I need to get out more.....

[Matthew S. Padden]

Hi..

	Here's a very odd idea I just came up with: an idea for a non-repeating, 
non-deterministic, er, thing....

You know those office toys you can get, where there's a swinging pendulum 
which moves over a base containing magnets? Basically the magnets ensure 
that the pendulum never comes to rest; it's always being repelled or 
attracted by the various magnets.

And, you also know how the theremin works, by sensing proximity of the 
player's hands to the antennae?

So...you make a large version of the office toy. Say, get a room, place 
magnets randomly over the floor, then string a pendulum from the ceiling. 
Then you build several theremin 'front ends', ie antennae and the pickup 
stage. Attach something to the end of the pendulum that will be detected by 
the antennae (not sure what this would be off the top of my head). Now 
distribute the antennae around the room. Feed the antennae outputs to a 
large, preferably complex, modular synth, so that the antennae produce CVs 
that you can patch into your synth.

Then, set the pendulum going!

The idea is that you get non-repeating, non-deterministic control voltages 
from the antennae as they respond to the proximity of the pendulum. Maybe 
putting the antennae near each of the magnets would be a good place to start 
(make sure they don't get hit by the pendulum).

It would look and sound great for an installation piece...:)

I think I'll go outside for a bit now...:)

--
Matthew S. Padden
Computer Music Research Group
Room M2/08, Music Dept.
Huddersfield University
Queensgate
Huddersfield
England HD1 3DH
p: +44 1484 422288 x2402
f: +44 1484 472656
e: mattp at mindless.com
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"The masses are asses and need Tonto's glasses!" (Mark Mothersbaugh)