Music

Marble machine maker shares bouncing bass build secrets

Marble machine maker shares bouncing bass build secrets
Martin Molin testing an improved accuracy version of the bass guitar component for the upcoming Musical Marble Machine X
Martin Molin testing an improved accuracy version of the bass guitar component for the upcoming Musical Marble Machine X
View 5 Images
Martin Molin testing an improved accuracy version of the bass guitar component for the upcoming Musical Marble Machine X
1/5
Martin Molin testing an improved accuracy version of the bass guitar component for the upcoming Musical Marble Machine X
The test mule for the 3D-printed marble guide that should improve hit accuracy on the bass guitar component of the upcoming Musical Marble Machine X
2/5
The test mule for the 3D-printed marble guide that should improve hit accuracy on the bass guitar component of the upcoming Musical Marble Machine X
The full CAD design for the 3D-printed marble guide designed for the upcoming Musical Marble Machine X
3/5
The full CAD design for the 3D-printed marble guide designed for the upcoming Musical Marble Machine X
The original bass guitar module of the Musical Marble Machine
4/5
The original bass guitar module of the Musical Marble Machine
The marble guides for the bass guitar component in the original Musical Marble Machine were made from birch ply
5/5
The marble guides for the bass guitar component in the original Musical Marble Machine were made from birch ply
View gallery - 5 images

Last year, artist and musician Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan shared the results of his mechanical labor of love with the online community – the Musical Marble Machine. A captivating combination of cogs, wheels, pulleys and wood, the hand-cranked music maker quickly became a viral video hit. Now Molin is working on a new version of the machine with a view to taking it on stage, and has shared a video documenting the design and build of the upgraded bass guitar component.

The original Musical Marble Machine featured a Hofner-like electric bass set at an angle to the right, with steel marbles released from above the strings and bouncing off at set intervals to give the tune some low end punch. Birch ply wedge shapes helped guide the falling marbles toward the strings, while Molin fretted the desired notes on the neck.

For the Musical Marble Machine X, Molin is replacing the ply guides with 3D-printed versions and has also determined that the ideal angle for the bass is 25 percent, which he says will help to improve strike accuracy. This is important because the X setup will double the strike channels, meaning that each string could have two balls dropping onto it at the same time or in super quick succession.

Next up for the tour-ready version X are 3D-printed kick and snare drum components. Meanwhile, you can watch the bass module design video below.

Source: Wintergatan

How to hit Bass strings with Marbles - Marble Machine X #4

View gallery - 5 images
3 comments
3 comments
Milton
love it
Nik
When Martin Molin can achieve the level in this link, that will be a real achievement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyCIpKAIFyo
JimFox
Don't get it! Complete waste of effort, what exactly is it supposed to achieve??