Concept

Lound is an 'organic' playful instrument.  Being organic, there is no computer input. In digital age, computers occupies a leading position. Computer simulates everything and we seem to take it for granted. The rapid growth of programmers makes me feel nervous. Does code really make the situation simpler and quicker? Code is abstracting the world. Even myself start to rely so much on  the computer language. This time, I decided to get rid of it, and I did enjoy the complexity.

Instead of writing processing sketches, I use laser and glasses to create projection. Surprisingly, the refraction of the laser look like Ben Laposky's 'Oscillations', the earliest graphics made on analog computers.  One laser pen attached to a single bottle became an independent projection unit. For each of the unit, a separate circuit is created for generating the light into sound, with the help of  photo resistances. Based on Nicollas Collins' circuits of oscillators, I created my own ones with 555 and 40106be chips (since the 74h14 Nicolas used was no longer produced). 

​

Overview 

In the first version of Lound, there are six projection unities, each with one glass bottle and a laser pen. Pickup coils are attached to each of them, as well as the amplifiers. The circuits of the two amplifiers were also handmade with 555 chips. They are put on both sides to create a ‘stereo’ effect. Additionally, when the pickup coils move along with the bottles, they sense and capture the mechanic vibration caused by the circuits, generating dramatic changes to the sound. The most difficult part is the light-to-sound circuits. It took some time to find suitable chips and resistances which can create a variety of sounds by adjusting the capacities. I made six circuits for the six bottles. There is a LDR for each of the unity. When the bottle moves,  the sound will change according to the projection, as well as the distances among the bottles.

 

Reflection

It was shown in the form of a playful sound instrument in the 'Transient Inflection 2017', Hong Kong.  People can play with the instrument by both pushing the bottles and rotating the knobs to change the ohms of the resistances, in order to change the sounds. 

I would consider this as a first tryout. If possible, it will be much more interesting to fill up a room with several giant pickup coils, as they can actually made into the size of fight pillars. When audience enter the room, they can punch them, at the same time, generate the sound on their own.