MTF - Sem 2, Week 7: Physical Computing II

No problems getting the clicking speaker of the familiar Victorian Synth (used the little amp as couldn’t get the speaker I had working). Exercise 1A was a breeze. After that, nothing worked. I still had plenty of clicking, but as you’ll see from the video, any variation in exercises 1B and 1C was perhaps imaginary.

I had a lot of trouble getting sound out of the last Week 6 exercise in Physical Computing 1 and spent a lot of time on it (too much, thanks again Seb and Christian). My first problem then was the original Week 6 Max patch, which was showing the same error as Week 7, Exercise 1 patch now (at least on my machine). It took me quite awhile to figure out this was the problem as, even though it gives a ‘port unavailable error’ at the start, it ends with a cheery ‘ready’. Wrong. I start to get the feeling I am getting the same problem with this new Max patch. I will continue with Exercises 2 and 3 when I have verified I am not.

Still, more possibilities unfold from this intriguing little device. I can imagine what you could make happen. Could an LDR perform a crossfade? A heat sensor? For theatre, dance, multimedia and other live performance – sound, light, video cued by sensors in the performance space, or on different parts of the body. We talked last semester at some stage about ‘laser’ sound (my words), audio directed at a prescribed area, inaudible outside the perimeter. I’m thinking visual exhibition with enclosed surround setups around each piece, facilitated by the Arduino board and each booth programmed with its own DigiLog environment.

This goes a little beyond the scope of my proposed instrument. Half a world away is the Choon Chop Chop, which I have revolving in my mind’s eye - inspecting the gadgetry, lifting the lid and looking inside. But each time I look, it has changed a little. How hard could it be to incorporate a MIDI controller keyboard?

References:

Haines, Christian. "Physical Computing II." Music Technology Forum, Semester 2, Week 7, August 6, 2007.

Servo - http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/Labs/Servo

Digital In Out - http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/Labs/DigitalInOut

Serial - http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/Labs/Serial