Embedded Files
By: Jonna de Kruijff, Kaan Koyuncu, Petra Kubernátová
Concept
Concept
The concept is pretty simple. The three of us like vinyl, so we chose this as our old medium. Converting the sound produced by a vinyl record to mp3 is an existing technology, so this was not an interesting idea for us. Instead we thought about what we could use the physical discs for. We still wanted to incorporate music, since we consider this the essence of vinyl records. Following this thought process the idea of the Frankenrecord was born. We have done a search for similar projects online, but most of them seemed to focus more on repurposing vinyls. We haven't stumbled upon any project that would incorporate creating a physical mash-up like we do in ours.
The concept is pretty simple. The three of us like vinyl, so we chose this as our old medium. Converting the sound produced by a vinyl record to mp3 is an existing technology, so this was not an interesting idea for us. Instead we thought about what we could use the physical discs for. We still wanted to incorporate music, since we consider this the essence of vinyl records. Following this thought process the idea of the Frankenrecord was born. We have done a search for similar projects online, but most of them seemed to focus more on repurposing vinyls. We haven't stumbled upon any project that would incorporate creating a physical mash-up like we do in ours.
Supplies
Supplies
5 vinyl records with cover sleeves
soldering iron
glue
scissors
Step I. - Thrift Store Hunting
Step I. - Thrift Store Hunting
Once we figured out the concept the next step of our adventure was visiting a thrift store and purchasing some vinyl records to combine. We knew that the more records we choose to combine, the more messy the final Frankenrecord will be and the lower our chances of it actually playing will be. In the end we decided to go with 5 records because we felt that it would be an appropriate number considering our time frame and quality expectations. We chose 5 records of very diverse genres, so that the mash-up feel would be emphasised. Personal preferences also played a role because we didn't feel it was morally correct to cut up vinyl records from artists that we actually enjoy listening to. The final 5 records that we chose were:
ABBA - Voulez - Vous
Wham! - Make It Big
Dutch Hitknallers
Stille Nacht performed by Den Haag male choir
Je blijft lachen! - Dutch comedy
Step II. - Cutting and Combining
Step II. - Cutting and Combining
Now it came to the tricky part. The actual cutting up of the records and recombining them together into a new one. During this step we were battling issues caused by not having the appropriate tools. According to our research, the best way to cut up vinyl is with a tool called a hot knife. Unfortunately, we were not able to acquire this tool, so everything was a little more complicated.
First we tried cutting the vinyl with one of the small saws available in 406, but that resulted in a very messy situation and jagged edges. We then searched for an alternative to a hot knife and found a soldering iron. We thought that instead of cutting the vinyl, we could melt it off using the soldering iron. This approach was successful and we ended up with nice shards of vinyls which we could recombine. Since we wanted the result to have the same proportions as a regular vinyl record, we roughly measured out how many pieces we would need to make a whole record and how big they should be. On the picture below you can see the remains of some of the records.
After cutting up the vinyls we moved on to the recombination step. We used our trusty soldering iron to melt the edges of the shards together. We were aware that by melting the edges we might loose the "playability" of the record but we really liked the sloppy effect that it gave us since this project was inspired by Frankenstein and he himself was also sloppy. Below you can see a failed attempt at combining the record where we accidentally made a hole in the vinyl with the soldering iron. You live and you learn!
After cutting up the vinyls we moved on to the recombination step. We used our trusty soldering iron to melt the edges of the shards together. We were aware that by melting the edges we might loose the "playability" of the record but we really liked the sloppy effect that it gave us since this project was inspired by Frankenstein and he himself was also sloppy. Below you can see a failed attempt at combining the record where we accidentally made a hole in the vinyl with the soldering iron. You live and you learn!
Several soldering burns later we finally finished this step of our adventure and the Frankenrecord was born! You can admire the final product below.
Step III. - Cover Collage
Step III. - Cover Collage
When we finished recombining the vinyls we thought it was appropriate to give the cover sleeves the same treatment. We picked up a pair of scissors and some glue and got to work.
When we finished recombining the vinyls we thought it was appropriate to give the cover sleeves the same treatment. We picked up a pair of scissors and some glue and got to work.
We let our creativity flow and soon we were left with a very special cover collage.
We let our creativity flow and soon we were left with a very special cover collage.
Does It Play?
Does It Play?
The million dollar question that will be answered on Friday during the presentation. We decided to add an element of surprise mainly because we didn't want to ruin our record player straight away and then have to search for a replacement.
The million dollar question that will be answered on Friday during the presentation. We decided to add an element of surprise mainly because we didn't want to ruin our record player straight away and then have to search for a replacement.
Honestly speaking, we do not expect the Frankenrecord to actually play. We predict that the individual parts will play, but once the needle gets to the melted connection of two parts, it will get stuck. We have tried making the connections a bit smoother by sanding them down with sand paper, but we soon realised that the sand paper will also sand away the tracks on the vinyl erasing the sound from it. But who knows, maybe the Frankenrecord will surprise us all!
Edit: The record actually ended up playing, so the back-up plan wasn't needed. The Frankenrecord lives on!
Here is a video of the working project taken by Peter van der Putten:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/faooev5l30c8v0q/Frankenrecord.mov?dl=0
Back-Up Plan
Back-Up Plan
To prepare ourselves for the scenario that our Frankenrecord won't actually play, we have made a simulation of what it might have sounded like. We downloaded some tracks from the vinyls in .mp3 format and then combined them together in the Virtual DJ software adding a vinyl crackling sound effect for a more authentic feel. You can download the final track from here:
To prepare ourselves for the scenario that our Frankenrecord won't actually play, we have made a simulation of what it might have sounded like. We downloaded some tracks from the vinyls in .mp3 format and then combined them together in the Virtual DJ software adding a vinyl crackling sound effect for a more authentic feel. You can download the final track from here:
Note: To make the track a bit more aesthetically pleasing for the ear, we have prolonged the times that each individual song plays. In reality the vinyl records we bought make 33 and 1/3 rotations per minute, meaning that one rotation would be about 1.8 seconds and each song would play for about 0.36 seconds if the vinyl was made up of 5 equal parts.
Note: To make the track a bit more aesthetically pleasing for the ear, we have prolonged the times that each individual song plays. In reality the vinyl records we bought make 33 and 1/3 rotations per minute, meaning that one rotation would be about 1.8 seconds and each song would play for about 0.36 seconds if the vinyl was made up of 5 equal parts.
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