- The material of the robot's "finger" makes for a very clanky sound (metal?). Actually it sounds kinda like a harpsichord
- The perfect rhythm makes for a very robotic feel
- The perfect consistency of how a string is plucked (same attack/volume at every note) also makes for a very robotic feel
The first is about harmonics, the second two not so much, but I'd expect that harmonics are the lesser of what makes it feel midi-ey. After all, some people play with metal picks or fingerpicks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerpick).
> Harpsichord: One of the main limitations of the harpsichord is its inability to vary the volume of sound produced. The dynamics are fixed; no matter how softly or forcefully a key is pressed, the volume remains the same
My take is: this is the reason why it sounds so much like a harpsichord.
- The material of the robot's "finger" makes for a very clanky sound (metal?). Actually it sounds kinda like a harpsichord - The perfect rhythm makes for a very robotic feel - The perfect consistency of how a string is plucked (same attack/volume at every note) also makes for a very robotic feel
The first is about harmonics, the second two not so much, but I'd expect that harmonics are the lesser of what makes it feel midi-ey. After all, some people play with metal picks or fingerpicks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerpick).