many swans, many ways 
This is an instrument I created in a Digital Musical Instrument class during my sophomore year at Northwestern University. I used Arduino code and MAX to create sound triggered by my sensors on my instrument by establishing a connection between my physical instrument and the code. Using an Arduino UNO board, a water sensor, a Softpot potentiometer, and a button, I created a remixed version of an environment in which a handcrafted swan could live.
May, 2024
Click the button below to watch the performance
how does it work?Three sensors.
Softpot Potentiometer
The Softpot potentiometer’s versatility allows it to control many different parameters in my MAX patch. First, it is used to control the volume of previously recorded audio near the lake. Sliding my finger about two inches from left to right turns this audio up, playing a distinct melody. Sliding my finger up a little further triggers the sound of drums which play at the same tempo as the melody. However, when the drums start, the melody stops, an effect created by an if statement in MAX. As my finger slides further to the right, the near-the-lake audio is sped up depending on how far my finger slides to the right. The speed increases until….a new sound is triggered (meant to represent someone singing near the lake). This sound’s speed is then controlled by how far my finger slides to the right. This results in some cool sounds being made.
Button
Because the Softpot potentiometer almost immediately changes the speed of the added singing element, I needed something to trigger this sound without changing the speed. To get its natural sound. And so that it could be played in time with the main piano melody. This is what the button does.
Water Sensor
The water sensor controls my favorite part of the performance. By changing the EQ settings of the near-the-lake audio, the main piano melody, and the added singing sound, I was able to achieve a submerged-like sound, making the aforementioned sounds seem like they were suddenly being played underwater. Triggering this involved connecting the values received by the water sensor to parameters of the EQ, and then connecting the EQ parameters to the audio elements.
inspiration & DevelopmentThe inspiration for this piece started with the main artistic work of the instrument, which I purchased from a farmer’s market earlier this year. I knew I wanted to create an environment that simulated one that a swan would inhabit. However, I am also interested in DJ mixing, so I wanted to introduce other elements that would change the environment and make it more sonically engaging. For the physical creation of my instrument, I wanted the sensors to be hidden from the audience and the swan to be the most visible element. I also wanted to station the swan in a pond, hence the dark blue cover on the cardboard foundation.
play it yourself