Now introducing the System Sound version 2.0 with some minor tweaks and improvements.
Believe it or not, this is less noisy, and has less distortion. I’ve also tweaked some things in more subtle ways, setting the gain levels to better match each other and not clip so easily. But don’t worry, it will still distort the hell out of things and oscillate in a heartbeat.
If you have the first version and want to update your device, I have posted a pdf with instructions on the update here.
Also, kits are happening again. Have a look in the shop.
System Sound is a feedback noise device for experimental music, sound design, sound art and more.
In essence, System Sound is a two channel mixer, with a microphone, digital oscillator (sine/noise), two tilt equalisers and a power amp. Simple standard circuits are connected in a clever way to enable many kinds of drones, noises, pulsations and chaotic messes even without anything plugged in.
Instantly achieve the sound of a cheap and horrible mixer feeding back, with zero patching! Add the microphone to make things even less stable. Add noise to make things noisier, or the oscillator to sort things out (sort of). Use it to mangle drum loops, guitars, or any other sounds. Or gently saturate the oscillator, send it to your favourite modulation effect and zone out making drones with a touch of feedback to spice things up. Use a speaker to resonate your environment, find hidden resonances in everyday objects using noise or the sine wav. Attach it onto a wall or a piece of plywood with the four mounting holes for more stability.
The System Sound features the following:
* Two high gain input preamps
* An electret microphone
* A digital oscillator, switchable from sine to noise (both with frequency control)
* Two powerful (and slightly different) tilt equalisers
* FM switch to send one input to the oscillator frequency input
* An effects send with a blend to select which pair of sources are (mostly) sent, and even more gain
* A normalised feedback loop for both inputs (pre send gain, post blend)
* A ~1.3W Class AB power amplifier with funky Fahnestock quick-connectors and master volume
* A line output for sending to a recorder, mixing desk, bass amp, …
* 9V power input, Boss-style, or optional 9V battery adapter (not recommended for driving large speakers).
A pdf manual is available here, there's also a somewhat rambling 20-minute explanation on Youtube
Background, tour
System Sound is an idea I've been mulling over for a long time, but never got around to completing. Finally, Modul@rnice asked me to host a workshop in collaboration with MENT festival in Ljubljana, which was the push I needed to finish it. After making a non-working prototype, I redid everything, and thought things over again, leading to a cleaner and simpler device. It still makes for a fairly long build in a workshop setting, and the workshop ended up being a two-day job of 4+4 hours. The first day was devoted to building, chatting, me showing some stuff you could make with the device, etc. The second day I spoke about feedback and acoustics in my work and others, with some more demonstrations and hands-on work. In the end everyone sat in their own worlds making noise. More or less.
The workshop (and performance at MENT) were part of a ten-day tour through central Europe, passing by Zagreb, Brno and Prague and hosting an array of workshops, gigs and artist talks. Two more System Sound workshops, plus three with the PCBSNR (one with the old stripboard version). It was a fun tour and I think I overbooked stuff a bit :-). Hence this release of a device that says "March 2023"on the back at the end of April.
If you want to host a workshop, write me at info @ thisdomain. i.e. at noise technology, with a . in between. You get it. I don't want spam :-)
