Audio feedback, wherein a signal is infinitely re-amplified to create audible tones, is a common theme in my musical work. Rather than being purely chaotic, audio feedback resonates in ways which reveal properties of the acoustic and electric materials that comprise the system. This provides fruitful territory for exploring musical systems which exhibit behavior, enabling a performer to interact with the system as a nonhuman cocreative agent.

The Feedback Drumset is an instrument I've used to explore audio feedback in great depth since around 2018. While implementations and set-ups vary, the core instrument is built around a number of horizontally placed drums which use tactile transducers and contact microphones to create feedback tones. Each drum's microphone and speaker runs into and out of a matrix mixer, allowing for a wide range of feedback paths. Because the feedback is generated through the drumhead's physical vibrations, manipulations of the head allow for variations in pitch and timbre. For expanded articulation potential and hands-free control, volume pedals are used to control the level of each drum's signal path.