2002 Concept, design, engineering, prototyping, machining, and programming (firmware and software).
These
are miniature, modular instruments designed to affix to virtually any
structure thereby allow the composer musical control of anything from a
battery of specially designed instruments to structural surfaces within
pre-existing architectural space.
With
an emphasis on simplicity, each of these mechanisms’ design usually
consists of only one electromechanical actuator (a rotary motor, or
linear solenoid) which responds to varying degrees of supply voltage
remotely regulated by a microcontroller. This single-actuator design
philosophy demands that all mechanical movement within the instrument
be subordinated on the physical capabilities of the lone motor or
solenoid employed and, while this may sound like a limitation, such use
of mechanical design (as opposed to more ‘intelligent’ electronic
design) manifests a reliability, mechanical consistency and modularity
that would otherwise not be possible.
Each device can be fitted with a variety of harnesses for mounting and is
connected to the brain (box containing the PIC microcontroller and DC
power supply) via a single run of cable. Thus, the microcontroller
administers the appropriate voltage to hit, shake, scrape, bow, spin,
whip, or pluck sound from any sonorous object with the exact precision
one would expect from digital control.
Photographs from Site Specific Generative Composition for Mechanized Acoustic Instruments (2000-present):Taken at Installations and Performances in New York City (Harvestworks, Chelsea Art Museum, Gigantic Art Space, Eyebeam Gallery, Angel Orensanz Foundation, P.S.1 Clocktower Gallery, and The Frying Pan), and worldwide at 2004 NIME conference in Hamamatsu, Japan, 2004; iMAL festival in Brussels, Belgium; 2004 Audio Arts Festival in Krakow, Poland; When The Time Traveller Kills His Grandmother (a survey of current sound art curated by Fritz Welch) 2005 London, England.
  
   
  
  
 Turntable 'Marimbaphones'
...Or
something like that. The usual rapper mechanism affixed to a
prototype turntable assembly to allow the playing of tuned aluminum
bars. The tuning most resembles that of a pair of Gamelan
instruments, and it is incidental that their tones somewhat make up a
pelog and slendro tuning scheme. Their near- sine wave sustain makes
for pronounced and insistent dissonances. With rotary contacts
for the beater’s control voltage, they could be turned into instruments
with 360º playability, but are currently confined to about 90º because
the solenoids’ control voltage must travel through a tangly paired
cable.
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