Comments on: Animusic’s “Pipe Dream” Made Real

By: Jim Gott

Jim Gott — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:05:08 +0000

Not only that, but if you look at the drumset, there are no snares on the snare drum (in fact there is only one head), and the vibraphone bars don’t sound like that in real life without resonator tubes beneath them, and it is curious indeed that a ball hitting a snare drum sounds exactly like a wooden snare drum stick hitting a snare drum, which also never happens in real life.

By: Joann Leonard

Joann Leonard — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 05:13:41 +0000

Loretta, I think you may be right about the ‘indefinite in theory’ aspect. The Animusic and mostly the Intel clip remind me of Rube Goldberg’s scoffed at perpetual motion concept.

By: Animusic’s “Pipe Dream” Made Real « Foxx Piano Studio Resources

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 01:28:45 +0000

[...] Last February, Intel decided to make a real world version of Animusic’s “Pipe Dream”. Taking 90 days to go from concept to completion, the robot “musicians” use 2,300 balls to produce 120 unique notes on what Intel describes as “off-the-shelf hardware” running “existing software”… and $160k later the real world version was born! Check it out here. [...]

By: MAKE | Robot Animusic-Makers and Education Day at Maker Faire Bay Area

MAKE | Robot Animusic-Makers and Education Day at Maker Faire Bay Area — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:42:01 +0000

[...] digital synth enthusiasts, or anybody headed to Maker Faire Bay Area next month who is eager to see Animusic’s “Pipe Dream” made real. Intel will be exhibiting this state-of-the-art musical contraption built from off-the-shelf [...]

By: Nick Normal

Nick Normal — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:17:26 +0000

Thanks for reading rneefe – I think we should all approach more things with the eyes of an 8 year old, and look forward to seeing your son’s marble sound maker contraptions!

By: rneefe

rneefe — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:14:00 +0000

I think all the haters need to pause and look through and 8 year old’s eye… My son was truly amazed that a physical model was built of something he thought only lived in the digital world. He has taken this inspiration to the build level and is trying all kinds of ways to make sounds using his marbles. In the make tradition, I call this a success.

By: Chris Baker

Chris Baker — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:27:18 +0000

Wow. Some people here really naive to think that the Animusic thing could really be re-created in real life, with real instruments. If you will notice at the beginning, for example, the balls bounce off one string, onto another, off a little drum and then into a catcher. Try that in real life, and not just once, but over and over. And when the balls hit the cymbal/high-hat and then bounce nicely into the catcher funnel–that’s nearly impossible in real life, considering the cymbal is just floating on a center axis and doesn’t provide a solid surface off which to bounce. And no matter how fast in succession the balls hit the cymbal, they all go nicely into the funnel! Try that in real life.

By: allfractup

allfractup — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:17:18 +0000

The Animusic original easily surpasses what Intel copied. No comparison as far as I am concerned. The Intel model looks as cheap as the plastic parts that it uses. Why would I want to use an Intel Atom? Or seven for that matter?

By: Nick Normal

Nick Normal — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:10:43 +0000

@Darin, True. I guess I meant more how the LED is embedded inside the instrument, making the whole instrument appear to light up upon contact. Similar but different from triggered lighting effects on drum kits – but a good point!

By: Nick Normal

Nick Normal — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:06:17 +0000

Good pun! And that’s an interesting thought that I hadn’t considered, collecting the balls to use again. Some sort of pool-table like catch where the balls go down tubes and get re-supplied. I love it. Let’s get making!