tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2314187612049512942024-02-19T08:57:23.509-08:00Personal Blog of Noah VawterI'm a Researcher, Designer and Developer in the areas of Musical Instruments and Medical Devices. I'm intensely curious about the nature of media, perception, communication and reality.Noah Vawterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153880676206396156noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-45446139420348734122022-09-15T09:00:00.004-07:002022-09-15T09:00:25.612-07:00How to Push to a Git Repo Made with an SSH Key from a Repo Started with a Password<p>Ever start a git repo using a password, then later upgrade to an ssh key? And then find out you can't push to it, no matter how hard you try? Even when you're <i>sure</i> that all of your ssh keys are set up correctly? </p><p>This might have happened to you in the last few years because both github and bitbucket require ssh keys! But some of have repos we started long before that with passwords. <br /></p><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I was finally able to push my work to the repo! </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I was realllly stuck.... and getting nervous because I couldn't push my changes...but fortunately I learned about having multiple remotes at work...</div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">And remembered a detail about git from a previous job...</div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">Basically: If you check out a repo with one method, e.g. password, you can't push
to that URL with a different method, e.g. ssh key! Knowing that I was still kinda screwed with my password-method checkout ... </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"> </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">Until I attempted to add a second remote to it! the second remote was an ssh-key-based URL...</div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">and then all I had to do was:<br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">git add remote sshrem <blag long URL here.git> # note that sshrem is just a local temp name</span></b></span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">git push sshrem</span></b></span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">That's
it! it pushed right up! Now with that behind me, I am back in business developing new
sounds for my musical instrument, the Brooklyn Eel!!</div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"> </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">BTW, here's a super useful command for showing the remotes in detail:</div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"> </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>git remote -v </b></span></span><br /></div>diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-14013909846032836912022-08-15T19:38:00.004-07:002022-08-15T19:42:28.435-07:00Daniel Wintergatan is a Genius even on his non-marble machine instruments!<p> Before Wintergatan, remember Daniel also made this amazing instrument, the Modulin. Not only a great instrument but a great performance! https://youtu.be/QaW5K85UDR0<br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QaW5K85UDR0" width="320" youtube-src-id="QaW5K85UDR0"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-10217024265003311872022-06-27T09:17:00.007-07:002022-06-27T09:17:57.488-07:00Make Arduino More Tolerable to Professional Firmware Engineers: arduino --upload keybd_screen.ino<p>Are you an at least somewhat experienced programmer?<br /></p><p>Ever wish you could use a REAL CODE EDITOR
instead of the <u>crappy one</u> built into the Arduino IDE?</p><p> </p><p>I just found out something pretty nice: <br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">$ arduino --upload keybd_screen.ino</span></h1><p> (replace keybd_screen with name of your arduino project)</p><p><br /></p><p>$ arduino --upload keybd_screen.ino </p><p> </p><p> What does that do? From the command line it <b>compiles and uploads your sketch!</b> Why is this so awesome? Because!!! </p><p> </p><p>Fire up your own
editor like Sublime, emacs, etc., and then compile your code from the
cmd line without that stoooopid IDE!!!!! Ciao Bella! <br /></p>diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-15427316603049532172020-07-22T07:42:00.001-07:002020-07-22T07:43:11.272-07:00Robert Greene on the Crisis Generation<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-testid="post_message" id="js_gt">
Recommended
listening! Viewing our present society's conditions as part of a
cyclical progression of natural, psychological changes. With large
influence from Machiavelli.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D6nVo_1kG5w/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D6nVo_1kG5w?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
Noah Vawterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153880676206396156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-75313865530664558592020-04-16T12:22:00.004-07:002020-04-16T12:23:08.157-07:00How to Know When a New Instrument Design is CompleteReviewing the Pyramid Eel and reflecting on other instruments, I set my foot down in the sand and label the first Pyramid Eel "done." Watch the video to hear the full details!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_6WJHckupwg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_6WJHckupwg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-32569681174679867682020-04-06T07:32:00.000-07:002020-04-06T07:57:49.056-07:00Adding Sensitivity and Expression Using Optical Encoders on Electric Eel Generators<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I recently
upgrade the generators on my Electric Eel instruments to include optical
encoders. Check out this video to see how it works.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dHicVRDLC2M/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dHicVRDLC2M?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This
means I'll be able to measure the speed and acceleration of the bow,
leading to much more sensitive and expressive instruments. I've been
wanting to do this for YEARS and now it's finally happening... </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Over the years of playing my generator-based Electric Eel instruments, I
have been enjoying how pushing them hard increases the sound volume.
It makes for sound so much more expressive than even my best MIDI
keyboards with aftertouch. It's slowly becoming apparent to me, though,
that if I had a better idea how fast the player is
pushing/sliding/bowing the generator, the sound could be even more
sensitive and expressive.<br /><br />Early on, I tried to do this by
measuring the voltage on the temporary capacitors. That approach works
a little bit, but it doesn't change fast enough and different sound
outputs consume the voltage at different rates, so it's way too
entangled with the output sound, rather, than focused on what the player
is doing. Therefore, I decided to go WHOLE HOG and use an optical
encoder.<br /><br />This wasn't an easy decision. These are more expensive
and the algorithms get much more complex. However, I am working again
and don't have children (my instruments are my children!), so I went for
it. And actually I had a nice surprise---- over the last ten years,
prices have come waaaaay down for these parts. What used to cost about
$300, can now be for only $40. Yes, it's hard to believe. It must be
through the mass quantities of these parts that get used in factories.
Anyway, I picked up two of them and I've been wiring them up and writing
code for them. Soon I'll be putting them right into the instruments. I
can't wait. It's going to be a whole new era. In the meantime, please
my newest video so you can share some the excitement that I'm going
through! </div>
diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-52609058307030928242019-09-04T06:13:00.003-07:002019-09-04T06:16:30.937-07:00Can all these analog synthesizer knob PCBs be soldered in just one hour?<h2>
Enjoy the time-lapse vid and 80s synth-shread montage music and find out</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h3 class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XvaW19IhjiI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XvaW19IhjiI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></h3>
<h3 class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
New Synth Knob Multiplexer - 64 Analogs in one! Part 3</h3>
<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x">So you know I'm exactly
halfway in the middle of my 64-in-1 analog knob multiplexer project,
right? To keep it exciting, I did a "Soldering Challenge." Enjoy the
time-lapse video! <br /><br />My bigger goal is to demonstrate
all 64 knobs at once, but that's so many circuit boards... and I just
got back from a sublimely relaxing vacation... so I decided to
challenge myself to build them all in one hour. If I succeeded, I
motivated myself with a relaxing swim at Walden Pond.</span></span>diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-17486576085964285992019-07-30T01:00:00.000-07:002019-07-30T01:00:00.452-07:00New Synth Knob Multiplexer - 64 Analogs in one! Part 3You've seen it run with 5 synthesizer knobs, but now the stakes are higher! I'm going to daisy-chain three of my circuit boards together. Then I'm going to run them at top speed.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vUC67tkYaZE" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
And if that wasn't enough, I've been preparing a special treat, so watch through the second half of the video :)<br />
<br />
<br />diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-953447773458660912019-07-16T06:37:00.004-07:002019-07-16T06:37:50.245-07:00All Things Bright And Beautiful Video-Multitracked on 3 Electric Eels<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I recorded the gorgeous, classic hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful" on three different Electric
Eels! Lowest two parts are played on Bowed Eel. Violin 2 is played on
Blue Guitar Eel. Violin 1 is played on Red Saxophone Eel.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CycZwIM2c_s/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CycZwIM2c_s?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br /><br />
I really enjoy the sounds of harmony and I'm looking
for more players to make these recordings with on Electric Eels or other
DIY/DSP instruments.<br />
<br />
Electric Eels return the nuance of movement to electronic instruments. I
free synthesizers from the desktop/laptop paradigm. I make them more
like acoustic instruments. They use no batteries, only <span class="text_exposed_show">the
energy generated by player movement backdriving stepper motors. So you
can take them anywhere and play all night. You don't have to recharge
them or wait for their software to upgrade. They do not connect to a
cell phone <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" title="smile emoticon"><span aria-hidden="true" class="_7oe">:)</span></span> I developed them while at the MIT Media Lab in the Computing Culture research group. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
First part was recorded into my phone and an iPad. Subsequent parts
recorded into phone while listening on iPad through headphones. Four
parts were synced up with an inexpensive, buggy video editor. Recording
took place over a six hour period on Saturday, July 13th. Cathartic
language has been deleted.</div>
<br />
My inspiration was that I loved the sounds of electronic timbres,
but hated standing still at a laptop or MIDI sequencer. So I made
instruments that require you to move to make electronic sound, just like
acoustic ones... but I didn't "fake" it with sensors. The Electric
Eels have small electrical generators in them that require you to move
to generate that electricity to run the synthesizer and CPU in short
bursts. <br />
diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-71668123468901921662019-06-28T13:46:00.002-07:002019-06-28T13:46:25.053-07:00New Synth Knob Multiplexer - 64 Analogs in one! Part 1<br />
New! Fresh in the mail. A circuit board I designed. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC9dxWuGurE&">Check out the edgy and powerful design</a>!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nC9dxWuGurE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nC9dxWuGurE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
It muxes 64 analog
signals, especially synthesizer knobs, into 1. It lets you read a
wholllle lot of knobs with just a few pins. <br />
<br />
You can use three pins from an Arduino or other microcontroller
and read all 64 daisy-chain knobs!<br />
<br />
You need this board to make
<u>professional synthesizers with lots of knobs</u>.<br />
<br />Noah Vawterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153880676206396156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-12873543104020845752019-01-29T09:13:00.000-08:002019-01-29T09:13:17.471-08:00Digital Music CultureI know it's been a while, but I want to share influences on my design practice:<br />
<br />
Harpejjis<br />
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Wr87Z7rZiWE/maxresdefault.jpg<br />
<br />
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pv0q6oBmZxo/maxresdefault.jpg<br />
https://www.marcodi.com/collections/standard-series<br />
https://www.brainpickings.org/2019/01/24/nick-cave-music-ai/?fbclid=IwAR2HG-qRYRW1Ocj_CpoP_ifJredDTQYTh_wIzctdIVBd_FmuHZHkV500pC8<br />
https://makezine.com/2019/01/21/patent-pandas-how-one-maker-is-turning-her-horrible-experience-into-a-force-for-good/<br />
<br />
Tommy Guerrero <br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0LZ20ppkNo<br />
<br />
Bobby Lane<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukHvn7pLYjk<br />
<br />
<br />
https://www.keyboardmag.com/miscellaneous/marcodi-harpejji-g16<br />
<br />
IMGUI!!!<br />
https://github.com/germangb/imgui-ext<br />
<br />
https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Gem-Corn-Heirloom-PowerGrow/dp/B00SCFOJ2K<br />
<br />
<br />diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-12764250384331210422016-09-27T20:34:00.001-07:002016-09-27T21:14:23.310-07:00Building compling installing linuxcnc on Ubuntu Studio 16I want to share with you how to build linuxcnc on Ubuntu Studio 16. <br />
<br />
Why is this so important?<br />
<br />
I want an open toolchain, so I'm working with linuxcnc and freecad. <br />
<br />
It's tough to install both on the same machine at that bleeding intersection since 1. linuxcnc lags Debian releases somewhat and 2. linuxcnc requires realtime kernel, while 3. freecad is a new project in explosive development (with no expectation of supporting older Debian releases presumeably?). At the moment, freecad-daily is non-trivial to run on the current 2.7-linuxcnc install iso. They're off by one Debian release. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Hypthesis: Ubuntu 16 Studio to the rescue!</h3>
My hypothesis is to run freecad and linuxcnc under Ubuntu 16 Studio to leverage the realtime kernel. Anyone out there doing this btw?<br />
<br />
Here are my steps to compile linuxcnc on Ubuntu16 Studio. Linuxcnc runs all 100+ unit tests with no warnings or errors and 'linuxcnc' from the command line starts the program. I have not (yet!) configured a machine or calibrated the servo threads.<br />
<br />
Future attempts to run freecad-daily there may be made.<br />
<br />
<br />
1162 git clone git://git.linuxcnc.org/git/linuxcnc.git linuxcnc-dev<br />
1164 cd linuxcnc-dev/<br />
1166 cd src<br />
1174 sudo apt install libmodbus-dev<br />
1176 sudo apt install libusb-1.0-0-dev<br />
1182 sudo apt install libglib2.0-dev<br />
1184 sudo apt install libgtk2.0-dev<br />
1186 sudo apt install bwidget<br />
1188 sudo apt install libtk-img<br />
1190 sudo apt install tclx<br />
1196 sudo apt install libreadline-dev<br />
1199 sudo apt install tcl8.6-dev<br />
1201 sudo apt install tk8.6-dev<br />
1204 sudo apt install libboost-python-dev<br />
1208 sudo apt install libxmu-dev<br />
1209 ./configure --with-realtime=uspace --enable-non-distributable=yes<br />
1210 make<br />
1211 sudo make setuid<br />
1212 source ../scripts/rip-environment<br />
1213 runtests <br />
1214 linuxcnc<br />
<br />
<h3>
Links</h3>
<br />
* http://linuxcnc.org/<br />
* http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?LinuxCNCKnowledgeBase<br />
* http://noahvawter.blogspot.com/2016/09/building-compling-installing-linuxcnc.html<br />
* https://github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc<br />
* http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?Installing_EMC2<br />
* http://linuxcnc.org/docs/devel/html/code/building-linuxcnc.html<br />
<br />diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-91439893618017026312015-06-10T08:02:00.000-07:002015-06-10T11:59:46.431-07:00FindingsFSLPs are amazing, but not very available:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://sensitronics.com/products-force-sensing-linear-potentiometers.php">http://sensitronics.com/products-force-sensing-linear-potentiometers.php</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.interlinkelectronics.com/FSLPSensor.php" target="_blank">http://www.interlinkelectronics.com/FSLPSensor.php </a></li>
</ul>
There is at least a 4 inch available: <a href="https://www.pololu.com/product/2730">https://www.pololu.com/product/2730</a><br />
<br />
Gratitude Journal: <a href="http://www.diydsp.com/index.php?title=Inspiration/Motivation">http://www.diydsp.com/index.php?title=Inspiration/Motivation</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Here is that delicious coffee: <a href="https://nmpinoncoffee.com/product/12-oz-pinon-coffee-4/">https://nmpinoncoffee.com/product/12-oz-pinon-coffee-4/</a><br />
Now that I know where to get more, I can open my last bag! MMmmm<br />
<br />
My airport express will likely not work with the iPad Air, cranky: <a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1st-gen-airport-express-trouble.1553619/">http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1st-gen-airport-express-trouble.1553619/</a><br />
<br />
I can potentially sell my airport express for $10-20: <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.XA1084.TRS0&_nkw=A1084&_sacat=0">http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.XA1084.TRS0&_nkw=A1084&_sacat=0</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sensitronics.com/products-force-sensing-linear-potentiometers.php"></a><br />
<br />
<br />diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-8489835471266289122015-02-18T17:16:00.003-08:002015-02-18T17:16:29.091-08:00Noah Vawter's One-Bit Drums at Spotify Music Hackathon, NYC<a href="http://evolver.fm/2015/02/18/glitch-music-hack/">http://evolver.fm/2015/02/18/glitch-music-hack/</a>diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-87609322753518148052014-10-27T19:59:00.001-07:002014-10-27T19:59:55.852-07:00Activities of the Evening<u>Bass Sticks</u> <br />
<br />
The good news is I finished the Music-Optimized Breakout Board I started at<a href="http://bit.ly/framaker" target="_blank"> Framingham Makerspace</a> <a href="http://noahvawter.blogspot.com/2014/10/activities-of-week.html" target="_blank">last Wednesday</a>. All I had to do was add two headers, a diode, regulator and crystal to each of the 3 boards.<br />
<br />
Then I was able to test-boot each one. All three came up the first time! I haven't run further diags yet, but it's worth soldering on the rest of the headers so I can do so.<br />
<br />
<br />diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-43532667117436435202014-10-26T19:55:00.001-07:002014-10-26T19:56:17.029-07:00Activities of the WeekThe last week was very busy...<br />
<br />
<u>Bass Sticks</u><br />
I was especially delighted to do some work in the <a href="http://bit.ly/framaker" target="_blank">Framingham Maker Space</a> again!<br />
<br />
<u>Soldering New Boards</u> <br />
I soldered down most of the SMD components on a round of Music-Optimized Breakout Boards.<br />
<br />
<u>Mounting New Sensors</u> <br />
A few nights before that, I mounted the 4 new sensors that arrived for the bass stick (see <a href="http://noahvawter.blogspot.com/2014/10/caught-cold.html" target="_blank">Caught a Cold</a> ).<br />
<br />
<u>Determining Optimum Resistor</u> <br />
Before making permanent mounting boards for the sensors, I needed to determine the optimum resistor to pair each one with. I made a test jig for doing that and verified it work along with a Matlab script to plot and analyze the recorded signal and detect the resistance that produces the highest signal-to-noise ratio. From what I've seen so far, it's between 35 and 40 dB. Next step is to make this measurement official, buy some resistors and make a permanent board. <br />
<br />
<u>Electric Eels</u> <br />
<br />
<u>A Duet</u> <br />
Back at the MIT Maker Faire a few weeks ago I played an amazing duet with one of the organizers. She was on fiddle and skillfully improvised a 2nd part to my lead on the classic hymn Silent Night. By a nice bystander, it was recorded. I was actually very shocked and surprised to play - caught off guard hearing a second note sounding after rehearsing it alone so many times - and what's more, the player's rhythm danced around the main line like a dancer whirling a beginner around on the floor.<br />
<br />
By the second verse we played, we started to hit it off musically a little more and I was able to hear some of her stylistic expression and accompany them, pausing between phrases and accelerating the tempo in the middle of them. I would love to do more like this: This was the whole entire point of making these instruments - to play live electronic music along with others! <br />
<br />
<u>A Tuning Correction</u> <br />
Also during that duet, the violinist showed me the tuning was slight incorrect for the Electric Eels - about 20 cents or 1/5 of a semitone. This surprised me since the math in the software had been carefully conceived accurate, but it was true nonetheless.<br />
<br />
So I also spent a few minutes this evening, discovered the cause and fixed it. This required digging out my old black MacBook to edit the software and upload it. I made an attempt to start a repo on BitBucket with it, but the commands I tried didn't work. That was probably because it appeared to have already been a git repo?! I'm not sure how that happened, I'll have to look deeper into that.<br />
<br />
Despite the confusion with the source control, it was very nostalgic to edit the old code again. By the way: to fixi it was a simple matter of changing the number '90' to '89' in the initialization... <br />
<br />
<u>Speaker Grille</u> <br />
<br />
Also, if you remember back to <a href="http://noahvawter.blogspot.com/2014/10/activities-of-evening_15.html" target="_blank">last week</a>, I made a new, wooden speaker grille for the Red Electric Eel at the Framingham Makerspace. I sanded the edges of that grille to fit better inside the instrument this evening. With the edges sanded, it fits nicely, a tight fit. This will protect the speaker from unusual foreign substances I have discovered inside there, like popcorn, both stryofoam and the kind made from corn kernels.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>I Broke a Wire!</u><br />
During all of these Electric Eel operations, I managed to break a wire on the keyboard. That took a few minutes to fix, but the news here is that the terminal on the keyboard switch itself had worn itself off! I guess the light brass-like material gets brittle with vibration over time. I'm not surprised, this keyboard didn't have sufficient strain relief like most of the others built after it. At some point, I'll overhaul the whole thing, but it will hold for now, through the Christmas season.<br />
<br />
<u>Magnetic Field and Inductance</u><br />
I also spent a lot of time reviewing material on fields and inductance. Each time I go back to this topic, I get a little more of an intuitive picture of how it all works. I hope some day to understand it fully! Or at least enough to make highly efficient generators, motors and speakers. <br />
<br />
<u>General</u><br />
Speaking of the Christmas seasons, today Tanya bought a set of 10 mini Christmas Carol books with lyrics and sheet music. I'm delighted we'll go caroling with friends! <br />
<br />
<br />
<u><br /></u>
<br />
<br />diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-11639122059166079352014-10-15T19:39:00.000-07:002014-10-15T19:39:06.002-07:00Activities of the EveningWell after the guest lecture I gave yesterday evening to students at UCLA on "Sound, Audio and Music in Media and Video Games," I was very tired, so I didn't really get <i>much</i> done on music instruments: <br />
<br />
I updated the mechanical drawing for Bass Stick a little bit on the battery holder. <br />
<br />
I also started to saw the wood for a speaker grille for the Red Electric Eel, but it was making a lot of noise late at night and I didn't want to disturb my neighbors. <br />
<br />
All in all I went to sleep early... and while it was not very restful, it at least produced some interesting dreams which I attempted to interpret. My girlfriend Tanya had a very different interpretation of them, so that was something fun for us to talk about.<br />
<br />
Then onto this evening! It was the second Open House night at the<a href="https://duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=http%3A%2F%2Fframinghammakerspace.org%2F" target="_blank"> Framingham Maker Space</a>! So I brought my saw, wood, clamp and drill to complete the Red Electric Eel Speaker Grille. <br />
<br />
It went extremely well! The huge open space was perfect and I got it done. It was also nice to have a shop-vac available for clean-up. That's one solid advantage to working at my own apartment!<br />
<br />
It was especially interesting, because I knew <i>something</i> was off in the coping saw I had just bought, but I couldn't put my finger on it.... Luckily, one of the other people there that night, Dave Pogue, brother of Core Member Dan Pogue, pointed out that the saw had arrived with the blade <i>backwards</i>. Yes! That's why it was working so poorly! So he and I figured out how to reverse the blade and I sawed through the wood in <i>record</i> time :) yay!<br />
<br />
That's the benefit of working in a co-working space!<br />
<br />
I also remember just how informative it can be to show people how the Electric Eels worked. I spent about 10-20 minutes discussing the various aspects of the musical instrument to Dan and Dave, bright people who listened intently, interrupting only when they burned with curiosity to ask a question. <br />
<br />
On the way home, my old friend Kristiaan Vaarnik called me! He's a mysterious figure who's been out to see me perform several times in the Boston area, back almost 10-12 years ago! I assume we first met through the underground scene around Hrvatski, but who knows! Anyway, it was brilliant to talk to him again about his new ideas for an instrument and I was especially surprised to learn that he is the mastermind behind the <a href="https://duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=http%3A%2F%2Fshapechanginginstruments.com%2F2013%2F11%2F17%2Facoustic-modular-string-instrument%2F" target="_blank">ShapeChangingInstruments </a>blog! Yes, I've been reading it for about a year now and I'm delighted to find out he runs it! Check it out if you get a chance, especially his concept for a "Modular Acoustic Instrument."<br />
<br />
So after doing all that, I went through my first little tutorial on the Rust programming language. It certainly starts you off very underwhelmingly. I found a few issues:<br />
<ol>
<li>The Rust installer doesn't actually install the package manager "cargo" as it says it does when you install under windows (yes, I know, why windows? cuz, I need to run lots of Windows apps to do electrical engineering, so I keep a cheap Win 7 laptop) </li>
<li>The cargo package manager doesn't tolerate whitespace in its table names. Seriously? Why not! Geez and it essentially silently fails. That's pretty weak, b/c whitespace seriously helps keep code organized and readable... so I hope that changes</li>
<li>Man what a boring tutorial. Ok, sure the first step is Hello World, that's good. The second step is the package manager, ok I like it. But the third step: make a program that uses a variable and string interpolation but never even compiles? Come on! That's pretty drab. I know, I know, again it's up to *me* to do something interesting with it... so I guess I'll let it slide. Still, if they want to get more beginners, like my Mom and girlfriend, programming, they'll probably do better to have some interesting examples. Gosh!</li>
</ol>
diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-89838440246575918692014-10-13T20:00:00.000-07:002014-10-14T05:30:01.252-07:00Activities of the eveningIt was a short night due to working late, but I managed to get some progress on the Bass Stick:<br />
<br />
I drilled four slits into the top of a cigar box for the new pressure pads. It was scary doing this because the surface was otherwise so pristine, so seeing even small gouges on it looks violent, but it's really just part of the creative process. They will be smoothed and finished and ultimately, these holes have an important purpose: That's how the pressure pads connect to the rest of the instrument!<br />
<br />
The pressure pads themselves are larger than the old ones. I found the old ones, when playing, became tricky to focus on. People often missed the tiny target spot in their centerthat produced the sound. One the new pads, the target patch for making a sound should be much larger!<br />
<br />
Also, I'm choosing four pads instead of the older instruments which had two. Why? For flexibility and more sonic diversity. For example, I can dedicate one pad for major chords/sounds, one for minor, one for a single note lead, and one for a background pad. Do people really need all those options? Does it take away from the simplicity? We'll see in play-testing, but I believe it will lead to a greater diversity of sound, which is part of what electronic music is all about!<br />
<br />
I also temporarily mounted the pressure pads using scotch tape. This allows me to re-position them to match their locations to players' fingertips. Once I complete the electronics and software tasks that make these new pressure pads work, I'll be able to play the instrument and fine-tube the pads' locations.<br />
<br />
Also, I decided to exchange some late night time-wasting for going through the tutorials for that new computer programming language called Rust. My first step was to install Rust on my windows laptop. I verified the compiler executes from my Cygwin shell and then went to sleep. Tutorials can now begin immediately! I'm excited to learn Rust because it's a logical next step from programming in C/C++ for people like me who want to go in the direction of high-performance without going in the direction of huge, clunky APIs and run times (Java, Python).diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-59681715665203437062014-10-12T16:27:00.004-07:002014-10-12T16:27:30.972-07:00Caught a cold...I caught a cold... so... I rested in bed all weekend. I had a few little bursts of energy, so I worked on:<br />
<br />
The layout of the One-Bit Groovebox a little bit ... <br />
<br />
I also managed to get the battery holder clamps for Bass Stick #06 bolted in place! <br />
<br />
The new pressure sensors for for Bass Sticks arrived (1" diameter!)<br />
<br />
I worked on a protocol for HeartWare.<br />
<br />
But other than that, I've been taking it reeeeal easy, drinking hot tea and many, many cans of chicken soup :) <br />
<br />
Look out for when I feel better, world!diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-4704540020313514472014-10-09T20:40:00.000-07:002014-10-09T21:15:19.800-07:00Activities of the EveningBass Stick <br />
<ul>
<li>drilled countersunk holes for battery holder in Bass Stick SN06</li>
<ul>
<li>switch to 4-40 x1 1/2" countersunk bolts</li>
<li>stained holes dark</li>
<li>darkened holes on front</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
Electric Eel<br />
<ul>
<li>practiced Christmas carols</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>discovered large amount of packing popcorn - and one kernel of popped corn! -inside body of Electric Eel</li>
<ul>
<li>proposed to replace packing popcorn with a 1/8" wooden screen to protect speaker cone from damage</li>
<li>set aside large drill bit and wood material for this purpose</li>
</ul>
<li>Gathered electromechanical data on 4" woofers from parts-express </li>
<ul>
<li>https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B27wuPBwl_tbWG1aVmtydHN1eTg&usp=sharing</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
Contributions to World Health<br />
<ul>
<li>Produced first ten slides in "Low-Glycemic Foods" presentation</li>
<ul>
<li>G:\Dropbox\Research\Low Glycemic Food</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
Skills<br />
<ul>
<li>Learned to use Scraper under Chrome </li>
<ul>
<li>http://mnmldave.github.io/scraper/</li>
<li>http://api.jquery.com/category/selectors/</li>
<li>http://www.w3schools.com/xpath/xpath_syntax.asp</li>
</ul>
<li>Learned to manipulate spreadsheets from Google App Script:</li>
<ul>
<li> Found great book on the topic: https://leanpub.com/googlespreadsheetprogramming</li>
</ul>
<li>Learned to use d3 "force layout" object</li>
<ul>
<li>http://synthshopping.com/fun/molecule/molecule.html</li>
<li>https://github.com/mbostock/d3/wiki/Force-Layout</li>
<li>http://nyquist212.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/simple-d3-js-force-layout-example-in-less-than-100-lines-of-code/</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
Discoveries<br />
<ul>
<li> http://leanpub.com - could write books on topics:</li>
<ul>
<li>Electric Eels</li>
<li>Bass Stick</li>
<li>DSP Programming</li>
<li>One-Bit Groovebox</li>
<li>One-Bit Drum Machine </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
Podcasts<br />
<ul>
<li>Shrink Rap radio, Exploring Mindful Dreaming with Rubin Naimain</li>
<ul>
<li> http://www.drnaiman.com/</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
</ul>
</ul>
diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-9640132427096214882014-10-02T06:52:00.001-07:002014-10-02T06:52:12.700-07:005 Smoothie Recipes from New York Times<br />
Thanks to my friend Marty for this:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/smoothies-hold-the-dairy/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0">5 Smoothie Recipes from New York Times</a><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016843-berry-coconut-almond-smoothie">Berry Coconut Almond Smoothie</a>: Cinnamon is the secret ingredient in this rich berry smoothie.</li>
<li> <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016846-banana-oatmeal-almond-smoothie">Banana Oatmeal Almond Smoothie</a>: Oatmeal bulks up this smoothie, making it more filling.</li>
<li> <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016847-frozen-strawberry-coconut-smoothie-with-pomegranate-molasses">Frozen Strawberry-Coconut Smoothie With Pomegranate Molasses</a>: Fruity pomegranate molasses is the perfect sweetener for this thick strawberry smoothie.</li>
<li> <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016848-peach-almond-smoothie">Peach Almond Smoothie</a>: Peaches and almonds are closely related and make a great match in this not-too-sweet smoothie.</li>
<li> <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016849-cantaloupe-lime-agua-fresca-with-chia-seeds">Cantaloupe-Lime Agua Fresca With Chia Seeds</a>: A light, refreshing blender drink that is sweet and a little bit tart.</li>
</ol>
diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-56069912532449550042014-10-01T20:43:00.002-07:002014-10-01T20:43:50.613-07:00Confessions of a Crap ArtistThis is a line from "Confessions of a Crap Artist" by Philip K. Dick.<br />
<br /><br />"And by riding the horse I prolong his life, since, not being ridden, he was getting overly fat, which put an unnatural strain on his heart."<br />
<br />
<br />
It stuck out at me for some reason... suddenly I noticed a possible hidden message:<br />
<br />
<br />"And by riding the HORSE I prolong his life, since, not being ridden, he was getting OVERLY FAT, which put an unnatural strain on his heart."<br />
<br />
HORSE OVERLY FAT => HORSE LOVER FAT<br />
<br />
True PKD fans will recognize Horse Lover fat immediately.diydsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243007213748691306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-2769146505451172342014-06-27T06:31:00.003-07:002014-06-27T06:31:58.458-07:00Current ObsessionsKufic Script<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=kufic+script&client=firefox-a&hs=Las&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5HCtU5K2L-K_sQSq_oK4Bw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1387&bih=695&dpr=0.9">https://www.google.com/search?q=kufic+script&client=firefox-a&hs=Las&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5HCtU5K2L-K_sQSq_oK4Bw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1387&bih=695&dpr=0.9</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Maori Music from the 1940s<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1_o8HjZTAY&list=FLaU-HE8djTbQgY9cLjNVS9A&index=4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1_o8HjZTAY&list=FLaU-HE8djTbQgY9cLjNVS9A&index=4</a>Noah Vawterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153880676206396156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-11477588763020887482013-08-30T07:38:00.001-07:002013-08-30T07:38:14.493-07:00The SCUMM Diary: Stories behind one of the greatest game engines ever madeThis is pretty awesome! It's about the good old days of game designing, when people were figuring things out for the first time :) <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/196009/the_scumm_diary_stories_behind_.php">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/196009/the_scumm_diary_stories_behind_.php</a><br />
<br />
<br />Noah Vawterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153880676206396156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231418761204951294.post-86878078768774361082013-05-23T21:12:00.003-07:002013-05-23T21:12:57.249-07:00Favorite Topics of LateChatting on the phone with friends sometimes results in many diverse links.<br />
<br />
These are some of my favorites lately that we've shown each other while on the phone:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Pix of my experiment <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/96351390@N06/sets/72157633647750444/">rapid prototyping</a> synthesizer knobs array</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/48951000/gif/_48951920_south_china-sea_1_466.gif">Disputed waters near Taiwan</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-20/taiwan-fishing-crew-hid-to-escape-hail-of-philippine-bullets.html">Deadly gun battle on the high seas</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>My favorite topic, the <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/stm32f4">STM32F4</a> processor</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The Taiwan-Phillipines story in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZvC1HiVdSg">English</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hJ2n-9oPa0&list=UULqSPEki8biVG3Ma4d-mD2Q&index=8">Electronic Dub Music</a> synthesized on an Atari 2600 </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Taiwanese <a href="http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/pda/m1.aspx?sNo=0000208">Tourism</a> info prepared by the Tourism Bureau of the RoC </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Only one of these <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BYOC-Build-Clone-Overdrive-Pedal/dp/B00687SON4/ref=as_li_tf_mfw?&linkCode=wey&tag=synthshocom-20">guitar pedal kits</a> left in stock</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Smashing <a href="http://www.chinasmack.com/2012/stories/philanthropist-smashes-scooters-will-sell-canned-fresh-air.html">motorcycles</a> with a hammer! Taiwanese Performance Art ?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/oklahoma-plains-tornadoes-slideshow-20130520">Tornado</a> moves through Oklahoma </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />Noah Vawterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04153880676206396156noreply@blogger.com0