Experimenting with motors and strings to create a song

Continuing from my previous blog, I experimented with different exciters to try to get a better and more consistent sound from the strings.

This time I experimented with the guitar plugged in. while the motor couldn’t be heard when directly over the pick up it was all you could hear. I assume the pickup is picking up the magnetic field inside the DC motor. But this is something I need to think about when designing the final piece.

Firstly, I tried a circle cut from an old plastic cup. This was a similar material to the pick used before, just circular. I wrapped tape around the edge as my circle was not perfectly round, and the tape helped to make it more consistent.

After trying this out, it has all the same issues as the previous one. I think this is because it’s very hard. this means it keeps bounding on and off the string.

Secondly, I tried using a cotton pad. When using this, it had a gentler sound and was more desirable. Unfortunately, the motor isn’t powerful enough and kept starting and stopping whenever I pressed too hard (which was needed to get a louder sound). After using both methods, I think a combination would work. A hard core and a soft edge, along with a more powerful motor should work well.

When experimenting, I started to think creatively. While this isn’t the final instrument, it’s something similar. With this in mind, I put together a quick piece. This has helped me think about the EP I wish to create, as I think an ambient EP would help this instrument a lot. But, this is just an initial idea at the moment.

I decided to make a short video, just to show what I’m doing and to start preparing for a film/documentary i wish to make on the creation and creative process with this instrument later on.

On another note, I still need to think of a proper name for this instrument.