Podcast 310: Nick Demopoulos (Smomid)

I'm always curious about the direction a guitarist is going to take instrument building - especially when extensive electronics will be involved. Sometimes it is an attempt to lock into existing gear (MIDI Guitar), while other times it is seeks to meld comfortable technique with new technology. The Smomid, created by Nick Demopoulos, it all about that. By combining technology he ran into at Eric Singer's LEMURplex, with code from local NY contacts and a bunch of self-learning, Nick has wrapped his arms around the idea of extending his musical reach, incorporating microtonal scales, hands-on sample manipulation and bespoke sequencing tools into his device. While the Smomid is his guitar-shaped controller system, he's also been working on a desktop (and increasingly standalone) device called the Pyramidi; the combination works as both his studio and live performance rig. You should check out the gear at http://www.smomid.com, where you can not only see the devices themselves, but also hear the results in a musical context. And as you'll hear in the interview, we talk extensively about music - Nick is a serious jazz player, so he brings significant chops to the music-making game. Combining that with his instrument building exploits is a perfect genre-bending game. Enjoy!