An Audio Sampler Rube Goldberg Would Love

Thiago writes "Here is an audio sampler I made with 4 IR LEDs and 4 IR sensors. When something reflective goes by one of the sensor/LED combos, it triggers an event on the computer. On the videos, I mount the device on a turntable and use coins to trigger sound samples of my choice. I'd also like to make the project open-source (or whatever applies to hardware) but know nothing about licenses for this."

Comments

Video Links...

[Anonymous Coward]

Just in case site is ./'ed c/o Archive.Org Video 1 Video 2

Prior art

[Anonymous Coward]

I made something similar, consisting of several metres of wire, a video camera, a microphone, loudspeaker, a hammer, some heavy duty duct tape, and several cats.

Worked fantastically well, until the damn RSPCA turned up.

Told me it would have been fine if I'd only used poodles.

Re:Prior art

[MyLongNickName]

I tried pigs. But they kept squealing on me...

Re:Prior art

[JustOK]

I used a parrot, but it just sat there, pining for the fjords.

BallDroppings in hardware?

[troon]

So this is like a physical version of the curiously addictive BallDroppings, then?

interesting

[mmkkbb]

A friend of mine did something similar for a project using IR sensors. In that case, he had a break in the beam trigger a sample, so he could have a LASER HARP

Re:interesting

[shaka]

I went to a show here in Sweden a couple of months ago. It was 5 guys who were all awesome drummers. They made music using glasses, bowls of water, and different drums and rhythmic instruments.

Anyway, they had this great setup with basically what you are describing, except that the samples were controlled by some 10-15 laser beams that shot right out from the back of the stage. When you broke a beam, a sample started or stopped. They could control it either by having the sample playing while the beam was broken, or start/stop the sample by quickly breaking the beam and "let it through" again.

It made for an extremely good show.

They also had a giant kind of a marimba, that was perhaps 8 meters tall and 15 meters wide, with two guys standing by the ceiling and playing.

The last number of the show was all 5 guys playing in sync with Gene Krupa (perhaps the greatest drummer ever) showing him doing the number on a projector at the back of the stage.

All in all, a great show.

Re:My God, a real Geek story

[LewsTherinKinslayer]

Unless the RIAA decides to claim this is breaking the copy rights of the sample music!

or SCO claims that the IR LEDs are using a technology they developed but cannot be released; it's a trade secret!

but can Gentoo load and play the samples more quickly thanks to its more streamlined and modern kernel?!

/. always finds a way.

(ps: I'm just kidding. We all know that Apple already developed this technology and there's is far cooler and superior thanks to its scroll wheel.)

Awesome

[skurk]

This is bloody awesome!

Now, I'm not sure that this is something your local DJ Sixpack would use, but I'm pretty sure you could turn this into a toy for children:

Imagine a record with holes you can fill with plastic pins - spin the record, and hear what you just made! It would exercise the children's sense of rythm and logic. Hell, make it a standalone unit while you're at it, and make cardridges that hold the samples. Drums, guitars, voices, bird sounds, car sounds, etc.

As for the license, it depends on what you want in return. Good karma or money? Or both?

Fun idea!

[JanneM]

One suggested improvement: have the reflectivity control some variable (like pitch). small/dark/further away reflector will give you a low note, and a large/bright/close one will give you a high note.

A bit of background

[Cougem]

Rube Goldberg's inventions

Ask and you shall receive...

[pongo000]

Everything you ever wanted to know about open source licenses and more!

Remember, anything you read here about open source licensing is only an opinion. Educate yourself!

How exactly is this a sampler?

[argent]

I'd describe this as a sequencer, not a sampler.

hardware "license"

[gl4ss]

I bet you didn't already apply for a patent? then you just published it(making it unpatentable, even by you) and made the idea free for all to use.

Re:hardware "license"

[robindmorris]

This is true only in Europe. In Europe, any publication prior to patent filing is not allowed.

In the USA, you have a year after publication to file for a patent.

Building on your idea

[sczimme]

Imagine a record with holes you can fill with plastic pins - spin the record, and hear what you just made! It would exercise the children's sense of rythm and logic.

The first thing that popped into my head was that gadget/toy that consists of a rectangular frame filled with small parallel metal rods; the rods can move in Y (but not in X) to make 3-D images of objects. Often they are used to make replicas of people's faces. What the heck are they called?? Grrr.

Anyway, picture a record-like disc of these movable rods. The child can move the rods, fix them in place and then play the creation. This fits with your idea: the disc would be heavier but the rods would be captive (and thus much harder for the child to lose them)

Hell, make it a standalone unit while you're at it, and make cardridges that hold the samples. Drums, guitars, voices, bird sounds, car sounds, etc.

With a simple process for converting the audio to a sound file and a USB port for exporting the child's music. :-)

Re:You don't need to open-source it.

[smooth wombat]

Ah, but to patent it you have to tell people how it works ... how confusing :)

Which is why WD-40 is not patented. They would have to tell the world what is in their product and they don't want to do that.

And before anyone remarks that I'm wrong, I just called the WD-40 corporation to verify this. I had heard about this a long time ago and wanted to confirm this information before I posted.

Total Misrepresentation of a Rube Goldberg Concept

[Anonymous Coward]

This device is simple. If you had a quarter dispensed by a complex pathway, say using wires, traps, egg timers, cats yowling after having their tails smashed, etc., THEN you would be approaching Rube Goldberg territory.

Re:You don't need to open-source it.

[coopex]

Egads man, I'm gonna be rich! What, with the secret formula to WD-40, and I craftily deduced that Tabasco sauce is cayenne pepper, vinegar and salt, I stand to make from these two products alone. I could be a trillionaire by using the recipes on the backs of many foodstuffs, why I just noticed that this can of Mountain Dew I'm drinking just gives away their secret! Those fools! MWAHAHAH! They're rue the day they made this slipup, oh the rueing shall be glorious with the gnashing of teeth and beating of breasts.