5th December 2016
A synth module with 64 trigger outputs, controlled either by MIDI or John Conway's "Game of Life" cellular automaton rules. Short video on this page
Project Adrift is at the Science Museum London (near Tim Peake's capsule) this week. I'll be there all day on Tuesday - do come and say hello!
Video of a radioactive random voltage generator on the synth page, and a new commission involving percussive mallets automated with solenoids here
A synth module with 64 trigger outputs, controlled either by MIDI or John Conway's "Game of Life" cellular automaton rules. Short video on this page
The machine built for Project Adrift is now complete, and had a fantastic launch at the Royal Astronomical Society yesterday. Details here
Just back from Boston US, creating a dramatic show for Hewlett Packard involving ferrofluid controlled by live musicians. Photos and video here
Puppet electronics for Plunge Productions, Brighton.
We had a party at the weekend, loads of cool people came, and we made a wicker man...
Special effects for Clean Bandit
21 Thomas Henry X-4046 VCOs! They have a switch to change the range to LFO. The panel is anodised aluminium with text machined using a 0.4mm cutter. The remaining panels need to be made, plus a bit of wiring.
Two recent projects: interactive chicken / radio controlled parachutes
Household objects turned into musical instruments for Desperados beer
Rig to capture panoramic footage using three Sony A7 II cameras.
Get in touch if you need a custom camera rig - I usually have plenty of aluminium plate in stock.
Just arrived back from 3 days in Manchester at the Future Everything festival, installing the Smoke Signals collaboration with Ed Carter and giving a talk about various projects. That's Anthony Burgess' piano in the photo below. Thanks to all the awesome people who I met, and to my good friend Dr. Ben Still for signing my copy of his book about quantum mechanics. We are going to do a sculptural / scientific collaboration after he's finished his second book and got married.
It is now my ambition to open a fast food outlet directly opposite the Anthony Burgess Foundation, called "Anthony's Burger Foundation".
MIDI and audio controlled light sculpture for James LeBaigue.
The system we developed can easily be expanded - get in touch if you have a project that needs many hundreds of programmable LEDs!
Email: dave@ [this website]
Prototype circuit boards machined with 1mm cutter...
A project from last year - musically timed dropping of stuff into water for Samsung
Two TTSH Arp 2600 clones - let me know if you need a custom synth or theremin built.
Refurbishment / redesign of robotic paintball gun turrets
The Boag's Meteorphonium - a weather controlled electro-mechanical sound installation, with music by composer Nick Ryan
Marble lift for Isabel and Helen
Smoke Signals - a second collaboration with artist and composer Ed Carter
Exploding stuff in the garden:
Hundreds of balloons popped perfectly in time to music, using wonderfully dangerous stabbing mechanisms and a clever control system. Click here for photos and the finished Argos TV ad.
Some magic boxes for an exciting new project...
Commissioned by Toyota for Red Nose Day, various sensors, motors, speakers and water jets were used to create an interactive ticklish car!
More details here.
A theremin commissioned for this year's Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.
What would your ideal theremin look like? Get in touch if you would like a custom one - email dave@ [this website]
An amazing new musical instrument - the resonating bell plate system.
"A new work by Ed Carter combining sculpture, sound, light and live performance. Fl10s: False Lights Seaham is inspired by East Durham's maritime heritage, and responds specifically to the 1962 George Elmy lifeboat disaster. Fl10s comprises an installation, composition, and a site-specific live performance."
This project involved plenty of hard work by a lot of people. I made the electronic control system, electromagnet brackets, and motorised light rigs. Check it out here.
Some recent small projects: motorised hats for an installation by Patrick Furness, LED globe for Machine Shop, technical consultation for an ad for Currys.
Strange experiments in the orchard, involving motors, lights and MIDI...
Thanks to everyone who came along on Thursday! Photos and video of the giant robotic crow here, 'making of' here.
The crow is for sale - get in touch if interested.
Currently working on a large mechanical crow for an exhibition at The Book Club gallery / bar, Shoreditch. It will be there from September 11th to November 16th.
Fresh batch of ring modulator effects boxes for sale - with fantastic new artwork by Pete Fowler!
Order one today - they are going fast.
The Badgermin appears in "Chat" magazine...
Just received some PCBs in the post, designed using the free Fritzing software - highly recommended! The photo shows a custom Arduino Mega shield with 14 MOSFETs, which will allow a load of LED strips to be faded using PWM. The delivery even came with stickers!
Mechanism to retain sword within stone, made for Machine Shop Special Effects. The mechanism was eventually mounted inside a fibreglass boulder, with a proper sword made by a swordsmith. The blade was gripped by two semicircular cams, until released by two solenoids on a timer.
Pigeon message containers.
Four octaves of chromatically tuned hooting - the Owl Organ in Berlin. Plus a splendid video of owly Christmas songs!
Just received an Adafruit "Trinket" in the post. It's a microcontroller that's absolutely tiny, but that still does a lot of cool stuff. Here it is running the space invader example code on an 8X8 LED matrix... it can apparently store around 320 animation frames.
A talk and demonstration of the Rave Kestrel at the RCA this week. Let me know if you would like to organise something similar.
Just spent a week at the Frieze London art fair, looking after the technical side of Ken Okiishi's motorised paintball installation. This man, an unknown visitor, had golden shoes!
Rapid Electronics have just uploaded a "customer profile" for me, which you can read here. Rapid really are great for electronic components - I'm not just trying to get them to send me a free T-shirt.
Fans of wireless transmission systems and Spike Milligan might appreciate this photo sent by my brother earlier this evening:
An LED suit for Leo Messi, used in a visually stunning new advert for Adidas. I wired up two suits at the workshop of Machine Shop Special Effects Ltd, and looked after them on the fairly high pressure shoot in Barcelona. ML Studios created the spectacular post production trailing light effects.
Pyramid shaped synthesisers are certainly in this season! Just finished a new project for Jay Gambit, with glowing hexagons, constructed in between repeated work visits to Spain.
Click here for photos and video...
I have three PAiA Theremax kits currently being assembled. Let me know if you want a custom theremin.
