This project involved getting into a group with some of my fellow
classmates, Thomas and Elliot. Simplicity was our main thought for the project.
The idea was that this would make the project move smoothly since trying to get
too complicated too soon would effectively stall any form of creativity we
could have. Everything in the world and throughout history would have begun its
life as something simple, which would eventually be built upon or used in
obscure ways for new ideas to form and progress to exist. We had to be careful how we approached this
however as there are certain things that would not fit criteria, even if the design
was interesting. An example of this was an instrument we were shown in one of
our lectures, namely the Aeolian Gourd Harp or the PVC Pipe Harp designed by
Stanley Hershonik. These instruments were shown to us via Youtube and needless
to say they produced an absolutely stunning array of sounds. The instruments
were powered by using the wind as a source that creates different frequency
resonances inside the designs that form quite beautiful and ethereal
soundscapes. That being said, the fact that the instruments is controlled using
the wind really does separate the interactive side of creating an instrument
from the process, basically the only interaction is taking the instrument
outside then letting it function on its own whilst you record or simply listen.
This was a valuable lesson we needed to remember when creating our project.
(Stanley Hershonik's designs in action)
Another benefit to approached the project with simplicity as our main
driving force would be that changes could be implemented easily enough in case
anything were to go wrong or not meet expectation. Having a convoluted plan
that was experiencing any form of problem would have been extremely detrimental
to not only the project but also the enthusiasm or moral of the group
members. It was this thought that
intrigued me, mainly because personally I have a tendency to overthink projects
of this style which leads to not much being created in the end.
We needed to start to think of various design ideas and what
characteristics our instrument would have. We got various examples in class to
kick start the creative ideas for example metals, wood, glass, paper or water
etc. What shapes or form should it have? Will it be a blend of electronics and
acoustic elements or possibly just focused on one of those aspects? These kinds
of ideas or questions do sound extremely obvious and simple but it is amazing
how very simple it is to actually overlook this aspect. Jumping straight into
what you what it to sound like without even thinking about its portability,
interactivity, aesthetic qualities etc., can really stunt a projects growth in
the long term (and also sometimes the short), something we would learn whilst
doing the project. Whilst we were in class we had overheard the idea in passing
of using a motor as an oscillator something that Elliot started to think about
doing straight away and really seriously about.
For the project, my group and I decided to flesh out an idea that Elliot
had of using one motor to drive another at various speeds using a number of
resistors to control the amount of current flowing through the motor, therefore
affecting the speed. Several different tones would be produced at the varying
speeds. The original plan was to use two motors linked together so that the
instrument produced a loud enough sound.
The casing of the instrument was an interesting looking cookie box made
of tin that belonged to Thomas. We thought original that the tin would act as
some form of natural resonator, but this was before we went ahead and used the
box’s lid to cover it. In the end the box was really kept simply for its
aesthetic purposes. Finding a way to attach the motors to the inside of the
casing was an initial problem we had to overcome, because if the motors were
simply placed inside with no attachment it would run amok inside the casing.
This was cause our output sounds to be extremely erratic and unpredictable,
which could be interesting in a sense but the lack of control would really
diminish the interactive side of the instrument. It would also make our use of
different speeds for making specific tones idea counterintuitive because it
muddles up these succinct tones with the introduction of the aggressive noise
being beaten out of the casing.
(We named the box "The Cookie Jar" after its original purpose)
On the other hand the attachment could not be too tight, as it would
stop the motors from oscillating properly. For the prototype we simply used a
lot of blue tack to keep the motor in as it was working well at keeping it
steady and stable whilst also allowing the motor to function easily. At this
stage however we encountered another problem! The second motor was having a
difficult time of reacting from the input force from the first. We believe the
attachments may have had a part to play in that but also there wasn’t enough
power being produced from the first to drive the second, plus the coupling may
not have been strong enough. The first motor, under the stress of trying to
drive the second, was producing a burning smell and eventually we needed to
sacrifice the second motor and only use one as an output. This meant that we
immediately lost amplitude unfortunately.
(This setup unfortunately would not work)
(A video of the the inefficient 2nd motor added which did not work well)
After this we moved on to placing the resistors unto the casing so that
we could alter the speed of the motor. We decided to have the resistors in
series and basically were we touched with the crocodile clips would decide how
much power was going to the motor. We hammered some small holes into the top of
the casing, in order for the resistors to have their legs out in the open to
switch between, then soldered them into place to make sure they were secure. We
ran into another problem with this as the resistors were reacting to the
material of the cookie box case itself. The inside of the lid was a different
golden material so we had to figure out a way to bypass it or lost the lid
entirely, which wasn’t something we wanted to do as we felt it would harm the
aesthetic of the instruments. The problem was quickly and easily rectified by
linked the resistors to plastic coated wires, which bypassed the other material
instantly whilst allowing us to have end points to attach the crocodile clips.
We felt that the movement of the performer switching between the resistors
would bring some form of gestural performance to the piece, although it would
probably need some pantomime enthusiasm from behind thinking back on it now to
boost the idea of a performance in a live setting.
(original resistor design that would not work)
(The solution)
(The motor running and the sound it produces)
Presentation and Improvements
When it came to the performance with the prototype, our eyes were
somewhat opened with how many improvements could be made to the instrument.
Since we were always using the instrument in a small compact room with just the
three of us we never fully realized or rather thought through how very
inaudible the instrument would become once it was played in a larger setting.
But at the same time this could be easily remedied with the addition of a few
contact microphones or even just some normal microphones that would be found in
a live setting for example an SM57. Bobby McFerrin is an example of just using
this simple everyday type of amplification could open musical possibilities, something
that could be taken for granted. We made the mistake of simply thinking these
would be readily available.
(Bobby McFerrin- Thinkin' About Your Body)
The addition of the microphone application, especially the addition of
contact microphones, I felt would have opened up much more opportunities to
alter the output of the instrument itself. For example using homemade speakers,
using them for amplification then essentially circuit bending them or
physically touching the cones to affect the sounds being produced. The addition
of effects units would have been extremely interesting and could have brought
on many alterations that would have really complimented the instrument’s
inherent tonality. A strong metal distortion with loads of reverb or delay
could have achieved some really lo-fi noise rock like drones or maybe some
phasers or flangers, bringing in some kind of slight psychedelic options. Both
the pedals and the touching of speaker cones would also have brought great
nuances to the performance with the instrument itself. Gestural movements with
the speakers or erratic changing of the knobs/ dials on the pedals would have
made the presentation a much more interesting experience to watch.
The aesthetic qualities could also have been improved with just some
very simple ideas for example the addition of various LEDs. To further this we
could have some how incorporated them into what speed/ tone was being produced.
It could also have went hand in hand with the actual design of the box itself
i.e. putting the LEDs in the actual pictures of the windows on display on the
artwork of the cookie box.
The simplicity of the instrument, I felt, was something that was also
detrimental to the whole group idea of the project. Its simple design really
did not require three members to achieve and left us with very little to do.
Communication more than likely suffered due to the fact that it wasn’t really
necessary to consult much as you would solve something really easily on you own
since it is not too convoluted a plan.
I feel that in the end it has left with a lot to think about for my own
solo project. I am leaving this realizing how easy it is to overlook some
simple problems in a design and how when you think about the other aspects,
namely the performance, how greatly you can improve whatever design you are
working on.
