Can Marbles Play a Drum Roll?

[@pvsfair]

I Love how you are structuring the videos. Showing the results and then explaining the hows. It is awesome how, even though I already know how the thing is going to end up being, I still want to watch the process!!

[@AnttiKivivalli]

@@pvsfair And the function! First the explanation of why we’d like to bend the laws of physics: to get a drumroll sound!

[@TonyBullard]

It's also nice to see the shaker in action, giving us a little glimpse of the future.

[@the_jcbone]

I fear that it all will end up in the next big reset.

[@GreenvilleGuy]

I agree - awesome video explanation and demonstration.

[@morganmckip]

That’s true

[@PerplexedAnimation]

The music montages are super cool, I hope you keep doing them :)

[@m.i.c.h.o]

Very super cool!

[@KX36]

It reminds you that he's a really talented musician and not only a madman talking to a cog with a face.

[@pjdarkr7019]

Martin could do nothing but make videos like that, and he'd still have a huge following. The fact that this musicality just leaks out of him as a byproduct of whatever he's doing is so charming.

[@FuncleChuck]

@@pjdarkr7019technically that is all he is doing

[@BrianHG.Ocean.Fitness]

Careful about creating a system which relies heavily on elastic band or spring recoil. Temperature swings may affect the way you drum machine strikes. IE: If you operate your marble machine in a 28 degree C environment VS a 15 degree C environment, the length and skips of those drum strike may be completely different as you currently seem to have a fine calibration. Try to make the recoil of your drum sticks reliant on weight and axle pivot point instead. Once set, so long as your axle joint isn't stiff in any way, your mechanism will be immune to temperature swings.

[@famitory]

unforutunatley, drumheads are big elastic bands in this respect. modern mylar heads are much more stable than old calf heads since they ignore humidity, but they do still change pitch and tension (and therefore bounciness) with temperature.

[@BrianHG.Ocean.Fitness]

@@famitory Getting a reliable bounce may be problematic without a human's hands.

[@creativediy5419]

When tuned same it has the same tension.

[@billkeithchannel]

I noticed that the type of rubber band that I was using for newspapers is great and strong for that use but after about 6 months of age exposed to the air they deteriorate and break easy or get hard as a rock. Martin needs to choose the right professional elastic bands used in industry so they will hold up over time.

[@famitory]

@@creativediy5419 realistically he should probably be using a drumdial or something similar anyway since keeping the marble bounce arcs consistent is good practice. just have some numbers written down on a sheet and make sure the dial reads close enough between songs

[@oraziovescovi1922]

10:57 "and then somehow..." what you're looking for is a mechanical damper (part of a shock absorber) - a device that provides great force when struck (moved) with great force (speed) but provides less force if less velocity is imposed.

[@lukasschreyer2047]

Was about to say the same. Don't overcomplicate it with a lot of moving parts. A damper.. better even a one way damper (if that exists, great, otherwise through a clicking pen mechanism and some resistance only in the part of the track where it moves back up) Another option would be take one of the very big marbles, drop it on the lever and let the weight hold the lever down while the marble rolls of over a guided, stationary track which gradually let's the lever return back to neutral through the changing position of the marble and a smart shape of the lever

[@bev1558]

@@lukasschreyer2047 I think they're called air friction damper like they're used in drawers or roof handles in cars. They are damping only in one direction.

[@shocktnc]

This actually taught me some really useful info for recreating good drums with Midi instruments! I have not been using snares properly at all!

[@NonJohns]

fr when he put it all together I realized how much I was missing in my drums

[@raidennotrayden21]

Loving this new CAD approach. Cardboard Aided Design

[@Wintergatan]

First

[@imsoalone]

wrong

[@wizulus]

Magic!

[@tafsirnahian669]

😤

[@arogus]

nice

[@PaulDriverPlus]

Lolz!

[@powertomato]

Guitar on screen: thanks Martin's mom!

[@lenamolin5280]

So happy everytime he plays in a video!

[@powertomato]

@@lenamolin5280 Me too, Ms. Molin :)

[@robertbrun]

I have been wearing my Marble Machine "I believe" t shirt for all these years and I'm glad I have, because I really do believe when I see these videos.

[@Ackuroon]

MM4, Martin still strives for perfection. In his pursuit, he has reconstructed matter itself using electrically charged marbles as substitutes for protons and electrons. However, Martin realizes that fine-tuning the universe won't lead to a resilient design.

[@brandonmcclain9988]

lol

[@EaglePicking]

MM5: after starting to believe, Martin becomes The One and bends reality to make the machine work.

[@fabbrobbaf]

Your positivity is contagious and makes me feel happy too

[@robertholtz]

"Stupid marbles." - Martin Molin

[@secondengineer9814]

The year is 206X. Martin releases the 50th anniversary spectacular video with a progress update on the MM10. The patreons have cumulatively given him $40,000,000 at this point.

[@mateusbmedeiros]

I highly doubt we would have stopped at $40,000,000.

[@maartenvandervalk6062]

Hey Martin, I am watching since the very first machine... never knew you are apreciating comments, so I'll give it a go...: you combine passion for music with out of this world creativity, mechanical expertise which create so much more than music alone... its Art with a capital A!! All that with a healthy dose of humor and self spot... so please keep it up, your project may never end!! And I'll come to tour concerts for shure.. so a sincere thank you!! Greetz, Maarten from Holland

[@Basement-Science]

Martin has reached a new level of procrastination. A level previously thought impossible by most. Some say he will not rest before he finds a way to build a full-on speaker that functions purely by marble input.

[@whip8]

The music in the videos is so good. These videos are a pleasure to watch and listen to.

[@ngc2392]

To achieve the effect you are explaining at 10:50 you could make the marble roll towards the arm pivot point, without making it change direction and come out from where it entered. With the marble getting closer to the pivot point of the arm, the force on the end of the drum stick decreases! Love the music montages btw

[@spirecreator2888]

0:00 You can't just hit me with that beautiful sound at the beginning of the video and then just be like, "Oh yeah, we're making a marble based snare roll."

[@cavemann_]

11:50 you've no idea how much I've waited for you to say this LFG!

[@EmotionalSupportCube]

I 100% grew up on animusic and it had a huge impact on my life. One of the fundamentals of the mechanical and electronics fascination I have today. Since Martin's first few videos I've always seen this project as bringing that to life and I am soooooo happy to hear him say this!!!

[@YMilkshake]

Martin, it's not just that we like the music montages, we just like seeing and hearing you play music ^^

[@douglascaskey7302]

Hmmm. What a concept... Martin ACTUALLY playing music... instead of spending years making YT content building a useless machine. 🤔

[@YMilkshake]

@@douglascaskey7302 then why are you even here..? his fans want to see him succeed in making the marble machine and get the opportunity to see it live, if you don't you're clearly not a fan. You're the actual first person I've seen hate on Martin. Take your hate to twitter.

[@mateusbmedeiros]

​@@YMilkshakeOh yeah, lots of people like to give him views and adsense by saying the same old same old in some impossible to understand attempt to convince people to abandon Martin, I guess? Not sure.

[@genius1a]

​@@douglascaskey7302 a useless comment about YT content building a useless machine - if I'm correct that makes it useless²

[@YMilkshake]

@@mateusbmedeiros It baffles me why people that comment hate are even commenting on the video. Like just leave if you don't like it..?

[@ejmazzi1499]

"You know how good I am at this" second week straight being positive! Keep it up!

[@BrianHG.Ocean.Fitness]

Martin, have you considered instead a stream of tiny marbles, each designed to only bounce once to create the sound effect you are looking for. For example, 2 racks, one which holds 5 tiny marbles, the other which holds 10 of them. You would tilt over the entire rack of 5 or 10 feeding all marbles sequentially in a single shot, then after reloading the entire rack. With this solution, you do not need to worry about rubber bands wearing out and the effect the ambient temperature may have on the strength of your rubber bands affecting your delicately tuned vibrating drum stick. You also get that great visual of a stream of marbles like in some of the 3D animated videos you use as your inspiration.

[@JJFX-]

It would certainly be cooler but achieving the necessary speed of consecutive hits is just asking for trouble. Not to mention the intensity of each hit needs to trail off which you wouldn't get from a stream of marbles without making it far more complicated and even more likely to fail. If trying to replicate a snare drum, the right tool for the job is right there... Just use a drum stick attached to a more consistent mechanism with a damper to avoid unwanted hits.

[@TurboJLo]

It's not the montages its YOU making/playing new MUSIC. That is what many of us want even more than another Marble Machine!

[@Vastafari34]

I realized the the video quality is related to Martin's overall attitude of the project. Lately he has been really making strides and the videos show that. There was a point when Martin said, "only simple videos, no fancy editing, I'm exhausted and stressed and KZbin is too much. (paraphrase)" and how his spirits are so much higher and he now has excitement for videos again and excitment to share with all of us!! love you Martin! You are on my top 10 people I'd love to meet list!

[@viila5]

I still can't get over how cool the shaker cam is, sounds so good and makes the whole groove feel alive!

[@Wintergatan]

JER! you did it :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnPHkJxpadSLhbM

[@Sjokola]

I'm replying here in hopes you'll see it. When playing drums a short roll is almost always just 2 bounces. The illusion of three comes from the note it's playing towards (usually the bass). It's usually played as a double on the last 16th note of a bar (making it two 32nd notes). A short roll that's just two bounces will in most cases sound much more timed and open (and professional). The issue is that you probably can't time the speed of the roll. But if you are able to play 32nd ghost notes you might get a much tighter sound. I'd love to send some examples but I'm not home at my recording place (studio is too big a word :). Hope you find this helpful as you seem to find timing really important.

[@billkeithchannel]

I noticed that the type of rubber band that I was using for newspapers is great and strong for that use but after about 6 months of age exposed to the air they deteriorate and break easy or get hard as a rock. Martin needs to choose the right professional elastic bands used in industry so they will hold up over time.

[@Pixelarter]

An idea in case the added weights doesn't work: make the "half pipe" where the ball rolls curved up or down to change the profile of the force along time. With 3D printing should be easy to design different curved pipes to test it.

[@ItsJustJer]

YEEEESSS!

[@christianvitroler5289]

I think, he should start adding an entire philharmonic orchestra to the marblr machine. This way he can justify delaying the start of building it another 50 years.

[@staticrodent]

In my field of work, we have a saying when approaching a problem, "begin at the end." In other words, start with the final aspect of the problem and work backwards to figure out how to achieve the best result. Your journey through design philosophy helped you identify that the sound output of the instrument is the final and most crucial aspect of the problem, and you are starting with prototyping instrument designs that you will then place on a theoretical machine later. I think your current approach has the best chance of success yet! I'm so excited to buy tickets some day!

[@bradley3549]

If there is anything I've learned about Martin over the many years is that he's happiest when he's making music. So I'm loving him getting back to his passion with these latest videos. Keep it up Martin!!

[@leobottaro]

I was skeptical at first, but your solution is very ingenious

[@andrewwilkinson5220]

You bring an unparalleled level of engineering and music together with stunning innovation. I follow all of your videos. One thing that you often try to perfect is dropping the marbles in a controlled and precise way. My suggestion would be an electromagnet/geneva wheel concept. Imagine a sloped track so marbles would be lined up like in many of your other machines. An electromagnet the picks one up, rotates to the drop position, and the electromagnet can release the ball extremely precisely with no interference from moving parts.

[@f52_yeevy]

Really loving the focus and genuineness of this new series of videos. After having reached perhaps the biggest impasse in your design process, I'm sure you now have all the tools and ideas necessary to finally conclude this project. Cheers!

[@D4rkKnight64]

Well, music montage around 6:15 is actually amazingly good! Love those !

[@nako9790]

Crazy I love how you manage to find out way to produce very specific sounds for your marble machine so that it won't sound mechanical. The rolls, and before the shaker, Crazy good ideas !

[@rhkent1965]

Martin, awesome video. The music in the video is clean and smooth. Seeing you illiterate your designs is one of my favorite part of the videos. Great job!

[@Miniminimumm]

I love how you are implementing more music into these videos.

[@dogon1013]

The musicality of your videos are a huge plus. it makes it very enjoyable to watch.

[@violetfactorial6806]

It's exciting to see this come together gradually. It feels like you've taken another step. I 100% agree that your CAD design needs to be crazier. You want a machine that fascinates people, don't spread it out. Ideally you want everything to be as compact as possible, but of course you're not building a watch movement. There's a sweet spot I'm sure you'll find

[@christophbeer3417]

Well done SMARTIN

[@CoJoGrizzlo]

*It was such a pleasant surprise hearing your song in “the curious tale of the stolen pets”* ☺️

[@Feelslikehome-pb4io]

All the years you've been doing this and I've been watching you, I've been following my own equally crazy project here. I've had just as many setbacks. I have often despaired, had endless fun and learnt even more in the process. And all these years, your videos have accompanied me on my journey, and I accompany you on yours. I can't find the words to express my gratitude for what you do. Your project has often carried me through my project. You have made a huge difference to me and others and you probably don't even realise it. Thank you. Giving up is not an option. I am so happy to see that you have rediscovered the joy and inspiration that got you started in the first place. I believe...

[@lenamolin5280]

When I read comments as yours I feel so happy and proud of about what Martin is doing. The inspiration to other people to continue their own projects or dreams is really valuable. I wish you good luck with what you do and thank you for your much appreciated words!

[@cybermanne]

Your mom was right. Really good move to play guitar in every video.

[@lenamolin5280]

I agree!

[@andersjjensen]

The "Pain is temporary" -> removes angle grinder -> "Glory is for ever" cut was the biggest emotional moment I've experienced on youtube.... But I'm SO happy you're prototyping from first principles now. The second marble machine damn near broke you, and I honestly didn't think you had it in you to have another go at it, so I'm beyond thrilled that you're back to being playful with your instruments and editing. I belive again!

[@mthomas8174]

the use of Sisyphus as a progress icon back in the day was so on point, really.

[@Totial]

that last remix with pipe dream blew my mind!

[@brandb16]

Really loving the musically timed montage of steps you've taken to create/manufacture your part/test setup. I'm sure it's a lot of editing work but we appreciate it!

[@mrkjsmt]

Man I love this cardboard-rubber band-duct tape-cheap wood iterative prototyping design process. Just like we teach our students of Product Design Engineering in Rotterdam😍

[@michellestewart8679]

Your enjoyment definitely comes through! We've loved the engineering videos all through but the joy in these new ones is so much more inspirational! The montages really have leveled up the videos! Keep going!

[@saywhatnz]

I believe in you. You've brought the idea so far over the years, and while I adore das original sound-kranken gatan, the new array you showed at the end has me really excited to see what is yet to come!

[@belfonzus]

I really love the super expensive, highly professional prototyping, with all those precision machined parts.

[@ZeldaNerd31415]

More music!!! It's always a bop with Martin! thank you for putting so much soul into the project!

[@Polyrhythms]

that montage in sync with the music was crazy good editing

[@KannikCat]

Glad to hear the music returning (that music montage was sweet!). The MM is cool and all that, but it's Wintergatan's music is what I'm really here for and I really want the long promised double album of new work. :)

[@martinpallmann]

I love the shaker. That looks so cool. Like a human playing it. I hope I will one day see the machine in action in one of your concerts.

[@Alex-cx2ql]

I just love how you like progress through the stages of development for the individual parts of the machine. I am always looking forward for your videos because it's just so much fun to watch. The montage this time was also very nice. Keep doing what you're doing❤

[@burtschelljean]

I love this project so much, watching every single new videos everytime since years ! Happy yo see this new positive mind and musique into montage.

[@craigtorso]

Very happy to see Martin having fun, embracing the absurdity, and generally freeing himself of the tech-start-up vibes he seemed mired in.

[@BlameTaw]

I absolutely love all your music montages and all the small interstitial compositions you have in your videos. I wish I just had a compilation of those to listen to while I'm working. I love the Marble Machine progress, and the journey is great, but I also like the destination: music. And your music is incredible.

[@CBusschaert]

Disappointed that your snare sound list didn't include the rim shot.

[@chriswitham4510]

I thought that was the third and the best! More rim shots!

[@IvoTichelaar]

He's Swedish, he's no Erykah Badu 😂.

[@contranym675]

LIKE THIS guys this is SUCH a good point

[@AfferbeckBeats]

Rimshot and side stick/cross stick/rim click. He'd need a separate snare drum for the latter with the stick mounted on the head, but it would be the easiest sound to make.

[@Ben-h1e6f]

you inspire me so much. it's crazy

[@Fern_aves]

You have been one of the biggest inspirations to me in making music thank you for this teaching moment while also being so entertaining!

[@GethinColes]

Isn't the programming wheel going to need a hundred channels by the time it's done? I think constraints foster creativity. It's ok for the first world tour machine not to include the kitchen sink :)

[@davidgustavsson4000]

Yeah, just fill the kettle directly from the mains

[@thatfrickenweeb]

Regardless of how unrefined the cardboard prototype is, it's still an important design step. So in my opinion, it's absolutely perfect and did what you need it to do. I'm excited to see how you iterate it!

[@MariusIhlar]

I get happy everytime I hear you start playing music. 😍

[@kidgrit]

this is the best video you''ve made in years. This is peak wintergaten and I'm so glad I get to watch it happen!!

[@DaveGriff]

I really like this new format of making music as you go rather than pure engineering!

[@D3nn1s]

Just shows how much better youve become at buildig sensible prototypes right away. Love the 2nd design!

[@GudasWorld_2]

Don't forget makers, Martin still needs a marble cam. Put a camera in a marble & Martin will do a disco dance.

[@00CooG00]

"Stupid Marbles" Haha... I'm dying.

[@sukoo1]

I think it just bears repeating.. really glad to see the old heart and soul back in the project. The super technically engineering problem era martin was interesting. dont get me wrong. But theres a bunch of super technical engineering guys out there making videos. This version of martin, almost daring into mad scientist territory. That is what I find really engaging in the creator spaces. And you do it with whimsy and music as well. I think its secret sauce that draws us to you. Glad to see you back in this mode my man. It feels like your unique product again. Even if we never actually get the machine, its super engaging and entertaining.

[@nopenope6834]

I like that concept. The parallel staggered movement of the marble catching thing and the drum stick look very cool. And most importantly it still feels like the marble is playing the drum. I think you could implement a decreasing pressure on the long roll by making the marble roll in the opposite direction: if the marble rolls towards the pivot point, the length of the lever decreases and therefore the downward force on the drumstick decreases as well. It's basically your idea with the rolling weights, but using the marble.

[@retroplanistas1165]

Es la tercera vez que veo este proceso 🤣 no me canso de ver cómo mejoras cada idea y la vas implantando a cada paso del proyecto. Maravilloso ❤

[@CherryHead89]

I still can't believe how good the shaker sounds. I just can't sit still every time I heard it. It's so groovy!

[@xyzxyzxyzxyzxyzxyz]

I used to work professionally with designing software interfaces. We used cardboard, paper, coloured tapes and pens extensively. Made changes during evaluation sessions. I give your prototypes a solid professionality score!

[@Pistachio_mini_hotdog]

I like how you did this as opposed to how you made the shaker. The marble being the activation of the instrument is far superior in my opinion

[@Wielorybkek]

I actually find your prototypes awesome xD the amounts of tape warms my heart

[@siddharthvakkaleri]

I love the music in these montages.. Hope there’s an EP of them someday!

[@nikomyorobinson8147]

Dude that original marble machine is still like the most fascinating use of gravity ever seen still 🌞👌🏼 absolutely genius, a gift to us all 🙂🙏

[@bjornrisberg9404]

Your videos are so fun again! I feel like its more about the journey than the destination right now.

[@carlomartin6156]

Im feeling happy when Martin conclude his idea and start laughing out loud.

[@jannepeltonen2036]

I just love these videos with you having fun and testing things one at a time

[@tamadwzildjian]

These videos are taking me back to Mr. Music man, in the very beginning of KZbin. I would like to say that I enjoy your work so much. Please keep up, all the experiments and videos are awesome!

[@tamadwzildjian]

Lol, i meant mystery guitar man. I misspelled.

[@storbytronics]

Can I convince you to make a small album of all your little Wintergatan Wednesday jams? I just love all the sounds so much, and it would be a kind of neat way to document your progress with the prototypes for this project!

[@d3j4v00]

that might be the greatest montage i've ever seen. 5:50 - 7:02 I can only imagine how much work went into the edit :)

[@ChristianBehnke]

I love the experimentation process of finding what works, then refining it to work better! 💪🏻

[@22yhjjjj]

I am obsessing over the first 90 seconds. Pure ear candy

[@bencockerill42]

I like how by using the marbles to play with drumsticks, in a way Martin's finally getting his precious kinetic fingers

[@MarcusWoodOfficialVideos]

I absolutely adore this fast and dirty approach to the discovery, it's so playful and organic! Something not working? just tack a bit of tape and a sponge on it for now 😂 amazing

[@nikasio1990]

I really like to see you introducing more music back into your videos; where only dry engineering becomes boring fast and as a musician music is key. Nice to see structure as well !! 😀

[@TenkoFoxx]

So glad to see you creative and artistic again

[@Foundations01]

These videos really do feel like your old ones, when you were really having fun with the process. The Sandvikers Stradivarius musical saw was probably my favorite video you ever made, and that feeling has returned. Enjoy the process :)

[@mattcollier5150]

Love the low fidelity prototypes. Fail fast and often so you can get to a solution quickly. Most important... Having fun. You are making great progress. Music Montages makes it even more fun! Stupid marbles!

[@marcelw.5898]

9:15 😂😂🎉 isn't the whole Project stupid? PLEEEAASE keep going, we love you for this ❤

[@Kfish1963]

Your mechanical solutions appear to be coming more quickly and prototype design seems easier to design/produce. It's been truly entertaining watching your progress. I hope to see this machine on your WORLD Tour!

[@kingofthegrapes]

dude i'd love to see these montages become a regular thing theyre awesome

[@bbrdbr]

Loving the Cardboard Aided Design, Martin

[@sanaru02]

Never thought of overlaying the marble song with pipe dream from animusic, but gotta say, it rocks.

[@Dangineering]

Obviously I love the machine design, but I really missed your music Martin. Something about it speaks to me in a way other music can’t quite seem to. Thank you for providing some here and there

[@the_eternal_paradox]

I LOVE tho music montages, it's like the building is part of the performance, and is getting a solo part xD

[@chadmarshall4594]

Damn this journey of life has been soo good! Thanks for the ups the downs and now Rolls Baby!