Created by panGenerator, Apparatum is a custom made apparatus with digital interface that emits purely analogue sound. It is inspired by the heritage of the Polish Radio Experimental Studio – one of the first studios in the world producing electroacoustic music.
The installation draws inspirations musically and graphically from the “Symphony – electronic music” – composed by Bogusław Schaeffer. Bogusław Schaeffer conceived his own visual language of symbols that conveyed the cues for the sound engineer responsible for the production of the piece. The physical form of the apparatus is inspired by the general aesthetics of the Studio’s famous “Black Room” designed by Oskar Hansen. The electroacoustic generators and filters were arranged in a modular fashion inside two steel frames – the construction element that they’ve referred to in their design.
Polish Radio Experimental Studio mostly relied on magnetic tape as the primary medium so the panGenerator team decided to use two types of “tape samplers” – two 2-track loops and three one-shot linear tape samplers. To obtain noise and basic tones they are utilising purely analog optical generators based on spinning discs with graphical patterns.
Software used to create the interface/GUI is electron (node.js) and microcontroller elements are c running on teensy 3.2. Hardware includes Teensy 3.2, 11 DC motors, 6 i2c motor controllers, 2 servos, 5 tape heads, 6 photoresistors / LED, Thermal printer, Mac Mini, Midas audio mixer and
2 active sound monitors. Constructed out of Plywood, steel and plexiglass.
panGenerator will present Apparatum in ZKM shortly. For details, see here.
