Übeldrohne
Übeldrohne is a electro-acoustic instrument that utilizes four bass strings, motors, and slide levers to
create polyphonic bass drones. Combining elements of a traditional electric bass, pedal steel, as well as more unique instruments such as Andrew McPherson’s magnetic resonator piano and Trimpin’s adapted piano “singer” instruments, the übeldrohne was designed to create low frequency swells and timbres, utilizing felt-tip motor heads to simulate a bowing action. Each motor can be independently controlled, as well as the volume of each pickup, by the fader section on the front panel. The strings individual pitches are changed by way of four sliders attached to tracks from inside the instrument. The beautiful apple plywood enclosure was designed, fabricated, and assembled exclusively by the artists.
Amber Lepley – Theater School, Technical Direction: MFA3
Amber Lepley is a theatrical engineer and instillation artist currently based out of Los Angles. Graduating this May with her MFA in Technical Direction under the guidance of Michael Darling and Paul DiPietro, she received her BFA in Theatrical Design and Production from Point Park University in 2012. Amber is currently working Thinkwell Group as a Technical Draftsman.
Her current artistic work is focused on digital fabrication, interactive sound installation, and the visualization of sound. She enjoys the art of machinery, and making art with industrial look and feel. Before CalArts Amber has worked with several theatre companies including the Pittsburgh Rep, Pittsburgh Irish Classical Theatre, Dorset Theatre Festival, and Brevard Music Center.
Amber has served as a curator in the Walt Disney Modular Theatre and Lobby since 2013.
Meason Wiley
Meason Wiley is a teacher, musician, multi-media artist, and fabricator based out of Austin + Los Angeles. He is currently pursuing his MFA in Music Technology at CalArts under the guidance of Ajay Kapur. Meason is also an Associate Professor of Music Technology at Austin Community College. His current interests include digital fabrication, generative + procedural art, physical computing, robotics, sound and data visualization, and the sonification of natural phenomenon.
He has lectured and presented work at NMASS (Austin), California Institute of the Arts, Church of the Friendly Ghost (Austin), Digital Arts Expo (CalArts – 2014), NIME Conference (Carnegie Melon University – 2009, Louisiana State University – 2015), ICMC (New York University – 2010), Dubspot/Ableton (Los Angeles), Walt Disney Theatre/REDCAT (Los Angeles), Ballet Austin, Austin Film Festival, SXSW, and Housecore Horror Film Festival (Austin) among others.
His work has been featured in both print and online publications including New Instruments for Musical Expression (NIME), International Computer Music Association (ICMC), Computer Music Journal (CMJ), Apple, Wired, Sonic State, Synthtopia, Pitchfork, Synthwise, C-Net, Attack of the Show, Uncut (England), Create Digital Music, the Austin Chronicle, the Austin American Statesman, the LA Times, and LA Weekly.