The Abandoned Idea Dumping Ground

[earthtonesaudio]

-not stompbox related, but some day I'd like to return to the concept of a mechanical synth--meaning using 16 identical electric motors, each with their own magnetic pickup (basically a guitar pickup pole magnet with custom bobbin and winding), and a speed control for the motor--increase the speed, you increase the pitch of the tone produced via the pickup. Then sequence the whole thing. Voila: Electric motor techno. Got the idea when I was adjusting my pickup height with a small electric drill one time. Abandoned because electric motors are freakin expensive when purchased new, and I'd need identical ones to make the whole thing work. Just not feasible at this time.

That's called a hammond organ:

http://www.nshos.com/hammond2.htm



Cept it only uses two motors, they all share the same drive shaft

Also a commutating filter, which can be made electronically.

[Rectangular]

this is an awesome page, I can relate to most of the projects mentioned. especially the mechanical synthesizer, and Meanderthal's  Oilcan Delay of legend.

one project that I've kicked around for years is an analog Granulator , which were super popular in the VST scene from about 1999-2006, maybe they still are, I don't play with vsts as much anymore. the idea was to use a bank of BBD's to sample incoming audio, then I could pan between the different bbd outputs with a set of envelope controlled vcas. I could use linear, reverse, and random functions to control how the vcas would be controlled/sequenced

in the end I made a 4 BBD prototype using coolaudio bbd's (to keep the costs reasonable), but despite calibrating it like crazy on an oscilloscope, buffering the hell out of all the clock signals, and even adding a fancy filter, I couldn't get it to sound nice. maybe if I had like 10-16 SAD1024 chips laying around. also I accidentally plugged in the wrong polarity a couple months ago and fried the BBDs, or at least it seems that way, though I don't think they're polarized, so whatever.

to the dump !

[Top Top]

-not stompbox related, but some day I'd like to return to the concept of a mechanical synth--meaning using 16 identical electric motors, each with their own magnetic pickup (basically a guitar pickup pole magnet with custom bobbin and winding), and a speed control for the motor--increase the speed, you increase the pitch of the tone produced via the pickup. Then sequence the whole thing. Voila: Electric motor techno. Got the idea when I was adjusting my pickup height with a small electric drill one time. Abandoned because electric motors are freakin expensive when purchased new, and I'd need identical ones to make the whole thing work. Just not feasible at this time.

This is not the same, but it reminds me of an idea I had - a stringed instrument with motors attached to each key on a keyboard. When you press a key, it would lift a motor with a wheel spinning which would rub on the string - similar to a hurdy gurdy in concept I suppose, but with separate wheels for each string - or perhaps one motor running a long tensioned "hair belt," and the strings would be mounted on slats of wood which would lift by key pressure to be rubbed by the rotating hair belt. It would have a violin-like tone, but be playable by keyboard and infinitely sustainable obviously. Pickups for each string.

Also had the idea of building a mini pipe organ using cheap dollar store recorders, with the holes just taped off for the individual notes - one for each note over two octaves (with different air pressure for the higher octave). The wind box would be similar to those used in chord organs. The funny thing is I was talking with someone I work with and he had the exact same idea... this has probably been done.

[Taylor]

-not stompbox related, but some day I'd like to return to the concept of a mechanical synth--meaning using 16 identical electric motors, each with their own magnetic pickup (basically a guitar pickup pole magnet with custom bobbin and winding), and a speed control for the motor--increase the speed, you increase the pitch of the tone produced via the pickup. Then sequence the whole thing. Voila: Electric motor techno. Got the idea when I was adjusting my pickup height with a small electric drill one time. Abandoned because electric motors are freakin expensive when purchased new, and I'd need identical ones to make the whole thing work. Just not feasible at this time.

This is not the same, but it reminds me of an idea I had - a stringed instrument with motors attached to each key on a keyboard. When you press a key, it would lift a motor with a wheel spinning which would rub on the string - similar to a hurdy gurdy in concept I suppose, but with separate wheels for each string - or perhaps one motor running a long tensioned "hair belt," and the strings would be mounted on slats of wood which would lift by key pressure to be rubbed by the rotating hair belt. It would have a violin-like tone, but be playable by keyboard and infinitely sustainable obviously. Pickups for each string.

Also had the idea of building a mini pipe organ using cheap dollar store recorders, with the holes just taped off for the individual notes - one for each note over two octaves (with different air pressure for the higher octave). The wind box would be similar to those used in chord organs. The funny thing is I was talking with someone I work with and he had the exact same idea... this has probably been done.

I'm actually in the middle of building the first thing you describe! The official name is geigenwerk, though I only found that out after I started building it. I'm going for the motorized loop of bowhair instead of little wheels.

[Top Top]

I'm actually in the middle of building the first thing you describe! The official name is geigenwerk, though I only found that out after I started building it. I'm going for the motorized loop of bowhair instead of little wheels.

That is crazy! I probably won't get around to building it for a long time, so I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Post it here when you are done!

Yea, the hair belt is a better way to do it - way simpler and probably less finicky to set up.

[newfish]

...or tuning forks.

Legend has it this is similar to the way the Fender Rhodes works maybe?

Using forks would sort of be cheating though.  It's nowhere near crazy-evil-genius enough.

We need motors, and string, and rosin and such.

[WhenBoredomPeaks]

My goal was to build the ultimate voltage controlled resistor, to overcome the weakness of the LED/LDR combo.

I bought an Analog Devices 5204, it is digital potentiometer. I already had an Arduino Diecimillablabla. (you can order the digipot ic as a free sample too)

I wanted to control it with an Arduino. They had an article about that: http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/SPIDigitalPot

I failed to make it work.

From all of my failed projects, this bugs me the most.

[Taylor]

My goal was to build the ultimate voltage controlled resistor, to overcome the weakness of the LED/LDR combo.

I bought an Analog Devices 5204, it is digital potentiometer. I already had an Arduino Diecimillablabla. (you can order the digipot ic as a free sample too)

I wanted to control it with an Arduino. They had an article about that: http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/SPIDigitalPot

I failed to make it work.

From all of my failed projects, this bugs me the most.

A VCR is something I've wanted too. I think there are solutions, but they are all only good within certain conditions. JFETs, I think even 4066 logic chips can be used for this, but I'm not sure of the results.

[Top Top]

...or tuning forks.

Legend has it this is similar to the way the Fender Rhodes works maybe?

Using forks would sort of be cheating though.  It's nowhere near crazy-evil-genius enough.

We need motors, and string, and rosin and such.

Electric pianos have a totally different sound, though yes in principle, it is a similar idea - electroacoustic keyboard instrument... it would actually be more similar to a clavinet, as those have strings. This would be a sustaining instrument, not a percussive one.

[Rectangular]

A VCR is something I've wanted too. I think there are solutions, but they are all only good within certain conditions. JFETs, I think even 4066 logic chips can be used for this, but I'm not sure of the results.
[/quote]

my understanding is that the best way to achieve a voltage controlled resistor is to use an OTA. I've seen a lot of schematics that show that application. a 40 dollar arduino + analog devices digital ($ !) pot really seems like overkill.  personally I default to the ldr/led combo because of the price, not the results, as its less than a dollar in parts to optocouple something. I've also used J-fets, which isn't as bad as you'd think, just make sure you get the right range (ie: BF245a, BF245b,  BF245c) 

[deaconque]

A VCR is something I've wanted too. I think there are solutions, but they are all only good within certain conditions. JFETs, I think even 4066 logic chips can be used for this, but I'm not sure of the results.

I prefer DVD's 

[Taylor]

Digital Voltage Dividers? Nah, they're way less useful than voltage controlled resistors...

[doitle]

Bi-Electronic Tonal Aura for Musical Assembly eXtraction

[deaconque]

Bi-Electronic Tonal Aura for Musical Assembly eXtraction

Nice.

[CynicalMan]

Here's my abandoned idea. It's a distortion that doesn't compress and the amount of distortion doesn't change with different signal volumes.
It goes like this: a precision rectifier -> high-pass filter (to remove DC) -> precision rectifier with opposite polarity -> another high-pass filter.
The first precision rectifier would remove the top half of the input waveform. The high-pass filter would bring the waveform up to an average of 0V and the second precision rectifier would take the bottom half off of that. The last filter would bring the waveform back down to an average of 0V.
The same percentage of the input waveform would always remain but with clipping.
Does anyone understand? 

[edvard]

Yes!

I was going to build a similar thing, but with a voltage-follower into a mixer sort of idea so the clipped signal followed the original volume level.
I was going to do it to a Craig Anderton ultra-fuzz to avoid the sputtering at the end of the notes and a more 'natural' sound, but I got distracted by something else...

[Rectangular]

hmm,  so many variations on separating the top/bottom of a wave form. we should rename this the "Weird Clipping Rectifier Ideas What We Done Had" thread 

[Quackzed]

i had an idea for getting a 'swell' type effect.
I was going to try to set up 4 or 5 parallel fuzzes. 
then mis-bias them all for a gating effect, such that each successive fuzz would need a bigger signal to turn on
then adjust all of their volumes at the end so that the first fuzz to turn on after each attack would be low volume
then the next fuzz to turn on would be a bit louder etc... and the fuzz that needed the biggest signal to turn it on, and thus the slowes fuzz would be full volume.
i figured if they were all verry fuzzy and compressed it would minimize the blatty nature of a mis-biased fuzz, i figured i could also take some low and high end out to smooth things a bit at each stage...
kind of the illusion of a swell.
it never did get out of the planning stages...
i think what stopped me is, it's a pretty ugly way to go about getting a smooth ramp up effect.
but i think what brought me back to the idea is that it may be a unique enough effect in its own right.
so its in the bin.
one mans trash...

[Taylor]

That is an interesting idea. I don't think it would be worthwhile at all if you're going for a smooth swell, but as you say I think it could be quite interesting as its own thing. The problem I see is how unintelligible it would be when you had all 5 fuzzes going. I've never tried this, but is it possible to misbias a clean boost, or a buffer, to get gating? If you could get the gating happening without the fuzziness, it might be a bit more usable.

[sean k]

For those interested in keyboard actuated strings
http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om20000.html