Noise Box Demo | Junglist Edition | Why Not Build Your Own?

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Jungle Track: unknownaudio.b...
A while ago I made myself a noise box. "What's that?" you ask...
... well, its a box....
Yes,
... for making noise.
Ingenious!
If you make music, do sound design, compose for film/TV, or just like to make a bit of impromptu noise, then I would highly recommend building yourself one of these things.
The beauty is that they can be simple, inexpensive and a lot of fun to make, and you will end up with a unique, DIY instrument, with which to BRING THE NOISE!!!!
This is the jungle edition, so I used my box to make a dnb/jungle track, in an attempt to demonstrate that these can also be very versatile instruments.
I hope this inspires you to make your own Noise Box and I would love to hear what you make with yours!
x Peace x

[@RiserOfficial]

This is fantastic. A real organic creative process. Something to be proud of rather than just grabbing premade samples and playing sonic lego. I really enjoyed this video. Thanks. 🙏🏽❤️

[@UnknownAudio]

You’re welcome. I totally agree, finding ways to make your own unique sounds is very rewarding. Thank you kindly for the comment! Btw - I’m stealing the phrase ‘sonic Lego’ haha, I love that! 😆

[@RiserOfficial]

@UnknownAudio 😋👊🏼

[@onomatopoeidia]

Put some rails around the outside and then roll steel ball bearings on it like a pinball machine. Makes interesting random rolling sounds and you can tilt and rock it back and forth. I’ve done some fun ambient stuff with these for films. Great fun and almost impossible to repeat yourself!

[@UnknownAudio]

That's a really interesting idea,. It reminds me of my first woodworking project I did in school when I made one of those puzzle boxes where you have to navigate a ball bearing around a maze. Anything that makes me less likely to repeat myself would definitely be a good thing haha! Thanks for the comment.

[@onomatopoeidia]

@@UnknownAudio yeah random is the name of the game hey. Interesting is if you wire that piezo directly to its own connector, you can then trigger samples from any drum module or Roland spd-sx or octapad and do some Uber weird sound triggering. Taking that further, route the midi out of the trigger module to any synth or VST and you can trigger omnispbere directly :)

[@UnknownAudio]

@@onomatopoeidia That sounds awesome and would open-up a whole world of possibilities!!

[@nolyspe]

God bless the youtube algorithm for turning me into this channel

[@UnknownAudio]

Really glad you're here and enjoying the content. Thank you for the comment.

[@igorsmolyansky7862]

Super cool demo, the reverb changes everything. The box esthetic matches the audio it makes

[@UnknownAudio]

Is that a diplomatic way of saying it sounds as bad as it looks? 😆 Just kidding! Thank you kindly, I appreciate the comment!

[@Ribulose15diphosphat]

The usage of a bone would likely boost the sales of the music or film, because its edgy. This is the kind of stuff like Marrilin Manson and his alegdly removed rip, the filming of real Junkies in Christiane F. or the Mussolini-Fotos in Doom.

[@TheRaon]

THAT'S IT!!! I'm building a noise box!! Love yours. Sounds awesome.

[@UnknownAudio]

Yes, do it!!! Thank you so much!

[@shambien]

Really neat! I have built some guitars (both 'fancy' and weird ones like cigar box guitars and diddley bows.... the last one of which l even used for techno baselines) and experimented with strings, piezos, pickups and the like but I always used external effects (guitar pedals or software) and l had limited myself to guitar strings. The "box" concept the way you implemented it is very cool and inspiring. Keep up the awesomeness 👌🙏🎶🎵🔊🔊🔊🔊

[@UnknownAudio]

Thank you so much. I just had to look up what a diddley bow is - I had no idea that’s what they were called! I love the idea of using one for techno bass lines 🔊🎶🎸 A cigar box guitar has been on my ‘must make one of those’ list for too many years now. Think I should build one and make a video. Really appreciate the comment!

[@shambien]

@UnknownAudio yes I understand: I was coming from the rock/blues side of things (there is a song by Seasick Steve called Diddley Bow which, of course, advocates for it's construction) and in turn I also didn't know the keyword "noise box" until today LOL but l had an intuition that those approaches could be blended... Music is music I don't stick to strict genres 🎶🎵 Even if my channel is focused more on my music, you can still find some old videos with some of the guitars I made. Always nice to reciprocally learn from creative people on KZbin 😉👌🙏

[@saphronsquares]

Really interesting and super inspirational! Keep doing your thing! Much love and respect for what you're doing!

[@UnknownAudio]

Thank you so much. Glad you liked it and I really appreciate the comment

[@saphronsquares]

@@UnknownAudio You're welcome!! :D

[@vacuumelite2065]

Splendid stuff. You put a big smile on my face. 😊❤

[@UnknownAudio]

Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@mymusicmixminute473]

Thanks making me dig through my drawers.😁 Found all kinds of guitar/hardware "parts" to use- just need to locate a box, assemble, and record. Very much appreciate the video!

[@UnknownAudio]

Well, if your drawers are anything like mine, they probably need a good clean out!! 😆 Glad you liked the video. Thanks for the comment.

[@alfredross]

Very nice and inspiring. The video clip at the end is also cool to watch! The rib bone for the bridge is a nice touch : )

[@UnknownAudio]

Thank you very much! Glad you found it inspiring 😀

[@atomcatz69]

This is so cool Great track by the way too! I'm definitely inspired to make one myself because it just reminds me of early sonic youth noise Specifically from their album confusion is sex

[@UnknownAudio]

Thank you so much. Never got in Sonic Youth, even though I spent my teen years listening to grunge/metal/anything noisy! Thanks for the recommendation, giving it a listen now! Glad you found the video inspiring

[@DirtleTilbury]

Good job on the routes for the parts. Really nice job man

[@UnknownAudio]

Thanks! I have to admit, they were a bit of an afterthought as I forgot to account for the top thickness! All worked out in the end though. Appreciate the comment

[@AlbertSirup]

this is great. as someone who enjoys both jungle and dark ambient music this combination is really interesting. I love all the noisy things and the bass sounds great. The stereo fx on the breaks is pretty out there but it kindof works once the drop starts haha

[@UnknownAudio]

Thanks. I make a lot of different genres of music and I'm certainly no jungle expert, but it is fun to dabble. Normally, I like to keep kick/snare/bass down the centre and throw hats/percs out wide. I tend to "stereoize" breaks the same way... maybe too much sometimes!!! Haha 😆 Appreciate the comment.

[@dUBfROMwATERHOUSE]

This is so awesome bro!!! Those added tines, particularly the one with the really low bass tone, are fantastic. Jungle is sounding on point!! And cool video at the end. I definitely want to have a go at making one for myself! ❤

[@UnknownAudio]

Thanks bruv!!!! It's funny how its those last minute, subconscious choices that often tum out the best. I would definitely recommend building one, there's so much scope for tailoring it to your own tastes/requirements. I've already started to put some ideas together for a new one!!! ❤️

[@codelicious6590]

I got a super cheap pack of like five 9v batt boxes from Amazon they have the little on/off switches, I put one on a breadboard and am planning on using them for my reverb-box as well. I put a bunch of bigger springs across the insides of the box so literally everything reverberates like mad.

[@UnknownAudio]

That sounds cool. It's funny that, coz I already have plans to build a new one in a metal enclosure and essentially make it into a spring reverb tank that I can route the audio through! Must be the morphogenetic field at work again!!!! Would love to see/hear what you do with yours.

[@i_never_asked_for_an_alias]

Solid track. Have fun.

[@UnknownAudio]

Thanks you kindly!

[@kreggorybiglips]

Inspiring. thank u.

[@UnknownAudio]

you’re welcome. Thanks for the comment

[@arcifric969]

Its crazy!!

[@UnknownAudio]

Thank you so much!❤️

[@Some_Cat_]

That's really cool! I wouldn't mind making something like this but maybe involving a fretboard or two. It's making my imagination run wild that's for sure.

[@UnknownAudio]

I think adding a fretboard would be really cool. It's great to hear that the video has got your imagination flowing - that's one of the main reasons I put these videos out! Thank you for the comment.

[@codelicious6590]

Must be the collective unconscious or morphogenetic field or something like that cuz I have been planning on putting one together with one of those pt2399 boards inside, along with a couple lm386 amps to possibly turn it into a reverb type unit with an input as well as output. I got tired of seeing everybody's cool sounds being basically interesting due only to the effects they ran after them. This is killer man!

[@UnknownAudio]

As someone who is familiar with Rupert Sheldrake's ideas about 'Morphic Resonance', I think you might be right. Whatever brought us to this point, your idea sounds awesome. Not that there's anything wrong with post-processing, but I agree, having built-in FX, with tactile controls is really beneficial. That way the FX become an integral part of the performance, rather than a mere afterthought! Thank you so much for the comment, really appreciate it dude!

[@DashGlitch]

Nice work! I would definitely recommend adding a Violin or Cello Bow (or better yet an eBow) into the equation. It adds a whole new dimension of sound, especially bowing the springs and other fixed metal objects!

[@UnknownAudio]

Thanks Dash! I've been watching your channel for a while now and learnt loads from your videos, so it's a genuine pleasure to have you comment on one of my videos. In fact I saw you demoing your noise box (I think on one of your live streams) where you were using a bow. Very inspirational. As a long-time fan of Meshuggah I love the idea of using an ebow. Interestingly, I had considered trying to build and incorporate an ebow-type sustainer into the box itself, to turn it into a drone machine. Might need to improve my electronics skills to make that mod happen - maybe one for the future! Thanks again for the comment.

[@realmchat6665]

Very cool

[@UnknownAudio]

Thank you so much!

[@izzywaan]

Jesus!!!! now I have to build one.....see what you did???

[@UnknownAudio]

Sorry!! Not sorry!?!? Thanks for the comment

[@gregmark1688]

Hey, what a great box! I love the various sounds you're getting from it. I'd like to suggest that your pickups might work better if you connect the strings to ground. I'm not sure this is necessary, but every electric guitar I've ever worked on has had a wire connecting the strings to ground. I think it might make the signal from your pickups louder. Or it might not. It would be very easy to try it, anyway.

[@UnknownAudio]

That's a great suggestion, it hadn't even crossed my mind! Deffo worth a try - I might try drilling a hole in the side of the box so that I can run a ground wire to the bridge mechanism. Thanks for the comment

[@DaveyMulholland]

I think you need the pickups closer to the strings... If memory serves correct about 3/32" is the best starting point.

[@UnknownAudio]

Absolutely, I'm sure that would help no end. Unfortunately, due to the combination of the saddle height and the top thickness, I think I've maxed-out the upward travel of these pickups! Might look at using lower saddles or thinning the top a little in future. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Dropshock20XX]

Sick

[@UnknownAudio]

Thanks!

[@masterofreality230]

might be cool to put the strings through tuners then tune it to make an open chord. Cool video.

[@UnknownAudio]

Absolutely, that’s what I had intended to do, but I ended up just using what I had available. Might do some mods down the road! Thanks dude

[@masterofreality230]

@@UnknownAudio Yea, I broke one of my tuners on my LP so I have 5 extra.

[@UnknownAudio]

@@masterofreality230 It's always annoying when that happens, but I guess that would be perfect for this kind of build.

[@UnknownAudio]

The featured track is out now: unknownaudio.bandcamp.com/track/xenomorph Bonus video content here: www.patreon.com/c/unknownaudio/shop

[@TomAtkinson]

nice one

[@UnknownAudio]

Thank you kindly!

[@myautobiographyafanfic1413]

It's cool, and I've always wanted to make something like it, but I'd get sick of the limitations real fast.

[@UnknownAudio]

Thanks. Yeah, I guess it’s not the kind of instrument to spend years becoming a master at! I just find the making process fun and, although limited, you get something useful at the end of it. Thanks for the comment.

[@chinering23]

29:02 lol nutter, big up your spliff! Nice roller, it's missing tops or noise to fill it out, sounds bit muffled.

[@UnknownAudio]

Haha thanks man! Will probably work on the track and mix it better soon. Appreciate the feedback!

[@chinering23]

​@@UnknownAudio Yeah worth a go mate! I caught a few on your bandcamp last night. Recluse is decent, couple of tracks I kept rolling , 2020, Ikari warriors. Around that region of the album was good. Do a collab one day if you like or I remix one of those.

[@UnknownAudio]

@@chinering23 Thanks for checking out my music, I make a bit of a weird mix of styles! I have lots more that I should probably release that you might like. I would definitely be open for doing a collab and you are more than welcome to remix any of my stuff - I would love to hear what you do with it!!!!

[@gammakeraulophon]

So is the piezo amplified by one of the LM amplifiers? And do you amplify the piezo before it is fed to the delay module, or after? Same question for the guitar pickups.. are they fed direct to the delay module before amplification or after? Are the LM amps designed and buffered to accept low level signals such as from piezo and pickups..? And do they output line level? Same for the PT delay... does it expect to be fed low level small signals or line level signals? Thanks any reply! Nice vid cheers!

[@UnknownAudio]

I feel I should start by saying that my knowledge of electronics is minuscule, I am really just tinkering and figuring things out as I go, but I'll do my best to answer your questions. So, I can tell you that the piezo is attached to a potentiometer for volume control, and then straight to the output jack - i.e. no amplification. The delay and LM amp circuits are discreet, standalone circuits, so the piezo's are only amplified by the LM circuit if I run a jack cable from the piezo 'out', to the LM circuit 'in'. Same for the guitar pickups. This set-up does provide an opportunity to plug in other external devices/fx between the contact mic and the delay/LM amp circuits, or after the fact from any of the outputs. Unfortunately. I do not understand signal levels very well, specifically how to test/modify the circuits for different signal strengths. Ideally, I think there should probably be some input and output buffering, but for simplicity I chose not to worry about that here. If there are any signal level issues - i.e. it's running 'too hot' - I use my Digitech Bad Monkey pedal, which has 2 outputs (1 instrument level, 1 line level), before going into my audio interface. I hope that answers your questions more-or-less. Thanks for the comment!

[@gammakeraulophon]

@@UnknownAudio Hey.. cheers the reply.. understood it all.. and is a nice approach, that the entire signal chain remain flexibly open (modular), so as any signal can be routed in any order through the amp or delay modules, and as you say, the possibility to insert other external effects at any point in the chain also. Interesting! Can also see the wisdom in not worrying too much about such issues impedance matching/buffering etc... given the entire thing likely gains from a lo-fi, signal disintegrative approach that can only serve to add colour or character.

[@UnknownAudio]

@@gammakeraulophon Thanks! In all honesty, the lack of buffering/not matching impedances was to keep the electronics as simple as possible (to suit my current skill level), rather than any real wisdom - but I appreciate you saying that.😊I think it is fair to say that I consider this a lo-fi device, although it does sound surprising good to my ears. There's loads that can be done with post-processing these days and the electronics can always be modified/improved as my as my skill increases. Thanks again for the comments!

[@Insanabiliter_In_Linea]

I think the issue with the guitar pickups is it looks like they're way too far away from the strings, distance heavily impacts how loud the signal is, I quickly measured one of my guitars and it looks like the pickups sit about 3/16ths of an inch below the wires when not fretted, somewhere around that ballpark should get the pickups working better if there isn't something outright wrong with the pickups themselves. You also should use electric guitar strings, not acoustic guitar strings, acoustics will work, but they don't work as well since they're not tuned to be picked up by electric pick ups. I don't know about the springs, they look like they should work with pickups, you do want ferromagnetic steel, so maybe stick a magnet to them and see if they stick and if not, maybe just replace them with springs that are ferromagnetic, that might work but I can't say for sure. That thing's cool as hell though, I might have to build one.

[@UnknownAudio]

Yes, I agree. Great suggestion about using electric guitar strings, I will probably swap these ones out in the not too distant future. Thanks for the comment.

[@Insanabiliter_In_Linea]

@@UnknownAudio No prob, thank you for the inspiration, I love DIY shit like this. I hope that didn't come off as critical btw, just workshopping some possible solutions to stuff you brought up in the video.

[@UnknownAudio]

@@Insanabiliter_In_Linea No, I didn't think you were being critical at all - I genuinely appreciate suggestions like this, it helps me consider things I've overlooked or see new possibilities. p.s. I love these kind of DIY projects too, so I intend to do more experiments future videos. Glad you found it inspiring.

[@JeremydePrisco]

Do you have a schematic for your wiring that you can share?

[@UnknownAudio]

Unfortunately, I don't have a schematic available for you at present, but I used one PT2399 echo/delay module and two LM386 amplifier modules, with the addition of a few simple mods. I am currently working on a follow-up video to go through all of the electronics in more detail - and I may try to include a schematic/diagram - so keep your eyes peeled for that. Thanks for the comment.

[@UnknownAudio]

New video up now. I have included some wiring diagrams! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3WYqJuHmJyMebc

[@SillyLilDawg]

Ah yes, the doohickey

[@UnknownAudio]

Gotta love a doohickey! Thanks for the comment.

[@qtrax100]

drums are a bit flat but I love the sounds from the sound box.

[@UnknownAudio]

Agreed, this track definitely needs mixing properly. Thanks for the comment.

[@The23thFlow]

i like it ! +1 subscriber. show us how you make the electronic part please ^^

[@UnknownAudio]

Thanks so much for the sub! I think I am going to have to do a follow-up video talking about this., so stay tuned for that!

[@sullycliftona]

i was quite impressed ,looks fun ..until i started feeling a bit nippy ,.i have been sat with a computer fan on for 15 minutes ,duh stupid .../ ive watched a old behringer spring thingy noise box being repaired a few times it sounds the same

[@UnknownAudio]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for the comment.

[@alphanumeric1529]

no 60p

[@boblove2912]

just plug a guitar into a delay, you can do the same shit.

[@ZeroLeZero]

hey, even a really cheap guitare will do better sound. And you can modify it to

[@UnknownAudio]

I find that I approach this instrument with a different mindset. Plus, I think there’s something about making music with an instrument you have built yourself that is very rewarding. Ultimately, however, I think it just comes down to whatever works for each individual. Thanks for the comment