Comments on: Got Paper-Based Music Projects?

By: Tim Thompson

Tim Thompson — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:24:50 +0000

Don-oung Lee of Seoul National University recently did a installation show with some very interesting uses of paper as speaker. One was taking ancient door and window frames which were traditionally made with some kind of paper screen stretched across the openings, and wedging small magnets behind the paper at various places. The result is a multichannel output from single sheets of paper. He played back sound clips of all kinds of voices, whispering, yelling, etc. The idea was like “the walls have ears”–the doors and windows have kept secrets of what has been said behind them for ages, and now they are repeating what they heard. Another piece was a cafe table where the customer places their paper cup on the table, and hears different programming depending on where the cup is placed. The cup acts as a speaker. He had some other really fun things involving other non-paper everyday items–very creative stuff! When he was visiting in Florida, he made some models for me to show me how it worked. I was impressed by the quality of sound from a single swath of paper, and the multichannel thing works beautifully.

By: erland

erland — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:59:02 +0000

Thanks Noah! I just ordered one

By: Noah Kleiman

Noah Kleiman — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 14:18:16 +0000

I recently ran across this really neat paper-based sequencer Make your own Music Box on ThinkGeek. It’s only $13, and you can punch your own music box tunes !

Neat-O

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 05:48:57 +0000

@plurgid — HA! I vaguely remember getting stuck under piles of paper-based music projects, yes.

Hey, come on, it can’t always be wood, brass, circuits, and plastic, right?

The theme, I should have clarified, was chosen by Phil from MAKE, and Popular Science is also contributing, on top of Etsy. So we’re just putting in our musical angle. And if I can just finish them, I’ll have at least two paper-based projects. Sometimes I find a “stretch” as a concept is just what I need to unstick my brain. ;)

By: plurgid

plurgid — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 02:18:31 +0000

LOL … “paper-based music project” …

I suppose sheet music dosen’t count? … I’ve got lots of left over assignments from my music theory classes in college ;-)

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:31:45 +0000

Yes, absolutely an open event, just as we did last time. Got a project, please bring it! The RSVP is optional, but it does help Etsy to know how many are coming. And it’s free. :)

By: Myles

Myles — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:13:18 +0000

Is this an open event?

By: loops

loops — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:27:22 +0000

Looking forward to see what people have come up with. Perhaps a bit offtopic but it made me think of this cool plug-in by Niall Moody called Brush Strokes.

By: erland

erland — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 06:32:57 +0000

speaking of paper + instruments, do you know where i can get one of those music boxes
that work with paper rolls that you can punch holes in? i’ve been wanting one for ages. thanks!