Innovator behind the projects PianoArc and The Netherblade – Eric Netherland
This episode of Backstage with Gig Performer features guest Eric Netherland, a musician and software engineer who developed forward-thinking MIDI instruments like The Netherblade and PianoArc.
The discussion covers his transition from a professional keyboardist to a software engineer at companies like Dolby and his subsequent journey in creating custom hardware.
Key Highlights:
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The Netherblade & Innovation (0:00 - 32:00): Eric discusses the limitations of traditional MIDI controllers and the development of The Netherblade, an instrument designed to allow for per-note pitch bending and natural vibrato. He explains how his background in software engineering helped him solve these hardware challenges.
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Understanding MPE (20:02 - 24:30): Eric defines MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), explaining how it enables individual control over each note’s expression—a significant upgrade over the channel-wide restrictions of traditional MIDI.
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The Role of Gig Performer (41:05 - 58:00): Eric highlights why he chose Gig Performer for his setups, praising its intuitive interface and the power of its MIDI monitoring tools, which he used during the development of his instruments. He demonstrates how he uses the software to handle complex configurations, such as managing multi-channel instances for non-MPE plugins.
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Instrument Demonstrations (32:00 - 54:00): Eric showcases the expressive capabilities of The Netherblade, including playing violin and pedal steel sounds to demonstrate how the XYZ pad and continuous controllers provide an organic playing experience.
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Purchasing and Advice (1:01:32 - 1:07:10): Eric explains his current, small-scale production process for The Netherblade and offers advice to new Gig Performer users: understand the core building blocks—audio interfaces, plugins, and MIDI—to successfully connect all the dots.