DIY Quad VU Percussion instrument

[L.C.O.]

Based on questions some of you asked about the specifics of building my own "version" of the VU-PERC originally designed by Gieskes, I thought it would be good to set up a thread for exchanging information on this.

My build is really a hack job, as I am not a circuit designer. But based on whatever experience I gained building a bunch of modules and working with sound in general for a long time, I was able to assemble something that seems to work just fine :-) Plus, the "rough" aesthetic seems to be in keeping with the original Gieskes ethos.

Here are a few photos of my finished standalone Quad VU Percussion case:





Here are a couple of shots that show how it is currently wired (though I think I will be making some tweaks soon):




The four VU meters are driven by 4 VU buffer circuits from JLM Audio:
http://www.jlmaudio.com/shop/index.php? ... oductId=19

And I added two CTACT tiles for control of the output levels:
http://erthenvar.com/store/ctact

The whole thing is (at the moment) powered by a basic consumer 12V wallwart power supply:



The rest are just standard toggle switches, and 3.5mm audio jacks. Oh, and my power supply is currently plugged through an XLR connector I installed on the side of the case... That was the only plug/connector set I happen to have in the studio! :-)

There was a small adjustment that was necessary to have the tiles work from the 12V supply, which meant adding two 1K resistors, but John from Pulplogic helped with this clear guide:



and here is my assembled "adapter" for that:



If you have any further questions, I would be happy to answer them here.
p.

+ couple of earlier pictures from the process:




PS.
I am a bit of a VU junkie. I have used Vu meters in my installation projects before, which is why I had all the parts at hand.
Here is an installation for which I built these interactive audio devices that had VUs all over:
http://laborcamp.mcad.edu/00_study_D.html
And here is an installation in which I had VU meters built directly into the wall of the gallery:
http://laborcamp.mcad.edu/00_apologia.html


[video][/video]

[drip.feed]

Dude this is fucking fantastic! Any videos yet?

[sloth713]

I too would love to hear/see any audio/video demo of the sexy sexy beast

[mrtweed]

that is awesome

[L.C.O.]

Guys, thank you for your kind comments!
I literally just finished it yesterday, so had very little time to make anything with it, let alone video! But I will get there :-)
It sounds just like the Gieskes VU-PERC modules, but the real fun starts sending the signal through other modules...

[glia]

respect

[Dogma]

total respect. Im sure there was some tongue in cheek involved but Id be into this - Im finding absolute voltages without a multimeter a non show since theres no otool available (jeez spot a hole in the market anyone! I know theres an apparent V2 but Id say just about everyone by now would snap one up

[gijs]

i made some kits with basic parts (not included are vu meter front panel and piezo).

see parts here:


its 25 euro.

shipping via no track airmail 3,5 euro

[L.C.O.]

i made some kits with basic parts (not included are vu meter front panel and piezo).

see parts here:


its 25 euro.

shipping via no track airmail 3,5 euro

very cool!

[ClausF]

Cool. Where did you get the case from?

[L.C.O.]

Cool. Where did you get the case from?

I got it from a local junk shop (Hunt & Gather in Minneapolis).
:-)

It was some kind of tool case I think, and I needed to (forcefully) remove some sub-dividing barriers. But I kept the long one on the side, as it suggested a nice placement for the plugs and switches.
I also added rubber feet at the bottom.

The case itself really is super junky: rust, old paint, it's bent out of shape etc. But I thought it was fitting for the nature of the instrument, and with the added hand-painted designs it now has lot's of "character".

[glia]

this whole project is perfect

looks unique and personal
+ it all seems like it belongs together and has ALWAYS fit together (which is strangely awesome for something you just built)

kudos LC

i echo everybody else...post some a/v when you have a chance!

[scottmoon]

Ditto

[L.C.O.]

this whole project is perfect

looks unique and personal
+ it all seems like it belongs together and has ALWAYS fit together (which is strangely awesome for something you just built)

kudos LC

i echo everybody else...post some a/v when you have a chance!

Thank you!
I will post some media eventually.
p.

[tekzon]

I don't want any argue here but, your box has a sad history, right?

[ClausF]

I don't want any argue here but, your box has a sad history, right?

That was the reason for my question. Somebody who sees this could have the wrong ideas. It looks cool, as long as you don't translate it and as long as you don't know what this was before...or it was something (better) that I don't know.
Anyway, cool project, and for gods sake the box is history...

[L.C.O.]

I painted the design on the box.
The LC in the logo stands for Labor Camp.
All my audio work is always a product of a Labor Camp Orchestra.
Which in German is Das Arbeitslager Orchester.

Indeed I reference history here, as I do with a lot of my work. Certainly everything I have done as part of a long term project called Labor Camp. I am intersted in much larger ideas than specifically German labor camps (though I am very aware of the fact that when written in German these references are much more direct). These are difficult histories, but I have always felt that the language of art is precisely the means of confronting such issues. To me, ideas of endless labor, or forced labor relate not only to the dark histories, but also for example, to social media and the contemporary ideas of immaterial labor.

This diagram illustrates a simple concept that looking back, and remapping the past onto present might give us an insight into what happens around us now:

[video][/video]

If you are interested in the way various ideas historical, philosophical and artistic intersect with each other, please take a look at some of my work at:

http://laborcamp.org

This older piece references Russian Gulags:

[video][/video]

While this one connects to Chinese history:

[video][/video]

[tekzon]

Hmmm!
that's interesting!
sorry I didn't took time to dig your work before posting,
I was at first afraid your box design was just a"cool" design...

I should have started by congrat you on that nice build/project, anyway,
curious to ear it in action!

[L.C.O.]

Hmmm!
that's interesting!
sorry I didn't took time to dig your work before posting,
I was at first afraid your box design was just a"cool" design...

I should have started by congrat you on that nice build/project, anyway,
curious to ear it in action!

Thank you for engaging with the work/ideas though!
I am glad you asked the question.

I still hope that the design is "cool"... Aesthetic experience is such a huge part of art. To me it is always about ideas first and foremost, but the aesthetic aspect of it is so important. At the very least as a point of making an initial connection with the work.

[ClausF]

sorry I didn't took time to dig your work before posting,
I was at first afraid your box design was just a"cool" design...

Same for me, so with this background the whole project is cool...sorry, your design looked very authentic...

[synthdiy]

Great project

[Mr. Enjin]

Another big Just saw the VU-Perc a few days ago and loved the idea but didn't really feel the need for a module or two, but a whole "drum kit" together is definitely what I need

[sempervirent]

Awesome work L.C.O., very well done on all levels.

[eurodad]

I see that you offer kits above. I live in Minneapolis and would love to pick one up if i could. Very interesting work. Do you perform in town often?

[sixty_n]

@eurodad it was gijs who offered the kits. I don't know if he still has them but you can find out by contacting him here: http://gieskes.nl/eurorack/?file=vu-perc