INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH MACHINES

10.12.23 ::: ANNOUNCMENT: DRONE MACHINES / ARCA COLLABORATION ::: read more

Drone Machines are open source, industrial strength machines, made for hands on control of software and hardware. The original idea sprang from a desire to create live electronic music, where physical interaction with tools and mechanisms would directly control the sounds. The performance, quality of materials, and components used to fabricate these machines are as important as the sound itself. Drone Machines forge a connection with material and mechanical motion creating a human/machine interface for your audience to experience.

Learn more

GLOSSARY OF GEAR

THE HISTORY OF DRONEMACHINES DEVICES

INGOT

BIG KNOBS 2

MINI RACK

RAILS

HEADGEAR 3

DITHER

RACK & PINION

GRIDIRON

MUTE

HEADGEAR 2

HEADGEAR 1

TRACHEA QUAD MIC

DRONE TUBE

ROTARY ENCODER

THROTTLES

BELLOWS

BIG KNOBS 1

LINEAR ACTUATOR

PEDALBOARD

ARCA / DRONE MACHINES

There aren't many artists out there as innovative and groundbreaking as Arca: her style of production and visual design is visceral, dark, bleak, but always intriguing & exciting. She's produced amazing solo works as well as music for Bjork, Kanye West and FKA Twigs, to name a few.

When she asked us to build her some machines I immediately jumped on it. We've worked on this now for the past 8 months working with Alejandra and her creative team and we focused on building some industrial controllers that would interact with her DJ setup, allowing her to make broader more physical strokes with levers, sliders and large knobs.

There are 5 total machines: 1 Fader, 2 Throttles and 2 Platters all rack mounted above her DJ setup with the table suspended from the ceiling by chains. The aesthetic of Drone Machines (the small gear company birthed from Author & Punisher) is raw, industrial, with heavy machine components.

Functionally, there is MIDI, USB, DSP Audio output and CV/Gate and they are completely open source. Many thanks and shout outs to the team at Drone Machines working with me who helped on this project as well as the other devices we are making: Adam Reed-Erickson (mechanical engineer), Jason Begin (sound designer, producer, composer), and Hanri Thayyil (firmware engineer).

Click the link below to learn more:
https://www.armoryonpark.org/programs_events/detail/arca