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This is a collaboration piece by Ben Houston and I. It's an expanded on version of works I've previously done also entitled "time machines".

The Time Machine is an "on the fly" remix machine. 12 patchable keys determine timing change ups and odd granular effects of either a sampled sound (from extremely tight to up to about 14 seconds - closer to the later the grimier the signal gets) or a direct incoming signal. Time is selectable between 3 ranges to allow for more range on the timing knob. This is a digital piece with a very warm sound and very analog characteristics. A sample can be slowed to grumbles or sped up a great deal. Patches are magnetic - a thing we at folktek came up with so there is no need for plugging - you simply set your patch plug on whatever point you like. Patches can be made directly point to point or each of the keys can have an assigned effect. The result is high and simple playability. We've added a center patch section for point to point patches using alligator clips. The time machine has all standard controls - mix, feedback, time one and two, level controls, sample on, delay on, 1/4" input, 1/4" output, and a 9v battery plug.

Sound samples of this time machine:

timemachine21

timemachine22

timemachine23

Below are example of a different time machine based instrument - it was strictly patchable (no playable keys) but this piece is also capable of all of the sounds below as well:

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There are four MP3 sound samples below. These were taken from a 38 minute recording of me playing the Inverter. You can find the inverter on the main Delay page. While these two pieces are based on similar circuitry, the two are still quite different. The time machine in particular is designed in a much different way - with the intention of increasing the playability and immediate processing - for example, the patchable keys. Also this piece has longer sample time, whereas the Inverter had only two or three.

The original recording being altered is a cassette recording of a friend and I playing piano at the pub - so there is a bit of noise in the original recording - nothing that I thought was too much to be of use for these recordings. On one of the tracks I simply laid a beat over top - you'll know when you hear it. Some of the samples sound overloaded but this was completely a result of converting a stereo recording (2 tracks) into mono (1 track).

The MP3's are medium quality to save space - each is around 4 minutes:

Wave Front Inverter 1

Wave Front Inverter 2

Wave Front Inverter 3

Wave Front Inverter 4

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This piece included patch cables and accessories and a manual with patch sheet.