LVDT Simulator was formed in 1983 by high school friends, David C. Copley & Blake Stowell in Bellevue, Washington. As a keyboard duo, LVDT Simulator played for school and church events and in their parents living rooms. The two went on to attend university, and life became too busy to keep the band together. After graduation, David moved away and eventually re-formed LVDT Simulator as a solo act, strictly as a hobby and retreat from his day job, occasionally making self-published CD's for his friends and family.
LVDT Simulator has released three studio albums, in May 2015, July 2018 and August 2022. For many years, David (as LVDT Simulator) has hosted a Bach B-Day Bash every few years around March 21 (JS Bach's Birthday) at his house, with his family and friends patiently listening while he shakes the floor. David has also played his keyboards played at an annual Christmas community nativity event.
David's "day job" is as a professional acoustical engineer for a major heavy equipment manufacturer. His professional credentials include BS & MS desgrees in Physics with emphasis in acoustics, INCE Board Certification, numerous journal & professional conference publications, 7 US patents, and member of several professional advisory boards.
Prior to switching his academic interests to physics and engineering, David studied organ performance at Brigham Young University. David has been a volunteer church organist and pianist for over 40 years.
An LVDT simulator is an electronic device that simulates the function of a "Linear Variable Differential Transformer." The device is typically used for testing and diagnostics. David's father, an electrical engineer, was working on a project at his work involving a real LVDT simulator around the time David and Blake started playing keyboards together, and David's brother Ron thought it would be a great name for the all-synth band.
David is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and his work as LVDT Simulator is published by CDBaby.
As of January 2024
(for more details, see Equipment Reviews)
Allen ADC 2140, 2 manual, AGO pedalboard digital church organ
Korg Z1 digital physical modeing synthesizer
Moog Sub 37 analog synthesizer
Roland D-50, LA digital synthesizer
Yamaha MOX8, 88-key, Digital Music Workstation
Yamaha CLP123, digital piano
Korg Wavestation SR
Roland Integra-7
Roland D-110, LA digital synthesizer
Roland JP-08, modeled vintage Jupter-8
Roland SE-02
Akai MPK225 keyboard & DAW controller
Alesis SR18 drum machine
Arturia Keylab Mk.II 61 keyboard controller
Roland PK-5A, MIDI pedalboard
MIDI Solutions T8, 8-line THRU
MIDI Solutions Quadra Merge, 4-line merge
MIDI Solutions 2-line merge
Yamaha QX-5, MIDI sequencer
Various PCs and laptops running software
BBE 482i Sonic Maximizer, signal processor
Behringer MDX2600 Pro compressor/limiter
Behringer miniFEX
Pigtronix Echolution Deluxe
Behringer Xenyx 802, 8-channel mixer
dbx 2-channel equalizer
Fender Pro 500, amp and speakers
Foscusrite Scarlett 4i4 (Audi I/O, MIDI I/O)
Mackie ProFX12, 12 channel mixer w/ effects
Seismic Audio Tremor 18, 18-inch powered subwoofer
Shure PG81-XLR, microphones
TASCAM DP-008, 8-Track Digital recorder
JBL 306 and 310S near-field monitors
Ableton Live Lite, DAW
Goldwave, audio editing, mastering
SonicScores Overture 5, notation and sequencing
Arturia Analog Lab
Arturia Piano V
Arturia Mini V
misc custom tools