One of the most innovative products we've come across recently is the Ned Steinberg designed eStrap from Atlantic Quality Design, Inc. It's a system that works with a radio transmitter attached to your guitar strap to transmit a signal to a remote box. The eStrap system works just like an expression pedal or a wah pedal, except instead of being controlled by a foot pedal, it's controlled by your natural movement while playing.

We were so intrigued by the eStrap system, that we needed to find out more. Gearwire got some further answers from Hank Wallace at AQDI.

What inspired the creation of the eStrap?

Ned Steinberger is always looking for a better or alternative way to do things, as evidenced by his steady stream of creative ideas. The eStrap's intention is to connect more of the player's motion to the sound, and create a more intuitive way to control effects. We have taken that idea and over last few years have created numerous prototypes for test and evaluation, with various features, finally settling on the wireless version we are producing now.

The eStrap is definitely an innovative concept -- how simple is it to >get used to using an eStrap system for a guitarist coming from a footswitch standpoint?

It's pretty simple, hooking up like a pedal, with the additional on/off button on the strap.

When I created the first prototypes of the eStrap, as a guitar player I was surprised by the intuitive nature of the system. If you are playing lead with distortion, what do you want to hear when you grab a note and bend it up? You want to hear that note sing and even scream. Bending that note up naturally raises the neck a little, and raises the peak of the eStrap's internal wah filter to accentuate it. There is a feeling of fine control over the tone and accentuation of the notes played.

I have a video of a bunch of players trying out an early eStrap prototype. The players don't quite understand what should be happening until they strap on the guitar. Their eyes glaze over for 30 seconds while they play notes and feel the music. Then their eyes refocus and the response is "Cool!" It takes about that long to start having fun.

I play licks now with the eStrap that I never would have played before. It allows me to shape my sound in real time in a new way, so I'm thinking more about sound sculpture and less about shredding!

What effect will unnatural movement (i.e. jumping off of amplifier stacks or playing while lying down on stage) have on the eStrap system?

The system responds to changes in the tension in the strap, so jumping will produce short jerky changes in the sound effects, which could be played up by the performer. Waltzing will produce smoother changes. Playing while laying down would slacken the strap and result in no changes to the sound effects.

The system can be turned off at any time by tapping the button on the strap, so if you are going to play in a strange position that would avoid strange sounds. However, some players might want that!

The player can easily calibrate the strap so that it is very sensitive or requires larger motions for the same effect.

Can the eStrap be used in conjunction with a foot controlled expression pedal to create even more extremity in your effect control?

It's always possible to connect multiple expression pedals to a pedalboard or rack rig. The eStrap takes the place of one of those pedals, if you connect it as such. The eStrap box sends out a pedal control signal, as if it were a pedal.

When we test the eStrap units before shipment, we connect the expression pedal output to a rack processor and also use the wah signal path. That makes for some strange sounds! Your imagination is the limit.

Are there any aspects of the eStrap that may be developed further in the future?

We have other patented technology in our product line that you can view at www.aqdi.com/mpproducts.htm. You never know what might show up in our products because we look at the gear catalogs and ask ourselves, "What's NOT in this catalog that we would like to see in a product?"

Is the eStrap more of a fun way to control your effects or something that overlaps into professional performance?

I have spent so many evenings jamming with the eStrap that my kids just roll their eyes. It is quite compelling. And I play it at gigs. It enables an expressiveness that I cannot achieve with foot pedals. I can move around stage since it's wireless. So I suppose it crosses the boundary between a fun guitar gizmo and a professional creative tool. Ned's goal was to create a professional product, but one that's fun as well, and that's what we have in the eStrap.