a couple of pics

March 16, 2010 – 01:53

A couple of pics of the kind of things we have on show in the exhibition in Parnell. It got underway last week with a bit of a noise jam at the opening and runs until the 6th of April.

One of Seans: The Colonel’s Nemesis”

Steel chair by Sean Kerrigan

And one of mine: “Staring into the Darkness”

Lamp by Felix

I don’t have pictures of Andrew’s work but I assure you it’s fantastic. Go and see for yourself, it’s at the Pierre Peeters Gallery, 251 Parnell Rd, until April 6th.

Also, Geneva at the gallery reminded me that I have a lamp blog which I’d completely forgotten about so I’ll resume posting there soon too.

by felix | posted in events, housekeeping | tagged , , , , , | comments (0)

…and a fancy new theremin

March 4, 2010 – 17:10

(Actually I built this a few months ago but I’ve just recently made some modifications which kinda make it new again.)

As soon as I saw Moldover’s fancy CD case instrument I knew I had to make one. But not in a CD case – it had to be bigger, stronger, and more like a flying saucer from an Ed Wood movie.

And so:

Optical Theremin
Hear it in action in the last 30 seconds of this video.

What does it do? If you don’t know what a Theremin is, read about them here or watch theremin videos here. If you do know about Theremins then you’ll know that this isn’t really one but it’s a convenient shorthand for an instrument that you play by waving your hand through the air.

A true Theremin is controlled by playing the electro-magnetic field around an antenna – the amount of capacitance created by the proximity of your hand to the antenna determines the pitch – closer to the antenna for higher notes, further away for lower ones.

Lev Termen (AKA Leon Theremin)
Lev Termen (AKA Leon Theremin), inventor of the Theremin and international man of mystery.

In an optical theremin, on the other hand, pitch is determined by the amount of light reaching a light-dependent resistor (also called an LDR or photocell). That’s the little round thing at the left end of the device in the first photo. More light = higher notes so moving your hand closer to the LDR lowers the pitch and pulling away raises it.

I’m pretty sure this is the circuit I started with, taken from here, with my slight modifications described below.

Optical Theremin schematic

  • Q1 = 2N3904 Transistor.
  • Q2 = 2N3906 Transistor.
  • C1 = 0.1µF ceramic capacitor but for some reason I seem to have used an electrolytic cap. Not sure if this is a good idea or not.
  • PC1 is the Light Dependent Resistor.
  • The battery is 1.5 volts
  • The speaker is 8 ohms and is not optional. The circuit won’t work without it.

The first thing I added to this circuit was the momentary switch, just because it makes it more fun to play. I put it on the + battery lead. This switch is probably the most expensive component at about $10. I started with a much cheaper plastic one but it does get a bit of a hammering and could tell it wasn’t going to last long. YMMV.

Next, I added a fairly big capacitor to lower the range and a switch to bring it into the circuit when it’s needed. The reason I did this is so I can use it outdoors in the sunlight and other brightly lit environments. As it was, the pitch was just way too high in the daytime. The extra capacitor(s) to alter the range can go almost anywhere. I think I put it across the LDR. As with any of these things, try different values of capacitor until you find the range you want. I used 680nf.

The other way to deal with the sunlight problem is to put some really dark sunglasses over the LDR but I didn’t think of that until just after I’d mounted the switch :) Now that I think about it, a variable capacitor would be even better.

Anyone else using or making optical-Theremin-type instruments that I should know about?

by felix | posted in electronics, new toys | tagged , , , , , , | comments (2)

a fancy new ring modulator

February 26, 2010 – 04:10

The twisted sounds I’m squeezing out of the drum machine in this video are courtesy of my fancy new ring modulator.

Ring Modulator

(The pick was for scale but I just realised the plugs make it pretty obvious)

What a ring modulator does – as I understand it – is take two audio signals and combine them by multiplication rather than addition. The resulting signal contains the frequencies present in the original signals, plus the sum of those frequencies, plus the difference of those frequencies. And another way of saying that is “it uses one sound to totally fuck another sound up”.

Results vary somewhat depending on what you feed it but typical results involve lots of weird overtones, hollow metallic sounds, and discordant, chiming, grinding, squealing noises. Cool. The “Dalek” voice on Dr Who is also a product of ring modulation, a steadily oscillating sine wave modulating a human voice.

In the case of the aforementioned video I’m using a sine wave to modulate the drum machine. Sine waves work really well and are a good place to start but you can also use one synth to modulate another synth or an oscillator to modulate a guitar etc etc.

Inside ring modulator

So what’s in it? If I’d known how simple these devices are I would’ve had one ages ago. If you want to make one like mine, here’s how, written for noobs like me.

Parts:

  • 2 x small centre-tapped transformers (I just used the smallest ones I could find at Jaycar, they were about 5 bucks each)
  • 4 x zener diodes (the ones I used are 0.3 3.3 volts, 1 watt. they say germanium ones are better, maybe any diodes will do? I don’t know and I don’t care)
  • 3 x 1/4 inch TS sockets

Really, that’s it. You probably want some kind of box to house it in, but that’s it. No power source needed, no moving parts, no switches and dials.

Assembly:

  • The diodes have a positive end and a negative end called the anode and the cathode. Don’t worry which is which but DO make sure they’re all facing the same way. You can tell quite easily by the markings. Solder them end to end in a square – anode to cathode, anode to cathode etc – this is the “ring”.
  • The transformers should have two terminals on one side and three on the other side. On the first transformer, take the two outer terminals of the three and connect them to two opposite points of the ring. Do the same with the other transformer and the other two opposite points of the ring.
  • Connect the two centre terminals (one from each transformer) to one of the 1/4 inch sockets.
  • Connect the remaining two terminals on one transformer to one of the sockets. Repeat.

And you’re done! Now connect two of the sockets to your instruments/sound sources and the other to an amp or mixer and modulate away. Any socket can be an input or an output but different configurations do sound slightly different.

Experiment and enjoy.

by felix | posted in electronics, new toys, tips | tagged , , , , | comments (4)

tribute to peter sauerbier

February 23, 2010 – 00:01

I’m taking part in a group exhibition in Auckland next month.

Peter Sauerbier Tribute flyer

  • Pierre Peeters Gallery, 251 Parnell Rd.
  • March 9th – April 6th
  • Opening March 9th, 5:30

It’s a tribute to Peter Sauerbier, organised by Sean Kerrigan.

It’s a little bit daunting as I have a huge amount of admiration for the other artists involved, but I suppose my stuff does fit with the general theme of it all.

I shall be exhibiting lamps.

EDIT: Sean has written a more verbose and detailed text about the exhibition here. Also see his comment below.
by felix | posted in events, housekeeping | tagged , , , , , , | comments (3)

even more about plate reverbs

February 21, 2010 – 00:33

The other day I posted a new recording which made heavy use of my home made ghetto plate reverb.

The plate is now safely boxed up and mounted on the back wall of the house, and while I was outside tweaking it today I thought I’d better take some photos.

(click em for bigger ones)

reverb unit outdoors

When I go out to inspect the unit I like to play Also Sprach Zarathustra at high volume.

reverb unit outdoors

I made the lid in two parts for easier access. I think a hinged trapdoor might be even better though (later).

reverb unit outdoors

I’m still playing around with the placement of the piezos – I had them all in a row down the centre for a while but I think the crucifix configuration – top, bottom, left, right – sounds better.

reverb unit outdoors

The send and return cables – or input and output cables if you prefer – all run under the house to and from the studio.

reverb mixer and amp

The send is powered by an old stereo amp I found at the tip and the returns are mixed in the little passive mixer I built for, um, mixing returns. Still need to make some knobs for it.

Pretty happy with the ‘verb sound so far (which you can hear in action here and in demonstration here and here). Some sort of dampening system is the next step, with a motor control that I can operate from the studio.

That’ll have to wait a while though, so much to do etc, many different men to see about many different dogs.

by felix | posted in electronics, new toys | tagged , , , , , | comments (0)

new recording – over

February 19, 2010 – 11:24

Just finished mixing this song. It’s not the first recording I’ve made of it though, so some might recognise it.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

download mp3 (right click and save as)

The song is called “Over”. It’s here as a free download so pass it on, and it (or something very similar) will be on the soon-to-be-released Harmonica Lewinsky e.p. too.

The exciting part (for me anyway) is that it’s the most extensive use I’ve made of my plate reverb so far – the percussion, guitars and vocals are all running through it – and in fact I don’t think I used any digital reverb at all now that I think about it.

More geeky stuff about reverb soon. For now enjoy the song.

by felix | posted in electronics, free stuff, music | tagged , , , , | comments (1)

white collar 2010 – live mix, new toys

February 13, 2010 – 02:17

Once a year (at least) I re-mix and re-invent white collar criminal, a track I started work on in 2004 and don’t intend to finish. The first one was a zero birthday present for my godson, Rhythm, and they’re all dedicated to him.

This year’s version is a noisy, glitchy, live-in-the-studio jam on my drum machine with a ring modulator, an oscillator, a crusty old sampler, an optical theremin, and lots of echoes.

It’s unedited and I filmed it so you can see I didn’t cheat. The only thing happening unseen is the occasional tweak of the delay feedback on the desk, just out of shot.

The new toys are the ring modulator and optical theremin: the former is used throughout to warp the drum sounds via the Good Will Audio Generator and the latter makes an appearance just before the end of the clip.

But more about them later, it’s 2 am and I still have noise to make. Download the track(s) here.

by felix | posted in electronics, music, new toys, videos | tagged , , , , , , , | comments (5)

alright, that’s enough of a break

February 8, 2010 – 20:24

I’ve had a bit of a break from most of my online activities lately but it’s probably about time I resumed posting here and elsewhere.

On Saturday night Lena (Lani) and I played as Harmonica Lewinsky at Boardies & Bikinis, a weekend-long music festival hosted by Tractor FM in a beautiful bush/beach setting at Ruapuke.

(Anyone get any good photos I can post here? Let me know, cheers)

Yeah I know I should’ve posted about it beforehand but our participation was a bit last-minute hence the stripped down line-up (with a casiotone MT-70 for beats!)

In spite of the cheesy drums our set was a raucous affair with lots of feedback and echoes. I think this should evolve into a pretty interesting band. Actually I should have enough HL stuff recorded to release some kind of album. Or maybe a mini-album. Probably very soon.

by felix | posted in gigs, housekeeping, music | tagged , , , | comments (0)

musicology update

January 13, 2010 – 14:35
valve radio

Astute listeners and readers will have already noticed that I haven’t posted any musicology shows for a few weeks. You may have thought I’d been having a break but you’d have been wrong.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with the shows but I’ve been finding it increasingly restrictive balancing the two formats – the live radio broadcast and the downloadable podcast – and I think that both formats suffer for the compromise. Knowing that the show is being recorded and archived means there are things I’ve been hesitant to try out in case they go horribly wrong where I should just be taking a risk and doing it anyway for the sake of the live broadcast.

Essentially I think radio works best as a live, immediate medium. One of the greatest music discovery kicks you can ever have is hearing a song in the car while you’re driving home and it sounds so good that when you get to your house you just have to sit there in the dark until the song finishes. You can’t even take your keys out. You can’t even rush inside to switch the radio on for fear of breaking the spell.

That’s the kind of thrill that only live radio can deliver in this age of on-demand media, and I don’t want to dilute it.

So from now on if you want to hear musicology you’ll have to be in Raglan on Tuesday nights. I may still do podcasts if there’s a particular reason to but it definitely won’t be every week and they’ll be posted in the main bside site feed: http://www.bsidebeats.com/feed/ so the podcast feed will become inactive as of now.

Thanks for listening and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I’ll leave the archive up for a couple of weeks in case anyone wants to download anything. edit: all gone.

p.s. regular bside posting should be resuming shortly…

by felix | posted in housekeeping, radio | tagged , , , , , | comments (2)

good will audio generator

December 19, 2009 – 10:28

I briefly mentioned this piece of kit earlier:

tone generator control panel

A few months ago my mate Dangerous Dave gave me a frightening-looking piece of medical equipment about the size of a microwave oven. He said it was supposed to generate tones but when he’d plugged it in he blew all the fuses in his house (not sure how that works) so he thought I might like it.

“Tones?” I said. “Okay I’ll have a look.”

And I put it in the corner of the studio and there it sat, gathering smaller items onto its large flat surface.

A couple of weeks ago I finally had a proper look at it. I still don’t know exactly what it was and I forgot to take a photo before I dismantled it, but inside it there was indeed a sine wave / square wave generator, (pictured) with a range of 10Hz to 1000kHz (One Million Hz!)

Most of the rest of the microwave-sized case was filled with a big amplifier and some complex digital and analogue metering equipment. Some of it might still work (later) but something in there was badly shorted.

With a very small amount of tinkering and a couple of new components (switches, jacks and LEDs) I managed to get the noise-making part operating without the fuse-blowing part and it sounds like this (with echoes of course):

The first five buttons on the left determine the frequency range. The highest is 100,000 Hz to 1,000,000 Hz! (For non audio geeks: humans hear up to about 20,000 Hz on a good day.)

The last button switches between sine and square waveforms.

I took it out last weekend for a bit of a play at an outdoor dj thing I do at the market and it was a lot of fun. It now has a permanent place in my arsenal of audio weapons.

by felix | posted in electronics, new toys | tagged , , , , , , , , , | comments (3)