A Cymatics Experiment @theangrypeppers - Tumblr Blog

In-class demonstration of our interactive piece! We had a bit of technical trouble getting it setup but eventually got it working.

A picture of our final setup. The speaker connects to amplifier, which receives sound input from the laptop. The launchpad is then rigged up through Logic Pro to control various settings within the synth.

Water proofing the speaker using a water proof fibreglass resin Nick had used in the past for various projects.

Quick demonstration of the launchpad in action. The grid of buttons control the notes while the top row of knobs adjust different properties of the sound produced. It will be up to the audience on the day to experiment and play around with the setup.

To create the interactive part of our project we used an M-Audio Trigger Finger to allow the audience to be able to control the sound. The launchpad was rigged up into Logic Pro and mapped* to the synth we produced for the project. Nick initially had some issues with this setup, but eventually managed to configure it all correctly. The launchpad was set up so that the grid of buttons controlled the note played, while the top row of knobs was assigned to different properties of the synth.

*mapping is when you assign different physical controls to different properties within the software.

Our first test with the new speaker showed us that the settings we had were far too powerful, as the vibrations caused the water to literally fly out of the cone.

Quick overview of our progress today.

Today we made great progress towards our finished interactive piece. We drove down to a place near Kellyville to purchase and pick up a set of 8 inch speakers. We pulled apart the system, and rigged it to an amplifier. The speakers worked decently, however there were some problems:

The wires were exposed, so we had to tape it back together

The central part of the cone was fragile and popped out.

The cone itself wasn't waterproof

It wasn't 10 inches as seller promised

We found the perfect speaker for a really good price, but unfortunately the seller was away until the 3rd of November. We decided to go take a trip down to Jaycar and look for some suitable speakers there.

Complete process of our initial test. We determined that for water, only bass frequencies (100hz and below) produced results.

Improvements for next time:

Different method of water proofing besides cling wrap

Larger speaker

Connect up a midi controller (create the interactive process)

Test different liquids

Our initial test with water worked brilliantly! We ran audio out through Logic Pro (a music production software) and generated a basic sin wave synth that could be played by the keyboard. The surface rippled differently depending on the note played, marking a successful test.

Initial test of our prototype. This speaker was salvaged from an old boombox and conveniently was able to be plugged directly into the 3.5mm audio port on the laptop.

After discussing the instructions we received, we decided upon a simple concept that addressed all 3 points. Our idea consists of a speaker cone, filled with a liquid that then interacts with the audio output from a VST (audio interface) and a MIDI controller.

The image above then shows a quick 10 minute brainstorm we made in relation to our core concept. The page includes various ideas and experimental concepts that we will look further into and pursue through the duration of this project.

The instructions we received for our last assignment from group Untitled 2014. It reads as follows:

Create an interactive work.

The work must engage with at least three of the audiences senses.

The work must revolve around the 'organic form' (think organic as free flowing and raw - the opposite of geometric, hard and restrained.) This can be interpreted visually, through sound, touch, etc.

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A Cymatics Experiment