First I had to find a way to fix the glasses better onto the spinners, and I designed a small screw-cap-lock mechanism to keep them in position.
I’ve reduced the number of pipes, and now there’s only one, both for sucking and pumping.
Finally, my custom made Arduino Due shields came from fabrication, and I’m now cable-free.
Based on the feedback I got, I’ve finished the second iteration of the design, which looks sleek, more packaged, and more portable.
Friction stick problem is mostly fixed, and I’ve changed the stick – glass distance to make it fit for the sponges.
Also to solve the crazy cabling problem I’ve created an Arduino Due(! yes “Due” – not duemilanove) Shield. Which I’m expecting to arrive from fabrication this week.
Ground Control ?
I’ve been tasked to design a central control panel for all the instruments that are being built during the course. Naturally, I wanted to be platform and software-license independent, and I picked PureData as a base platform, for everyone to be able to install and use it on their computers. So it can be compiled into an app, and can be deployed rapidly on any computer in minutes and it’s as reliable as the Wi-Fi connection of the computer.
Every project utilizes OSC somehow, however even with a standardized protocol like OSC, in order to control all projects from one central control panel, all projects needed a common ground. This is where Ground Control comes in.
Essentially it is a collection of PD patches I’ve created, but they can work harmoniously together.
8 Channel Faders / Switches
Assuming some projects would have both variable inputs and on/off switches, I made this patch to control 8 faders, and 8 switches. Although it’s infinitely expandable, current photo shows only 8 objects.
Randomness
Considering many people are working on an instrument, and these instruments are extraordinary hybrid instruments, I thought the control mechanism could benefit from having some level of randomness in it. This patch can generate random numbers every X seconds, in a selected number range, and send this data do the instrument. An example usage would be to control odd electrical devices in a random order.
Sequencer
Making hybrid instruments is no fun, if computers are not being extra-helpful. I thought a step sequencer could dramatically improve some hybrid instruments by adding a time management mechanism. Using this cameras can be turned on and off for selective periods, specific speakers can be notated/coordinated or devices can be turned on/off in an orchestrated fashion.
Project Description
Our assignment was to showcase how OSC can be used to remote control/connect media objects, or computers together. After an hour of brainstorming, we’ve decided to build a collaborative jazz drumkit, with pureData, and implemented the following control parameters :
We’ve added 13 different parameters in total and made a universally controlled jazz drum machine.
Later, we wrote a client app also in PureData, which can be installed on all 13 users’ computers to control the parameters we’ve created. More ? In the video.
Connectivity Diagram
Potential Possible Ideas
This system can be used to create a cumulative rhythm by a jazz orchestra, or an electronic music ensemble to control the overall speed of the current track.
Another great application would be online collaborative rhythm exercises.
Also the system could be easily integrated into DAW software, and it could essentially enable an entire band to work on a single project.
Problems needed to be addressed
Currently, with this system, the nodes can only talk to the server, and the server is the sound output. However the system can be improved to provide two way connection, and this would dramatically improve the capabilities of the system. Ex: Server sending current volume data to everyone.
Also, for if it had to be implemented for a Jazz improv orchestra, it would require the entire band to have control over the tempo, not just one node. Although this is easy to implement, with our prototype, all we wanted to do was to try and create an experimental drum machine.
GlasSpinner is an instrument, where a player stations his fingers on the wine glasses, touches and the instrument produces sound while the glasses spin underneath.
In the past I’ve worked with wine glasses, and I loved their sound. Just to be clear, if you don’t know what I’m talking about – when you rub your fingers, they make beautiful sounds! But this is a hard process. You have to hold the glass, rub your finger with a constant spin, and it’s a tricky thing to achieve. So I’ve came up with the idea of making wine glasses spin automatically! Me and Patt teamed up, and together we’ve designed an acrylic base that holds them together. Instead of rubbing your finger around the glass, the motor drives the two bases that hold and spin the glasses, allowing you to place your finger stationary. The first prototype worked, but it was bulky and unstable. We were able to achieve a decent sound from the first glass, but the spin rate of the second glass wasn’t enough, because of the design of the spinners.
After the first working prototype, we decided to design a new body, focusing on stability and simplicity. This time, we’ve made it very modular(ikea-esque) for ease of carrying and use. We chose different sized transparent acrylic as the main material, and lasercut all the parts. There were some problems due to the accuracy of the laser cutter, that prevented the glass holder to spin smoothly. However, we managed to fix it by sanding the holes to leave some room between the circles and the holes.
Here are some photos of the old prototypes :
