Project To Date:

Installation Description:
For the wall I am planning to have a serious of microphones places through out the piece. These microphones in turn would pick up the sounds or “voices” of each students contribution. Attached to each of the microphones would be a speaker that would allow each sound to be projected directly into the horn of the phonograph. In order to prevent confusion the microphones and speakers would have a relay allowing only one objects “voice” to be recorded at a time. Once the sound passes through the horn of the phonograph the vibrations would cause the needle at the end to move accordingly causing it to “draw” or inscribe the “voice” onto a piece of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil would be a continuous feed allowing for sound to be recorded through out the duration of the installation. The idea being that once the installation is complete one could essentially rewind the aluminum foil and play back the recording.




This Week:
My work has currently focused on the construction of my phonograph. After rethinking the cylinder and replacing it with some plumbing tube I was on my way to try recording. Over the last couple of days I have tried numerous times to record the human voice however much to my dismay I have been unable to do so ☹. Thomas Edison was one smart dude. However I plan to continue troubleshooting and hopefully I will have some success.




Problems:
- There is too much noise being produced when the needle inscribes into the aluminum foil.
- Is the cylinder moving evenly?
- Is the needle to big/sharp? Cause it tends to rip the aluminum foil.
- Am I moving the cylinder fast enough during recording and playback? Or at the same rate?

Resolution:
Troubleshoot all problems noted above. However if I am still unable to get my phonograph to work I might be forced to purchase the kit off the Internet or try Plan B.

Plan B:
I would keep the serious of microphones and speakers with the relays as previously noted but instead of projecting the sounds into the horn of the phonograph I would place a piece of Plexiglas over the speakers. Attached to this Plexiglas would be a thin vertical piece of steel, which in turn would have a second horizontal piece of steel, attached to it and from that would be a pen. Once the sound passes from the speakers the vibrations would cause the piece of Plexiglas to vibrate. The vibrations would travel up the vertical piece of steel continue to the second piece of steel and then on to the pen. When the pen vibrates it would cause it to “draw” or inscribe the “voice” onto a piece of paper. The paper would be a continuous feed allowing for sound to be recorded through out the duration of the installation. In essence I would be taking the essential components of the phonograph idea and I would still be able to record the vibrations of the sounds through creating a simple version of a seismograph.




Main Questions:
- Should I go ahead and continue to troubleshoot?
- When do I stop troubleshooting?
- What if by Monday I can’t get it to play back?
- Should I order the kit off the Internet as a backup?
- Should I just adapt it and go with Plan B?.............I don’t want to run out of time

The Human Ear:

Within the human ear there are three basic parts the outer, middle and inner ear. The outer ear is where sound is collected and channeled to the middle ear. The middle ear serves to transform the energy of a sound wave into the internal vibrations that are read by the bone structure of the ear. The inner ear serves to transform the energy of the compressed wave within the inner ear fluid and turn them into nerve impulses, which can be transmitted to the brain.



Sound Waves:

Are a series of compression waves the move through out the air and are created by the vibration of an object. Waves are detected when they cause and object to vibrate. A good example of this would be the human ear as noted above. Sound waves show amplitude, velocity, wavelength and frequency.

Phonograph:

Phonograph:

I was able to find some blueprints online of someones tinfoil phonograph that they built. Apparently it works much like Edison's recorder so hopefully it works so that I can record my very own version of Edison's "Mary had a little lamb".

Edison's version:
"Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go"

Research:

The pneumatic structure the students from RPI constructed for Montreal was a 39 feet long wall that went from 6 feet to 10 feet. As a group we choose to use this sense of progression as an additional means to help guide the occupant into the space. Placing the wall parallel to the wall of the room from smallest end to largest did this. The wall was constructed of two air chambers, one for each side of the wall/structure. When one side is being inflated it causes the wall/structure to curve.



Using an optical sensor and relay we connected two vacumes as the projected light source changed the relay was switched. Causing one of the vacuums to turn on. Each vacume was connected to one side of the wall/structure. When one air source was off the other on this would cause the curving. When the wall began to move sensors mounted between the air pockets would then be activated. These sensors were then connected to the elmo/theramin and the keys of the electronic typewriter.



When the sensors connected to Elmo are activated it causes his motor to move and the theramin that is attached to the motor. As the theramin moved it would act accordingly to the movement. Elmo was also occupied with a voice distortion kit, which only allowed a few recognizable words to come out.



When the sensors connected to the keys of the typewriter we activated it recorded the movement of the wall. The magnetic tape head and tape were connected to the typewriter and as the keys were pressed caused the magnetic tape head to move along the magnetic tape. Distorted music would play as the typewriter completed a line and returned to the beginning.



A video recorder was set up to also record the typing and projected in real-time the footage with the help of some basic computer programming to switch the footage from its original black and white to it negative. The optical sensor connected to the relay positioned to read the switching in light from the video informing the vacumes to inflate one side of the wall/structure.

In the end the electronics and pneumatic structure worked as one and as an autonomous piece.