THE EMOTION ORGAN
CONSTRUCTION WORK
SEPTEMBER 2006
I have aimed to get The Emotion Organ construction finished by the end of September. While I have not completely acheived this aim, most of the components are installed and functioning. What remains to do now is to build a "house" for the equipment - a shelf construction that will be connected to the back of the organ, with the same (surface) finish as the organ. It should look like it is a part of the organ, rather than an add-on. I also need to buy new cables of the shortest lengths possible, and to get the stool built. These are really cosmetic details.
Below is the work carried out during September, and a complete list of equipment used to enhance the pump organ.
FAN/ PROJECTION SURFACE
Aslak has built a large fan that will function as a projection surface. The speed of the fan will probably be controlled by the sensors that will be placed under the foot pedals of the organ - that detect the speed/angle of the player's "pedalling" - (partially) analogous to the volume of the sound. He has used the motor of a ceiling-mounted fan, and constructed propellor-like blades of light wood.
SOUND AND LIGHT "FLOWERS"
Here are the 2 "sound-and-light flowers" placed on each side of the player. There are 3 phonograph horns/blooms on each of the two stands/stems. The large and small horns have light bulbs installed in them, while the medium horns have Tivloi radio speakers for tranmitting the sound from the Filter factory to the player. The horns are on goose kneck microphone stnads so that the player can adjust the position of the horns as they wish.
Here you can see the spacial relationship between the player, the stands and the fan.
DISTANCE SENSORS INSTALLED TO REGISTER THE POSITION OF THE 8 ORGAN STOPS
This image shows the installation of the distance sensors behind the stop bars, and the wooden boards attached to the stop bars for measuring how far they are pulled in and out.
M-AUDIO FIRWIRE INTERFACE
Per Platou helped out by setting up an M-audio Firewire interface, and connects it to an sound filter (Filter Factory), that picks up the organ sound via 2 contact mics inside the organ. It then gets sent to a subwoofer (that will be installed in the stool of the organ, and to the Tivoli speakers inside the phonograph horns.
FOOTPUMP SESNORS - INTERFACE
This image shows the MIDI interface for the accelerometers installed under the footpumps.
THE PICTURE SO FAR
This is the total equipment mass that shall be installed in the organ! What a mess.
Inside the organ:
Intel Minimac computer
Software: max/msp 4.5
InFocus LP 120 projector
M-Audio 8x8 MIDI interface
M-Audio Firewire audio interface
Filter Factory Analog sound filter
DMX box
LAN box LC+ (MIDI in/out, DMX in/out, 10 digital outputs)
MIDI 9 sensor strip (61 sensors under the organ keys)
MIDI 9 MIDI converter box
Customised relay box (for airbrush guns)
Customised volume/power control box for small speakers
2 x contact microphones
2x customised MIDI interfaces (8 analog and 8 digitial in/outputs)
2 x customised potentiometer/accelerometer sensors (under the footpumps)
8 x customised distance sensors (behind the 8 organ stops)
Eurotek air compressor (for the airbrush guns)
15 x Power sockets (one power cable/plug “out”)
2 stands (sound-and-light flowers) each with:
2 lamps (installed in small and large aluminium phonograph horns)
1 Tivoli speaker (installed in medium phonograph horn)
3 x goose neck microphone hoses (to adjust the position of the horns)
Aroma dispersers (visible/on the organ):
8 x Eurotek airbrush guns
8 x Black Knight push type magnet solenoids (to electronically open/close
the valves of the airbrush guns)
8 x synthetic aromas/ DaleAir Aroma Design complying to EU safety regulations
(in the airbrush cups)
Stool:
Rockit sub woofer (installed inside)
Fan:
Electric, with large propeller/speed control