MARBLE MUSIC MACHINE (from scratch)

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I couldn't resist it and I made a Marble Music Machine. I 3D printed all the parts except the note drum out of resin and made the frame out of aluminium profiles. I designed and built this machine from scratch and I must admit it took probably three weeks more than I anticipated which is probably my worst time estimate for a project ever. This build is of course inspired by the MMX build by Martin from ‪@Wintergatan‬ and also ‪@danielbruin‬ and ‪@matthiaswandel‬ builds. If you liked this video and want me to go mental with this I'd love to go big so please leave a comment down below so I know.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:55 Frame
02:21 Note drum
05:11 Altium
06:10 Marble droppers
08:51 Marble lift
10:06 Marble runs
13:42 Belts
15:39 Motor
17:06 Midi Pad
17:41 Final Test
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[@matthiaswandel]

Was just searching if there was any newer wintergatan related videos out there. Just found yours. seeing that he's MIA for the time being, I guess I'll have to watch yours now!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

You made my day Matthias! I'll try my best!

[@Bein_Ian]

Martin just posted another update on his community tab! It looks like he's got a huge update on the design for the MMXT. From what i could see from the sketch it looks like the whole top-end of the machine has been nixxed. The barrel looks like the highest point.

[@theEduEnthusiast]

Ditto, Matthias!

[@WJCTechyman]

@@ivanmirandawastaken I know you said you "blame" Martin for inspiring this project, it could ultimately be "blamed" on Mr. Wandel too, since he's been making marble machines for ages and Martin also used Mr. Wandel's gears software to make the gears in his machine. I like Mr. Wandel's videos and he's even an inspiration to Adam Savage of Tested and formerly Dscovery's MythBusters.

[@micahnightwolf]

I feel like Animusic inspired Wintergatan, and Wintergatan inspired the rest of us. But the truth is, we all can create our own amazing things!

[@SeanHodgins]

Your resin printers must be doing overtime!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

All of them!

[@MisterMakerNL]

That belt hack, my internal engineer was screaming lo. Nice work tho! Your camera work is also top notch!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKPThZemeMlmbtk

[@MisterMakerNL]

@@ivanmirandawastaken Fancy toys doesn't always make it better! :) It's your skills!

[@ifitsrusteditsmine]

Are you REALLY asking if I want to see more of this? Of course I do. Plenty of it. And if I can help, let me know

[@MakersMuse]

That is an insane amount of work!!! Never seen so many resin parts 😂. I'd also upload a vid of just that final test with a watermark, before someone steals that gorgeous sequence off you 😍

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

If I'm honest I haven't seen so many resin parts before either 😂

[@JakeTheSnake509]

Insane is right. This reminds me of video games, fun but ultimately pointless

[@jacowaes]

@@ivanmirandawastaken What resin printer are you using for the transparant parts. I dont think i have seen you use any.

[@JohnUllrey]

Your move Angus!

[@victornpb]

When MMX takes so long that you start your own mistake marble machine 😂. I’d love to see more of design process, I thought that this episode has enough content for at least 5

[@Invira_zero]

Isnt MMX canceled?

[@Iceikking888]

@@Invira_zero maybe my mistake, but think the marble machine will be ish finished. But yeah, it is basically done and closed.

[@Iceikking888]

So to answer your statememt, yes it is cancelled

[@MCasterAnd]

​@@Invira_zero It is kind of cancelled. They will focus on creating a new version purely from CAD, testing and experience, instead of finishing the current one. Maybe they will use the current one to test new solutions etc. I think Martin realized that putting on parts only to mod them and cut them down isn't very productive. He also wasn't very happy with some early aesthetic functions which lead to instability and other issues. From what I believe they will design a new one purely in CAD, test the parts individually and eventually assemble it. IMO I still think he should have completed the current one in any form. From experience I know it is usually a lot more motivating to improve parts of a fully completed machine instead of never finishing one because you keep wanting to polish every part. We didn't go directly from steam locomotives to ultra-fast trains, we evolved train types and models over time as we learned more things and figured out better ways. In my (maybe controversial) opinion I also think that Martin 'owed' the viewers and volunteers a more completed machine than this. At least completing it to a stage where it would play something would be an acknowledgement of all the hard work the volunteers put in, both in terms of designing, testing, manufacturing etc. Some people spent months designing parts that worked great, but will never see a completed machine. I think this makes people lose a lot of trust in Martin. Why would I want to volunteer again when this probably will end up with another unfinished machine, no WT but instead we get this 'decentralized' blockchain organization? This is the feeling that I am stuck with after this project. It's kind of becoming a joke. This is only my opinion, though - and while I have lost some trust in Wintergatan and the MM project, I do still have a sliver of hope that restarting the mission in what seems like a different approach might work. But to me, this project was/is facing some serious overcomplication way beyond its original complexity.

[@sonosus]

@@MCasterAnd yeah I don't know why he's going on about this Blockchain nonsense.

[@3DPrinterAcademy]

As a Wintergatan fan I love this project! but, can you set the drum pad to at least play a scale and not atonal / whole tone scale😂 Amazing first attempt! nice work!

[@kruleworld]

Ivan now knows why it's taken Martin years to build his machine.

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Ivan KNOWS

[@Chrisamic]

I knew this was MMX2 as soon as I saw that wheel. Martin will probably find this hilarious because you made all the same mistakes that he made in two years, but you did it in two weeks :-D

[@jjeshop]

Easy to do when you're riding on the back of someone else's work.

[@ThorinGR]

If he had the same number of subscribers and patreons as Martin, it would take him 3 years to not finish as well

[@Kaiwala]

4 years*

[@RomanovDA]

Obviously Martin was explaining his mistakes for 4 years, that allowed to repeat them just in 2 weeks.

[@Chrisamic]

@@RomanovDA ;-D

[@IainMace]

"i have zero confidence in this working" hahahaha love it. Can't imagine how much effort went into designing and printing it. The process you have used is absolutely ingenious. Seriously well done

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

It took more than I expected 😅 Thanks!

[@devilduckietu]

I am starved for MMX content so now i'm here. Also, the difference between a musician solving this problem and an engineer solving it is astounding.

[@VincentGroenewold]

One works one doesn't? :)

[@bronkula]

@@VincentGroenewold One has years of development and whole teams working on it, and one is a first draft?

[@BIGH05S]

Same

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

Well the musician has turned more and more engineer as has time has passed. Now will the engineer be able to learn the skills of a musician? I have to say it's been interesting to see how Martin has been changing his approach to designing MMX over the years. He started with an artists vision of what he wanted the MMX to look like, and put a lot more effort into the aesthetics than creating a mechanically sound design. (ignore the pun, nothing to see here folks) At first he built what he envisioned and ignored any problems thinking that they could be solved over time. This turned into something of a nightmare with cascading errors that almost overwhelmed him before he started looking at his priorities and began "killing his darlings". There is nothing wrong with something being visually pleasing, but first it has to work. Once you have the functionality you can turn to making it interesting to look at. Ivan's machine is built for function, and yet it has enough interesting things to look at to keep your eyes busy. The marble runs reminds me of what you can see in pinball machines, though simpler as they are all straight and with 3D printed resin elbows. I think these are aesthetically more pleasing than the plastic tubes Martin use, but they are also either more restrictive with how they can be run or a whole lot harder to make than the tubes. The do have the advantage that they do not get dirty or scratched up the way the tubes probably will if the machine is used a lot. They are also not going to get blocked if some debris happens to get into the system, something that could happen with the plastic tubes. But at the same time Ivan is only starting to see all the ways things can go wrong with the marble path. You have to have enough balls in the system to keep the chutes from running dry. The same with the lift system, and the divider as it is will have a hard time to keep up with the amounts of balls going through it if the machine is programmed with some fast paced complex music. These are things that Martin experienced first with the original Marble Machine. This is why he designed the MMX to have a pretty impressive flow of marbles and planned for overflow. Even so it turned out is needs to be able to handle more overflow. And you can bet he's been calculating the lift capacity and total marble capacity very carefully, and yet it's been biting him. If Ivan builds a 40 channel version there will be a lot of marbles moving through it. I really hope he goes forward with this as I want to see how he will solve all these problems. But at the same time I will understand if he takes a look at what it entails and decides a small prof of concept is as far as he will go.

[@jimbo386]

So, this machine should be called the IMMMM? (Ivan Miranda's Marble Music Machine)

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

I think you missed an M

[@jimbo386]

@@ivanmirandawastaken Oh yeah! It's the Marvelous Ivan Miranda's Marble Music Machine, or MIMMMM! Btw, great video! You show very well the fun in the process of making.

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Haha! Thanks!

[@romol4]

slicer: how many parts would you need for the machine? ivan: yes cool machine, its amazing. greetings from CHILE

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Thanks!

[@benhitchcock3057]

I miss Wintergatan's videos. I think that perhaps he's a bit overwhelmed by the pursuit of perfection, it's a curse, and a blessing all in one. I sincerely hope that your video helps him to understand that it's all for fun, version 1 sucks but ship it anyway, real developers ship. I really loved your approach to this problem Ivan. You clearly have a much closer relationship with 3D modelling, and your 3D printers than Martin has, which is interesting. While he will spend a day manually forming lines in beautifully concentric hand fettled curves, Ivan's aesthetic is far more brutally engineering-based. If straight lines and 3D printed corners will work, then that's what will be done. I loved Ivan's approach just as much as Martins. Both of them had to deal with marbles on the floor. I sincerely hope that this inspires Martin to post again.

[@asdfdfggfd]

Incorrect. There is absolutely no virtue in perfectionism. The best engineers go for 'barely good enough'. Perfectionism is not a substitute for fault tolerance.

[@willphelps6715]

I love seeing your marble release method. I sent an animation of this same design to Wintergarten over a year ago when he was having trouble with his complex wood devices. It's nice to see that I wasn't crazy and it really does work. Thank you!

[@Skyentific]

Great project!!! I really love it. And it does not matter that all the machine can be replaced with an Arduino controlling directly the buttons. Mechanics is cooool!!! :)

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Yes, mechanics FTW!

[@JeffGeerling]

Somewhere in this series, you need to do a torture test and see how long those pads will last with the ball bearings repeatedly hitting them! If not a music machine, maybe you've made an economical wear testing machine for MIDI pads 😆

[@SwissRiven]

lets wait till wintergatan see's this video!!! amazing work!!!

[@mahmga1]

Really enjoy seeing your work, challenges, process, and absolutely crazy large scale projects

[@BigAdam2050]

When MMX takes too long, and has had too many revision.

[@RamenPoweredShitFactory]

This is the MMM, Mini Marble Machine :)

[@PeteRondeau]

I just don't know if I have the emotional strength to start all over again. LOL

[@loopymind]

Yeah gave up on mmx, when on average you have to watch 3 episodes for some arbitrary iteration of part that worked fine to begin with

[@markstevensfpv3722]

Awesome to see you getting into this Ivan, I really enjoy your design approach and also like the MMX, so it’s great to see you taking a crack at it! 👊 Keeping going, it’ll be a great video series!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Thanks a lot!!!

[@FilamentFriday]

Amazing. Your persistence is unbelievable and what a great design.

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Thanks a lot Chuck!!

[@neilgroulx]

Standing on the shoulders of giants @Wintergatan

[@HughMessenger]

Absolutely 100% we want more! Go big, go wild. Been following you both for ages, awesome to see you take on a marble machine.

[@BrainSlugs83]

The adjustment is great for small scale, but for larger scale, it will bite you, every time a screw is loose, that part will come out of alignment. Also, the steel extrusion frame has the same problem, screw loose means sliding. I would look at getting either a wooden frame, or a metal one with regularly spaced holes or something. I think the midi drumkit is a good idea, because if this was its own instrument you'd have to worry about acoustics, etc.

[@irkedoff]

Cool! Looking forward to seeing how it comes out.

[@kikihobbyrepair]

Amazing design and an extreme amount of time invested into this project. I love it :)

[@Tcustoms]

Good job dude! Can’t wait to see an updated version

[@CristiNeagu]

Meanwhile, Martin is probably having an existential crisis, trying to rewire his brain by reading 10 self-help books at the same time. He is seriously overthinking the whole MMX... And by that I don't mean that he's thinking too much about how to build it. That's ok. He's spending too much time philosophising about building the thing. Also, I predict this build will trigger another MMX major component redesign. I think it will be the marble funnels.

[@MoraFermi]

Martin's biggest problem is that he's trying to optimise and debug components inside a complex system instead of designing/testing components first then building a working system.

[@McGutschy2]

Mirande will follow Martin, I'm sure.

[@CristiNeagu]

@@MoraFermi The problem is not that the components are in a complex system. The problem is that the system keeps changing. Remember how much time he wasted with adjusting the timing on the marble droppers which he then ripped out? Not before wasting even more time to level the marbles at the top of the tubes. So much wasted time, because he was determined to perfect a design surrounded by temporary assemblies.

[@CristiNeagu]

@@McGutschy2 I'm not sure. Ivan seems to be a "let's wing it" kind of guy. He's been building things for long enough to have a preferred working method, not like Martin who only had one big project under his belt before the MMX.

[@McGutschy2]

@@CristiNeagu Martin has created a big team and his skills are easy equal or better compare to Ivan.. But this is not the point.. In German: Konkurrenz belebt das Geschaeft. (Competition stimulates business). An idea is able to walk better on two legs. :-).

[@naomi_daniels_106]

Amazing! So cool to see your beautiful take on MMX. This is a great tribute! It's cool to see a completely different mind engineer the whole thing. I'm sure Martin will be very proud of you!

[@MrAlFuture]

Awesome! This is going to be fun! And who knows, perhaps your successes will motivate Martin and vice versa!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

That'd be a win win!

[@properprinting]

Impressive result! Especially considering that you've built it from scratch and didn't test it. That's ballsy 😉

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

I call it free making, is like free soloing but the only thing at risk is an insane amount of time and money 😅

[@JAYTEEAU]

@@ivanmirandawastaken So... free balling?

[@Rouverius]

I totally get where this is coming from. I agree. I love seeing how Martin is tackling the MMX as musician taking a crash course in engineering while you're looking at this from the other viewpoint. Looking forward to version 2!

[@RandomProjectswithSam]

Also need to solve for over-feeding marbles at the top. Glad you mentioned the MMX; hard not to draw comparisons.

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

I found 20 more issues after finishing the edit 😅

[@dominicmillerca]

Your channel is so underrated Ivan! You should be in the 7 digits subscribers range, your creativity and your energy are so contagious! 😍

[@michaelgopin1600]

What a great project. I also love the mmx and it will be fun to see your own take on it

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

That's the spirit! Thanks!!

[@pionnm1]

this is beautiful.doesnt matter if there are issues the design is amazing. so satisfying to watch

[@vonpredator]

Outstanding work! Look forward to further videos!

[@Zenzio152]

I like the camera angles, editing and music you used to produce this video. Good work. Looking forward to watching more ^^

[@vapaspen]

I have been watching MMX for years, You take on this is truly a delight! (I have been waiting for you next fid on this project ;) ) And do not be afraid to make several more prototypes. A: we like seeing you build things; B: there is a LOT to learn in this space and starting off big will just end in a big prototype. (looking at you MMX. see A for why that is ok though)

[@lenardvandermaas6893]

if you continue with this marble machine idea I'd love to see the design process too, like Martin does on his channel. I love seeing the in-dept explanation and genius solutions.

[@Alex-hn4wl]

the test run is mesmerizing. the camera work and sounds are perfect

[@zacharynapoleon4428]

Its been far too long since I got my last marble machine fix, I'd love to see more content like this!

[@platypusrex2287]

Love it.... your construction methods gave me ideas on how to do some of my projects....

[@mikejdash]

I love your work. I would love to see more videos of your workflow; how you do your design work, and especially how you 3D print.

[@outofmarbles5536]

This is amazing! right up my alley as a Wintergatan fan :) and yes... it was bound to have a lot of issues with just going at it with no prior testing... I learned that marbles have a mind of their own... :)

[@MadMathMike]

Honestly, this is an incredible video. Could have easily been a whole series. I love the aesthetic of the machine as well. 👍🙂

[@joeldezwaan1149]

It's a very refreshing take on a marble machine! I love the MMX but it's design has started to stagnate. This is a very welcome addition!

[@taantricks]

Awesome work.. once again.. Kudos

[@arthurdemello1]

So cool, please keep going!!

[@derektoy4444]

That is the most beautiful and satisfying build you have ever done. Favorite build montage so far

[@ProphecyHero]

Watching the final test sequence was oddly soothing

[@codemonkey2k5]

I am a huge fan of Martin and Wintergatan so I fully understand. I say go hog wild with this thing. I'd love to see you make it in to a series.

[@CircuitBug]

Would love to see a series on your design process 😀

[@jessenorman1405]

You sir are absolutely brilliant. Your builds are just amazing.

[@iwantyou107]

I always get a little excited when you bust out the aluminum extrusions. "Ohhh here we go with the frame!" It's how I want to build things, once I start building things. More of this and more extrusions! Possibly incorporate it into your logo? Great vid, thank you!

[@cliffordcarlton9255]

Awesome for your first attempt. I’m sure it will just improve with time. Keep it up, will be looking for more on this project

[@Reaper_1994]

This is impressive for a first run. Great work!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Thanks!

[@AnjudaGuitars]

Another man falls into the marble rabbit hole and people is cheering YESSSSSS!!!! I've been waiting for this for a while. Congratulations Ivan!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Cheers Carlos!

[@cookingandjava7574]

Absolutely impressive!! Great job

[@doBobro]

Amazing engineering story. It was hilarious to watch. Especially 8-fold belt trick. Thank you!

[@therandombros300]

This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to make something (TM)! And that belt fix is fantastic haha! Bravo from a Mechanical Engineering student.

[@sgsax]

The MMX inspiration is pretty clear here. But there are plenty of ways to build such a creation. I'm looking forward to seeing how you develop your vision. I will admit, constructing the frame gave me flashbacks of your vertical mill build. So much drilling and tapping. 😁 Thanks for sharing!

[@hisfrenchness]

This is insane. Love your work, so much 😍💖

[@Hobypyrocom]

on the other side, Wintergatan is missing and he has 1001 excuses ready, while people who donated into his project are angry 🤣

[@saspurillie]

1001 excuses and prayer to a elon musk

[@perigeedynamics5941]

What an incredible video. I cannot wait to see how this develops! Wooden xylophone keys would sound so cool.

[@adr1an709]

Incredible effort Ivan! Please show us more!

[@MegaDman42]

Honestly I'd love to see you as part of the design team for the MMXT, Ivan. You've got some ideas that could improve things in the touring edition of the machine and I think seeing the two of you working together would be amazing. And it's not like yours isn't also pretty, which is a big thing on the MMX machines. I feel like combining your design with his might help things along. Please try to get in contact with Martin and the team and see what you can do with them because that machine is going to be amazing and I'd love to see some of your design in it.

[@defenestrated23]

Martin stops focusing on engineering videos of the MMX and I can't get my wednesday fix The Algo: *There is another*

[@togden88]

I'm interested in the relationship between "marble reload rate" and the number (and position) of notes in a piece of music. Seems like a decent physical representation of sampling frequency and aliasing :) Fun project!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

That's in fact a critical point in the design that made me thing in including an overflow reservoir of marbles.

[@OliB150]

I was watching with baited breath as the lift was delivering more but the top was backing up! Wasn’t sure whether it’d throw them fully over the top or just on top of the backlog!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

That was the single issue that threw more parts to the floor, no doubt.

[@isaiahbarak6166]

I love this idea!! Can't wait to see what you two mad Men create!!

[@avonleariley892]

I could low-key fall asleep to this machine running, it's so soothing!!!

[@twonkel]

I absolutely want to see more of this

[@tylergriffin333]

More like this please. Getting my marble-machine fix here while Martin is on hiatus.

[@nunohilario5945]

I've also seen all videos of wintergatan marble machine, his music is amazing. I do not consider yours a failure, quite the opposite, looking forward to see future developments on your marble machine.

[@Creative_Electronics]

This is insane! Nice made Ivan :)

[@jhowarth1974]

I think this is great, you're looking at it from a design standpoint, make sounds with marbles, eventually make nice sounds with marbles.. strictly engineering. Wintergarten is looking at it from a musical standpoint to make specific sounds and be musical... but still with a tonne of engineering. Keep going Ivan, this is going to be fun to see!

[@DennisDay58]

Love how you are following Wintergatan Marble Machine so cool!

[@Ravedave5]

This is wonderful, subscribed. Who cares about testing, you learned so much putting this together faster than if you designed each part meticulously then found out the combination was a disaster. Can't wait for version 2.

[@AlexSouthwell]

Love it. keep up the work. you'll come up with some amazing ideas I'm sure

[@RazingthenRaising]

You have a great start with the marble support. It will work if you can mount the same frame on the other side. That way, the lift can't wobble around while moving and under big loads.

[@JAYTEEAU]

Insanity of the best kind. I want to build a marble run now. The cats would love it 😂 Cheers, JAYTEE

[@liamevangelista6455]

Yesss this is awesome!! More!!

[@crazyphrog6289]

I think it's fantastic that someone else tried this, from scrath, inspired by Wintergaten. Him and his music really is inspiriing.

[@annoyingneighbor4928]

I love this.

[@tm2357]

Excellent idea! Let the descent into madness begin!!

[@sathyakumar2523]

Amazing work done Iwan love your passion for 3D printing

[@homesoft1234]

Amazing work!

[@VectorRoll]

Loved it. It is a great try at it and a lot better than I would have been able to do. I am musically declined that I probably would have had a nervous breakdown just trying to design such a device. I really like watching your attempt at it though and would love to see you do a lot more on it.

[@garthhowe297]

So very cool...love it

[@peetiegonzalez1845]

Amazing attempt. This is one of the most difficult things you could have attempted. Great job.

[@denyago]

Awesome! Keep it going.

[@Kazick228]

There is something very satisfying to me watching marbles move though a machine.

[@Gunbudder]

i knew someone would scoop MMX while martin is busy endlessly revising the design and creeping the features

[@hatemamin8989]

Love your videos, keep up the good work

[@maanvis81]

I discovered this channel through Wintergatan and now the circle is complete when you make the Marble music machine :D

[@GiulianoMazzina]

So jealous you got so many beautiful resin prints. I struggled with my resin printer. Hats off to you sir.

[@rho35100]

Love it!!!

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

😉

[@ErrantVanguard]

Without stating the obvious name, it's nice to see a project in this vein actually completed.

[@cedricpelloux9554]

this looks awesome

[@arankthnar]

Very impressive ! You're such a creative guy !

[@collie147]

Fantastic feat of engineering. I love the robotic music theme you've got going on. I was always interested in creating a band out of robots and you're doing it. Anyway, replace the korg nanopad with a glockenspiel/xylophone and onto a winner.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, Ivan! Amazing machine!!! 😃 The points where the balls fall off should be fixed, but the points where sometimes it misses a ball... That adds some unpredictability to it! Which is great! 😃 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@ivanmirandawastaken]

Cheers!!!