The Sound of Machines

Now Shipping Internationally!

Hey everyone. I had initially set up my shop to only ship within the US while I got everything running. A few folks were asking when I'd be shipping to their country.

Good news—I am now set up to ship world-wide. Come on by!

https://thesoundofmachines.com/collections/rotary-drones

Update: Rotary Drone is Shipping, and Regularly Scheduled Content

Woohoo! The Rotary Drone tutorial is wrapped up which means I can start putting the kits in the mail! Those will go out in the mail starting Monday.

In the second part of this update I address my struggle with creating a regular schedule of downloads and content for you guys. I'm really excited about a new plan to help me deliver a big ol' catalog of samples and recording techniques for you to mess with.

Let me know your thoughts!

See you in the next video.

Let's Hear How This Sounds Ep.5 (With Stems)

Welcome to the last episode of the "old version" of Let's Hear How This Sounds. An experimental series where I document the process of writing and recording music in my home studio.

Each episode starts with random prompts that dictate which instruments and effects will be used in the song.

Below are the stems from this track. Download and use them as you wish—they belong to everyone now! 

Let's Hear How This Sounds Ep.4 (With Stems)

Welcome to the fourth episode of "Let's Hear How This Sounds". An experimental series where I document the process of writing and recording music in my home studio.

Each episode starts with random prompts that dictate which instruments and effects will be used in the song.

Below are the stems from this track. Download and use them as you wish—they belong to everyone now! 

What's up with the Cassettone Two?

Hey I know, I know. It's been a minute since I've even uttered the word "Cassettone", right? Here's where I'm at with the project.

Let me know your thoughts, and I'll tell you why you are my favorite Patreon subscriber. Fair?

Seriously. You guys are awesome and I thank you for supporting me along these audio project journeys!

-Rich

Rotary Drone Kits (and fully-built units) Are Now Available!

It took a while to get all the measurements right, but I'm finally ready to start selling these little guys. I am going to take pre-orders for a week or two to get a sense of how many are ordered before cutting a ton of pricy wood at the maker space.

Orders will begin shipping in May until supplies run out. How many will there be total? Still not sure. I think I'll get a better sense after this first week.

So here is the link that leads to both the kit, and the fully-built model....

Triggering Midi With Contact Mics: Part 2

This is the second video in the series that starts here.

Using a tin can to trigger a synth was cool, but what's cooler than that? Using four items to control four synths!

Here I go a bit deeper into this plugin to scratch away at the surface of what it is capable of. If you al...

How I Prepare Backing Tracks for Playing Live: Behind the Scenes

After over TEN years, I am finally getting back on stage performing live music.

All of my previous performances have been as the bassist and singer in a band called Go Home Robot. But now it's a different beast, as I am performing these sets as a solo musician.

Now I am not the type of musician who feels satisfied with playing a single instrument on stage. I've never considered myself strong enough as a player on any one instrument to not feel completely fraudulent playing in fr...

My New Favorite Plugin Turns Live Audio into MIDI

I love this plugin and have been using it a lot for random experimental-type work.

 It's been in a few of my Instagram reels, and each time I use it, people reach out asking what it is.

It's called Augmented Percussion, and if you want a new toy that will keep you occupied for hours, this is it.

The good: It listens to incoming audio and sends a midi note o...

The Final Motor Drone Update Before Kits!

Hi all! I have been futzing about quite a bit with the design and audio quality of the motor drone before feeling like it's "kit-ready". I'm finally there.

Because of the redesign, I'm now calling these "Rotary Drones". Cause they slightly resemble old rotary phones. Look.... It's fine.

This video captures a bit of the many hours spent measuring, remeasuring, building, rebuilding, and testing this fun little guy.

I even made a happy discovery at the end that makes a huge ...

A List of the Contact Microphones That I Use.

A common question I get on my posts is "what is that little thing you are using?". The answer, more often than not, is "a piezo mic".

Also known as "contact microphones", they are fun, affordable elements that can pick up vibrations in objects and convert them to sound.

While some of the ones I use have been engineered by folks smarter than I am and include built-in pre-amplification and filtering, for the most part I just use the simple ones you can find when doing a quick search...

Awww. It’s so cute!

Here’s another post about that motor drone that’s sweeping the nation.

A few tweaks and it’ll be ready for “kit-ifycation”. That’s like, turning it into a kit…

I also wanted to show some of the new piezo mics I just got!

See you in the next video.

-Rich

Metal Percussion: T Pot Bridge Sample Pack

I really enjoy taking walks across this pedestrian walkway in my city of Richmond, VA. While it's official name is the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, locals refer to it at the T-Pot Bridge. Much easier to say.

It has dizzying views of the rushing James River below, and downtown Richmond (for better or worse depending on the buildings you look at).

But you know what else i...

The Simple Circuitry of a Motor Drone

Hello. This here is the first of two videos I will post about the motor drone.

I'm still in the process of making a case that I can sell as a kit but didn't want to hold off any longer on showing you how to build the electronics portions if you wish to source all the bits yourself.

So here is a run through of all the parts and how to put them together. Below are links for all elements I show here, and a few I didn't mention.

In the next video I will be showing how to build t...

An update on the Motor Drone Video for you drone heads

Hi everyone! Nice to see you.

 I'm bolts-deep in the process of creating the "how to" video for the Motor Drone machine and came across a tweak I'd like to make to the build.

This just means I need an extra day or so before it'll be ready to post.

In the meantime, with your permission, a bit of a run and gun video of me in my studio walking through the thing and how it's shaping up.

Free subscribers. Sign up now to the Sample Librarian tier ...

Let's Hear How This Sounds Ep.3 (With STEMS)

Welcome to the third episode of "Let's Hear How This Sounds". An experimental series where I document the process of writing and recording music in my home studio.

Each episode starts with random prompts that dictate which instruments and effects will be used in the song.

Below are the stems from this track. Download and use them as you wish—they belong to everyone now! 

Let's Hear How This Sounds Ep.2 (With Stems)

Welcome to the second episode of "Let's Hear How This Sounds". An experimental series where I document the process of writing and recording music in my home studio.

Each episode starts with random prompts that dictate which instruments and effects will be used in the song.

Below are the stems from this track. Download and use them as you wish—they belong to everyone now! 

Let's Hear How This Sounds Ep.1 (With STEMS)

Here is the first episode of a series that I made a couple years ago on YouTube. It never got much traction, and I think that's why I stopped after doing five of them.

I really enjoy the process of recording these tracks that are prompted from randomized selections of instruments and effects, but the editing is a beast!

I will post the series here, and quite possibly produce new ones if you all enjoy them. What makes them special here on Patreon is that I can include the ste...

The Cassettone Live on Set!

So there's this cool Synth collective where I live (in Richmond, VA) that meets every month at a bar that is decked out with all kinds of amazing art.

Each meet-up ends with an open mic for anyone interested in playing a short live set. This month, the organizer was nice enough to give me a longer featured spot before the open mic started.

It gave me the perfect reason to polish off a 30 minute set I've been plugging away at since Sept. My goal is to use it as a way to showcase ...

A Long February Cassettone Update!

Hi! Come join me on this epic adventure as I continue chipping away at the circuitry of the Cassettone.

Because the length of this update is quite long, let me spoil the end.

I fail.

I fail over and over until I throw in the towel and decide to hire outside electronic engineer help.

But for the sake of keeping a log of the development process, I present here the brainstorming, circuit diagramming, and breadboarding steps that ultimately keep shorting out. I'm sure tho...

ISO Audio Greeting Cards from the Past...

My love of circuit bending started way back around 2006 when I saw my first bent Speak and Spell. From that point on, I was buying junk toys at thrift shops and dollar stores to experiment with at home.

Some of my favorite devices to bend were the circuit boards inside of audio greeting cards.

I would remove the sound chips and rehouse them in various project enclosu...

Using a Minibrute to Affect a Modified Tape Player

Here is a nine minute jam from a few years back that has been sitting on my computer waiting for a home. I stumbled across it the other day and remembered how much I loved the sounds I captured here. I thought that you might too!

In the video I'm running the audio output from a modified cassette player in to the audio in of the 2025-01-26 17:11:23 +0000 UTC View Post

A Chilly Cassettone Update for Jan 2025

Hello everyone. There is a lot of really fun stuff to cover in this video!

Come meet a new member of the team that's helping the Cassettone Two become a reality, and watch me present the project to a room full of synth fans. Things are moving faster now!

Wishing everyone well. 

A little mess before Christmas

Hey all! Our work on the Cassettone Two is in a bit of a lull as the holiday season pulls both Becky and I in different directions, but progress is being made!

Here, Becky and I chat a bit about the current state of the guts of the unit. She has outgrown the hardwiring phase and is now ready to start ordering PCB boards for testing.

So take a moment to enjoy a candid discussion as we poke and prod the vivisected carcass of a Cassettone Two prototype.

New sample uploads tomor...

Sample Download: Piezos in Ice

This sample pack is the beginning of a series in which I will be recording the sound of piezo mics as they are destroyed. While the ones in this recording survived unscathed, the following experiments will not be as kind. Think laser cutters, cnc routers, fire, microwaves, and trains...

I hope you enjoy these crunchy, crawly, ASMR-inducing samples and find cool ways to work them into your own work.

See you soon!

-Rich

Christmas Cassettone Updates

Hi everyone. The holidays are upon us and both Becky and I have been in a bit of a holiday-inspired lull, but there are still some exciting updates!

After I make some minor updates to the button layout (the drone switch will be moved to the front panel), Becky will be sending out the design for the first PCB run.

Enjoy this candid video of the two of us discussing the internal guts of the unit while in a very "echo-y" wood shop. :)

I'll be back later today with a new sampl...

The Sound of Machines Store is Live!

Hi everyone. In case you didn't catch it in the last update, thesoundofmachines.com is up and running! Currently, I have 10 loop tapes available to purchase, and also the option to buy all 10 in one order to make it easy if you want the entire library.

Each cassette is $16, but members of the Sample Librarian Tier 2024-12-05 19:50:27 +0000 UTC View Post