Logos Electronics Laboratory

At Logos Foundation in Ghent, we have a well equipped laboratory for design and construction of music related electronic hardware (digital and analog). After all, the strongest point in our 'electronic' reputation has always been in the area of the development of new and original instruments, hardware user interfaces and equipment for interactive musical applications.

Although it is mostly used by Godfried-Willem Raes for his research projects in the realms of alternative musical instruments based on remote movement and gesture sensing and automation, it is open to anyone with knowledge and ideas in this area. Godfried-Willem Raes has been a pioneer in the design of human interfaces for new and experimental instruments since the early seventies of the 20th century. Automation of musical instruments -musical robotics- is another focal point in the research activities typical for this laboratory.

All standard measuring equipment is available (arbitray function generators, precision power supplies, oscilloscopes, computers with ADC/DAC cards, spectrum analysers, frequency counters, voltage standard cells and high resolution voltmeters, logic testers and probes, LCR and impedance meters...) as well as all equipment required for building modern circuits (etching tools, board design software and simulators, drills, lots of components standard as well as SMD and high precision...).

People wanting to use the lab will have to submit a project and have to pass a technical and theoretical test prior to acceptance. Since our government does not want to support us by providing us with a full time techician/engineer, so the only person in the house who can help you out would be Godfried...

However, there are plans in the future to start a more intense collaboration with the department for electronics and engineering at the university. In the past we had students from the engineering department, working here on digital audio projects on DSP platforms. Applications under development have been: digital ringmodulators, pitch to midi convertors (Johannes Taelman), vocoders, radar sensing devices, pressure controllers...

People working in the Logos Lab: Godfried-Willem Raes, Johannes Taelman, Bert Schiettecatte, Kristof Lauwers, Yvan Vander Sanden, Laura Maes, Hans Roels, Hans Denayer, Hans Beckers, Luk Vaes, Mattias Parent, Lara Van Wynsberghe, Philippe Druez

Instruments developed in our Lab:

Ongoing and recent research activities in the lab:

  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: april - june 1999
    topic: design and construction of high precision ultrasonic condenser microphones for the frequency range 80 to 240kHz. These will we used in the newest versions of the authors 'Invisible Instrument', a project he has been working on for more than 30 years now.

  • researcher: Johannes Taelman & Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: july - september 1999
    topic: development of an Analog Devices DSP based polyphonic pitch to midi convertor.

  • researcher: Dick Raaijmakers & Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: october - november 1999
    topic: design and building of a new optical matrix mixer for the performance of Dick Raaijmakers 'Elektries Strijkkwartet' to be performed by Champ d'Action.

  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: december 2000-january 2001
    topic: holosound version for <Slow Sham Rising> by Godfried-Willem Raes

  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes & Kristof Lauwers
    period: august 2000- april 2001
    topic: development of low level software for the automated percussion project <Slag-Werk>


  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes & Kristof Lauwers
    period: july 2001- september 2001
    topic: development of low level software for the automated percussion: <Rotomoton> and <Vibi> as well as development of the <GMT> software project.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes & Kristof Lauwers
    period: november 2001- january 2002
    topic: development of software for the invisible instrument for the Brussels Instrument Museum (MIM)
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes, Kristof Lauwers & Bert Vandekerckhove
    period: december 2001- april 2002
    topic: design and construction of a small automated carillon: <Belly>
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: september 2002- january 2003
    topic: design and construction of a system of automated singing saws: <Flex>
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: january - may 2003
    topic: design and development of a radar based gesture controlled invisible instrument: <Quadrada>
  • researcher: Johannes Taelman and Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: november 2003- december 2004
    topic: design and development of a PIC controller for automats taking midi input directly.
  • researcher: Johannes Taelman and Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: may 2004- august 2004
    topic: design and development of a PIC controller for radar data acquisition usefull as a direct midi controller
  • researcher: Bert Schiettecatte and Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: september 2004- march 2005
    topic: design and development of a DSP based gesture analyser for radar and/or sonar.
  • researcher: Sebastian Bradt and Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: april 2005 - june 2006 : microtonality
    topic: design and development of quartertone instruments and their implementation in musical performances with musicians.
  • collaborative project: Hogeschool Gent, department of music and drama and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: september 2005 - march 2008
    topic: design and development of a quartertone organ-like instrument <Qt>
  • collaborative project: Hogeschool Gent, department of music and drama and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes and Johannes Taelman
    period: march 2008 - september 2011
    topic: design and development of automated string instruments: <aeio>
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, department of music and drama and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: july 2009 - september 2009
    topic: design and development of invisible instruments using the microwave K-band (24GHz)
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, department of music and drama and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes and Troy Rogers
    period: september 2009- july 2010
    topic: design and development of vocal robots
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, department of music and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes and Walter Maene
    period: may 2011 - december 2011
    topic: design and development of an automated spinet
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, department of music and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Laura Maes and Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: june 2011 - december 2011
    topic: design and development of Ijspaleis
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, School of arts and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Luk Vaes and Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: may 2012 - october 2012
    topic: design and development of the performance tools for 'Taktil' and 'Unter Strom' by Mauricio Kagel
    collaborative project: Orpheus Institute (ORCIM) and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Luk Vaes and Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: february 2013 - march 2013
    topic: restauration of an old guitar organ (Vox Guitar) made in 1966, used in Mauricio Kagel's 'Unter Strom'. Report.
    collaborative project: Orpheus Institute (ORCIM) and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes and students Stijn Smeets, Tim Deurinck and Thomas Strypsteen
    period: october 2012 - april 2013
    topic: design and development of an automated temble block playing robot: <Temblo>
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, HoGent, School of Arts and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: march 2013 - june 2013
    topic: design and development of an automated french horn: <Horny>
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, HoGent, School of Arts and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: may 2013 - july 2013
    topic: design and development of an automated alto saxophone: <Asa>
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, HoGent, School of Arts and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: july 2013 - december 2013
    topic: research on cavity resonators, leading to the development of a whisper robot: <Whisper>
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, HoGent, School of Arts and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes, Johannes Taelman, Mattias Parent
    period: december 2013 - april 2014
    topic: research on clamped rods, leading to the development of a <Rodo> robot: <Rodo>
    collaborative project: Associatie Universiteit Gent, HoGent, School of Arts and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes, Mattias Parent
    period: june 2016- oktober 2016
    topic: research on membrane driven pipes, leading to the development of a <HybrLo> robot: <HybrLo>
    collaborative project: Universiteit Gent and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes, Dr.Luk Vaes
    period: november 2016
    topic: research on legacy electronics: tape recorders, analog synthesizers, radio technology
    collaborative project: Orpheus Institute (Hipex) and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes, Mattias Parent
    period: febriary 2017- ---
    topic: research on high pitched buzzer driven pipes, leading to the development of a miniature <Pi> robot: <Pi>
    collaborative project: Universiteit Gent and Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: november 2016 - january 2017-
    topic: research on the development of an automated flugelhorn : <Bug>
    collaborative project: LOD and Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Laura Maes, Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: february 2017 - july 2017
    topic: research on cheap spike generators for an audio art installation project in Dartmouth College
    collaborative project: Dartmouth College , Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: august 2018 - october 2018
    topic: research on small membrane driven pipe organs
    project: Logos Foundation.
  • researcher: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: december 2019 - september 2020
    topic: research on excitation mechanisms for monophonic wind instruments
    project: Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes, Lara Van Wynsberghe
    period: october 2019 - april 2021
    topic: research on an excitation mechanism for the robotic hunting horn
    project: Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes, Kristof Lauwers
    period: october 2021 - december 2021
    topic: research on an automated pair of shakers for Stef Kamil Carlens
    project: Logos Foundation.
  • researchers: Dr.Godfried-Willem Raes
    period: december 2023 - june 2024
    topic: research on an automated tenor saxhorn
    project: Logos Foundation.

Last updated: 2024-04-16