Can Steel Marbles Sound Good on Metal Vibraphone?
Wintergatan
11 min, 16 sec
The video discusses a process of improving the sound quality produced by a marble machine, considering different factors like hardness of the mallets, volume control, and timing synchronization.
Summary
- The speaker discusses the problem of the unpleasant sound of marbles hitting metal and bouncing multiple times.
- He experiments with using rubber bands of different thicknesses to dampen the sound, which not only reduces the harshness of metal-on-metal contact, but also provides volume control.
- By adjusting the height of the rubber bands, the speaker is able to control the volume of the sound produced.
- He also considers different hardness of mallets for different sounds and demonstrates how the thickness of the rubber bands corresponds with the hardness of the sound produced.
- A realization is made that the softer the impact of the marble (due to higher rubber band placement), the slower the hit, potentially causing a timing issue.
- The speaker measures the delay caused by different rubber band placements and discovers that the delay is only 3 milliseconds, which he deems insignificant.
- The speaker concludes by reflecting on the process of mastering the marble machine sound, stating it is more about personal progression.
Chapter 1
The speaker begins by describing the unpleasant sound made by marbles striking the instrument.
- He describes how the sound of marbles dropping on a librophone is unpleasant to listen to.
- The marbles hitting the metal and bouncing multiple times creates a harsh sound.
Chapter 2
The speaker uses rubber bands to dampen the sound and control the volume.
- He experiments with using rubber bands of different thicknesses to dampen the sound.
- The rubber bands are strapped between the forks of the instrument, with the height being adjustable.
- He can control the volume by raising or lowering the rubber band.
- The lower the rubber band, the harder the hit and louder the sound; the higher the rubber band, the softer the hit and lower the sound.
Chapter 3
The speaker examines the effect of mallet hardness on the sound.
- The speaker discusses how mallets come in different hardnesses for different sounds.
- He demonstrates how the softest sound can be achieved with the thickest rubber band and the hardest sound with the thinnest rubber band, allowing him to choose the hardness of the marble's hit.
Chapter 4
The speaker compares the sound quality between the bare metal and the rubber band damping.
- The speaker compares the sound of the marbles hitting bare metal to the sound of the marbles hitting the rubber-band-dampened instrument.
- He describes the sound from the rubber band damping as being significantly better than the metal-on-metal contact.
Chapter 5
The speaker considers the potential timing issues caused by the delay in marble impact.
- He reflects on the potential timing issue caused by the marbles hitting slower when the impact is softer.
- After measuring the delay, he finds that the higher rubber band placement slows down the marble by only 3 milliseconds, which he does not consider significant.
- He concludes that the rubber bands are a good solution, but he is unsure if the 3 millisecond delay will be an issue.
Chapter 6
The speaker reflects on his journey of improving the sound quality of the marble machine.
- He discusses how his current method of working allows him to identify potential issues in a test environment, which is a significant improvement from his previous approach.
- He considers another solution of layering different thicknesses of rubber bands, which might prevent the delay in transients.
- He reflects on his journey, stating that improving the marble machine is more about personal progression than about music or engineering.
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