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Project proposal
Thesis outline
Draft Proposal
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GraduationProject

Research

Regarding the research of the graduation project, I think the project should start with sensors, which is also the most important part of this project. In the third semester(SI24), I have solved most of the technical problems of midi.

Sound Approach

In terms of sound, I plan to try several experimental methods.

MIDI control via sensor data

A single MIDI device sends data through a sensor to control the corresponding software or parameters on the computer.

OSC-controlled waveform changes

An OSC device controls the waveform change of the sound through the current change of the sensor.

Through a simple model, I connected the cd40106 to a fan and a potentiometer, the potentiometer controls the frequnecry of the OSC, the rotation of the fan caused the OSC to be constantly turned on and off.

Arduino-based digital sound device

Based on the digital sound of Arduino, make a digital sound device through the sensor.

Physical pickups with electronic effects

Through physical pickup methods such as piezo sensors, obtain the original physical vibration sound and add electronic components to create reverberation, distortion and other effects.

https://folktek.com/collections/electro-acoustic/products/resonant-garden
The Resonant Garden is an electronic-acoustic hybrid instrument designed to create anything from beats and oddities to dense sound scapes.

The garden utilizes three Alter circuits each equipped with a mic pre-amp, and 4 sprout (stringed) panels for generating acoustics. By plucking, rubbing, tapping or even bowing, those micro-acoustic sounds become amplified and affected by the Alter in any number of ways. In essence, the garden is a large microphone designed to pick up vibrations.

Challenges

Portability and outdoor use

Portability and usage scenarios, whether it must be used outdoors, if it must be used outdoors, whether it must be connected to a computer, (and whether the storm will take away the device, which reminds me of an important challenge of rain receivers, whether it will encounter lightning in a rainstorm when worn, because rain receivers look like lightning rods in a sense.)

https://www.designboom.com/art/taiyi-yu-windmill-beach-rotates-sand-wip-in-play-10-16-2023/
Taiyi Yu’s inspiration for W.I.P. struck him upon arriving in the Netherlands, gathering an appreciation for the country’s robust winds and iconic windmills. ‘How have winds been industrialized?’ the designer questioned. This thought became the foundation of his research in which he explored the historical and contemporary appropriation of winds through the lenses of modernity and coloniality. The windmill, both a concrete and metaphorical symbol of industrialization, underscores the dichotomy between humans and nature. It embodies a mechanistic worldview that views the natural world as a resource, shaping human-nature relationships, influencing daily life, and promoting resource exploitation through functional objects and infrastructure. Through a playful manipulation of this machine, the installation prompts a reflection on whether we can move away from the objectification of winds to foster a renewed and more harmonious relationship with the natural world.

Connectivity and mobility

If it is a very small device that can be held in the hand, how to connect it to the computer? How to keep it connected to the computer during movement, if it is transmitted through WiFi signals, how to solve technical problems.

http://www.crewdson.net/the-concertronica.html
https://www.vice.com/en/article/eccentric-handmade-instruments-marry-folk-tech-and-electronics/

The Concertronica is a controller instrument based around the design of a traditional Concertina. Each of the two ends has 10 momentary push buttons, whilst the ‘bellows’ action – rather than using air – uses strings on a pulley system that have been hacked out of some old gametrak playstation controllers. The 4 strings each give a distance measurement as well as an X/Y position, so 3 parameter readings for each string. The base of each string has a pair of RGB LEDs which makes for a really spacey light show when the instrument is being played! The analog signal is carried from one end to the other using a 26 D-sub connection which I have soldered a bespoke cable for, not something I would recommend doing to anyone else! The instrument is powered via a USB connection to an Arduino which is housed in one of the ends. I am using Max/Msp to convert the signal into midi which I am then sending to Ableton Live.

How to catch the wind

When it comes to obtaining wind energy, the first thing that comes to my mind is windmills, which can be used to generate electricity, water conservancy and other purposes. Unlike windmills, I found two types of windmills in the corresponding devices for wind speed testing. One is horizontal and the other is vertical. Fans in both directions need to be fixed with a rod, but this has a very decisive significance for my equipment design, because it determines whether my equipment is flat or tower-shaped.

Horizontal Windmill

Vertical Windmill

I investigated how to affect the change of values through the speed of wind. There are two more reasonable ways. One is to connect the motor. The rotation of the fan will drive the current change of the motor; install the hall effect sensor. Through the change of the magnet, every time the fan rotates a circle, it will be recorded in the sensor.

It also includes different materials, such as metal, wood, cloth, paper and so on.

During further research, I realized that the problem that limits creativity is the fan. It could be more creative in the angle of the fan. Each fan blade can be a different shape, different material, and different orientation. On a whole fan, it will only affect/control one parameter. If I separate the fan blades, I can use each fan blade to control a parameter, which creates more randomness.

Wang/YEAR 2

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