Open Source and Open Innovation with whurley

Mark Warr On The Future Of Open Source Instruments

Mark Warr of Warr Guitars

Mark Warr has been honing the cutting edge of musical instruments for nearly two decades as one of the premier touch-style instrument manufacturers in the world. His innovative designs are used by hundreds of musicians worldwide from Jim Wright (Kittyhawk) to Trey Gunn (Multimedia Storyteller and King Crimson Alumnus). Having been a musician and friends with Mark for almost fifteen years, I went to him to satisfy my curiousity. I asked Mark if he thinks there is a future for open source musical instruments, and then I gave him a chance to ask me what was on his mind.

(whurley) Is there a future for open source musical instruments?
That’s an interesting question, and the answer is yes! I envision open source musical instruments akin to PC construction: you can select a motherboard, whatever brand and size hard drive you like, a graphics card, etc. and fit it all into a chassis of your liking. In the case of open source musical instruments, you would select from myriad interchangeable parts to create the instrument in your mind’s eye.

These could range from complete and finished parts, to parts that were partially machined–maintaining critical milling specifications to guarantee interchangeability–to the creator’s own custom parts. The milling specs will be available to all creators. For example, a crafty guitarrista can purchase a fretted neck, completely finished and milled to open source musical instrument specifications. They could then choose a finished body or enclosure, an enclosure that was partially milled but left room for personal creation, or download the specifications and make a body or enclosure from scratch. They could even produce this original part for other musician’s to use and incorporate into their own instrument design.

With a large community of musicians and designers working together on open source musical instruments, new types of expression and new instruments could be invented–stringed, keyed, wind, or even a combination not yet imagined.

(Mark) Do you see a point in the future where open source will be a part of everything? A point in the future where software, musical instruments, and the likes will all intersect and be interoperable?
It’s already begun. The “un-conference” model, for example, has advanced beyond the technical domain into fields from privacy to politics (ex. TransparencyCamp). Some automobile manufacturers are starting to see the benefits of open collaboration. For the last five years, Peugeot has given independent designers the opportunity to submit innovative designs for concept cars. At the Beijing Motor Show in April 2008, they debuted prototypes based on designs submitted from around the world.

It’s more than just open source; it’s openness. Globally, individuals and companies are learning and building the tools for mass collaboration, and a whole new generation is maturing with a talent for spotting the opportunities to collaborate. I have no idea how long it will take for us to become a truly collaborative species, but the roots of openness are extending their reach. They key to their rapid growth and us blowing the doors off this baby is finding the balance between the needs of the business and the needs of the consumer. Companies that find this balance will develop better products, enjoy loyal customers, and be rewarded with larger market shares. Smart companies already seek these opportunities, and I don’t see how they really have a choice–customers are increasingly more capable of independent design and manufacturing. I predict open collaboration and innovation will be integrated in some way into every vertical in the next 15-20 years.

As for whether or not software and musical instruments will be interoperable, they already are. Orchestras play, and a engineer at a console touches their output a thousand times before you hear it in the multiplex. A Guitar Hero throws down, and their output is modified several times before it reaches your ears–sometimes live in the arena. Keyboards, synthesizers, sound editing software, you name it. Open source doesn’t make things interoperable, per se, it just makes that interoperability a lot more fun and productive. How many amateur directors could dramatically improve the quality of their short films with home access to open source audio mixing software? It all comes back to that balance between a business and its consumers.