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Mechanical Hive
Timpani Mallets in Cardboard Boxes

Presets

The HallThousand+Impulse NoiseOne-O-OneAlmost RainSpinnerDouble Tap Surprise!

Current Slider Profile

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Clone as a Mini-Player
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Animation Parameters

mode Soft HardSolo Duo Trio
speed ÷8 ÷4 ÷2Normalx2 x4 x8
range Set→[ LowHigh ]←Set

Tape Speed Control

SlowerFasterShuffle!Reset

iEQ • Calibration

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  Guided Meditation

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Visualizer • White • PiNk • Brown • J↓↑KHelp

Exploring the Art of Noise

I've always been intrigued by how a single sound can transform into a continuous noise when it's overlaid many times. Imagine the sound of a single raindrop. When combined with thousands of others, it becomes the sound of rain. Recently, I discovered the work of Swiss artist Zimoun, who creates art installations using simple mechanical devices. By multiplying these devices, he generates a swarm of sounds that blend into a constant noise, filling an entire art exhibition hall. This inspired me to design a similar experience using the sliders on myNoise. While listening to a recording isn't quite the same as experiencing it live, it's still a delightful concept to explore.

My first attempt began with a timpani mallet suspended above a cardboard box. A motor spins the mallet, causing it to hit the box at high speed and bounce randomly, creating a unique sound. As the mallet rotates at a constant speed, there's an underlying order to the chaos. It produces a random beat, yet it's still a rhythm, not just uncoordinated hits. By adding another of those "beat boxes", one creates an intriguing polyrhythm. As more of those are added, the rhythm becomes increasingly complex until it eventually turns into noise. And it sounds just... amazing! Try the Shuffle! under the Tape Speed Control section, to change box sizes.

I was curious to find out when the sound would fully become noise, so I designed a series of sliders to simulate the effect of 10, 100, and even 1,000 boxes. These numbers are fascinating: 10 creates a complex polyrhythm, 100 results in noise but with an added texture, and 1,000 is just pure noise.

You can play with the sliders to create your own installation and choose your preferred listening experience. There's even a setting that lets you hear the sound of 1,000 boxes from the adjacent hall, as if you were walking towards one of the extraordinary Zimoun displays.

I had a lot of fun creating this, and there are endless possibilities for more "Noisefield" generators. Let me know in the comments if you'd like to hear more of these, and perhaps I'll add a new category on the main index page dedicated to these unique sounds! Never hesitate to comment. It can be discouraging to dedicate so much effort to a sound generator and not receive any response ;)

Published by Stéphane on December 10th, 2024

User Stories

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  This is a surprising new favorite! I have it adjusted to a white noise with an interesting tactility. It's almost like the sound of rain mixed with a factory gently humming along. I can almost imagine thousands of envelopes rushing by me on some sort of conveyor sorter while I work in peaceful solitude. I'd love to hear more of these sorts.

  So interesting how one item can create so many different sounds.

  A strange and almost annoying type of sound, but with potential for other applications! I'm rather excited by this endeavor and would find alternate creative generators like this intriguing and fun!

  This noise is friendly for my ears and interesting for different reasons. It also adds to the Rain generators and Impulse Noise. I'd love to use some of its sliders in a Composite as a rhythmic component.

  Totally beautiful. I want a lot more of this kind of complex noise sounds.

  This is amazing! I'm currently using the two leftmost sliders along with the 10s slider, and setting it to the default animation settings. I look forward to experimenting with this in the future! P.S. I also have a suggestion for a noise that I have at home, but that I would still like to hear on this website. Could it be possible to have a generator just for marbles rolling down a track?

  I really like this new Mechanical Hive noise. It reminds me of a cross between rain noise generators elsewhere on the site and the Data Center one. I especially enjoy the variations between presets, such as the room noise heard in "The Hall."