Lesley Flanigan ITP

For more documentation go to www.seseyann.com/plinkjet

PLINK JET
By Lesley Flanigan and Andy Doro

ABSTRACT
Plink Jet is a robotic musical instrument made from scavenged ink jet printers. Plink Jet explores instrumentation as a process of structuring noise to create a musical experience, and performance as a relationship between human improvisation and machine order. Plink Jet also explores ideas concerning curiosity, invention, and expression regarding the role of technology in our everyday lives.

Keywords
Interaction Design, Repurposing of Consumer Technology, DIY, Performing Technology, Robotics, Automation

1. INTRODUCTION
Plink Jet is a robotic musical instrument made from scavenged ink jet printers. The mechanical parts of four inkjet printers are diverted from their original function, re-contextualizing the relatively high-tech mechanisms of this typically banal appliance into a ludic musical performance. Motorized, sliding ink cartridges and plucking mechanisms play four guitar strings by manipulating both pitch and strumming patterns like human hands fingering, fretting, and strumming a guitar. Plink Jet is designed to play itself, be played, or both. The result is an optionally collaborative performance between both the user and Plink Jet, with the user choosing varying levels of manual control over the different cartridges (fretting) and string plucking speeds (strumming).

2. INTERFACE
Plink Jet is designed to play guitar strings both manually and automatically. The interface consists of four toggle switches, four three-way switches, four dials, a single six-position rotary switch and a single power switch. Each of the four toggle switches and three way switches is associated with a single ink carriage. The rotary switch allows the user to select different pre-programmed patterns while a carriage is under automatic control.

2.1 Fretting
The guitar strings are strung across the printer mechanism where an optical sensor used to be. Cartridges slide up and down the strings and touch the strings just enough to change the pitch, similar to a slide guitar. The farther away the cartridge is from the plucking mechanism, the lower the pitch of the note.

Each carriage is controlled by a toggle switch and a 3 way switch. Toggle switches control whether its associated inkjet carriage is under manual or automatic control. While under manual control, the back and forth motion of each carriage is controlled by a three-way switch. While under automatic control, the carriage is controlled by a micro-controller containing programmed patterns of movement.

2.2 Strumming
The guitar strings are plucked by motors outfitted with a single thin metal strip that strikes the string as it rotates around. Four dials control the speed of the strumming motors. This happens irregardless of whether the associated carriage is under manual or automatic control.

2.3 Amplification
Inside each ink cartridge is a piezoelectric microphone used to pick up the sound of the guitar string being plucked as well as the ambient sounds of the sliding cartridge. Like an electric guitar, Plink Jet has a single half-inch output jack used to connect to an external amplifier.

3. TECHNOLOGY
The printer carriages and motors are from four inkjet printers. The controlling circuits and electronics are custom-designed. The optical encoder of each inkjet printer has been removed and replaced with a tunable guitar string that uses actual guitar tuning mechanisms built into the machine.

3.1 Circuitry
While under manual control, Plink Jet’s circuitry is completely analog. The only digital element is the micro-controller used in automatic mode.

3.1.1 DC Motors
A DC motor connected to an H-bridge chip controls the back and forth movement of each carriage. While in manual mode, the three-way switch controls the H-bridge with a 5VDC. While in automatic mode, the H-bridge is under the control of the micro-controller.

3.1.2 Stepper Motors
The strumming mechanism is driven by stepper motors, normally used for the docking procedure of the ink carriages. Each dial is attached to a potentiometer which controls the speed by changing the voltages on an oscillator chip. The oscillator signals are connected to hex divider chip, which acts as a stepper driver. The stepper signals are then relayed through a Darlington array before triggering the stepper motors.

3.1.3 Micro-controller
Plink Jet uses an ATMEGA168 chip containing six pre-programming patterns to control the fretting when a carriage is in automatic mode. A six-position rotary switch selects which pattern to use. When a carriage is in automatic mode, the ATMEGA controls the associated motor’s H-bridge.

Plink Jet at ITP Winter Show 2007

4. STRUCTURE AND IMPROVISATION
Plink Jet explores instrumentation as a process of structuring noise to create a musical experience, and performance as a relationship between human improvisation and machine order.

Structuring noise is fundamental to instrumentation and musical composition. As an instrument, Plink Jet amplifies the ticks, clicks, and hums of an ordinary printer. The incorporation of a guitar string highlights structure inherent in a mechanized system by relating pitch and rhythm directly to the mechanics. We made a musical instrument by designing an interface that gives a person playful control over the mechanical operation of these printers and combining the mechanical components with those of a traditional electric guitar.

Numerous options for playing Plink Jet back and forth between manual and automatic control creates a dialog between the player of Plink Jet with the robotics of the mechanisms themselves. Reflecting upon this interplay between a mechanical presence and human player, Eric Singer of LEMUR has said “I believe it is an entirely new experience for the human players. The robots create a physical, responsive presence (unlike synthesizers) which can profoundly affect the humans interacting with them. Because they move as well as sound, they take on a personality of sorts, and inspire the human players in a unique way.” [1] Intuition, playfulness, and improvisation are key concepts embodied in the operation of Plink Jet. Beyond its direct mechanical relationship to a human player, Plink Jet references a musical collaboration between members of a band and between a single musician with his or her instrument.

5. REPURPOSING OF CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY / DIY
Plink Jet also explores ideas concerning curiosity, invention, and expression regarding the role of technology in our everyday lives. The repurposing of consumer technology is a growing trend for artists and technologists in the DIY genre exploring circuit bending, hardware hacking and retro-engineering [2]. Artists who have used the mechanics of printers for producing sound include Paul Slocum with his dot matrix printer and Eric Singer's scanner-inspired musical instrument, GuitarBot. The innovative American composer Harry Partch also built many of his instruments out of trash and his own carpentry. Plink Jet’s emergence from the process of hardware hacking offers it for consideration as an Infra Instrument, a concept developed by John Bowers and Phil Archer. Infra-instruments come from beneath and are below the standards we would want of well-constructed instruments, but they are a valuable addition to the NIME research agenda with concern for technology, musical practice, and playful aesthetics [3]. Inside an ordinary ink jet printer are the same toy-like, clockwork mechanisms that have delighted people and sparked imaginations for centuries. In the creation of Plink Jet, we have investigated how human improvisation can interact with these mechanical forms. Plink Jet transforms the predicable function of a printer into a unique and irreproducible performance.

6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank Danny Rozin, Todd Holoubek, Tom Igoe, Gian Pablo Villamil.

7. REFERENCES
[1] Lotti, Giulio. LEMUR: League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots. < http://www.simultaneita.net/lemur2.html>.
[2] Ramocki, Marcin. DIY: The Militant Embrace of Technology. <http://ramocki.net/ramocki-diy.pdf>.
[3] Bowers, John, & Archer, Phil. Not Hyper, Not Meta, Not Cyber but Infra-Instruments. <hct.ece.ubc.ca/nime/2005/proc/nime2005_005.pdf >.

Posted by Lesley at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The score for my NIME performance this coming Thursday night is as follows:

5 Voices for 5 Speakers -- click for audio sketch
(Approx.10-15 min long)

1. Introduction
Speakers are introduced one at a time. Singers are brought in one at a time, sustaining a single note, breathing at random intervals.

2. Off/On
All voices (speakers and singers) turn off and on 4x simultaneously.

3. Half Step
With speakers holding notes, Singers are led as a group up and down by a half step based on their independent note 4x. Then led 3x on a long sustain of their note. After the 3rd long sustain, singers repeat the pattern from the intro of sustaining a single note, breathing at random intervals.

4. Sampling
Speakers voices are sampled one at a time, then singers are sampled one at a time.

5. Sequencing
Singers and speakers stop, leaving the sampled sequencing of their voices to be mixed, manipulated, and amplified.

6. Solo
One speaker is performed as a solo. One singer (myself) performs a solo voice.

7. Climax
With all samples running, the 5 speakers and 5 singers are led back into the performance one at a time. Singers repeat the pattern of sustaining a single note, breathing at random intervals.

8. Reprise Half Step
Singers are led as a group back through the Half Step, ending after the 3rd long sustain.

9. End
All fade out except one sample, one speaker, and one voice (mine).

Posted by Lesley at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have been experimenting with how to create a formal composition for Speaker Synth. First step is fully understanding my instrument. I will never have complete control over the speaker feedback system, due to the nature of feedback, but I can anticipate the range of sounds from each speaker based on the volume and positioning of the piezos. Given this relative amount of tonal control, most of my formal compositional work deals mostly with time based organizing.

I am planning a 10/15 min piece. The following certain movements I like:
A) Introduction to speaker synth. Each speaker will be prepared one at a time to achieve the desired tonal effect.
B) Introduction to the singers. Each singer will prepare their voice one at a time to find their desired frequency.
C) When the singers are all singing in full effect I will signal to them to sing a preplanned arrangement (ie, in unison following my lead drop half step for 5 count then back up, repeat 4x, hold on half step).
D) While the singers and speakers are on hold, I record a sample of each voice allowing each to gradually enter the sonic space
E) In unison, I stop the singers and speakers and start the sequencing of the samples I gathered.
F) One speaker solos over the sequenced samples.
G) One singer solos over the sequenced samples.
H) One by one, the singers and speakers enter as a group over the sequenced samples creating a full experience of all sounds pulsing and harmonizing.
I) In unison, I fade out the samples except one. fade out the speakers except one. fade out the singers except one.
F) All stop.

To figure out what I want to do, I have been recording at home. Here is a rough example of 3 singers (all me) with the instrumentation: 3 Voices for 5 Speakers.mp3

On November 27th, I am meeting with potential singers. I am hoping to have either 3 or 5 singers.

On December 3rd, I will be performing with Speaker Synth again at Monkey Town. Here I will test out using a camera to project what I am doing with the speakers, as well as test out different compositional ideas. I may have one singer join me. I will video tape the performance so I can review after.

Posted by Lesley at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

*Completion scheduled for December 2007**

www.seseyann.com/plinkjet

Plink Jet is a robotic musical instrument made from scavenged ink jet printers. The mechanical parts of four printers are diverted from their original function, re-contextualizing the relatively high-tech mechanisms of this typically banal appliance into a ludic musical performance. Motorized, sliding ink cartridges and plucking mechanisms play four guitar strings by manipulating both pitch and strumming patterns like human hands fingering, fretting, and strumming a guitar. Plink Jet is designed to play itself, be played, or both. The result is an optionally collaborative performance between both the user and Plink Jet, with the user choosing varying levels of manual control over the different cartridges (fretting) and string plucking speeds (strumming).

The repurposing of consumer technology is a growing trend for artists and technologists in the DIY genre exploring circuit bending, hardware hacking and retro-engineering. Artists who have used the mechanics of printers for producing sound include Paul Slocum with his dot matrix printer and Eric Singer's scanner-inspired musical instrument, GuitarBot. Inside an ordinary ink jet printer are the same toy-like, clockwork mechanisms that have delighted people and sparked imaginations for centuries. In the creation of Plink Jet, we have investigated how human improvisation can interact with these mechanical forms. Plink Jet transforms the predicable function of a printer into a unique and irreproducible performance.

Current Development Documentation:

Printer Plays Guitar String Test.mov

Motor Test Slider Control Test.mov

Motor Test Switch Control Test.mov

Multiple Printer Control Test.mov

KEYWORDS:
Interaction Design
Repurposing of Consumer Technology/DIY
Performing Technology
New Instrument for Musical Expression
Robotics, Automation

Posted by Lesley at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I performed my Speaker Synth live for the first time at Monkey Town in Brooklyn last night, opening for ASDF Semicolon. I am very lucky to have had a live experience with Speaker Synth to test out issues like sound quality/dynamics/levels, compositional timing, and general performance techniques. Overall, the performance was successful and well received. People described it as intense, beautiful, surprising, surreal, and punk rock.

Recording of Speaker Synth at Monkey Town(mp3)

Setting up for the performance

SET UP:
My set up was on the floor in the center of Monkey Town, so that people could view the top of the Speaker Synth and witness my interaction with it. I chose not to amplify to instrument. The space is small enough that the speakers could be heard, and I felt that adding amplification might detract from the simplicity of the instrument's "voice". I had one microphone set up for my voice, but chose not to add any effects, again, staying true to the simplicity of voice. My laptop with the Max patch I use to sample and sequence the speakers was amplified through the PA system, and I chose to add reverb and delay at times to enhance the separation of sonic space between the sampled sounds and real time instrument.

PERFORMANCE:
I outlined a general structure of techniques I wanted to explore during my set, which I loosely followed. I began by introducing the instrument, each speaker one at a time was finessed to output a desired tone. I let the sounds breath, taking time for the audience to hear and appreciate the feedback sounds alone. Then one at a time, I grabbed a sample of each speaker and began to run them through Max. The room began to pulse a tempo. I moved back and forth between addressing the mixing of the the Max patch while also playing the Speaker Synth. This built up to an intense, full sonic space. At its climax, I pulled a stop on all the audio. Silence. Then brought it back full volume, then stop again. I wanted to create an awareness of how powerful the feedback is and how it consumes the room. Finally, on another stop, I came back to sound but with only one speaker of the solo Speaker Synth instrument. Here I played back and forth with the single speaker and my solo voice. I let my voice waiver on the notes I was hearing from the speaker -- in and out, in and out. This voice was fragile in and out of tune. I began to bring Max back into the mix, this time also sampling my voice to create a blend of human voice and speaker/electricity voice. This montage took time to build up to another all consuming, powerful sonic space. Eventually the performance ended with all sound fading out leaving just one speaker.

MY THOUGHTS:
In general, I was pleased with the decisions I made, although I am still reviewing the results and asking people for their personal feedback. The only "mistake" I made was hitting a preset in the middle of the performance that created a crazy volume jump which took me by surprise and I responded by cutting out all volume instead of adjusting the house mix levels smoothly. Aspects of the performance I am reconsidering involve how to incorporate a human voice -- something I definitely want to do. I could be the only voice, but I would need to mix my audio level differently and probably have my singing interaction be stronger. Although the speakers waiver in their sound output, they are never lacking intensity and drive...my voice sounds too weak to really parallel the speakers. I still think I would prefer to hear multiple singers reflecting the multiple speakers. I am also considering how to compose an actual score for voice and Speaker Synth.

KEY CONCEPTS:
generative, electronic audio, voice

Posted by Lesley at 01:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I decided to step back from my current process of speaker/amplification circuit engineering to review my existing Speaker Synth and investigate techniques of performing with it. Playing has inspired a fresh perspective on the type of performance I may want to have.

Using Max/MSP to sample sound clips of Speaker Synth while I play live, I can improvise with different sequence patterns and tempos. The following sound clips are my initial tries using MaxMSP for live manipulation. Keep in mind, THERE ARE NO EFFECTS OR PRERECORDED SAMPLES. All sounds are directly from Speaker Synth and being manipulated only through playback in sequenced, looping patterns.

AUDIO: SpeakerSynth1.mp3
AUDIO: SpeakerSynth2.mp3

I love the compositions and sounds that are the output of this very simple process. A sound texture that would normally take hours of fussing with software and electronics is being created because of the inherent sound of the system. As a performance, I can picture each speaker of Speaker Synth being output to another speaker for amplification after being run through a loop in MaxMSP. That would make 5 separate amplification speakers which will project spacial effect I desire. I am also interested in using 2-3 live vocalists to harmonize over the top of the compositions I create, as well as having Speaker Synth play solo.

So at this point, I am stepping back from the physical building process to develop a performance.

Posted by Lesley at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1) What you did this week on your project
These past couple weeks I have been experimenting with different circuit configurations for piezos, electret condenser mics, amps, preamps, linear and audio taper potentiometers, and analog signal cross fading.

2) What you plan to do over the next week
Set up final amplifying circuit that I will use. Test it with the various speaker I intend to use.

3) Any big issues/brick walls your hitting
time time time! always time!!

I will do a post with written details and pictures of my work with audio circuits later in the week.

Posted by Lesley at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Expanding on my work with Speaker Synth, I plan to orchestrate a choir of feedback loops using a similar piezos/speaker circuit.

The sounds of electricity from a basic analog circuit being cycled through a feedback loop are rich with nuance. From one speaker, many sounds can be shaped: feedback.mov

I began to list different sound characteristics that certain speakers leaned towards, including their natural frequency range, rhythmic and melodic tendencies, and their unique quirks. Essentially, this list is a character analysis, pin pointing personalities or "voices."

Unlike Speaker Synth, I plan to build each speaker into its own independent structure. The resulting Speaker Choir will be an arrangement these voices like a choir in both physical and sonic orientation, and explore the effects of their interplay.

Technically, I will build circuit for each speaker/piezo to allow for an optional, external input and output, although I plan the first performance to remain as simple as possible and not utilize these modifications. I will also incorporate an optional digital power switch for future switch control.

Posted by Lesley at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fennesz with Mike Patton (performing feedback)
Under Byen (my favorite live performance recently)
Knifestorm (aka Nate Davis, favorite song on my ipod right now)

Posted by Lesley at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(Thoughts inspired by an interview with interaction designer Bill Verplank, conducted by Gideon D’Arcangelo, June 2006 )

There is a large discussion revolving around interactivity and computers. What works, works best, and feels natural...in other words, how do we make systems that are intuitive? More interesting to me lately is not so much the question of how a system can be intuitive, but how a system becomes intuitive. When does an "unnatural" design teach us how to naturally interact with its "counter intuitive" logic? For example, typing on a keyboard is not a natural activity. I remember my first computer class in 7th grade and being given a test for typing. I hated it. My brain struggled with the odd ordering of the letters on the keyboard and I fought to use more than just my index finger and thumb. Of course, over time and through my dependence on computer technology, I learned. Now, typing is intuitive. But beyond it simply being a skill I have acquired, typing has also changed the way I think. It has effected my "natural" way of being. Typing is how I speak through email, IM-ing, and even text messaging by phone. Beyond the simple content of words, I play with characters to express emotion, make funny faces, and reveal extraneous, contextual information. It is natural for me to quickly type a colon with a parenthesis the moment I feel a smile :) or a frown :(. The typing action and my mood become intertwined, naturally.

This "naturality" does not exactly address the topic of intuitiveness emerging from design. We think of intuitiveness as a state of being connected to our actions in a way that we do not have to think. Intuition is usually a good thing. It infers we are in tune with the world around us and making complex decisions with the deepest core of our experience and knowledge. It may be natural for us to smile when we are happy, but it is intuitive for us to know what will make our friend smile. The best moments of creativity come from an intuitive place. For musicians, this is a sonic intuitiveness. Knowing how and when certain sounds unite to create rhythms and melodies that make people dance, cry, and laugh. The intuitive process of music making consists of playing, listening, finding, and repeating. Traditionally, this process emerges from a group of musicians playing their instruments live, starting with improvisation and narrowing down the options as certain parts (melodies and rhythms) become realized. But what happens when the intuitive process of making music is mediated by a computer? For one thing, the group can be eliminated. A computer allows for one person to play all instruments, hence, being only one decision maker in the process. Secondly, the existence of virtual instruments (instruments that only exist inside the computer and are manipulated either through an external controller or display settings on the computer screen) invites instruments you can see, but cannot touch. And finally, software for audio recoding is visual. One does not have to rely so much on their ear since sound waves are drawn on the screen and compositions are visually mapped out in linear blocks of color. We "see" our music as it sounds through the graphic displays of our computer software. The notion that only one person is needed for a band, instruments can be played while not being touched, and that a sonic composition can be built by a process of "cutting and pasting" blocks of colors in a line across a screen is completely counter intuitive to our common sensibility of what it means to make music. However, I would argue that it is not counter-intuitive. In fact, what I see is simply a new kind of intuition being built around the new tools a computer offers. If making music is touching an instrument (playing), hearing its sound (listening), deciding whether on the sounds you want to hear (finding), and playing what you want to hear based on what was decided (repeating), then the core process remains the same. Only now with a computer, our intuition is evolving to accommodate new intersections of our sensibilities. Rhythms are drawn that could never be played, but these rhythms are no less intuitive. They are just new.

Computer music may be considered unnatural, but it is not made without intuition. Perhaps music is not all about sound. In the same way a deaf musician like Beethoven can feel piano keys and hear the melody in his mind, so too can a computer musician see a drum sequence in an editing window and hear the cadence of its rhythm in his mind. Such adjustments in our perception of how we relate to sound change our intuition, but does not eliminate it. And these changes in our intuition invite new forms of expressions that grow to become no less natural that the beating of a wooden drum.

Posted by Lesley at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Speaker Synth
Speaker Synth is an instrument that plays natural feedback loops to output a musical experience. By "natural," I am referring to the sound of electricity. There is no external audio input to the system, the only components in the loop are the speakers, microphones, and amplifying circuit.

Speaker Synth is comprised of five autonomous feedback systems made of a speaker, LM386n amplifier circuit and piezo microphone. Individual controls include a volume potentiometer and power switch. By manipulating variables such as the positioning of the piezo in relationship to the speaker, the laying of hands and fingers on the speaker, and the inherent dynamics of the individual piezo and speaker, etc, users develop and play noise. The result are sounds take the shape of notes, chords, rhythms, and harmonies.

Speaker Synth demo1.mov (4min)
Speaker Synth demo2.mov (3.5min)

Further Development
More of these instruments will be made, with more in depth attention to the speaker, piezo and amplifier dynamics. I will also construct at least one with metal tubes attached to the speakers to experiment with a sound output that will not directly reflect back into the feedback loop. My intent is to have several Speaker Synths performed simultaneously, and produce a choral arrangement.

Essence of a Feedback Loop
The concept of a feedback loop is engaging, particularly in regards to consciousness and sense of self. Douglas Hofstadter refers to such a feedback loop as a "strange loop." We know our sense of self though layers of experiential, complex cycles that endlessly loop. Consider the phrase, "history repeats itself" in visualizing our process of living: we learn, add, subtract, and shape our lives, always returning to where we began to repeat again. To illustrate further, "Point a video camera at a TV displaying the camera's output, and you will produce a receding corridor of screens. Pixels make up the picture, but our interest is in the image, the tunnel of rectangles. Identity resembles that phenomenon. Never mind the neurons that make up our brain. Our emotions, others' responses and our repeated looks outward to the world and inward to ourselves shape what we call our self. Nor is ours the only loop we contain. We know how our friends see things; our mind houses their perspectives -- it has the formula for producing their thoughts." (Peter D. Kramer, Washington Post, reviewing Hofstadter's book "I am Strange Loop")

Speaker Synth was not intended as an exploration of such ideas, however the resulting interaction and sound inherently references the concepts of feedback loops in terms of consciousness. Speaker Synth is a "choral" instrument as opposed to either a classical or electronic instrument regarding its interactive and expressive qualities. The term "choral" addresses a voice. Something with a "voice" has an autonomous identity defined by its self. When powered, Speaker Synth plays its natural feedback loops, regardless of user interaction. When users do enter the system, they never have complete control, but rather, collaborate with the instrument. Hence, Speaker Synth embodies the sense of having has a "life of its own." It is self contained, self referential, self reflexive in both physicality and metaphor.

Posted by Lesley at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)