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Music Machine 34 on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction / Exposure programme

on September 09, 2017

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Music Machine 30

Music Machine 30 began as an experiment in constructing a physical music machine. Initially I tried using some freestanding bells that were struck by solenoids attached to a Raspberry Pi . However I found that the solenoids were too noisy and there were power and wiring issues with the Pi. I concentrated on the idea of using a motor with some form of striker attached. I took some motors from Sony PlayStation controllers as these had low voltage and amperage requirements. I attached electrical wire connectors to the spindles and inserted copper wire from electrical cable into the top. I bent the wire at approximately 45 degrees. I dismantled a wind chime and built a wooden frame to suspend the bars from. The whole arrangement is a bit Heath Robinson and deliberately so. Michael Nyman in his book Experimental Music; Cage and Beyond writes of John White's machine music '... being English they are ambling, friendly, self-effacing systems, which may break down ...'

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