NPR: Ping Balls + Robot + You = Music

Ping Balls + Robot + You = Music

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 plays 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. (You can try it on Absolut Machines.)

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

Win Rosenfeld

8:17 AM ET | 03-13-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

that is amazing and beautiful. brilliant concept.

Sent by crystal strongbow | 4:14 AM ET | 03-15-2008

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