NPR: Making Music with Ping-Pong Balls, the Internet and You

Making Music with Ping-Pong Balls, the Internet and You

Filed under: Video

Created by MIT alums Dan Paluska and Jeff Lieberman, Absolut Quartet is a "large-scale electromechanical sculpture," which takes simple pieces of user-created music over the Internet and turns them into complex melodies. The machine itself is actually a combination of three very analog instruments -- a marimba played by flying rubber balls, a rubber and glass apparatus that simulates the "finger on the wine glass" trick, and a "drum kit" of percussive instruments played by robotic arms.

The online user first provides a melody theme, which is heard over a speaker near the machine. The machine interprets the melody and then comes up with its own version, which it starts playing. It also matches the user-generated melody with a composition from its algorithmic music library. As the machine plays, the user can interact and inspire the machine to play in different ways. The result is a complex, robotically generated song, co-produced by man and machine -- and performed live by the "Quartet".

Watch Alison and Rachel speak with the creators and play with the Quartet here:

Win Rosenfeld

10:29 AM ET | 03-12-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

So, how do we get to play it? Maybe this was covered in the show, but the online feed isn't playing that segment for some reason. As a composer, I want to check it out.

Sent by Mark | 12:49 PM ET | 03-12-2008

@Mark: You can make your own composition at:
www.absolutmachines.com

Sent by Win Rosenfeld -- NPR | 1:49 PM ET | 03-12-2008

So glad you did a story on this. A friend told me about it and I think it is amazing. Can't wait to go downtown to check it out in person!

Sent by Summer | 3:31 PM ET | 03-12-2008

Send a Comment

Comments are reviewed and edited by NPR prior to display. All comments will be read, but not all will be posted.

NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its Web site or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
Please send me updates from NPR.	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)

Host

Alison Stewart

Welcome to 'The Bryant Park Project'

The Bryant Park Project started as a blog in the summer of 2007 and ended as a radio show and online community in July 2008. Read our frequently asked questions and discussion rules.