disquiet0033-turntable, kaboodle Kaboodle Sound
About Turn [disquiet0033-turntable]

Created for the Disquiet Junto.

Assignment:

"This week’s project is the Disquiet Junto's 33rd, and since the number 33 (or, more specifically, the number 33 1/3) is so closely tied with the LP turntable, that device will be the primary object of investigation.

"You will make an original piece of music in which all the sounds are derived from a turntable — only from the turntable itself, which means you can't put any vinyl on it. You can knock on the turntable, blow on the needle, record the sound of its internal mechanisms, whatever you like. You can also transform those sounds as you please, but you cannot include any additional sounds. "

Method:

Ran very close to the deadline once again - but I had a decent excuse: my partner gave birth to our son 5 days ago. I made half of this track with him asleep, cradled in one arm.

I used an old Aiwa turntable from a hi-fi semi-separate system which I've had for about 15 years. The needle has been damaged for years, and the turntable out of action. So I didn't mind what happened to it.

I scratched the needle back and forth on the turntable, without any vinyl, bounced the needle up and down, took off the rubber mat and played the needle on the steel platter. I started and stopped the motor several times, tried twanging the rubber band under the platter, and opened and closed the lid a few times. I recorded all of this on a Zoom H4n, using both the phono outputs of the record player and 2 contact mics.

I chopped up the recording in Audacity - into 42 small samples, loaded the chopped up 'hits' into a Korg Electribe ESX, and started constructing the rhythms. The only effects I used were two types of delay. Most of the sounds are basically raw except for the occasional use of low pass filters, some panning and a very small amount of modulation. The beats/drum sounds are mostly the start/stop action of the turntable, and some small, quiet bits of the lid being opened and closed.

Obviously, no vinyl or other sound was used in making this - just the sounds of the turntable itself.

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The track image is adapted from this:

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil...treal_1910.jpgg

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More details on the Disquiet Junto at:
Disquiet Junto