Collin spent the 2005-2006 academic year at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) where began to develop the electronic musical instruments he is presenting today.
The RT (radio trowel) uses a capacitive sensor array based on Max Mathew's radio baton to detect the position of the trowel on the playing surface. The trowel's movements control sound synthesis parameters, including filters which process live sound from a contact mic attached to the trowel.
The cellomobo is a computer music instrument that attempts to model the behavior of a bowed string. It gives haptic feedback to the bow at audio rate to simulate the stick-slip action of a bowed string. This feedback stream finds it way back into the audio stream, creating a unique hybrid of digital and analog synthesis.
Collin Oldham is a cellist who has performed around the world with such varied and luminous artists as Placido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, Rosemary Clooney and Aretha Franklin. He's active as a session player, and has recorded with the Decemberists, Richmond Fontaine, and Elliott Smith, among many others.