# Sounds of the Nighmare Machine



## ag75 (Jan 1, 2019)

Did anyone catch this video from Great Big Story?



Published on Jun 20, 2017
What happens when a horror movie composer and a guitar maker join forces? They create the world’s most disturbing musical instrument. Affectionately known as "The Apprehension Engine," this one-of-a-kind instrument was commissioned by movie composer Mark Korven. Korven wanted to create spooky noises in a more acoustic and original way—but the right instrument didn't exist. So his friend, guitar maker Tony Duggan-Smith, went deep into his workshop and assembled what has to be the spookiest instrument on Earth.


----------



## charlieclouser (Jan 2, 2019)

I had seen that a while ago, and got in touch with the guy who made it. He's since gone into limited production with a version two that anyone can buy - for $10k. The first run is sold out, but hopefully another batch will appear at some point.

http://apprehensionengine.com


----------



## Francis Bourre (Jan 2, 2019)

Amazing! Do you know some other experiments like this one?
I know the ones from Dieggo Stocco, but I'd be glad to discover other ones.

I bought a Resonant Garden few months ago, and I'd be glad to discover other electro-acoustic instruments available to purchase.


----------



## Erick - BVA (Jan 2, 2019)

That's really cool. Very creative. I'd get one but at 10K I may have to make my own  
Only mine would probably end up making pleasant noises and conjure feelings of rainbows and unicorns.


----------



## charlieclouser (Jan 2, 2019)

For a MUCH cheaper but still interesting looking thing, check out the Microphonic Soundbox from Leaf Audio and ExplodingShed:

https://www.exploding-shed.com/microphonic-soundbox/

http://www.analoguehaven.com/leafaudio/microphonicsoundboxv1/

Cheap+cheerful at under $300, but it's not a guitar-based thing... so no hurdy-gurdy mechanism or other stuff like that. It's sort of somewhere between a Resonant Garden and the full Apprehension Engine. Still looks pretty fun. Out of stock at the moment though.


----------



## charlieclouser (Jan 2, 2019)

Sibelius19 said:


> That's really cool. Very creative. I'd get one but at 10K I may have to make my own
> Only mine would probably end up making pleasant noises and conjure feelings of rainbows and unicorns.



Yeah, at $10k I balked... temporarily anyway. I have so many similar things... a bunch of lap steel and sit-down steel guitars (including the Moog lap steel with hex pickup and 13-pin Roland output), all sorts of bowed metal things, ghuzhengs, psaltery, multiple waterphones, some Chas Smith sculptural instruments, etc., along with every kind of bow, dulcimer hammer, Gizmotron ( https://www.gizmotron.com ), e-bows, jim-bows ( https://larkinthemorning.com/products/ham087b ) that I could find. So the Apprehension Engine is a cool combination of stuff I sort of already have, except for maybe the hurdy-gurdy mechanism. Still might get on board if more come around at some point, but at that price I'd almost rather commission something to be built from scratch instead of getting an off-the-shelf unit that others also have.


----------



## Francis Bourre (Jan 2, 2019)

charlieclouser said:


> For a MUCH cheaper but still interesting looking thing, check out the Microphonic Soundbox from Leaf Audio and ExplodingShed



Thank you so much, I just ordered one on their website.
Any other acoustic inspirational idea is very welcome.

I can't play guitar but I'm considering to buy one to be able to use it with an acousmatic approach. Don't know yet if it's a good idea, need to think more about it.


----------



## Erick - BVA (Jan 2, 2019)

charlieclouser said:


> Yeah, at $10k I balked... temporarily anyway. I have so many similar things... a bunch of lap steel and sit-down steel guitars (including the Moog lap steel with hex pickup and 13-pin Roland output), all sorts of bowed metal things, ghuzhengs, psaltery, multiple waterphones, some Chas Smith sculptural instruments, etc., along with every kind of bow, dulcimer hammer, Gizmotron ( https://www.gizmotron.com ), e-bows, jim-bows ( https://larkinthemorning.com/products/ham087b ) that I could find. So the Apprehension Engine is a cool combination of stuff I sort of already have, except for maybe the hurdy-gurdy mechanism. Still might get on board if more come around at some point, but at that price I'd almost rather commission something to be built from scratch instead of getting an off-the-shelf unit that others also have.


I've found that just experimenting with bowing random things (of course not everything works) can yield some pretty strange and eerie sounds.


----------



## Uiroo (Jan 2, 2019)

I once recorded the sound of this video and created sample instruments out of little snippets where there's no talking. 
By turning the sounds into playable instruments by pitching and adding effects you get something new which doesnt really sound like the original material. 

But: Does anyone know if it's actually legal to use stuff like that in commercial projects?


----------



## Wally Garten (Jan 2, 2019)

Francis Bourre said:


> I'd be glad to discover other electro-acoustic instruments available to purchase.



These are kinda cheap (well, seem to have gone up a bit in price, but maybe you can find them cheaper on eBay) and look fun. I've seen people mod them to attach different striking/bowing surfaces, like the door stop version below:

https://reverb.com/p/electro-faustus-ef110-blackfly

https://reverb.com/item/17570920-electro-faustus-drum-thing-door-stop-edition-2017-orange

And I've always been curious about this:

https://www.factmag.com/2016/12/14/koma-elektronik-field-kit-musique-concrete-kickstarter/


----------



## Francis Bourre (Jan 2, 2019)

Thanks a lot for your recommendations.

On my side, I forgot to mention the automat toolkit project from dadamachines. I discovered it one month ago, and I felt in love for the concept. I subscribed to be notified for every pack availability, but I ain't got any feedback yet. I can imagine it will take a long time to deliver all the backers...





Wally Garten said:


> These are kinda cheap (well, seem to have gone up a bit in price, but maybe you can find them cheaper on eBay) and look fun. I've seen people mod them to attach different striking/bowing surfaces, like the door stop version below:
> 
> https://reverb.com/p/electro-faustus-ef110-blackfly
> 
> ...


----------



## Erick - BVA (Jan 2, 2019)

I also think that starting from am acoustic sound and running it through various effects --analog or digital-- can lead to crazy results that don't sound too digital. But if the sound starts in the digital realm then I think it's harder or impossible to get out of the digital realm. I wonder about physical modeling though, like the AAS stuff?


----------



## gregh (Jan 2, 2019)

some sites for ideas
http://www.thosewhomakewaves.com/
http://www.audiblewomen.com/

a small field recorder eg the new Sony A10 (wait a few weeks til the reviews come through but looks a possible replacement for their excellent M10) and a hydrophone, a contact mic and a coil mic (rom jez riley french) will set you back about about $350 and give you everything you need to make your own recordings of stuff you assemble yourself or sounds you find "in the wild"


----------



## Jono (Jan 2, 2019)

charlieclouser said:


> Yeah, at $10k I balked... temporarily anyway. I have so many similar things... a bunch of lap steel and sit-down steel guitars (including the Moog lap steel with hex pickup and 13-pin Roland output), all sorts of bowed metal things, ghuzhengs, psaltery, multiple waterphones, some Chas Smith sculptural instruments, etc., along with every kind of bow, dulcimer hammer, Gizmotron ( https://www.gizmotron.com ), e-bows, jim-bows ( https://larkinthemorning.com/products/ham087b ) that I could find. So the Apprehension Engine is a cool combination of stuff I sort of already have, except for maybe the hurdy-gurdy mechanism. Still might get on board if more come around at some point, but at that price I'd almost rather commission something to be built from scratch instead of getting an off-the-shelf unit that others also have.




☝️ a Kemper and a mission expression pedal....


----------



## ag75 (Jan 2, 2019)

charlieclouser said:


> I had seen that a while ago, and got in touch with the guy who made it. He's since gone into limited production with a version two that anyone can buy - for $10k. The first run is sold out, but hopefully another batch will appear at some point.
> 
> http://apprehensionengine.com[/QUOTE
> I immediately thought of you when I saw this video. Pretty cool but $10,000?!


----------



## givemenoughrope (Jan 2, 2019)

$10k!!
hahahaha
Jesus, make your own.


----------



## Wally Garten (Jan 3, 2019)

Uiroo said:


> I once recorded the sound of this video and created sample instruments out of little snippets where there's no talking.
> By turning the sounds into playable instruments by pitching and adding effects you get something new which doesnt really sound like the original material.
> 
> But: Does anyone know if it's actually legal to use stuff like that in commercial projects?



The short and technical answer is no -- if it's someone else's copyrighted material, the uncleared use of even small samples is technically illegal, even if you bury them in effects. (EDIT: Maybe. There seems to be a split of authority where the used portion is very small and not identifiable.)

But the practical effect of that depends on your situation. If you're doing work for hire, I wouldn't risk it, because you never want to create even the potential for legal headaches for someone else. And, depending on your contract, you may be required to confirm that you have the rights to the material you produce.

On the other hand, if you're making music for art purposes and releasing it yourself, and the sample is buried/altered enough that it's unlikely anyone (including an algorithm) would recognize it -- and/or you are not high-profile to attract a lot of scrutiny for your samples -- then, you know... the realistic risk of legal blowback is pretty low.

(And sometimes even pretty high-profile uncleared sample use doesn't attract lawsuits -- as far as I know, Greg Gillis/Girl Talk has never been sued, his albums are on Spotify, and that dude used hundreds of very obvious samples from very well-known pieces. Although that may be a case of spoiling for a lawsuit so hard that no one wants to take the bait.)


----------

