Hey Martin, Even though you said we wouldnt need it... I DID sneak a damping feature into those funnel bases.... its the 1/2 inch hole that lies under the leaf spring. You can put a peice of silicone or neoprene tube /rod in there to provide damping for the spring and a little bit of of back pressure on closing... You can adjust the amount of damping by using longer / shorter rods in that pocket. For all the commenters... you can see the pocket for the damper at 1:38 and 4:48
I was thinking the same as I was watching... I was like...Where are the dampers!?...I almost thought that Gap in the metal was intentional for a silicone pad or something. Nice to know there was a plan for something. Also you could use clear plastidip or something similar to damp the collisions between the balls and the wires. It won't be perfect but it might prevent the sounds from ringing out. Love the design so far though. I was also a big fan of pipe dreams way back but I always thought it would be impossible to make anything similar which I think is why I was so drawn to this machine. Unpractical... Yes. Beautiful... Yes. Awesome... Yes. Keep up the good work. Also don't be afraid to make mediocre music at first. A lot of good music originated from the creators just messing around. I'm sure eventually you will stumble on something magical.
I did notice those gaps and wondered what they were for. I do think the marbels need a soft surface to land on too tho. seein a lot of people suggesting clear rubber coatings I think that's a great idea
MMX Team: *Uses sophisticated wire-bending machine to precisely reproduce the curves needed to create the marble funnels* Martin: haha clamp go squeeez
Thanks for all the feedback on last weeks video about focus! If you want to see the same video in Spanish or if you have some Spanish speaking friends please tell them about Wintergatan ESP, the Spanish version of Wintergatan Wednesdays :) Here it is: ua-cam.com/channels/_76wLJju7w967jDhIXfH8w.html Venga! :)
First, the funnel "fix" is going to be simple: use some of that latex padding used for the vibraphone notes in the wire edges that touch on the funnels. The Marbles that go higher? Take them out and test only them in the machine's drop - they might be harder than the other ones you normally use, and just need to be removed, since they seem to be fewer rather than more. Or if you can assert that you are getting marbles of a certain, guaranteed hardness on the Rockwell scale. Maybe see if someone can temper them down a bit for you, too? Just some thoughts. You're almost there!
Definitely worth testing cause if it is the culprit he can save a redesign on the funnels. If its the resonating of the vibraphone keys like some other commentors are suggesting it would be more of a pain.
Yes, I don't think I've ever seen Martin measure or weigh the marbles. You would think they would be ridiculously standardised but who knows? Especially if they did not all come from the same manufacturer.
My personal theory about the super-bounces is that it's similar to what happens when you get double-bounced on a trampoline. The vibraphone is already vibrating, and when a super-bounce happens, it happens because the vibraphone happened to be moving upwards at the time, adding momentum to the marble as it flies away. If I'm correct, then the composition of the individual marbles wouldn't have anything to do with when a super-bounce happens, it would simply be chance because of how quickly the vibraphone plates vibrate.
making the funnels quieter should be easy. look at "dipping them" in either silicone or whats called handle dip for like pliers and other tools. it's super durable. as for the super bounce, it may be the balls are hitting the vibraphone as just the right moment of vibration that then sends extra energy into the ball. you aren't gonna beat that easily as the timing is down to microseconds.
Your dipping idea is great. I'm not sure that you're right about the super bounce though. It looks to me like it's happening because the balls are hitting the rounded edge of the silicone. Hopefully that's the case because it's far easier to fix.
Regarding your 'rogue' "marble" - one production test for ballbearings was to drop them from a pre-determined height onto a steel table where they would bounce over a fence if they were of the correct hardness. If they were too soft they wouldn't clear the fence... I believe you might have a few that are sufficiently different in hardness to cause you the occasional problem... Try removing them from the system as they show themselves... (I'm also following Monro's Tesla Y breakdown myself...!) Martin Bronsdon, Gothenburg, Sweden
It seems to me that there was a little more deflection on the vibraphone bar when a marble that missed hit. Maybe they're falling different, somehow. Or I'm just seeing things
You ever double bounce someone on a trampoline? I think that's what's happening with your "super bounces". A sounding vibraphone bar, especially the lower ones at higher volumes, has enough energy to bounce a marble placed on the surface like 4-7mm high. Considering your setup is at an angle and the marbles are delivering kinetic energy into the system it makes sense you'd get such super bounces randomly. Not much you could do about it imo. Souce: I was in a marching band pit ensemble in high school and spent a lot of time messing with the keyboard instruments
It also sounds a little muted, like the marble is stealing the energy away from the bar. This also happens with a trampoline. The bad news is that very slight variations would throw this off since the timing of the "super bounce" is related to the oscillation of the material, any change in that material (temperature, air density, position, the difference in apparent gravity [equator vs poles]) will affect this. I think Martin will either have to live with this or make a bigger funnel. EDIT: This could also be something simpler like the swinging of the vibraphone plates, if that's the case then making them stationary would be the solution.
This problems likely-hood of occurrence could be reduced by not playing the same note over and over. I think these might be more common in these tests Martin is doing because he's just dropping a marble over and over onto the same VIBRATING note, if the note has very small to no vibrations (ie not being played). There is a extremely small chance that the "super bounce" will happen. Try double bouncing some one on a still trampoline, doesn't work, you need to add the pre jumps first to have the trampoline vibrate to allow it to happen. Although, there could be two sources of vibrations, the note itself (which I doubt), or the note assembly. I'm not entirely sure how you constructed the note holders, but if they have any way to vibrate like a spring or string, then they could be what is holding the energy and giving it to the random marble. I doubt it is the note because it is not vibrating very much and way to fast. There would be a very extreme timing to hit for the note to give it's energy, but if the note assembly vibrates slows that could be more passable. If you want to learn about this kinda stuff, this is basically a damped(by friction) & driven(by marbles) oscillator. If you hit the resonance (or natural) frequency of the note + note assembly, you'll get a larger and larger amplitude. -A Physic Major in Uni procrastinating for his midterm exam about damped driven oscillators and their functionality.
I broke my arm doing the super bounce on a trampoline 15 years ago. My arm looked like a W afterwards. Crazy, but good times. The double bounce is real.
I have three theories for why the marbles sometimes jump higher: 1. The marbles have slightly higher hardness. I would check on a steel-surface if they jump the same height after being dropped from the same height. 2. The marbles are hitting the edge of the silicone-pad, causing them to have a different egress-angle. Maybe try to see with different camera-angles. A solution for this could be to make the pads bigger. 3. The marbles are hitting exactly when the vibraphone-plate is moving up, not in the sense that it is moving up as a whole but that part of the vibraphone that the marble hits is vibrating up at this exact moment. I noticed that the hits sound a little more metallic when they jump higher, but that could just be my imagination. That one would be very hard to fix. Anyways, I hope you find a solution! Actually, I know you'll find one. Pain is temporary, Glory is forever!
Yes! All great suggestions. My thoughts were the same as yours, but I have some further thoughts on trouble shooting 1. Gather all the marbles that bounce higher and run just those through again. If all or most jump higher again, then it's the marble hardness ie elasticity. 2,3 I suspect the problem is actually a combination of 2 and 3 however, but it would need ultra high speed close-up video (Phantom camera) to prove it. There are cheaper high speed cameras around these days, but I don't know if they would be fast enough or if they might have a suitable lens. The solution would thicker and slightly larger pads, or maybe investigate why the odd marble is landing on the edge of the pad. I think the solution will be simple once the cause is worked out.
For this kind of velocity difference 1 is... meh. As I explained earlier unless he has ordered from two completely different manufacturers with two completely different steel grades involved this explanation is quite unlikely. He can test of course, but this is not where he should focus first. 3 is the best candidate. Adjust the spring travel/force, add some dampening materials, ie create a mechanical RLC system just like in a car would be one of the best solution to test. 2 is easily verifiable. An iphone or any high end phone has a High speed mode (240 fps for the Iphone) that is more than enough to visualize the trajectory of the marbles.
@@hgarn628 We don't know what the marbles are, I've never seen it discussed in detail. They might be S/S, and different grades - they certain could bounce different. No I don't really think this is the simple answer but it's got to be suggested, because Martin did the purchasing and hasn't told us a lot. I suspect some were bought four years ago, while others maybe a lot more recently. Did he even know what grade he bought all that time ago? #2 is still the most likely and there's an even easier way to work out what's going on - chalk up the bar around the pad and get some visual indication of impacts that way.
@@Chris_the_Muso Episode 53, around 11 minutes. I knew i saw it somewhere. Came from a single swedish manufacturer. From ball bearings. Given the source and the use case intended for those balls explanation number 1 becomes less and less likely.
I am a maker, too. I understand the "let down" after completing something that my hands have fashioned. I'm a little older than you (61 and a few pennies) and so I've had a little more time to contemplate this paradox: Why a demoralizing descent after an exhilarating climb? Here's some of my musings (take it or leave it). A maker's creation can never surpass the maker. The work of my hands, no matter how beautiful, how marvelous, how ingenious, etc. cannot exceed the sum total of who I am. My works are an expression not the foundation of who I am. I am the foundation of my work. And it stands to reason that only the greater can bless the lesser. If I look to the work of my hands to somehow sustain me, I will forever be disappointed. I can enjoy, delight and take pleasure in, the work of my hands but I cannot expect the work of my hands to somehow give me the energy and meaning I need to move on and face whatever the next step in the journey holds for me. I think your first marble machine is a classic example of what I'm talking about. It was beautifully flawed and you would be utterly miserable now if you tried to keep it alive beyond it's life expectancy or looked to it to keep you going now. The Marble X will be no different. Nothing our hands make can match the Ideal we hold in our minds. They can aspire to it but never (for a variety of reasons) fully embody it. I for one do not want to be in the business of mummification/zombification when it comes to the things I make: that's what happens when a musicians no longer creates but simply plays his/her once popular tunes over and over again in some dark lit bar on the strip-ad infinitum-or ex world class athletes trying to relive their glory days by telling whoever is willing to listen to them about the day they set their now broken world record. So here's the conclusion (for me) on this matter: I make-to the best of my accumalated ability-the thing I see in my mind, and when it stands before me, in all it's tarnished glory, rather than bowing down to it and expecting it to somehow give me the meaning I need to move on, I express gratitude for the opportunity to create, and then release it into the world to live out it's natural life cycle. Then I look inside to see what percolates up within my mind and, if I'm able, reach for my shop worn tools-yet again.
Martin, I have a flow chart scheme to test the root cause of the super bounce: 1. Try making a huge silicone pad that covers most of the center of the key to see if its just from the marble hitting the edge of the pad 2. If this doesn't fix it, try locking out the vibraphone key mount so the key is locked in place but still rings out 3. If this doesn't fix it, try muting/dampening the key completely so it doesn't ring out at all. If this fixes it but the other two methods don't then it really is from the key vibrating and you'll need to make the funnels significantly taller or change their mounting angle.
YES this is exactly the type of comment Martin needs. Someone also suggested that a few marbles might be harder than the rest, and as such they could be removed bc they are likely to always bounce a bit higher
I noticed the same on the few slow-motion captures. The marbles seem to be hitting the raw metal above the silicone pad. A slightly ovular pad would solve that problem but might compromise vibration.
Edit: Nevermind, when hes testing it the keys come to a full stop before the next marble is dropped. The resonance effect could still be a problem though with an actual song being played with many hits occurring in a short space of time To me, it looks like a resonance problem. When a marble bounces off a vibraphone key, the key oscillates up and down a few times before becoming stationary again. If the timing is just right and a second marble lands on the key when the key is still oscillating, and when the key is at its lowest point, the combined force of the marble hitting the key and the tension stored in the spring steel will cause the marble to launch higher than expected Martin could also end up with the opposite problem where a second marble lands on the key when its still oscillating and at its highest point, causing the marble to not bounce as high and as far as it should, although the funnels seem to be deep enough that this shouldn't be a problem
Good ideas. I think part of the problem is the bounce-back from the vibraphone keys synchronizing with the next marble hit, thus adding a kick just as the marble hits, launching it over the funnel.
I watched carefully and I think the big marble bounces are happening because they are hitting the rounded edge of the silicone pads. Just make the silicone pads longer or place them further up and that should stop happening. Also, if you Iine the back jaw of the vibraphone funnels with black cloth it could bring the noise down without doing any work that can't be easily undone if it looks bad and it might save us from seeing the angle grinder again. Everyone please like this so Martin sees.
I think the black dirty spots on the pads are from the old dropper setup, I noticed all of the hits on that note were high up on the pad vs where the black spot was, And your right Quertz I think he measured those spots for a reason, he should adjust the droppers not the pads.
What about it hitting tube metal bar while it is resonating and getting a boost from there vibration of the bars. If it only happens while you hear a tone or if you notice that the height of the double bounces are related to the volume of the note then this is more likely than it hitting the side of the silicon. If it does a double bounce without it vibrating then is some other issue however there movement of it vibrating might be making it hit the edge of the silicone pad.
YES! I noticed exactly the same thing ! Marble hits the edge of the silicone pad, so the actual angle is less that 7 degrees, the marble flies higher...
The marbles seem to be making the most sound in regards to the funnels, so perhaps you could just "paint" some silicon on the wires where they land. Shouldn't compromise the design while greatly reducing the sound.
@The Fox calm down. I'm sure he'll explore the simplest options first to see if he can get these ones to work. Fuck the dudes put 1000s of hours into an insanely complex marble machine with some very impressive design elements, and the best you can do is call him a jackbag for 'milking' it. I'm sure this is a two to three week delay max.
@The Fox Sometimes the simplest solution can be the hardest. He want his work not only to be precise in engineering, but in art design as well. So he might hold back on some designs that would help engineering wise but would impact largely on the artistic feel. If you do art, you'll get it. Just some words from me, someone that does art. :)
18:18 When Martin mentioned Animusic's Pipe Dream, that was awesome to hear because, as someone who once stumbled upon Animusic during late night TV advertisement a long time ago, I looked up Animusic's Pipe Dream on UA-cam to watch it again, and on the side was where I saw the official Marble Machine video. I clicked on it and was captivated by it to the point of re-listening to the song on repeat. That was when I looked more into the Wintergatan UA-cam channel, watched more videos, especially of the MMX, and then I became a subscriber because I'd become so genuinely curious to see the MMX in all its finished glory and I still look forward to that when it is officially and finally complete. So yes, you have Animusic's Pipe Dream to thank for introducing me to Wintergatan and the MMX through the Marble Machine video. I wish Martin the best of luck and I have hope that he can and will complete the MMX and captivate me once again in bringing future music to life with it!
the marble "super jump" looks like it could be because the vibraphone plates move. if a marble lands right as the vibraphone starts lifting back up, it gains that momentum on the jump towards the funnel. If you can stop the vibraphone plates moving, my theory is the "super jump" will stop happening altogether.
Yes, seems like some combo of momentum imparted on the marble by the upward movement of the vibraphone bar, and the fact that, when the bar is down, it kinda looks like it may not be hitting the rubber circle cleanly, so it may be bouncing differently from that as well.
That sounds about right, I would just stiffen up the movement of the plates. Also, the mechanical sounds are what give the machine its charm. Since the instruments are going to be captured individually I wouldn't see it as too much of a problem
Rarely have I felt so emotional and resonant (!) with another UA-camr, but your focus video was an inspiration. Dopamine detox is a buzzword, but that whole mini-reward distraction thing is very close to my weakness. You clarified it beautifully. I am trying to limit mini rewards during my work day. It is REALLY hard to break.
@@andreasboesen9763 Not that sad if you can imagine him playing it regularly to entertain his guests or uploading it to whatever incarnation of UA-cam in 2220. Keeping the spirit of the machine alive 200 years from now :)
I wanted to say a special thank you for the music in this episode. The fragment between 5:33 and 8:20 is so wonderful, I had to extract it, so I could listen to it on a loop while working or doing things around the house. It's incredibly lovely and calming by itself, but the funnel build sounds that are part of the track, make it even more so. Please don't feel "deflated" about the funnels. They look exquisite. They're brilliantly engineered. I've no doubt that you will find a way to eliminate the noise, and to rein in those stray marbles. Good luck!
After that first shot of the beautiful marble catchers I was pretty sure the angle grinder would make its entrance in this episode!! But you might be right, see you next week, grinding friend.
Martin- I don't know how you could do it, but fish tank air tube (silicon) around your vertical metal bars of your catcher could deaden the sound of the marbles hitting the catcher. Just a thought. AKA- thread the metal bar through the pipe then weld. Only catch is not melting the silicon tube. I would keep the bar near some type of coolant so not to over heat..
Beautiful machine. Being a designer, I have a deap appreciation and love for the detail and creativity of your marble machine. Don't give up on the baskets. This is a great opportunity to make it even more beautiful than it already is.
When I first found this channel, around about the time Martin was building the marble divider, I impatiently devoured the whole series to date. Then eagerly watched each update as they were released. Over the past few months, now the machine is nearing completion, I find myself clearing a quiet time away from distraction so I can savour every moment. There are some awesome UA-cam channels out there, but this is the one I feel most emotionally invested in.
In case you haven’t figured it out (yet). The vibraphone plate vibrates, and if the marble hits when the plate is at the bottom of the vibration, it can come back with the energy of the plate vibrating up. similiar to when you jump on a trampoline and you buddies help you get higher by introducing force down on the trampoline, and relieving it when you’re at the most lowest point of your trampoline jump
It's a cool theory, but I suspect it's not the main cause. I have my doubts that the effect would be that large. It seems more reasonable to think it has something to do with where the balls hits. If this is the case he can just make the rubber pads larger. If it really is caused by constructive interference it's much harder to fix. It might be that only a larger funnel that takes this into account is the solution for the interference problem, if that really is what's going on.
@@nalissolus9213 I agree about the energy levels and have an audio analogy/reference. Think of the 'bass speaker and cornstarch/water' trick. Think of how much electrical/audio power it takes to bounce a blob of cornstarch. Bounce at least 10cm the way the flyers went. Now think about how much reflective force will come back after the marble hits the pad, that will amplify the bounce. (Not the right words for things but it's all I've got. :) The trampoline analogy, that adds more externally sourced energy to the system. If that line of theory were correct, then after hitting the first note, bounce it off another, *gain* another 10cm in height, the bounce again, another 10cm. You see how this isn't working. That's not to say something isn't adding energy to the system, clearly it is. I think it's hitting the edge if the pad and touching the metal. A camera would show that.
It's simple conservation of momentum, the plate is in motion and is several times heavier than the marble, this extra momentum was not accounted for in the initial tests. This extra bounce is still best case scenario though, just wait till he plays the same note multiple times at the spring steels resonance then plays that note on the off beat, I bet the marble would jump higher than the MMX.
The super jump is caused because the vibraphone plates are on a pivot, and move when hit. If the vibraphone plate is on its way back up as the marble hits it, it will be like a baseball bat hitting a ball, and it will put more energy into the bounce. It will also probably make a louder sound. A solution would be to dampen the vibraphone plate movement (not dampen the sound, but the macro movement of the plate on the pivot). If I remember correctly the movement is caused by spring steel. You could dampen this by adding some friction material between the two moving pieces. I.e as the vibraphone plate is moving back up, it will rub against some friction material, slowing it down, reducing the energy it can put into a super bounce.
I think we need to test to confirm this is actually the case first -- looking at the video frame-by-frame, it looks like the vibraphone plates have returned 100% by the time the next marble hits. But it's possible the plate is still vibrating a little bit and the momentum of the vibration is hitting the ball further depending on the phase when the ball hits.
i think craig is right. if the bars reach maximum velocity on their way up, and a new marble hits them at this moment, its like the bar is playing tennis with the marble and shoots it way further than expected. on the other hand, it looks like Jacob Sharf is also right, so this might actually be an additional problem wich only appears if martin plays faster music on the machine, but not the original cause for the problem presented in the video. either way: I love the looks of the funnel design and the whole project! it is amazing how much work you (martin) have put into designing and making this machine become reality!
Don't be sorry for havin' to "clean up" instead of listening to advices. You are an innovator of a dream, Martin, and if an innovator would have to follow all the advices that is given, the dream would never come true. When I was a kid they had a sign on a nearby train station that said; "Don't be sorry that you missed your train, but be happy that you came well in time for the next". I know the quote sounds really annoying if you are in lack of time, but it also holds some truth. So, don't be sorry of having to alter your design slightly, but be happy for the opportunity to learn even more.
My daughter has just discovered you and she loves your music/engineering. She has canavan disease and she is just smiling all afternoon watching your videos. Thank you 😊
For what it's worth I love the "childish" marble guides -- it looks so cool and playful. But I have no doubt you can make something even more awesome if you put your mind to it :)
Martin - you could steam bend your marble guides so they would give you better gravitation movement of the marbles {Hope that make sense}. I have seen bending of wood done on other youTube channels.
Martin! These over jumps can be actually caused by the cymbal's silicone "cover". I think some marbles hits the edge of the silicone spread therefore gaining less forward speed, hence going higher (Ep_0 = Ep + Ek). And it's super easy to validate this theory - just make one bigger silicone cover on a cymbal and check if it helped.
That image at 6.18 with the sun going down and the marble machine in the forefront is amazing. Need that as a shirt design. Great work and fantastic episode again keep up the great work.
This is looking amazing as always and a minor setback but I know that you can solve this problem with your team. Keep pushing forward your closer to the finish line that you think. You have so much support and we all know that this is going to be a amazing machine of musical genius .. God Bless and stay positive
some suggested dipping them in clear rubbery stuff that is used for making grips on tools etc. I think it's a great idea! If u use clear coating the metal is still visible which prevents a cheap plasticky look.
Felt is always good on a musical instrument. It is functional and it adds character: It doesn’t need to be hidden. I’d recommend proudly using red felt strips.
There are holes under the blue leaf spring that you can see, which are intended to hold a peice of neoprene cord that can provide damping. I think Martin forgot about that future-proof feature in his focused effort to complete these
Hey Martin, I've been watching this series since day 1 and ever since then, it has been the light of my week. I can't believe the MMX is so close to being finished, the whole project has evolved into this beautiful machine that I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams. I'm so happy you've made it this far and I can't wait to hear its music for the first time. Also, living in France, you bet I'm gonna go see this thing live as soon as possible!
Greetings from San Francisco. You make me proud to be Swedish-American! My great-grandmother emigrated from Stockholm in the early 1900s. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
I just discovered animusic a week ago and am so happy to. It's so crazy how you discover things, and then suddenly people talk about it right after you discover it.
The "super jumps" look like they happen when the drop is missing the latex pad and hitting metal, or at least the upper lip of the latex pad. Likely you're getting bigger jumps because there's less damping or a different effective angle of incidence. Maybe adjust the drops to make sure they hit the center of the pads. As for the noise, a thin piece of felt between the spring steel and the lower receiver should deaden both the impact and return noise. It'll wear out eventually but seems like an easy replacement part.
You cannot put a part there or you'll break dimensions, forcing a redesign. There's not enough space. You can put damping on top rim of the "catcher" though.
@@nalissolus9213 Yes I as well as other people have thought to suggest Martin use slightly longer/bigger silicone pads on the vibraphone, if the main cause is marbles bouncing on the pads in a weird way, theres a couple different variables that could be at play here.
Haha, I really LIKE how the “final” front marble racetrack looks, but I’m looking forward to seeing your alternate vision for it. I’m sure you can coat the insides of the funnels in something that dampens the sound they produce; you can also take an angle grinder to the few millimeters’ worth of prongs on the top that clap together - they don’t have any function, and I don’t think the aesthetics will be reduced when they’re gone (They’re very minor!). Catching marbles that “double-bounce” will require the funnels to be oriented differently, but I think won’t require much more than another set of clear marble pipes to be cut and bent. Your record player sounds beautiful!
17:39 I'm sure it's being caused by the residual resonance of the key "vibrating" at the same frequency as the mass resonance of the ball bearing. I think the only way you're going to be able to deal with that is by compensating for the variation with wider funnels.
I wonder what it looks like when the entire Molin family meets. Mother: "So, how's it going?" Martin: "I just finished the funnels on my marble machine!" Father: "That's cool." Anders: "I attached a new drum to my one-man-band-setup that I can play by twitching my nose!" Mother: "Great!" Sister: "Well, I still work as an accountant at Riksbank." Father: "Where did we go so wrong?"
The way Martin cuts to the workbench at 1:36... I expected it. I wanted it. I NEEDED IT. It almost felt like it wasn't gonna get there, but then it did. I'd like to imagine that, in these moments, Martin leaves "a Martin" behind to play piano as he works on his other stuff with proper background music, like we, too, experience him.
I suggest when you’re finished with the marble machine X you should make something like it but it works more like a piano, where instead of a hammer hitting the strings a Marble does
Just felt I should add that the animator of pipe dream commented on how the walls of the scene were full of divets and holes to elude to stray balls in the calibration of the machine. You’re doing amazing work!
So cool that you found Munro’s channel as well! I just started watching it and it’s captivating. Don’t be disappointed in the design mistakes. I do the same thing over and over again. I face this design problem, figure out a complicated way to solve it, do tens or hundreds of hours of design work on said fix only to later find that a simple change in the original design fixed the issue at its root and made all my work on said issue obsolete. I’m pretty sure that’s a fundamental law of engineering and design.
I was just about to write: "You should ask Bruce Springsteel", when the album appeared :-) Lifting the funnels a bit higher and turning them more towards the bars should catch strays. If that's not enough, you could maybe add an acrylic "lip" on the back of the funnel. For the sound you could paint the insides of the wires with clear silicone.
I think the funnels as they are in this video bring back something I was missing for a long time on the MMX that the first marble machine had. The first marble machine shaked, it made noices, marbles everywhere. I felt like the machine was breething when watching that thing. The extra noice it made, the vibrato axle sound it had, marbles missing the catchers and making sounds in the background just added dept to the original marble machine. The engineering of the MMX is top notch, don't get me wrong. But the machine must have its character in the look and in the sound so that everytime you hear it you go "yes, this is a marble machine" and not have to doubt if it's all made on a mixpanel. I had my doubts about the complexity of the marble catchers, but seeing them like this I absolutely love everything about them. I wouldn't change a thing. They're pieces of beauty and complement the MMX by a lot. Keep it up Martin!
Here is a crazy thought... Is it possible to coat the funnels with some kind of transparent rubber coating? I think it might reduce the noise of the metal-to-metal _(marble to the funnel)_ Of course it won't help to keep the escaping marbles though... 🤔
So for the last two years I, together with thousands of other people, are waiting for that one moment on Wednesday. That moment to watch Martin follow his dreams and inspiring all of us. Thank you Martin for this journey 🙏❤️
Three things: 1)Sandy's teardown has been awesome 2)I paused the beginning of the video to turn on BirdNet because I thought I was hearing a new bird outside 3)Coat the funnels in rhinolining or some other sound dampener. Doesn't fix the super jumps but it will knock down the noise a ton Okay 4 things You're awesome man. This is one of my favourite channels. Keep inspiring the world!!
It seems like the “super jumps” are coming from when the marble hits too high up and hits the top lip of that pad. It seems like that vibraphone key needs to be adjusted.
Came here to say exactly that. You are right I think. The pad takes away parts of the kinetic energy, if it's not hit the marble has to much left over power and jumps right over the funnel
@@MakenModify I thought so too at first but after going through the footage frame by frame, I don't think that's the reason. They all seem to be hitting the same spot on the pad. My theory is that the super jumps occur as a result of the vibraphone keys vibrating and constructively interfering with the marble during the impact. Would be cool to see some super slow mo footage to figure out exactly what's going on.
@@brandonberchtold9484 Yes, additive vibrations... as the oscillations are moving up and down, if the marble hits a non moving bar the energy is dissipated in getting it started, if the vibration is on the "downward part of the wave it would lose a bit more energy which is fine for clearing the fixed lip, but on the upward part of the sine wave it would add some energy back into the marble which gives it enough to go over the back lip... I think a bit more loop back on top could solve that, like a Jai Alai basket or "jack in the pulpit" flower..
The marbles escaping the funnels isn't the machine's fault, its the marbles! They can sometimes be machined with different hardness which can change how high they bounce. Remove the bad ones from the system as you find them. If you test the bounce in a controlled environment you will find that they go higher than the other marbles in your system consistantly! Edit: spelling
The marbles are bouncing off a thin rubber pad. Slight variations in hardness will not cause a significant difference because the rubber absorbs orders of magnitude more energy than the marble. The reason that they sometimes bounce higher is the movement of the plates. If you drop 2 consecutive marbles and the second one hits in the wrong moment (while the plate is still moving up), the movement of the plate will give the marble an extra push, thus increasing the height of the bounce.
To confirm the theory, a test run would have to be done with nothing but the marbles that had previously escaped, to see if they reliably bounce too far.
The 'superjump' appears to be similar to the effect you get with two people on a trampoline. It could be that the resonating key sometimes is in perfect timing with the bounce to amplify it.
You could dip or spray the funnels in a rubberized coating (in the US we call it "truck bed liner") which is wear-resistant, and will also mute the noise of the marbles hitting the metal cages. Love this project!! Keep up your awesome work!
The funnels look beautiful and functional. I think work within the design you've created, just engineer a solution with the current materials. Getting so close! Fan since day 1
The 1mm gap that you had, you should put something like stiff rubber, so it dampens the sound then it comes back. And then spray the inside of the funnel with something like plasti dip or flex seal, to dampen the sound from the marbles hitting the funnel.
I feel as though there should be something you could dip the funnels in that would give them a coating to prevent them from making noise, although wear and tear will eventually bring the noise back so it'd need to be maintained religiously. I also am pretty sure that there's a better angle you could set the funnels to that would have a much larger capture point- a lot of the funnel space seems to be getting wasted on killing the marbles' momentum, it might be better to redirect it down the track and kill it there instead.
I was thinking of a product called "Plastidip". Maybe they have a clear version that would keep some of the stainless-steel aesthetic. Definitely something to do with a mockup first.
The marble “jump” issue isn’t to bad. The marble hits the corner of the silicon circle. most of the time on the silicon other times outside. the marble is jumping higher in the second case. At least it looks like that in the video.
Martin, I have been watching your progress for quite some time now. This has been such a huge project and you have come SO far. As the middle of the summer comes, please have your house checked by an experienced electrician for fire hazards and brush up as much as you can about other fire hazards. I cannot even imagine the heartbreak that would befall you should your house catch fire and destroy your extremely hard work and passion. Please take as many precautions as possible to secure the safety of your passion, even if it winds up taking you more time. If your house caught fire and the marble machine X destroyed, I think each and every one of us (your fans) would have to fly out to France to perform a concert just for you. Do not make us do that!
Hey, I love your job so much. I speak native Spanish and it has helped me to practice a little my English for 2 years now, I am glad that there will be a version in Spanish so that your videos have a greater scope.
Hey Martin, Even though you said we wouldnt need it... I DID sneak a damping feature into those funnel bases.... its the 1/2 inch hole that lies under the leaf spring. You can put a peice of silicone or neoprene tube /rod in there to provide damping for the spring and a little bit of of back pressure on closing... You can adjust the amount of damping by using longer / shorter rods in that pocket.
For all the commenters... you can see the pocket for the damper at 1:38 and 4:48
My man :)
It should do something. Maybe. I thought most of the sound is not ringing but the initial crash though.
Tom, would this dampen the sound from the top parts clashing together? I think that is the biggest offender, myself, but could be wrong...
I was thinking the same as I was watching... I was like...Where are the dampers!?...I almost thought that Gap in the metal was intentional for a silicone pad or something. Nice to know there was a plan for something. Also you could use clear plastidip or something similar to damp the collisions between the balls and the wires. It won't be perfect but it might prevent the sounds from ringing out. Love the design so far though. I was also a big fan of pipe dreams way back but I always thought it would be impossible to make anything similar which I think is why I was so drawn to this machine. Unpractical... Yes. Beautiful... Yes. Awesome... Yes. Keep up the good work. Also don't be afraid to make mediocre music at first. A lot of good music originated from the creators just messing around. I'm sure eventually you will stumble on something magical.
I did notice those gaps and wondered what they were for. I do think the marbels need a soft surface to land on too tho. seein a lot of people suggesting clear rubber coatings I think that's a great idea
Dont get me wrong, i want to see this machine finished but i dont really want this series to end..
< Schrödinger has joined the chat >
Please build the Marble Machine XS.
.
.
.
.
And maybe *Marble Machine 11 Pro Max* and so on... I love this series.
@@MatsLindgrenMusic Schrödinger has joined his cat ? 🤔
Actually
Why, as soon as this one is finished he'll just start on MMXI
“How would you say this episode was, John?”
“It was pretty Savage, John”
“I agree John”
I hope we see the return of John and Jon
"¿Que increible, verdad Juan?"
"¡De acuerdo, Juan!"
This made me laugh so hard lmao 😂
Haja coração, amigo João!
É verdade, João!
I agree John
Marbles escaping the MMX is not a bug, it's a feature intended to remind you of the original machine.
Found the dev
Haha that's a good one
It ain't a bug, it's a feature!
Backwards compatibility, then?
🤣🤣🤣 LOL...
We removed the feature from the new design iterations, but customers complained that the program "no longer worked as expected", so we put it back in.
"I'm happy that this is not working because then that means I have to make something more beautiful"
Words to live by
MMX Team: *Uses sophisticated wire-bending machine to precisely reproduce the curves needed to create the marble funnels*
Martin: haha clamp go squeeez
This captures the whole project perfectly in two lines.
For real though.
Anyone else just as amazed about how good his editing and cinematography has gotten overtime.
Thanks for all the feedback on last weeks video about focus! If you want to see the same video in Spanish or if you have some Spanish speaking friends please tell them about Wintergatan ESP, the Spanish version of Wintergatan Wednesdays :)
Here it is: ua-cam.com/channels/_76wLJju7w967jDhIXfH8w.html
Venga! :)
Spanish wintergatan? Am I dreaming? Also is there any way fans can contribute to that channel?
Wintergatan thanks, I may use this to practice spanish
oh woawie
You're assuming I have friends, haha! If you could add english subs for the spanish version I would use it to learn spanish ;)
The first full song you need to play on the marble machine x is the original marble machine song
First, the funnel "fix" is going to be simple: use some of that latex padding used for the vibraphone notes in the wire edges that touch on the funnels.
The Marbles that go higher? Take them out and test only them in the machine's drop - they might be harder than the other ones you normally use, and just need to be removed, since they seem to be fewer rather than more.
Or if you can assert that you are getting marbles of a certain, guaranteed hardness on the Rockwell scale. Maybe see if someone can temper them down a bit for you, too?
Just some thoughts. You're almost there!
Definitely worth testing cause if it is the culprit he can save a redesign on the funnels. If its the resonating of the vibraphone keys like some other commentors are suggesting it would be more of a pain.
Yes, I don't think I've ever seen Martin measure or weigh the marbles. You would think they would be ridiculously standardised but who knows? Especially if they did not all come from the same manufacturer.
My personal theory about the super-bounces is that it's similar to what happens when you get double-bounced on a trampoline. The vibraphone is already vibrating, and when a super-bounce happens, it happens because the vibraphone happened to be moving upwards at the time, adding momentum to the marble as it flies away. If I'm correct, then the composition of the individual marbles wouldn't have anything to do with when a super-bounce happens, it would simply be chance because of how quickly the vibraphone plates vibrate.
@@lucashenry2556 exactly what i was thinking. fix is eluding me. hope he doesnt have to scrap that whole concept
My theory is that the latex layer is uneven.
Martin: "Let's check the ID"
Me: "Oh he means idea again"
Martin: "Inner Diameter"
Me: "Wait hold up..."
Yeah, same. I felt like that one may have been on purpose, though very subtle.
damn, that got me too
making the funnels quieter should be easy. look at "dipping them" in either silicone or whats called handle dip for like pliers and other tools. it's super durable.
as for the super bounce, it may be the balls are hitting the vibraphone as just the right moment of vibration that then sends extra energy into the ball. you aren't gonna beat that easily as the timing is down to microseconds.
Just what i thought. I presume there should be even transparent materials for dipping.
Klear-seal. It's an electrical potting compound that is optically clear. www.keypolymer.com/potting-encapsulating/key-klear-seal/
@@kschleic9053 Nah nah nah, he should use Flex Seal Clear.
@@NitroNinja324 Use Flex Seal! For a great non-slip rubbery grip!
Your dipping idea is great. I'm not sure that you're right about the super bounce though. It looks to me like it's happening because the balls are hitting the rounded edge of the silicone. Hopefully that's the case because it's far easier to fix.
Regarding your 'rogue' "marble" - one production test for ballbearings was to drop them from a pre-determined height onto a steel table where they would bounce over a fence if they were of the correct hardness. If they were too soft they wouldn't clear the fence...
I believe you might have a few that are sufficiently different in hardness to cause you the occasional problem...
Try removing them from the system as they show themselves...
(I'm also following Monro's Tesla Y breakdown myself...!)
Martin Bronsdon, Gothenburg, Sweden
Looks like they are removing themselves just fine :D
I agree, collect the "offending marbles" and test their bounce characteristics independently.
It seems to me that there was a little more deflection on the vibraphone bar when a marble that missed hit. Maybe they're falling different, somehow. Or I'm just seeing things
Could it be that the movement of the vibraphone is causing it if notes fall on a certain point in the wave?
a much simpler (occams razor) explanation is that some marbles hit the vibraphone plate when it moves upwards, giving them an additional boost.
You ever double bounce someone on a trampoline? I think that's what's happening with your "super bounces". A sounding vibraphone bar, especially the lower ones at higher volumes, has enough energy to bounce a marble placed on the surface like 4-7mm high. Considering your setup is at an angle and the marbles are delivering kinetic energy into the system it makes sense you'd get such super bounces randomly. Not much you could do about it imo.
Souce: I was in a marching band pit ensemble in high school and spent a lot of time messing with the keyboard instruments
It also sounds a little muted, like the marble is stealing the energy away from the bar. This also happens with a trampoline.
The bad news is that very slight variations would throw this off since the timing of the "super bounce" is related to the oscillation of the material, any change in that material (temperature, air density, position, the difference in apparent gravity [equator vs poles]) will affect this. I think Martin will either have to live with this or make a bigger funnel.
EDIT: This could also be something simpler like the swinging of the vibraphone plates, if that's the case then making them stationary would be the solution.
Could the round resin (or whatever it is) patch in center of plate be altered to prevent that?
I disagree. The dampener is taking care of that. It's hitting the top edge of the latex.
This problems likely-hood of occurrence could be reduced by not playing the same note over and over. I think these might be more common in these tests Martin is doing because he's just dropping a marble over and over onto the same VIBRATING note, if the note has very small to no vibrations (ie not being played). There is a extremely small chance that the "super bounce" will happen. Try double bouncing some one on a still trampoline, doesn't work, you need to add the pre jumps first to have the trampoline vibrate to allow it to happen.
Although, there could be two sources of vibrations, the note itself (which I doubt), or the note assembly. I'm not entirely sure how you constructed the note holders, but if they have any way to vibrate like a spring or string, then they could be what is holding the energy and giving it to the random marble. I doubt it is the note because it is not vibrating very much and way to fast. There would be a very extreme timing to hit for the note to give it's energy, but if the note assembly vibrates slows that could be more passable.
If you want to learn about this kinda stuff, this is basically a damped(by friction) & driven(by marbles) oscillator. If you hit the resonance (or natural) frequency of the note + note assembly, you'll get a larger and larger amplitude. -A Physic Major in Uni procrastinating for his midterm exam about damped driven oscillators and their functionality.
I broke my arm doing the super bounce on a trampoline 15 years ago. My arm looked like a W afterwards. Crazy, but good times. The double bounce is real.
3:24 I lost it when he started playing slower, than spanned the plate and started playing faster again 😂
what did you lose?
I have three theories for why the marbles sometimes jump higher:
1. The marbles have slightly higher hardness. I would check on a steel-surface if they jump the same height after being dropped from the same height.
2. The marbles are hitting the edge of the silicone-pad, causing them to have a different egress-angle. Maybe try to see with different camera-angles. A solution for this could be to make the pads bigger.
3. The marbles are hitting exactly when the vibraphone-plate is moving up, not in the sense that it is moving up as a whole but that part of the vibraphone that the marble hits is vibrating up at this exact moment. I noticed that the hits sound a little more metallic when they jump higher, but that could just be my imagination. That one would be very hard to fix.
Anyways, I hope you find a solution! Actually, I know you'll find one. Pain is temporary, Glory is forever!
Yes! All great suggestions. My thoughts were the same as yours, but I have some further thoughts on trouble shooting
1. Gather all the marbles that bounce higher and run just those through again. If all or most jump higher again, then it's the marble hardness ie elasticity.
2,3 I suspect the problem is actually a combination of 2 and 3 however, but it would need ultra high speed close-up video (Phantom camera) to prove it. There are cheaper high speed cameras around these days, but I don't know if they would be fast enough or if they might have a suitable lens. The solution would thicker and slightly larger pads, or maybe investigate why the odd marble is landing on the edge of the pad.
I think the solution will be simple once the cause is worked out.
@@Chris_the_Muso well, he should get into contact with the Slow Mo Guys, they would be happy to assist with their phantoms, I'm sure!
For this kind of velocity difference 1 is... meh. As I explained earlier unless he has ordered from two completely different manufacturers with two completely different steel grades involved this explanation is quite unlikely. He can test of course, but this is not where he should focus first. 3 is the best candidate. Adjust the spring travel/force, add some dampening materials, ie create a mechanical RLC system just like in a car would be one of the best solution to test. 2 is easily verifiable. An iphone or any high end phone has a High speed mode (240 fps for the Iphone) that is more than enough to visualize the trajectory of the marbles.
@@hgarn628 We don't know what the marbles are, I've never seen it discussed in detail. They might be S/S, and different grades - they certain could bounce different. No I don't really think this is the simple answer but it's got to be suggested, because Martin did the purchasing and hasn't told us a lot. I suspect some were bought four years ago, while others maybe a lot more recently. Did he even know what grade he bought all that time ago?
#2 is still the most likely and there's an even easier way to work out what's going on - chalk up the bar around the pad and get some visual indication of impacts that way.
@@Chris_the_Muso Episode 53, around 11 minutes. I knew i saw it somewhere. Came from a single swedish manufacturer. From ball bearings. Given the source and the use case intended for those balls explanation number 1 becomes less and less likely.
I am a maker, too. I understand the "let down" after completing something that my hands have fashioned. I'm a little older than you (61 and a few pennies) and so I've had a little more time to contemplate this paradox: Why a demoralizing descent after an exhilarating climb? Here's some of my musings (take it or leave it). A maker's creation can never surpass the maker. The work of my hands, no matter how beautiful, how marvelous, how ingenious, etc. cannot exceed the sum total of who I am. My works are an expression not the foundation of who I am. I am the foundation of my work. And it stands to reason that only the greater can bless the lesser. If I look to the work of my hands to somehow sustain me, I will forever be disappointed. I can enjoy, delight and take pleasure in, the work of my hands but I cannot expect the work of my hands to somehow give me the energy and meaning I need to move on and face whatever the next step in the journey holds for me. I think your first marble machine is a classic example of what I'm talking about. It was beautifully flawed and you would be utterly miserable now if you tried to keep it alive beyond it's life expectancy or looked to it to keep you going now. The Marble X will be no different. Nothing our hands make can match the Ideal we hold in our minds. They can aspire to it but never (for a variety of reasons) fully embody it. I for one do not want to be in the business of mummification/zombification when it comes to the things I make: that's what happens when a musicians no longer creates but simply plays his/her once popular tunes over and over again in some dark lit bar on the strip-ad infinitum-or ex world class athletes trying to relive their glory days by telling whoever is willing to listen to them about the day they set their now broken world record. So here's the conclusion (for me) on this matter: I make-to the best of my accumalated ability-the thing I see in my mind, and when it stands before me, in all it's tarnished glory, rather than bowing down to it and expecting it to somehow give me the meaning I need to move on, I express gratitude for the opportunity to create, and then release it into the world to live out it's natural life cycle. Then I look inside to see what percolates up within my mind and, if I'm able, reach for my shop worn tools-yet again.
Thank you for for saying this. I needed to hear this myself.
Well said!
Inspiring
Thats a really great perspective!
Dropping the wisdom bombs in here...
Martin, I have a flow chart scheme to test the root cause of the super bounce:
1. Try making a huge silicone pad that covers most of the center of the key to see if its just from the marble hitting the edge of the pad
2. If this doesn't fix it, try locking out the vibraphone key mount so the key is locked in place but still rings out
3. If this doesn't fix it, try muting/dampening the key completely so it doesn't ring out at all. If this fixes it but the other two methods don't then it really is from the key vibrating and you'll need to make the funnels significantly taller or change their mounting angle.
YES this is exactly the type of comment Martin needs. Someone also suggested that a few marbles might be harder than the rest, and as such they could be removed bc they are likely to always bounce a bit higher
I noticed the same on the few slow-motion captures. The marbles seem to be hitting the raw metal above the silicone pad. A slightly ovular pad would solve that problem but might compromise vibration.
Edit: Nevermind, when hes testing it the keys come to a full stop before the next marble is dropped. The resonance effect could still be a problem though with an actual song being played with many hits occurring in a short space of time
To me, it looks like a resonance problem. When a marble bounces off a vibraphone key, the key oscillates up and down a few times before becoming stationary again. If the timing is just right and a second marble lands on the key when the key is still oscillating, and when the key is at its lowest point, the combined force of the marble hitting the key and the tension stored in the spring steel will cause the marble to launch higher than expected
Martin could also end up with the opposite problem where a second marble lands on the key when its still oscillating and at its highest point, causing the marble to not bounce as high and as far as it should, although the funnels seem to be deep enough that this shouldn't be a problem
Good ideas.
I think part of the problem is the bounce-back from the vibraphone keys synchronizing with the next marble hit, thus adding a kick just as the marble hits, launching it over the funnel.
I really hope he doesn't have to make the funnels taller though. They are already obscuring the vibraphone enough.
I watched carefully and I think the big marble bounces are happening because they are hitting the rounded edge of the silicone pads. Just make the silicone pads longer or place them further up and that should stop happening. Also, if you Iine the back jaw of the vibraphone funnels with black cloth it could bring the noise down without doing any work that can't be easily undone if it looks bad and it might save us from seeing the angle grinder again. Everyone please like this so Martin sees.
Or he can just bend the marble dispenser to hit the bar in the correct spot
Yeah I was thinking the same thing
I think the black dirty spots on the pads are from the old dropper setup, I noticed all of the hits on that note were high up on the pad vs where the black spot was, And your right Quertz I think he measured those spots for a reason, he should adjust the droppers not the pads.
What about it hitting tube metal bar while it is resonating and getting a boost from there vibration of the bars. If it only happens while you hear a tone or if you notice that the height of the double bounces are related to the volume of the note then this is more likely than it hitting the side of the silicon. If it does a double bounce without it vibrating then is some other issue however there movement of it vibrating might be making it hit the edge of the silicone pad.
YES! I noticed exactly the same thing !
Marble hits the edge of the silicone pad, so the actual angle is less that 7 degrees, the marble flies higher...
The marbles seem to be making the most sound in regards to the funnels, so perhaps you could just "paint" some silicon on the wires where they land. Shouldn't compromise the design while greatly reducing the sound.
The Fox we get it. You don’t like this channel. The rest of us do.
@The Fox calm down. I'm sure he'll explore the simplest options first to see if he can get these ones to work. Fuck the dudes put 1000s of hours into an insanely complex marble machine with some very impressive design elements, and the best you can do is call him a jackbag for 'milking' it. I'm sure this is a two to three week delay max.
@The Fox Sometimes the simplest solution can be the hardest. He want his work not only to be precise in engineering, but in art design as well. So he might hold back on some designs that would help engineering wise but would impact largely on the artistic feel. If you do art, you'll get it. Just some words from me, someone that does art. :)
@The Fox How dare he produce years of free content for you to consume and enjoy, _how dare he!_
I hope he dampens that awful sound the marbles make when the land in the funnels
18:18 When Martin mentioned Animusic's Pipe Dream, that was awesome to hear because, as someone who once stumbled upon Animusic during late night TV advertisement a long time ago, I looked up Animusic's Pipe Dream on UA-cam to watch it again, and on the side was where I saw the official Marble Machine video. I clicked on it and was captivated by it to the point of re-listening to the song on repeat. That was when I looked more into the Wintergatan UA-cam channel, watched more videos, especially of the MMX, and then I became a subscriber because I'd become so genuinely curious to see the MMX in all its finished glory and I still look forward to that when it is officially and finally complete.
So yes, you have Animusic's Pipe Dream to thank for introducing me to Wintergatan and the MMX through the Marble Machine video.
I wish Martin the best of luck and I have hope that he can and will complete the MMX and captivate me once again in bringing future music to life with it!
swedish man stops losing his marbles
2020, colorized
Shut up
@@gamerpuffybuffy9009 whats your problem
Swedish man moves far from home country, finds secluded orchard, miraculously stops losing his marbles.
he still is losing his marbles
the marble "super jump" looks like it could be because the vibraphone plates move. if a marble lands right as the vibraphone starts lifting back up, it gains that momentum on the jump towards the funnel.
If you can stop the vibraphone plates moving, my theory is the "super jump" will stop happening altogether.
Yes, seems like some combo of momentum imparted on the marble by the upward movement of the vibraphone bar, and the fact that, when the bar is down, it kinda looks like it may not be hitting the rubber circle cleanly, so it may be bouncing differently from that as well.
That sounds about right, I would just stiffen up the movement of the plates. Also, the mechanical sounds are what give the machine its charm. Since the instruments are going to be captured individually I wouldn't see it as too much of a problem
Agree
Could it down to some marbles not stopping at the gate and being effectively released from higher up?
I thought the same, that would be the same, as your brother giving you the superjump on the trampoline.
Martin: "I figured out a savage way."
Me: "Oh god what's it gonna be this time"
Martin: "I just take out my clamp here..."
Me: O_O
At least it wasn't the Angle Grinder of Doom this time.
Rarely have I felt so emotional and resonant (!) with another UA-camr, but your focus video was an inspiration. Dopamine detox is a buzzword, but that whole mini-reward distraction thing is very close to my weakness. You clarified it beautifully. I am trying to limit mini rewards during my work day. It is REALLY hard to break.
I can see this machine sitting in an extremely rich collectionist's house in like 200 years
dude that makes me so sad
that makes me real sad
@@andreasboesen9763 Not that sad if you can imagine him playing it regularly to entertain his guests or uploading it to whatever incarnation of UA-cam in 2220. Keeping the spirit of the machine alive 200 years from now :)
In 20 years, I can easily see that. But 200 years? Maybe in some post-apocalyptic tribal chief's trophy room
@@Mephitinae 20 years? nah. that's not enough time to be a collector's item......
I wanted to say a special thank you for the music in this episode. The fragment between 5:33 and 8:20 is so wonderful, I had to extract it, so I could listen to it on a loop while working or doing things around the house. It's incredibly lovely and calming by itself, but the funnel build sounds that are part of the track, make it even more so. Please don't feel "deflated" about the funnels. They look exquisite. They're brilliantly engineered. I've no doubt that you will find a way to eliminate the noise, and to rein in those stray marbles. Good luck!
Clickbait title. In the next episode he will cut off the funnels with an angle grinder
Pain is temporary. Glory is permanent.
After that first shot of the beautiful marble catchers I was pretty sure the angle grinder would make its entrance in this episode!! But you might be right, see you next week, grinding friend.
'Finished' can also mean 'dead'... e.g. "you are finished!"
😂😂
if he does that, I hope he choose a much clever and simple design using a 3d printer (not metal).
“The MMX will be able to be built for any competent group of people”
And to think back when this started i believed I was a competent group of people
I would estimate the price for a finished MMX at 400.000 €
Competent folk can still be incompetent and vise-versa.
I'm an example of that... I'm competent at incompetence :)
Well, I think it is quite unusual for a team (aka "group") of competent people to refer to themselves in singular... ;)
The shot of the machine at 6:16 is beautiful! Wallpaper material right there.
"Mom! Let's buy record player"
"We have record player at home"
Record player at home: 3:06
“The MMX will be able to be built for any competent group of people”
Welp, looks like I'm out of the equation
Hello again
All you need is wood, steel and an angle grinder!
Damn I am was thinking the same.
@@Shalmonify lol
U are everywhere
"0.2mm Springsteel by Tim Keller & The Broken Endmills"
"Including hit songs like "Climbcut" Torque Blues" etc."
This had me laughing. Thanks.
I thought it's "Broken Anvils", not "broken endmills"...
@@InventorZahran whoosh
Balls hitting the funnels sound almost exactly like the coins and cash register noises at the beginning of Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’. Good sign! :)
Martin- I don't know how you could do it, but fish tank air tube (silicon) around your vertical metal bars of your catcher could deaden the sound of the marbles hitting the catcher. Just a thought. AKA- thread the metal bar through the pipe then weld. Only catch is not melting the silicon tube. I would keep the bar near some type of coolant so not to over heat..
@@Blacklab412294 a cut along the silicon tube would allow it to be applied even after assembly
Beautiful machine. Being a designer, I have a deap appreciation and love for the detail and creativity of your marble machine. Don't give up on the baskets. This is a great opportunity to make it even more beautiful than it already is.
When I first found this channel, around about the time Martin was building the marble divider, I impatiently devoured the whole series to date. Then eagerly watched each update as they were released.
Over the past few months, now the machine is nearing completion, I find myself clearing a quiet time away from distraction so I can savour every moment. There are some awesome UA-cam channels out there, but this is the one I feel most emotionally invested in.
My mom showed me the first marble machine a while ago but and now I’m waiting to show her the marble machine x
In case you haven’t figured it out (yet). The vibraphone plate vibrates, and if the marble hits when the plate is at the bottom of the vibration, it can come back with the energy of the plate vibrating up.
similiar to when you jump on a trampoline and you buddies help you get higher by introducing force down on the trampoline, and relieving it when you’re at the most lowest point of your trampoline jump
It's a cool theory, but I suspect it's not the main cause. I have my doubts that the effect would be that large. It seems more reasonable to think it has something to do with where the balls hits. If this is the case he can just make the rubber pads larger. If it really is caused by constructive interference it's much harder to fix. It might be that only a larger funnel that takes this into account is the solution for the interference problem, if that really is what's going on.
@@nalissolus9213 I agree about the energy levels and have an audio analogy/reference. Think of the 'bass speaker and cornstarch/water' trick. Think of how much electrical/audio power it takes to bounce a blob of cornstarch. Bounce at least 10cm the way the flyers went. Now think about how much reflective force will come back after the marble hits the pad, that will amplify the bounce. (Not the right words for things but it's all I've got. :)
The trampoline analogy, that adds more externally sourced energy to the system. If that line of theory were correct, then after hitting the first note, bounce it off another, *gain* another 10cm in height, the bounce again, another 10cm. You see how this isn't working.
That's not to say something isn't adding energy to the system, clearly it is. I think it's hitting the edge if the pad and touching the metal. A camera would show that.
It's simple conservation of momentum, the plate is in motion and is several times heavier than the marble, this extra momentum was not accounted for in the initial tests. This extra bounce is still best case scenario though, just wait till he plays the same note multiple times at the spring steels resonance then plays that note on the off beat, I bet the marble would jump higher than the MMX.
The super jump is caused because the vibraphone plates are on a pivot, and move when hit. If the vibraphone plate is on its way back up as the marble hits it, it will be like a baseball bat hitting a ball, and it will put more energy into the bounce. It will also probably make a louder sound.
A solution would be to dampen the vibraphone plate movement (not dampen the sound, but the macro movement of the plate on the pivot).
If I remember correctly the movement is caused by spring steel. You could dampen this by adding some friction material between the two moving pieces. I.e as the vibraphone plate is moving back up, it will rub against some friction material, slowing it down, reducing the energy it can put into a super bounce.
I think we need to test to confirm this is actually the case first -- looking at the video frame-by-frame, it looks like the vibraphone plates have returned 100% by the time the next marble hits. But it's possible the plate is still vibrating a little bit and the momentum of the vibration is hitting the ball further depending on the phase when the ball hits.
i think craig is right.
if the bars reach maximum velocity on their way up, and a new marble hits them at this moment, its like the bar is playing tennis with the marble and shoots it way further than expected.
on the other hand, it looks like Jacob Sharf is also right, so this might actually be an additional problem wich only appears if martin plays faster music on the machine, but not the original cause for the problem presented in the video.
either way: I love the looks of the funnel design and the whole project! it is amazing how much work you (martin) have put into designing and making this machine become reality!
Don't be sorry for havin' to "clean up" instead of listening to advices. You are an innovator of a dream, Martin, and if an innovator would have to follow all the advices that is given, the dream would never come true. When I was a kid they had a sign on a nearby train station that said; "Don't be sorry that you missed your train, but be happy that you came well in time for the next". I know the quote sounds really annoying if you are in lack of time, but it also holds some truth. So, don't be sorry of having to alter your design slightly, but be happy for the opportunity to learn even more.
My daughter has just discovered you and she loves your music/engineering. She has canavan disease and she is just smiling all afternoon watching your videos. Thank you 😊
For what it's worth I love the "childish" marble guides -- it looks so cool and playful. But I have no doubt you can make something even more awesome if you put your mind to it :)
Yona Appletree, I love the look of the marbles shooting out the holes!
This machine is beyond genius. I dont kno how he could get any better
Martin - you could steam bend your marble guides so they would give you better gravitation movement of the marbles {Hope that make sense}. I have seen bending of wood done on other youTube channels.
Martin! These over jumps can be actually caused by the cymbal's silicone "cover". I think some marbles hits the edge of the silicone spread therefore gaining less forward speed, hence going higher (Ep_0 = Ep + Ek).
And it's super easy to validate this theory - just make one bigger silicone cover on a cymbal and check if it helped.
Picked up some TOT tricks for cutting stock I see.
Gotta get me some of those markers!
@@94XJ any sharpie works you just gotta turn around the ink cartidge
Yes but karate chops are the preferred method. Or feeding material to the kitten.
@@inthefade You mean cat now - she's grown.
That image at 6.18 with the sun going down and the marble machine in the forefront is amazing. Need that as a shirt design. Great work and fantastic episode again keep up the great work.
This is looking amazing as always and a minor setback but I know that you can solve this problem with your team. Keep pushing forward your closer to the finish line that you think. You have so much support and we all know that this is going to be a amazing machine of musical genius .. God Bless and stay positive
Ah, what a beautiful wednesday!
Is there a reason why you aren't consider damping the funnelsprings with some felt or a polymere like TPU?
some suggested dipping them in clear rubbery stuff that is used for making grips on tools etc. I think it's a great idea! If u use clear coating the metal is still visible which prevents a cheap plasticky look.
Felt is always good on a musical instrument. It is functional and it adds character: It doesn’t need to be hidden. I’d recommend proudly using red felt strips.
@@EnginAtik Black for the aesthetic so it ties back to the frame. or potentially tan to tie into the wood tones. Could stealth it with grey.
There are holes under the blue leaf spring that you can see, which are intended to hold a peice of neoprene cord that can provide damping. I think Martin forgot about that future-proof feature in his focused effort to complete these
@@nalissolus9213 FLEX GLUE CLEAR!
Hey Martin, I've been watching this series since day 1 and ever since then, it has been the light of my week. I can't believe the MMX is so close to being finished, the whole project has evolved into this beautiful machine that I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams. I'm so happy you've made it this far and I can't wait to hear its music for the first time.
Also, living in France, you bet I'm gonna go see this thing live as soon as possible!
Just a guess but the marbles that go too high could be getting the extra energy from the vibraphone, like getting double bounced on a trampoline.
Climber31Gaming I had the same thought. I was watching the slow motion to see if it was hitting the vibraphone while it was rebounding. Hard to tell.
Greetings from San Francisco. You make me proud to be Swedish-American! My great-grandmother emigrated from Stockholm in the early 1900s. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
I hope that grinder has been officially christened the "Pain is Temporary"
18:00 I KNEW his inspiration was animusic!
But don't be discouraged, Martin! Your project is so close!
I just discovered animusic a week ago and am so happy to. It's so crazy how you discover things, and then suddenly people talk about it right after you discover it.
Haha ah man i remember being in 3rd grade beinf showed animusic for the first time. Very nostalgic
The "super jumps" look like they happen when the drop is missing the latex pad and hitting metal, or at least the upper lip of the latex pad. Likely you're getting bigger jumps because there's less damping or a different effective angle of incidence. Maybe adjust the drops to make sure they hit the center of the pads.
As for the noise, a thin piece of felt between the spring steel and the lower receiver should deaden both the impact and return noise. It'll wear out eventually but seems like an easy replacement part.
Or just make a larger pad?
Exactly what i was about to write!
You cannot put a part there or you'll break dimensions, forcing a redesign. There's not enough space. You can put damping on top rim of the "catcher" though.
@@nalissolus9213 Yes I as well as other people have thought to suggest Martin use slightly longer/bigger silicone pads on the vibraphone, if the main cause is marbles bouncing on the pads in a weird way, theres a couple different variables that could be at play here.
Loved every part of this episode! The pleasing beginning, the record "player", the journey. Just all of it! Great work!
"I need to make slight adjustment"
MARTIN
GET ZE ANGLE GHRANDER
Haha, I really LIKE how the “final” front marble racetrack looks, but I’m looking forward to seeing your alternate vision for it.
I’m sure you can coat the insides of the funnels in something that dampens the sound they produce; you can also take an angle grinder to the few millimeters’ worth of prongs on the top that clap together - they don’t have any function, and I don’t think the aesthetics will be reduced when they’re gone (They’re very minor!).
Catching marbles that “double-bounce” will require the funnels to be oriented differently, but I think won’t require much more than another set of clear marble pipes to be cut and bent.
Your record player sounds beautiful!
17:39 I'm sure it's being caused by the residual resonance of the key "vibrating" at the same frequency as the mass resonance of the ball bearing. I think the only way you're going to be able to deal with that is by compensating for the variation with wider funnels.
I wonder what it looks like when the entire Molin family meets.
Mother: "So, how's it going?"
Martin: "I just finished the funnels on my marble machine!"
Father: "That's cool."
Anders: "I attached a new drum to my one-man-band-setup that I can play by twitching my nose!"
Mother: "Great!"
Sister: "Well, I still work as an accountant at Riksbank."
Father: "Where did we go so wrong?"
Is... is Anders Flanderz his brother?
@@Schmidtierawr jup; see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detektivbyr%C3%A5n (first paragraph)
@@quertz42 that's fucking wild
For like half a year I've thoguht that it would be cool if they met each other
That turntable-slowing-down gag was the absolute best thing that happened to me this week. Thanks for the laugh.
The way Martin cuts to the workbench at 1:36... I expected it. I wanted it. I NEEDED IT. It almost felt like it wasn't gonna get there, but then it did. I'd like to imagine that, in these moments, Martin leaves "a Martin" behind to play piano as he works on his other stuff with proper background music, like we, too, experience him.
I suggest when you’re finished with the marble machine X you should make something like it but it works more like a piano, where instead of a hammer hitting the strings a Marble does
Cool idea but as a pianist I think there would be too much of a delay.
@@Falinzin It wouldn't work for playing things live, but if it were programmable like the MMX it probably could, right?
Isn't that what the bass guitar on the MMX is doing already?
aid_n yeah, that’s what I was thinking but I decided to leave most of this up to imagination just in case he actually makes it
ArdsleyTank yeah pretty much
"I'm happy it's not working so that I have an excuse to do it again better."
Coming up next week:
"Welding the new and improved steel frame."
Martin: Dopamine detox is life... Also Martin: Make-believe hammer record player!!!!
Yeah, that was a real hammer tune...
Just felt I should add that the animator of pipe dream commented on how the walls of the scene were full of divets and holes to elude to stray balls in the calibration of the machine. You’re doing amazing work!
So cool that you found Munro’s channel as well! I just started watching it and it’s captivating.
Don’t be disappointed in the design mistakes. I do the same thing over and over again. I face this design problem, figure out a complicated way to solve it, do tens or hundreds of hours of design work on said fix only to later find that a simple change in the original design fixed the issue at its root and made all my work on said issue obsolete. I’m pretty sure that’s a fundamental law of engineering and design.
Tfw you realize you won't have wintergatan Wednesdays when the mmx is done
Peter Juncker I’m hoping for weekly fine tuning and music videos when it’s done
well! it's not MMX Wednesday we are watching, but Wintergatan Wednesday... and remember ... The Music is the Goal (dixit Martin...)
He will just make an mmxx next.
It's still Wintergatan Wednesday, and that thing up there is still Pluto. After I'm gone do with them what you will. You're welcome, and thank you.
I hope he will show us taking the MMX on tour
BREAKING NEWS: SWEDISH MAN IMPROVES ABILITY FOR INSTRUMENT PROTOTYPE TO CATCH BALLS
Mr. Cattinator I wonder if we’re taking this too far.
@@fantasticphil3863 bork bork bork
There is nothing wrong with that! We Sweed's just love to play instruments with ur balls.. ;D Swedish steel is the best! ;D
@@patrusken *easy meatball joke*
I was just about to write: "You should ask Bruce Springsteel", when the album appeared :-) Lifting the funnels a bit higher and turning them more towards the bars should catch strays. If that's not enough, you could maybe add an acrylic "lip" on the back of the funnel. For the sound you could paint the insides of the wires with clear silicone.
I think the funnels as they are in this video bring back something I was missing for a long time on the MMX that the first marble machine had. The first marble machine shaked, it made noices, marbles everywhere. I felt like the machine was breething when watching that thing. The extra noice it made, the vibrato axle sound it had, marbles missing the catchers and making sounds in the background just added dept to the original marble machine. The engineering of the MMX is top notch, don't get me wrong. But the machine must have its character in the look and in the sound so that everytime you hear it you go "yes, this is a marble machine" and not have to doubt if it's all made on a mixpanel. I had my doubts about the complexity of the marble catchers, but seeing them like this I absolutely love everything about them. I wouldn't change a thing. They're pieces of beauty and complement the MMX by a lot. Keep it up Martin!
that editing at 6:53 gives me great joy
Here is a crazy thought...
Is it possible to coat the funnels with some kind of transparent rubber coating? I think it might reduce the noise of the metal-to-metal _(marble to the funnel)_
Of course it won't help to keep the escaping marbles though... 🤔
It is Wednesday my dudes...
aaaaAAAAAH
Heyyyo!
You took two whole seconds to comment. I’m disappointed, you could do so much better
It is indeed, my dude
Indeed it is my fellow friend!
"I'm happy that this is not working because now I know I have to make something more beautiful"
So for the last two years I, together with thousands of other people, are waiting for that one moment on Wednesday. That moment to watch Martin follow his dreams and inspiring all of us. Thank you Martin for this journey 🙏❤️
Three things:
1)Sandy's teardown has been awesome
2)I paused the beginning of the video to turn on BirdNet because I thought I was hearing a new bird outside
3)Coat the funnels in rhinolining or some other sound dampener.
Doesn't fix the super jumps but it will knock down the noise a ton
Okay 4 things
You're awesome man. This is one of my favourite channels. Keep inspiring the world!!
It seems like the “super jumps” are coming from when the marble hits too high up and hits the top lip of that pad. It seems like that vibraphone key needs to be adjusted.
Came here to say exactly that. You are right I think. The pad takes away parts of the kinetic energy, if it's not hit the marble has to much left over power and jumps right over the funnel
@@MakenModify I thought so too at first but after going through the footage frame by frame, I don't think that's the reason. They all seem to be hitting the same spot on the pad. My theory is that the super jumps occur as a result of the vibraphone keys vibrating and constructively interfering with the marble during the impact. Would be cool to see some super slow mo footage to figure out exactly what's going on.
I wondered if perhaps it was due to a few oddball marbles that behave differently.
@@Majoofi I doubt it. Tolerances on ball bearings are insanely tight, like close to the tolerances used in optics.
@@brandonberchtold9484 Yes, additive vibrations... as the oscillations are moving up and down, if the marble hits a non moving bar the energy is dissipated in getting it started, if the vibration is on the "downward part of the wave it would lose a bit more energy which is fine for clearing the fixed lip, but on the upward part of the sine wave it would add some energy back into the marble which gives it enough to go over the back lip... I think a bit more loop back on top could solve that, like a Jai Alai basket or "jack in the pulpit" flower..
I didn’t know a hammer could play a record with that much quality!
3:38 your record player is weird the music slow down but their is no pitch shift. it just like well a marble machine actually.
Martin: “I have finally mastered the art of Focus.”
Also Martin: 3:14
Magic number
i'm a spanish speaker, and i follow your channel from the first marble machine video, i think i'l keep watching here
The marbles escaping the funnels isn't the machine's fault, its the marbles! They can sometimes be machined with different hardness which can change how high they bounce. Remove the bad ones from the system as you find them. If you test the bounce in a controlled environment you will find that they go higher than the other marbles in your system consistantly!
Edit: spelling
counterpoint: test them by just running the machine and the ones that fall out are weak and shall be eliminated
The marbles are bouncing off a thin rubber pad. Slight variations in hardness will not cause a significant difference because the rubber absorbs orders of magnitude more energy than the marble.
The reason that they sometimes bounce higher is the movement of the plates. If you drop 2 consecutive marbles and the second one hits in the wrong moment (while the plate is still moving up), the movement of the plate will give the marble an extra push, thus increasing the height of the bounce.
Wouldn't the bad ones self segregate as they'd be scattered all over the floor?
To confirm the theory, a test run would have to be done with nothing but the marbles that had previously escaped, to see if they reliably bounce too far.
@@greanhare5270 Or a very long test to check that the ones that didn't escape reliably bounced the correct distance.
Martin: I'm gonna do a savage cut
*starts cutting*
*Cuts the video, in the moment of cutting the part*
Briliant
The 'superjump' appears to be similar to the effect you get with two people on a trampoline. It could be that the resonating key sometimes is in perfect timing with the bounce to amplify it.
@@lambertstarr1218 I broke my arm doing this exact thing 15 years ago. The arm looked like a W. Good times.
You could dip or spray the funnels in a rubberized coating (in the US we call it "truck bed liner") which is wear-resistant, and will also mute the noise of the marbles hitting the metal cages. Love this project!! Keep up your awesome work!
The funnels look beautiful and functional. I think work within the design you've created, just engineer a solution with the current materials. Getting so close! Fan since day 1
The 1mm gap that you had, you should put something like stiff rubber, so it dampens the sound then it comes back.
And then spray the inside of the funnel with something like plasti dip or flex seal, to dampen the sound from the marbles hitting the funnel.
I feel as though there should be something you could dip the funnels in that would give them a coating to prevent them from making noise, although wear and tear will eventually bring the noise back so it'd need to be maintained religiously.
I also am pretty sure that there's a better angle you could set the funnels to that would have a much larger capture point- a lot of the funnel space seems to be getting wasted on killing the marbles' momentum, it might be better to redirect it down the track and kill it there instead.
Yep, some clear plasti dip would be great for this.
I was thinking of a product called "Plastidip". Maybe they have a clear version that would keep some of the stainless-steel aesthetic. Definitely something to do with a mockup first.
Yep, same thoughts here. Clear Plastidip and a steeper angle for the catchers.
The marble “jump” issue isn’t to bad. The marble hits the corner of the silicon circle. most of the time on the silicon other times outside. the marble is jumping higher in the second case.
At least it looks like that in the video.
Martin, I have been watching your progress for quite some time now. This has been such a huge project and you have come SO far. As the middle of the summer comes, please have your house checked by an experienced electrician for fire hazards and brush up as much as you can about other fire hazards. I cannot even imagine the heartbreak that would befall you should your house catch fire and destroy your extremely hard work and passion. Please take as many precautions as possible to secure the safety of your passion, even if it winds up taking you more time. If your house caught fire and the marble machine X destroyed, I think each and every one of us (your fans) would have to fly out to France to perform a concert just for you. Do not make us do that!
11:53 the high note of the OGMM song... you had me in anticip-
And here it comes: The Angle Grinder! The crowd goes crazy! And now comes The Clamp! What a SAVAGE move, ladies and gentlemen!
10:07 Well guys, he did it. Martin reinvented the drillbit.
“We make mistakes, that’s how we improve.”
i have been sober for 1 week, but i am now ready for wintergatan wednesdays again. dear martin, please upload or i might die.
As a Product Designer Student I would say...
THIS IS AMAZING 🧡
6:52. Where can I get one of those marker pens that cuts steel like butter.
Those aren’t real, I know it’s a joke but they actually don’t exist.
Please don’t woosh me and read the whole comment again
Spends a whole episode reducing noise, adds super noisy funnels.. ooooof
Previous Week: Alters dopamine levels.
This Week: Pretends to be a vinyl.
Hey, I love your job so much. I speak native Spanish and it has helped me to practice a little my English for 2 years now, I am glad that there will be a version in Spanish so that your videos have a greater scope.
Martin, you are mechanical, musical, and practical genius.