Electronic Exertion Music

A New instrument...

2011-06-04T22:33:00.001-07:00

The Electric Meerkat!

http://synthshopping.com

2011-05-21T20:28:00.001-07:00

http://synthshopping.com

some new modules for documentation purposes

2011-05-19T04:20:00.001-07:00

voltage doubler and h-bridge amplifier

2011-05-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

this keyboard runs from A through C

2011-05-10T16:22:00.001-07:00

its buttons are molded from 14mm glassmarbles

A closer look

with the lid off. Notice the carving on the underneath side of the top plate

jericho is holding monty's toes warm

2011-05-10T16:05:00.001-07:00

monty has a cold.

all theyhave doneall day today

is sleep. while I write my dissertation.

keyboard, drying.

2011-05-09T20:50:00.001-07:00

notice the bumpy parts on the bottom... molded from marbles.

i liked the feeling of small,smooth round things on my fingertips

2011-05-09T12:11:00.001-07:00

so I cast marbles in resin to copy their surface

the kitties

in sunlight

crazy

2011-04-20T18:55:00.001-07:00

a rapid prototyping experiment...

2011-03-11T16:23:00.001-08:00

fit 32 tiny. knobs into portable, protected case

not glorious, but...

2011-03-11T13:19:00.001-08:00

...I have to volunteer some hours @ WMBR, so I'm sweeping the record library.....

Free Speakers! 135 lbs worth!

2011-03-02T20:10:00.001-08:00

all I have to do is pay the shipping back home, then I can build some seriously loud Electric Eels!

L'm giving a guest lecture here today on electric eels!

2011-03-01T12:46:00.001-08:00

(the instruments, not the deadly aquatic creatures!)

Union Station in Los Angeles!!!

2011-02-28T14:57:00.001-08:00

so *classy*!

and it's so beautiful and warm here!

looks legit.

2011-02-28T11:26:00.001-08:00

but yeah I gotta say that burrito was mighty fine

2011-02-23T16:51:00.001-08:00

Cool mirrors in Boston Logan Airport!

2011-02-21T12:37:00.001-08:00

I'm about to head to San Diego for http://nweamo.org ! for the Electric Eel Orchestra!!!

Finally!

2011-02-21T08:29:00.001-08:00

A little demo video made minutes after I finished putting everything together!

Thank you for the encouragement and interest everyone!

2011-02-20T15:00:00.001-08:00

here is another teaser pic.. I'm working hard this afternoon....

after several hours of dremeling....

2011-02-17T18:52:00.001-08:00

these knos and keys are mounted on the body!

This pile of parts.....

2011-02-17T17:24:00.001-08:00

...is about to become an instrument!

inside my uncle's music generator

2011-02-11T23:00:00.001-08:00

4 aaa batts, avr 8-bit micro, ptich and tempo knobs, three buttons, headphone jack

First one finished!

2011-02-11T16:33:00.001-08:00

Today, I'm at a training seminar for Low-Power embedded AVR microcontrollers. This could lead to more efficient synthesizers for Electric Eels!!!

Awesome!

This training seminar showshow to reduce power by 97% using "Sleepwalking!" (tm)

waste wood

2011-02-08T13:21:00.001-08:00

"Take that, Earth!"

all this for one single intro song!!!

2011-02-02T19:15:00.001-08:00

the plot thickens.....

2011-02-01T19:52:00.001-08:00

this is starting to come out pretty good.

2011-02-01T19:00:00.001-08:00

but what is this mystery device?

in motion #3!

2011-02-01T17:38:00.001-08:00

say goodbye to the magnets, they're about to be covered up by bumpy plates

get ready......

new "duckbill generator"

2011-01-31T16:15:00.001-08:00

wait for it........

... in motion!

in motion 2

cleaned up diagram

2011-01-30T02:03:00.001-08:00

greatest common denominator synth patch (btw yes it's upside down.. wacky cell phone)

for argument's sake. if you really were to compare portable chargers for electronic instruments against generators...

2011-01-27T14:05:00.001-08:00

and I haven't even started the wiring yet.

before application of power chiseler

2011-01-26T16:07:00.001-08:00

after application of power chisel

twang generator version2

2011-01-25T14:59:00.001-08:00

somebody already dun run through this wicked garden!

2011-01-25T12:28:00.001-08:00

cho-onck chonck a-chonck chocky chong chung ka-chung

2011-01-25T12:17:00.001-08:00

centripetal generator

2011-01-25T12:05:00.001-08:00

spin from wand small speaker on end of wire. built-in doppler effect.

basic synth architecture

2011-01-25T11:50:00.001-08:00

4 Hot-Swappable Modules

detail of connection of electric eel synthesizer board

2011-01-24T14:58:00.001-08:00

three most important connections: 1: Ground, 2: 3.3 Volt In, 3: Sound Out

electrical eel ukelele up close

2011-01-24T14:51:00.001-08:00

keyboard from laser-cut strips of 1/64th inch birch, with musicbox switches underneath. six synthesizer knobs replace the tuningpegs

how much more efficient horns in exponential can be than conical.

2011-01-24T14:44:00.001-08:00

through the horn, a small amount od efficiency at 50-75 Hz is exchanged for a large gain one-half octave higher.

example horns shapes

this horn roughly roughly similar to an unrolled tuba

ukelele modifiedfor electrical generator

notice the new keyboard

Word of the Week

2011-01-22T16:27:00.001-08:00

since I

2011-01-22T16:20:00.001-08:00

2011-01-19T15:30:00.001-08:00

2011-01-17T21:50:00.001-08:00

enclosingacoustic volume

resonance increased thru sealing body

now, fiitting the generator to the body.

tune in for around the clock hacking

slider, angle-to-motion converter, rainbow eel body/frame rev. 2, etc.

2011-01-13T20:28:00.001-08:00

upgrading generator motors in carriage sliders

notice the blue replacement drive gears

this frame will hold keyboard, controls. generator, and electronics

lightweight frame/chassis in .326" plywood

2011-01-13T15:32:00.001-08:00

2011-01-13T14:59:00.001-08:00

updating the rainbow eel's controls

2011-01-12T19:50:00.001-08:00

first, removing the combined key + slider panel.

stylophone main board

2011-01-08T14:27:00.001-08:00

incl. LM386 400mW amp. bypass its input at pin 3.

genrator-powered STYLOPHONE

2011-01-08T13:45:00.001-08:00

a small twist if the knob gets rectified and powers the stylophone on a note-by-note basis.

2011-01-02T13:22:00.001-08:00

new electric eel prototype

this is the first electric eel built with its bowed-stick generator mounted atop a lazy susan

2011-01-02T11:15:00.001-08:00

2011-01-02T11:04:00.001-08:00

good things are on the way....

2010-12-31T11:43:00.001-08:00

first prototype of bowed-stick on lazy susan generator....

Machine Project

2010-12-14T23:16:00.001-08:00

This awesome gallery is hosting the 5th Electric Eel Worksop!

2010-12-07T13:32:00.001-08:00

workshop parts

2010-12-05T15:02:00.001-08:00

allof this is flying with me to los angeles to be built into Electric

Samos Music

2010-11-30T08:07:00.001-08:00

Bacon Board: FV-1 Based stereo FX board with socketed EEPROM.

monty posing in the sun

2010-11-24T09:04:00.001-08:00

enjoy these last few mornings on the porch while you can, winter's coming!

i'm ordering replaacement carriage belts

2010-11-16T13:17:00.001-08:00

only $3.95 at http://sdp-si.com. make sure you measure your belt's widthand length. get single-sided.

fallsies

2010-11-02T13:16:00.001-07:00

it looks like a baby dinosaur coming out of the earth

Bent St.

2010-10-24T14:54:00.001-07:00

... like Sesame St., but beepier!

2010-10-24T11:58:00.001-07:00

quicksheet for electric eel knobs

2010-10-18T11:16:00.001-07:00

6 pots anywhere from 1K to 100K

quick sheet for electric eel switches

8 momentary contact, non-tactile, SPST, DPST, or DPDT.

electric eels workshop

2010-10-17T11:31:00.001-07:00

building eels at boston music hack day

2010-10-17T11:21:00.001-07:00

zoz demos proper technique

alex puts finishing touches on

alex had most original genrator design

building electric eels

Joe and Justin hack away!

tom's almost done

2010-10-16T16:49:00.001-07:00

electric eel building workshop

alex wins the prize for most original design

2010-10-16T16:16:00.001-07:00

the accordian with wings instrument... new in 2010!

Zoz playing electric eel

2010-10-16T14:35:00.001-07:00

just after I shot this foto, Zoz broke the handle off!!!

how to park anywhere you want

2010-10-16T10:24:00.001-07:00

cost of printing patch vs.lifetime of free parking...

burnkit firesup withsome coffee

2010-10-16T09:06:00.001-07:00

we went to dunkies but the guy behind the counter wasn't wicked retahded and he didn't hook us up:(

tear it up and throw it away

2010-10-15T14:08:00.001-07:00

no really it's a good regulator, this circuit board just had the wrong pinout

if your circuitboard doesnt work

2010-10-15T13:53:00.001-07:00

rippedup circuit board

4 different types of pushbutton switches

2010-10-13T21:38:00.001-07:00

I love haunting surplus.

top of platform board

2010-10-13T21:17:00.001-07:00

combines rectifier, amplifier, and regulator

sharpest wiring

2010-10-13T21:06:00.001-07:00

wire me

halfway there

six eletric eel and platform boards

platformwiring

2010-10-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

build this and you're all set.

eel wiring

sharper version

Music Technology

2010-09-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

VexFlow - an easy way to edit guitar tab online. Looks good. Can someone try it and let me know?

http://thechangelog.com/post/1097381443/vexflow-html5-canvas-javascript-library-music-and-guitar

1-Bit Groovebox on Make Blog. No one told me? http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/05/the_1-bit_groove_box.html

Tom Oberheim is re-releasing the Oberheim SEM (Synth Expander Module). It's essentially a single synthesizer voice. Price is $899, $599 version available of just electronics. Box still looks good. Not sure if this filter can go fat. I have heard good OB-12 sounds. http://vimeo.com/4999164 Front panel of the SEM (same as re-release): http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/152731d1263261051-oberheim-sem-patch-midi-img_0112.jpg

Special PVC fittings or making furniture/sculpture/vehicles/etc from regular hardware store PVC pipes. http://www.formufit.com/pages/FAQ.html

2010-03-23T22:22:00.001-07:00

last few days:

buck switching supply works, but needs high startup voltage.

going to insert a boost converter, or increasing ac multiply stages.

tried ac multiplier stages, but didn't work well at 4x, w/ 33uF capacitors. Those should actually be pretty ideal for working at this frequency range, but perhaps the current capacity was dramatically reduced? It seemed to be larger with larger output caps, but I need to look at this again tomorrow :)

2010-02-28T21:48:00.000-08:00

OK! Whew! The proposal critique on Friday was pretty intense. Big, Huge thank yous to all of my fellow students who were supporting me on that day.

One of the things that came out of the critique was dimensionality and causality. In short, it's not enough to simply have the Decay of the instrument coupled to the input power. I need to come up with a way of connecting a larger number of expression points, or dimensions of control.

Anyway, the problem of mapping, as Joe Paradiso calls the coupling between sensor signals and synthesis needs to be resolved here. Prior to the presentation, I had culled a sketch of a simple circuit for combining the output of three generators, such as those prototypes listed in my Generators chapter. It belongs to that special family of electronic synthesis circuits which does not require a microcontroller, but the complexities of its tuning remain to be explored. Would anyone like to see some equations related to this sort of thing? They would belong to a family of non-linear summing circuits comprised of transient, audio-frequency signals of seventh or ninth order combining in three-dimensions. Expected frequency ranges would be 0-200Hz. The entire system would be reverse-transformed through the delta robot equations of motion.

But now that additional curiosity has been raised in this area, I have been considering new multi-generator configurations in which N motors are mechanically connected and attached to various points of the analog synthesis circuitry. For example, one dimension powers the oscillator, the second dimension powers the filter, and the third dimension powers the amplifier.

I have put together some generators capable of producing power from multi-dimensional gestures, including the inverted delta robot, in which linear movement is translated into a complex (yet predictable!) non-linear movement. I predict people will like that better because of a conversation I had with the band OK GO! As performers, video actors, and composers, they are familiar with digital media technology in video as well at least to some extent modern synthesizers. They requested that any one control, such as a slider or knob, NOT map to any single synthesis parameter, but to a group of them. A story accompanied this request, which was centered around the topic that two people can play the same piece of music and it could come out completely differently. They were visitors of the kind I especially relish because they are currently performing and have lots of experience.

also, wouldn't it be cool to have a "basketball generator" which is like a delta robot, but springs back?

In the meantime, the latest conversion algorithm for arbitrary audio into 1-bit continues to evolve. As my friend told me this weekend, "You've been approximating waveforms for 10 years!"

2010-02-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

some new code for approximating arbitrary sample waveforms with 1-bit unit steps: http://pastebin.com/kWnm8iGu

received a great many Pictures from Peter Bennett from the January workshop at TEI. Thank you very much, Peter! I will be going through these soon.

Some light jitters now as I rehearse for the Thesis Proposal Critique tomorrow morning.

2010-02-24T19:10:00.000-08:00

xferred pix of the stefan & noah build, began sorting them.

Developing presentation for Friday February 26th, 2006, at 11 AM in E14-633.

Went through dry run of presentation today with the boys of CompCult. Lots of good feedback. Thank you guys.

Also, the hub design for the NEMA17 D-Shaft has been updated.

2010-02-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

I've added some dynamic range tests for the Violin-Shaped Electric Eels:

http://exertion.pbworks.com/Instruments

And a graph of the Impedance of the inexpensive JVC/Parts Express Speaker which we have ordered a number of for this research:

http://exertion.pbworks.com/Speakers

Uploaded graph of JVC Loudspeakers

2010-02-23T12:01:00.001-08:00

http://exertion.pbworks.com/Speakers

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2001-01-01T17:05:00.000-08:00

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