EPICS Soundtrack

Students

Jesper Horsted
Sociology, 2019

William Kittler
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, 2019

Project Description

Team LILVAN has changed the EPICS paradigm with a shift from a hardware deliverable to a software deliverable. In a sentence, we used recordings from objects found in the EPICS classroom and EPICS machine tools such as the X-Carve, 3D-printer, and Carvey to make music. Our final deliverable is a song of our creation with an accompanying video. From shaking a plastic jar of paperclips for percussion to samples of the player piano to the high score sound effects on the pinball machine, we recorded over 100 noises that we subsequently turned into a cohesive beat using the music software Logic Pro (shown in the first image). Then, we will took the song we created on Logic and converted its audio midi file into G-Code (shown in second image), allowing it to play on the two CNC machines in the EPICS classroom. These machines played our song in an entirely different way and teach us a lot about the intricacies of the machines in the process.

As mentioned before, our final deliverable is an encompassing video which begins by demonstrating the original source of many of the sounds we have incorporated in our song (from the EPICS classroom), while also showcasing our piece as a whole. Our true product we devoted our time to is the song and its performance on the machines, but we believed the best way to display the complexity of what went into creating the song is through an accompanying video.

Technical Background

Computer-based machining tools revolutionized manufacturing by automating tools such as the mill or lathe. CNC machines like the X-Carve and Carvey use stepper motors to control location of an end mill in 3 dimensional space, much like traditional mills. The innovation is with G-Code, a programming language which instructs the machines where to move and how fast to rotate the end-mill bit. The program streamlines the manufacturing process and eliminates human error. 3D printers take this innovation one step further by eliminating the need for a work piece and instead building one from scratch. They can be used to fabricate complex parts which might have been impossible to build using traditional machining techniques.
Our project adds a new element to automated machining tools. We will write music in G-Code, the programming language which these tools use. Instead of programming the X-carve to cut out a skateboard or bird house, we will program it to play a song of our creation. To produce short notes, we program the tool to move a short distance. To produce long notes, we program the tool to move a long distance. To put in a rest, we program in consecutive extremely short moves, each move alternating the X and Y axes. Each axis (X,Y,Z) is operated by a separate motor and thus moves at a different speed and produces a different tone. With three different base tones and infinite combinations of speed/duration, we can produce a wide range of sounds on the Carvey and 3D printer.
Given that these machines aren’t intended for musical purposes, the sound quality and tone they produce is not ideal. We are trying to improve these aspects through examining previous research studies done on the topic. The most relevant study we have encountered so far was done by Kyoung Hoon Lee in 2006 and researched how the perception of tones in machinery noise influenced human annoyance. Her main findings were that annoyance was caused primarily by loudness, followed by tonality and then duration.
With these parameters in mind, we have experimented with the machines attempting to make them play our piece in an optimal volume with a desirable tone and limit the duration of our song to no more than 180 seconds of continued exposure, an annoyance threshold she identified in her study.

Lee, K. H. (2006). Perception of tones in machinery noise and its influence on annoyance (Order No. 3263597). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (305285585). Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/305285585?accountid=13314

Fabrication Process

Each sound was recorded using equipment rented from Julian Street, an audio/visual equipment lending program located in Wilson College. To record our music, we rented a Shure SM-57 Microphone, a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface, and an XLR cable. To ensure the audio samples were high quality and devoid of background noise, all of the samples were recorded in the room directly across from the EPICS classroom, with the exception of any samples involving the pinball machine, 3D-printer, X-carve, and the sign-in scanner system. After recording each sample, we dedicated our time to learning the ins and outs of Logic Pro X. Logic Pro is a daunting piece of software and takes many, many hours to master. Although we knew would not be able to master the software this year, we were confident in our ability to learn and be comfortable with a majority of the tools and features Logic Pro contains. Ultimately, we mastered the most basic tools for mixing and adjusting audio samples, but underestimated the complexity of Logic Pro. The features we used most often were the tempo and pitch Flex tools, and the Loop tool. We used the Loop tool to isolate individual sounds from the recording, and frequently to repeat the samples to create a rhythm. The Flex tool provided us an intuitive way to change the tempo of specific samples and small sections of the song, and to modify the pitch (make the tone higher or lower) of different samples. We used this tool for every single sound we recorded, excluding the Pinball and Chimes samples. The Flex tool was used to make the rubber band samples sound like a bass guitar, make the ‘Blue Cube’ sound like a bass drum, and make sandpaper sound like a snare drum. The most time-consuming aspect of this design project was carefully timing and placing different samples.
Ultimately, we recorded 87 unique sounds though only 13 were used in the final song. These are the sounds displayed in the accompanying video. The first semester was dedicated to recording samples and learning the software, while the second semester was dedicated to actual music production: playing with sounds, layering and re-ordering samples, etc. The final aspect to our project, which is not showcased in the video, is our X-Carve music piece. Using special MIDI to G-Code conversion software, we were able to have the X-Carve play a short 15 second section of our song. A unique deliverable for out project is the accompanying video. This was made with videos and time-lapses shot in the EPICS classroom, as well as a short sample of a speech Professor Littman gave to his Motorcycle seminar, found on YouTube. We hope you enjoy.

Students

Project Description

Technical Background

Fabrication Process

Final result