... people does get vex WITH ME when I say that we have no GLOBAL PAN TALENT. But let ANDY NARELL or TRACY THORNTON or JOHNATHAN SCALES or VICTOR PROVOST or MOLLEE CRAVEN put some time and creativity into any one of these NEW TECHNOLOGIES and next thing you know people are LISTENING to the music ALL OVER THE WORLD.
E-Pans™
E-pans™ or electronic steel pans, provide another method of delivering a ‘steelpan sound’.
They were created by Trinidadian Salmon Cupid and are essentially electronic synthesizers in the shape of a steel pan.
The standard note placements of the tenor, double seconds and six bass pans have been reproduced on the e-pan™ therefore anyone accustomed to playing these pans can play the corresponding e-pan™ effortlessly.
Features
- They are lightweight
- They don't need tuning
- They don’t rust
- They deliver consistent sound and tonal quality
- They have a MIDI port which can interface with other digital instruments or sound modules
They contain a built in library of musical instrument sounds which can replace the steelpan sound if needed and also provide play-along accompaniments
The e-pan requires an external power source
Source: “The E-pan: A Short History.” New Advanced Product Evolution Home Page. Online. 14 June 2008.
http://www.napeinc.com/product.htm.
P.H.I. (Percussive Harmonic Instrument)
P.H.I. (pronounced fie) is the latest technological innovation from the Steelpan Research Laboratory at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus (Trinidad).
Picture courtesy of Panadigm.com
It is a MIDI-based electronic instrument that merges MIDI with a form inspired by the traditional steel pan. The P.H.I.'s capabilities can be compared to the electronic keyboard.
The interface design provides a 36-note layout in 12-note concentric circles similar to that of a 4ths and 5ths tenor pan. This provides an immediately familiar interface to most pannists.
Features
- They are portable, lightweight and durable
- The MIDI technology in the P.H.I allows greater flexibility in creating, editing and arranging music
- The P.H.I. can be played using sticks or fingers
- It has the ability to score the music being played
- It contains a built in library of musical instrument sounds which can replace the steel pan sound if needed
The P.H.I. requires an external power source.
Source: “Welcome to The World of P.H.I.” Steelpan Research Laboratory, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago
Website: http://www.panadigm.com.
PANKAT-INDIGISOUNDS
www.indigisounds.com
Replies
... but I think that the ABOVE TECHNOLOGIES are TRANSITIONAL and they are going to get WASHED OVER by the PAN SYNTHESIZERS which are under wide-ranging and continuous development. It is just a matter of time before some WORLD CLASS "PAN MUSIC" is produced with all the advancements in "THE PAN SOUND" that the SYNTHESIZER could bring to the world of STEELBAND MUSIC.