Circuit Bending/Contact Microphones Exercise

On the second week of experimenting with sound we were introduced to a new device called the Piezoelectric microphone (aka the contact microphone). This device, as intricate as it sounds, was truly a simple device that delivered astonishing results. Instead of  measuring direct sound like we had done on the previous exercise it allowed us to experiment with vibrations on both large and small scales. At first I thought it would be easy to create interesting sounds using this device, however I soon discovered that it required a certain degree of creativity. I was focusing on surface textures where as I should  have been thinking outside the box. The night before the presentation for this exercise I was getting a haircut and all of a sudden i realised that the hair clippers themselves were a great idea for  using the contact microphone. It generated the exact sound I was wanting, a slow and melodic drone that I thought would compliment our  group production. From there I began to experiment with rubber bands and even went as far as to create my own adjustable instrument that could change tune by twisting a 'crucifix' like  structure to change the tension of the rubber band to deliver high or low pitch bass.

In regards to our circuit bending, our group all miraculously purchased the same electronic toys which was a real pain because we struggled to generate unique sounds. We worked out  that by adjusting the resistor and capacitor on the circuit, we were able to change the pitch and speed  of the sound produced  into something more usable. This was great exercise for me because I come from an electrical engineering background at Auckland University. It was all about equations and formulas. This was the first time I was actually able to play around with the circuits themselves and break free from the constraints of mathematics. I never realised that such simplistic circuits from toys could generate such interesting sounds. We managed to turn our toys shallow, polyphonic-like sound into  something out of this world and robotic.

The 'Jam' on Friday where we combined all our created tunes and melodies together was truly very interesting indeed. We  never practiced before hand, and literally had no idea  how it would all sound. It required a  lot of improvisation and team work to generate a sound which was bearable to listen to. The amazing thing was that our group actually produced something which generated a lot of positive feedback. Not only that but during the production I discovered things which I  never had noticed before which definitively worked in favor of our demonstration. I realized that the magnet of the hair clippers was interfering with the sub that I brought to uni and it created a very strange droning sound which really drew all our 'instruments together.' I brought in about 4 instruments, used 2 of them and created another on the spot. It proves to  me that performance truly is a skill of adaptation. And this to me is one of  the most important lessons I gained from this weeks exercise.