Welcome to Telmatronics

Telmatronics are building a new kind of synthesiser that makes sound with plasma.

Plasma - glowing gas described as the fourth state of matter - is energetic enough to be ionised and electrically conductive. By changing a plasma's properties, its behaviour in a circuit can be varied from smoothly conductive to audibly unstable - this forms the basis for a versatile sound generator that can also be influenced by magnetic fields.

Controlling a wild and unpredictable medium with a magnet is a fun way to create sound, and the project so far has focussed on how best to use plasma-generated noise in a practical instrument. A first-generation machine has been developed to allow control over the plasma and its interaction with other signals, details are currently being finalised for production of the first of these instruments. You can find latest demos on the Groovetube page.

Most of the development has used ordinary fluorescent tubes, which at least until recently were conveniently-available plasma vessels for experiment. These can produce a wide range of sounds, but they are being discontinued and we have now started to develop custom tubes in association with neon artist Julia Bickerstaff. You can check out her amazing creations at www.neonunity.co.uk.

Please get in touch to arrange a demonstration, commissions/collaborations are welcomed.

Thanks for visiting!

You can contact us directly here, and track progress by following our facebook, youtube and kickstarter pages.