Presentation Scenarios

Ideally will be a tabletop type presentation. I want to be able to have it about waist height, so you can lean over and observe the patterns easily. This also needs to be combined with enough distance to mask the peripheral audio leak from the speaker units.

Equipment List:
4 speakers
4 Membranes
Base mounting board for speakers/membranes
Stereo Amp
iPod or Laptop powering audio.
Light.

Revisions

It seems that all the progress I have made so far has been revisions. I discovered after ordering my speakers that I had neglected to identify and deal with a fatal flaw in my planning. I never accounted for amplification of the speakers. This poses a large problem, as I can not feasibly afford the hardware required to make a system of 7 speakers work, all running on independent audio channels. This means that I have had to revise the vision/design for this entire venture. I will now be using 4 speakers instead of 7, two on the right and two on left channel. I think I should be able to create an interesting and compelling interaction, so I’m not too disappointed.

Another revision decision has been to abandon using silicone adhesive to adhere the dish to the latex. It simply wont work, at least as I’ve been trying it. The only way I can think of it working is if I stretched the latex first, then adhered it. The issue there is that there will be no way to clamp the pieces, and I feel a strong enough hold wouldn’t develop. I will solve this problem using a similar strategy to the first iteration of the project, which is to use rubber bands. However, the milky beige color of rubber bands is not very aesthetically pleasing, so I will make them out of the same black latex material used for the membranes.

A final revision/discovery has been of a way to stretch the latex membrane. I had originally been thinking of using some kind of high tensile band, wrapped around the box, but that didn’t provide enough tension. I also considered building a type of clamp or frame, which actually led me to what I think will be the best option. I purchased 4 embroidery frames, used to hold fabric taut in order to be embroidered. I will use these frames to create a kind of drumhead, stretched taut over the speaker. This design is also nice, as it allows me to forgo building boxes, and just use the speakers underneath the membrane.

Electronics/Circuits/Code

The only real code I will be using here is SuperCollider, to provide the audio to drive the system. This is being developed in parallel to the physical fabrication. I also might use GCode to cut some MDF, but that is highly unlikely, as I am using simple shapes/cuts.

Fabrication Issues / Mechanics

The number one issue at the moment is twofold:

1. I need to determine how best to stretch the latex membrane over the box. In the first version, I ended up nailing it in to the box, which was a fast but ultimately fatal decision, as all the latex eventually ripped out. I will experiment to best determine how this will function.

2. I also need to figure out the best way to attach the dish to the latex membrane. I am going to attempt to use silicone adhesive, as it seems like the best option to maintain flexibility, as I dont think a rigid adhesive would work very well.

Lastly, I just need to decide on an overall layout/design, which shouldn’t be difficult.

Parts List

4-7 Speakers
Latex
MDF for mounting/boxes
1/4in Stereo Cable
Audio Interface
Computer/Audio Output

Mechanics