performance (of their compositions) via commands on the computer keyboard. In the mid-1990s, their artistic engagement with mechatronic music gradually faded: Bernstein was then working in the automotive industry as a design engineer, while Carney taught music and composed primarily for traditional instruments.
Sound installation Wopper by Christof Schlaeger
Christof Schlaeger (b. 1958) has been creating impressive sound sculptures since 1984, and by 2026 he will have a permanent museum entirely dedicated to his dozens of creations. Most of these sound machines (as he calls them) are computer-controlled. The sounds they produce often evoke everyday noises, ambient sounds, or machinery from the workplace. Initially—in the 1980s— Schlaeger used industrial systems for computer control; later, he switched to microcontrollers and digital interfaces that use the MIDI protocol to control electromagnets or motors. Schlaeger’s sound sculptures—often made of metal—enjoy international renown. Along with Martin Riches, Trimpin, Godfried-Willem Raes, and Jacques Rémus, he is one of the pioneering sound artists (from that generation of the 1980s) who has designed an extensive, influential body of work consisting of mechatronic instruments and sound installations.
Jacques Rémus - Washing Machines Ensemble
Jacques Rémus (b. 1947) is a French sound artist who initially worked as a marine researcher but, in the early 1980s, began designing spectacular instruments and sound installations, often for parades and outdoor events. Starting in 1986, these installations—usually featuring clearly visible moving parts—have also been computer-controlled. He often combines his instruments with dancers, musicians, or actors. Sometimes, movements (via camera analysis) can be used to play his mechatronic instruments, a performance technique that Godfried-Willem Raes also frequently employed, albeit with a radar interface.
Conloninpurple by Trimpin
In 1986, Gerhard Trimpin (b. 1951) presented two computer-controlled installations to the public: Klompen, in which computer-controlled beaters strike 96 wooden shoes suspended in the space, and Ringo, a percussion instrument comprising more than a hundred drums and wooden and metal sound bars suspended across multiple floors of a single building. Four decades later, Trimpin is an inventive and internationally acclaimed artist with an extensive body of work consisting of mechatronic sound installations. These are often (playful) instruments featuring a large-scale, spatial arrangement and multiple sound-producing components within this voluminous instrument.
The Logos robot orchestra of Godfried-Willem Raes
Godfried-Willem Raes (b. 1952) has been active as a composer, performer, and creator of experimental music since 1968. In the 1970s and 1980s, he built a large number of instruments, including electronic, mechanical, and hybrid versions of both; examples include the series of “synthelog” (analog) synthesizers and the Pneumafoon installation. He frequently performed internationally with these instruments, together with Moniek Darge of the Logos Foundation. Starting in 1986, he began creating his first computer-controlled instruments (such as Toetkuip and Hex), and from around 1989 onward, computer-controlled instruments formed the bulk of his new creations. Incidentally, for his computer-controlled saxophone AutoSax, he also uses parts from the Pianocorder. More than 35 years later, he has built a veritable orchestra of over 80 musical robots. A large portion of these are based on existing instruments, while a smaller portion can be described as sound or noise machines. Not only Raes himself, but dozens of Belgian and international artists have created music for these mechatronic instruments. By 2025, there will be a repertoire of hundreds of original or arranged musical works (including full-length, original operas) for this robot orchestra.
Birds by Matt Heckert
The mechatronic sound installations by Matt Heckert (b. 1957) resemble industrial machines more than (traditional) musical instruments. Heckert initially studied Fine Arts and from 1980 on played an active role in the spectacular productions of the performance art group Survival Research Laboratories (in the U.S.A.). In 1988, he set out on his own (musical) path and began creating computer-controlled instruments. A few years later, this culminated in what he calls his Mechanical Sound Orchestra, for which he received a Golden Nica award from Ars Electronica in 1997. He created a total of about ten mechatronic sound installations during his career; after 2010, he disappeared from the public eye.
Finally, I would like to mention the “tradition,” started by Teitelbaum, of a (human) performer & mechatronic instrument duo, playing live together. In the 1980s it almost always involved keyboard (or piano) players and computer-controlled pianos. Duet for One Pianist (1989) by composer Jean-Claude Risset is a well-known example, but there is also Clarence Barlow’s Variazioni e un piano meccanico (1986), in which a movement from a Beethoven sonata is algorithmically processed and played by the piano automaton while the pianist plays the keys at the same time.
(version: May 30, 2026, Hans Roels)