Plant Sounds Pt. III

PROJECT 
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Plant Sounds Pt. III

Plant Sensor Prototype Mk. III

IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! !  IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! ! IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! !  IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! !  IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! !  IT WORKS ! ! !  THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! !  IT WORKS ! ! !  THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! !  IT WORKS ! ! ! THE CIRCUIT WORKS ! ! !

Marc touching the plant — SCIENCE

After acquiring two exorbitantly priced Silver/Silver Chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes, remapping and overhauling the schematic (twice and then some), and being told several hundred times the theory behind a Wheatstone bridge (much to Marc's enjoyment), the circuit actually works as planned. Now, it may not be perfect and requires regular tweaking, but it works. Marc and I shared a celebratory high-five while the stress of our previous defeats washed away.

There is still a sizable amount of 60 Hz EMI plaguing the signal. For the time being, a simple attenuation of 60 Hz within Max/MSP will be sufficient. In the future, some refinement of the circuit design may help to prevent the interference. 

! ! ! In any case, I really dislike 60 Hz now. From this point on, my music will never use A♯1/B♭1 ! ! !

Now the final steps of the project are underway. The signal's qualities and characteristics need to be collected and delivered to Max/MSP. In order to do this, we are using an Arduino interface to translate the signal into serial data — an analog to serial bridge. Using Arduino is a new experience for me, but thankfully Marc is hip with it's language. The output of the Arduino will be decimal intergers as strings (10-bit values, 0 to 1023). I also still have to transfer the circuit to my own protoboard and solder it all together. Big thanks to the IEEE for letting me use their breadboard (and wire, solder, expertise).

Arduino code snippet

Max/MSP is capable of interpreting serial data live.  In this way, I'll have real-time values and, in effect, real-time audible changes in the sonic outcome. I've never dealt with serial data before, so there is some learning and testing in order to cultivate something representative and clear. Though with a series of numbers being fed into Max/MSP there is a great deal of potential for automating parameters (delay times, frequencies, filter values, and on and on). For the purposes of the project, too much ornamentation of the audio signal is, I feel, in poor taste. The peace lily probably doesn't know how to play music or modulate frequencies or control reverb times or create sick-ass beats, after all. Further research on this will tell.

The project has evolved with each stage, and it's much different from where it originally stemmed. Little did I know how massive of an undertaking this project would be. It all begins with a question: "Can a plant make a sound?"
 
The short answer is "yes". 

Lots of Love,
Thom

(soon to come are audio examples and the actual installation)