I wasn't sold that Martin really had to give up on this machine, but seeing how much work had to go into it just to play the original song definitely puts everything in perspective.
@@Steiger08 Yeah the timing is pretty bad in this example. Not sure if it's dependent on the operator, but this absolutely isn't ready for play on a stage. Only for recording, where you have a chance to quantize a bit after the fact.
I think Martin made a mistake not showing the machine how it actually is. In all of his videos it looked like it was working well and nearly ready to go with just some minor kinks. This video really shows how far away it was from actually going on tour.
It’s a precision machine that was disassembled, traveled, reassembled and now is being carted around everywhere to different environments then designed in; played by a different musician (now staff). It’s a beautiful exhibit by the museum but different sound completely.
Yes, and a long time ago, while still trying to justify the needs for yet another Marble Machine, he mentioned that was the case, explained it, said he realized it was a mistake that he regretted and pointed to it as being one of the main reasons there was a considerable backlash for his decision to abandon the MMX.
In all his videos? You mean for the last month or something? It was constantly failing somewhere. It would work briefly well enough, then something would fail.
I disagree - when I read a book with it's story telling, that is exactly what I was looking for - if it's a good book of course. I don't care about the years it may have lay around in the authors home or head half finished, with parts that didn't work out, with the failures that were in there, before someone redacted it. Martin made the impossible marble machines, that are impossible to play - for normal people. He made them shine in the format, they got famos in the first place: on youtube video, himself playing it, squeezing every possible quality out of it in the process. Martin made even lessons on mechanical tryal and error fun, story like, and filled with great music. If you just show how the step plates looked after the recording, it would be boring at best, a bit messy, unfinished. For me the marble machine of winergatan is not only a music project. It's a dream, brought to us by video, manifesting in the art form that only Martin can achieve exactly like that in style.
in the kindest possible way, the way the MMX struggles so much to play a simple song puts EVERYTHING into perspective. I was one of the many people who were heartbroken to see the project abandoned, because what we got to hear in progress videos were only small snippets of things that worked well, edited and enhanced. It made it seem like, of course the whole machine works perfectly! but wow. The amount of work it took to get it just to this state makes it all make sense. It was too much for one person to do, and I'm glad you guys are all working together on it now, with fresh perspectives.
Yes, Martin didn't show the real challenges of the machine very well. I think part of that is due to his desire to create good videos but seeing it raw and unedited here really shows the issues at hand.
It's pretty impressive when you consider he didn't do any 'engineering' when building that thing, like all the gears are sized based on like his intuition. Martin is just now learning basic highschool physics, lol.
Watching the song finally play was both cathartic, and painful. Big props to the team for getting it to this point, and for providing the context as to how and why we arrived here.
Also shows how brilliant Martin is as an engineer of all of the MM series. The first machine plays, but if you watch some of the behind the scenes videos he tells of how unstable the machine is. Knowing the MMX was to take things farther and the lengths Martin, alone through a large chunk of it, went through to get the MMX to a point where others could continue is outstanding within itself.
I love how many people were quick to judge Martin for abandoning this machine, then after an entire team had to work together to get it functional enough to play something, it becomes immediately apparent why Martin didn’t pursue with this design.
Yeah, the big issue was that Martin never actually showed the state of the machine. All the videos were about how well it's going and that only a few little tweeks were necessary. All music he played on the MMX sounded good, probably due to editing. So when he stopped the MMX it just looked like he was throwing away a perfectly working concept. If he showed the actual state of the machine, I'm pretty sure most people would have agreed with the decision to discontinue the work on it.
That is great, I can see you are still using the angle grinder, paying tribute to the legacy! It took one Swedish dreamer to start this project, but some proper German engineering to finish it!
To be fair, it's international engineering by this point. The volunteer team has people from Germany, France, Switzerland, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, the UK, and I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting several more.
Yes! I was gonna comment on how very well edited this was. Only - very minor - thing is that it's somewhat creepy when the speaker is not facing the camera in use. (-=
Watching all the work being done by Martin, and then even more work being done by this crew really shows how huge of an undertaking this machine was/is, but hearing it play a live song without any editing really solidified that point. Wow. I got a huge feeling of intimidation just thinking what it will take and the amount of tiny tweaks needed to go from a semi functional current state to something that could be heard as a live instrument playing Martin’s ever chased “right music”. Great work, it’s a pleasure to see.
This just shows the engineering prowess of the designers of the workable and usable machines of the past in the two museums. Those old machines still sound great today. Martin should spend a couple days visiting the Music Cabinet and shoot video and resurrect the Music Machine Monday series for your display. A "season 2" so to speak.
@@billkeithchannelAnd how the machine is analog in its function. The only electronics to the machine are for drive of the motor and amplification to the sound, there isn't anything else electronic driving the marbles or the works. That's an achievement within itslef.
Even with all the highly appreciated work put into this, I can't help but find that the machine still sounds so "sad", whereby we can clearly hear why this design was still not ready to tour. It is still wonderful that this iteration had graced this planet.
I find it very interesting that at the time he made this machine, he was thinking on taking it on tour with him. CRAZY to think that, it wasn't so long ago, but long enough to know that this engineering accomplishment can be put to rest, complete with people who want to show passion for music and engineering. Thank you to all who've made this possible!
Hearing the MMX play the original song made me so happy! I've been following Martin on his journey for years, and it felt like the true end of a chapter. Looking forward to the MM3!!!
ya. i remember martin talking about how much "editing" he did to make the machine sound great, so hearing it unfiltered like this gave a really good perspective into how different the reality is. a crazy feat to get it working, but brings even more clarity as to why martin decided to start working on one that is actually reliable (and tight)
And the fact that even to play this on it takes 3-4 people constantly fiddling with the machine to stop it from breaking... I was following the MMX videos for a few months before the cancellation, and I had no idea it was in that bad of shape...
@@Muddytony20 The marble swoosh with its amazing over-rotation does not help as it can trap marbles, and the silicone tubing in the divide-by-four does the same. It really needs somebody to stand guard up on top of both sides of the machine to clear any blockages before marbles drop down.
Fascinating. Thank you. My late father would have loved it. Can't complain, he almost made it to 100. He played piano was a pilot built computers, radio stations and built the house we grew up in.
The first house you build / renovate by yourself is for your enemy, the second one for your friend, and only the third one for your own family - At least that's how we say it in our country.
This just shows the engineering prowess of the designers of the workable and usable machines of the past in the two museums. Those old machines still sound great today. Martin should spend a couple days visiting the Music Cabinet and shoot video and resurrect the Music Machine Monday series for your display. A "season 2" so to speak.
Somehow this makes me think of the Voyager spacecrafts. Technology a bit outdated, performance a bit wishywashy, but the granddaddy (or -mummy) of a lineage of machines that would never have been if not for them. Source of inspiration to many, pushing boundaries of what is possible, daring to imagine. Really wholesome and emotional to come full circle, even if the destination isn't fully reached yet and the desired final perfection may forever be unachievable.
Absolutely. So much wonder, joy, and inspiration has come from this project. It's a brilliant example of the age-old journey vs. destination question. Even though it's disappointing and painful to discover that you've been traveling towards like Mordor when you thought you were heading to Rivendell (and it's OK to mourn that), it doesn't take away from all the wonderful experiences along the way. Now you have that much more wisdom for your next adventure.
Well, it took only 60 days of filming plus 60 days of post production to get that video done…. So, „complete“ is also a big stretch for the first machine.
I didn't really get why Martin gave up on it at first. It sounded great in his videos. But now that I can hear it live without any post-processing, I can see why he's starting over. It's still a beautiful machine, and I'm glad its being shown off for what it is.
Seems like a foundational issue (almost literally) is the frame isnt beefy enough to hold the machine without shaking a lot while being hand cranked. Fixing that issue would require a total rebuild... A band aid solution could be to run it off the electric motor, but that defeats the hand powered nature of the MMX
Martin seems to have failed right at the inception: the machine was always too compact and built without shock absorption or self leveling in the frame, and with no counterbalance for the rotating assemblies.
@@Musikkabinett Good to know, and something Martin needs to consider. Probably most stages aren't the most solid of platforms, so the variable quality of stages needs to be considered... Especially considering how heavy the new MM looks like it will end up being.
@@FamilyHomeTheater definitely going to be hefty, but the load is more spread out over a larger area. The MMX puts a ton of weight on just 4 tiny pressure points. But it will still need to be an important consideration for the stages where the MM3 will be presented
There's definitely the idea to get a few more songs recorded, but it's not set in stone yet and it is unlikely that they will be written by Martin or Wintergatan. Stay tuned!
First a praise comment to the people that had to reassemble the MMX from pieces. You people having never seen the fully assembled MMX, in person before. You managed to put the mechanical puzzle back to gather, fix/improve many issues discovered and have it play a song! That's huge! I bet it was fun. I'm not going to read all 303 comments. What I have read said little about all the work and energy these devoted fans put into making MMX play a song in front of an audience. I salute them. Performance points about the played song. I really don't hear the timing errors. I did hear the change in tempo and marbles striking the floor. I did notice it took two people to power it. Lastly. I could hear a marble bounce off the drum heads through the acoustic mics but no synth drum sounds played. Was the bass guitar even programed to play? It was all xylophone. Lastly. In the video someone made a comment about how much MMX shakes. I'm not surprised. The first day I saw that frame with the programing wheel mounted. I thought to myself. That's not sturdy. Say we turn that frame into a table. You have to stand on it for some task. Would you feel safe with secure footing? That's why marbles landed on the floor. It shakes.
This is so dang amazing! Thank you all for undertaking this, and of course, thank you to Martin for creating the machine and the dream in the first place, and allowing you guys pick up where he left off!
13:50 mmhmmmm, not sure what I saw and heared 🤔 If this is unfiltered and unedited how the MMX was then I can understand why Martin gave up. I always had the impression it was near to perfect working but not like this 🥺
Thank you so much for all the work you put in so this machine could play! I really want to go to the 2024 meetup although I am in the USA, but I'll see if I can make it
I have allot of love for the MMX. No its not perfect, and you know what, it doesn't have to be. i don't care how many marbles hit the floor... or how much it vibrates or how loud its moving parts are, It was a labor of love and a critical step for Martin. I don't fault Martin at all for realizing it was too much and abandoning it, clearly it had a plethora of problems and yeah it took a whole team just to be able to play one song. But just to hear it play that one song in the end.. i wont lie i shed a tear :D it may not be the perfect playable instrument... but its definitely a masterpiece of artistry and engineering. Worthy of a museum.
After years of analysis I am ready to conclude that dropping marbles onto a surface and hoping they bounce predictably back into a mechanical system is a terrible idea! Thank you for attending this lecture.
if Martin didn't have this grand idea of a world tour on his agenda and making the machine look as good as it plays, it would've been completed by now, and a third iteration of this machine wouldn't be kicked around like it currently is. having something that just works and works well with minimal maintenance is ideal, but not what he wants. sacrificing that simplistic and effective design for something that looks better instead, and that will need a lot of time to implement and won't be as reliable. this is where it all came undone, in here you can see how badly some of it unravelled.
It probably needs a lot more fine tuning taking several days everytime it is moved or the song is switched... But it surpassed expectations in one aspect above all 100% no doubt: Looking cool. Belongs in a museum, definitely.
Leute, ihr seid so großartig❤ vor einem halben Jahr stand ich in Rüdesheim andächtig vor zwei Ruinen... ihr habt Wunder vollbracht😂🎉 Und wie ihr sicher wißt, hat Martin für einige Probleme (4xDivider!!!) inzwischen eine Lösung!
Dragon Skin (available from Smooth-On & Amazon) silicon would be a far more durable material than latex for the vibraphone pads. Good to see the Marble Machine X community coming together to make this performance a reality, well done and thank you to the entire team.
I am soooo sad that it will be in August again... I wanted to come last year, but as an Ausbilder, I can not take time off work in August because that's when my new apprentices arrive. So I had hoped it would be in July this year, but again, no luck for me 😢 Still, I hope it will be an awesome event for everyone visiting as well as for those organizing it!
Just to save you a trip: please be aware that the museum has its winter pause right now, and the machine will only be on display later in the year. If you don't go to Frankfurt often you could try to reach out to the museum, just know that showing up there unannounced won't work.
I saw some mechanical machines in Taiwan / Tainan / Chimei Museum, 100 years ago they used "weights" to charge the rotating handle. Before playing someone had to spool up a rope with weights and push play. This ensured that the speed was probably right all the time.
We have a computer history museum here in Silicon Valley (California, USA), and I think these marble machines could have a very good place near Charles Babbage computing machine. Seattle also has a music history museum, that might be even better place.
I’m not saying it would be any different, but this feels like a problem of engineering approach. It’s like building spiral staircase but with only designing the next step. Each new step compounds any issue and then you spend a lot of time on that step trying to fix issues introduced by previous steps. Instead designing it all up front might be better. MMX was designed based on the original design, which also didn’t work live. I’m not engineer but I think about the fly wheel and how much rotational energy is there. It’s on the side of the machine, which I think would mean it will always be off balance and wanting to torque the machine. A center flywheel might be better. Etc etc. it’s an amazing machine and work of art but I think it struggled since it was designed linearly vs holistically. Idk I’m a marble machine believer and hope one day to see a production version play live.
Ball bearings have oil on them from manufacturing process. They are tons of funto play with the sound they make when banged togetherbetter than glass marbles.
@@Musikkabinett Here is a song suggestion: ruclips.net/video/rn-nM4CxXkQ/видео.html It is a song called _Music Box_ and it was written by Stewart Copeland of Police fame for an 80's American television show "The Equalizer". A simplified version on the MMX would sound great.
Try giving it more legs/a wider base to help reduce crank shaking. Another dumb way to reduce shaking would be to crank it with not as much force. I can only guess that the crank needs a fair bit of strength to turn, but putting too much strength into it will easily cause shakes
I think if martin had showed more of this, and less tried to make it appear all rainbows and rosies, until it was too late, I think WAY more people would of understood why he had to start over a third time! Really cool you guys managed to get it to play the MM song though, it kind of at least deserved that to be acomplished, even if it lost half of it's marbles in the process, as well as you guys too I'm guessing hehe.
Demonstrates how well edited the video of the first Marble Machine was, and neither that or the MMX was anywhere near going on any tour. The aestetics of the machine is great and it was no doubt a great and fun project for Martin, but it is so clear why he had to abandon this version and focus on something more reliable. I see he went to the polar opposite in the start of his new project, making it reliable tech before aestetics, but has eventually found back that the machine needs some aestetics too. The videos of Martin making the MMX was entertaining because of this focus on also making it look cool, but alas it became too cool without actually working well. Let's hope he finds a good compromise, and no doubt that he can spice his videos with great music which the first videos were so full of and make us "believe". :)
I had no idea the MMX failed and was abandoned. I remember the original marble machine video and watching him build the MMX for a long time, but then I stopped watching before completion. This made me sad to rediscover it.
![[Best 5] Amazing and shocking! Japanese mass production process of stationery.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-cIWmpkt7iY/mqdefault.jpg)
I wasn't sold that Martin really had to give up on this machine, but seeing how much work had to go into it just to play the original song definitely puts everything in perspective.
And you can hear it still drops marbles on the floor.
And the timing issues. I understand a little better, why Martin really makes a big emphasis on precise timing on his new machine.
@@Steiger08 yeah
I originally thought the timing issue wouldn't be noticed
But how when the song is slower, it is actually quite significant
Close up, yeah… ok Martin, I do understand why.
@@Steiger08 Yeah the timing is pretty bad in this example. Not sure if it's dependent on the operator, but this absolutely isn't ready for play on a stage. Only for recording, where you have a chance to quantize a bit after the fact.
I think Martin made a mistake not showing the machine how it actually is. In all of his videos it looked like it was working well and nearly ready to go with just some minor kinks. This video really shows how far away it was from actually going on tour.
To be fair questionable reliability is common enough in a regular musician's performance kit, let alone something this complicated.
It’s a precision machine that was disassembled, traveled, reassembled and now is being carted around everywhere to different environments then designed in; played by a different musician (now staff). It’s a beautiful exhibit by the museum but different sound completely.
Yes, and a long time ago, while still trying to justify the needs for yet another Marble Machine, he mentioned that was the case, explained it, said he realized it was a mistake that he regretted and pointed to it as being one of the main reasons there was a considerable backlash for his decision to abandon the MMX.
In all his videos? You mean for the last month or something? It was constantly failing somewhere. It would work briefly well enough, then something would fail.
I disagree - when I read a book with it's story telling, that is exactly what I was looking for - if it's a good book of course. I don't care about the years it may have lay around in the authors home or head half finished, with parts that didn't work out, with the failures that were in there, before someone redacted it. Martin made the impossible marble machines, that are impossible to play - for normal people. He made them shine in the format, they got famos in the first place: on youtube video, himself playing it, squeezing every possible quality out of it in the process. Martin made even lessons on mechanical tryal and error fun, story like, and filled with great music. If you just show how the step plates looked after the recording, it would be boring at best, a bit messy, unfinished. For me the marble machine of winergatan is not only a music project. It's a dream, brought to us by video, manifesting in the art form that only Martin can achieve exactly like that in style.
I get that the MMX was supposed to be a usable instrument, but every time I look at it, I'm reminded how beautiful it is just as an art piece.
It's gorgeous
For real bro it's fucking awesome looking
As a musical instrument: F. As a piece of kinetic art. A+
in the kindest possible way, the way the MMX struggles so much to play a simple song puts EVERYTHING into perspective. I was one of the many people who were heartbroken to see the project abandoned, because what we got to hear in progress videos were only small snippets of things that worked well, edited and enhanced. It made it seem like, of course the whole machine works perfectly! but wow. The amount of work it took to get it just to this state makes it all make sense. It was too much for one person to do, and I'm glad you guys are all working together on it now, with fresh perspectives.
its the closure we all needed I think
Yes, Martin didn't show the real challenges of the machine very well. I think part of that is due to his desire to create good videos but seeing it raw and unedited here really shows the issues at hand.
It's pretty impressive when you consider he didn't do any 'engineering' when building that thing, like all the gears are sized based on like his intuition. Martin is just now learning basic highschool physics, lol.
All that for a toy piano melody ?
It feels like an old man trying to remember his father’s old lullaby. You guys are doing great!
That’s so poetic!
Watching the song finally play was both cathartic, and painful. Big props to the team for getting it to this point, and for providing the context as to how and why we arrived here.
"The smaller tasks takes two days" 😂 this just shows how much pain it was to get this going by Martin alone
Also shows how brilliant Martin is as an engineer of all of the MM series. The first machine plays, but if you watch some of the behind the scenes videos he tells of how unstable the machine is. Knowing the MMX was to take things farther and the lengths Martin, alone through a large chunk of it, went through to get the MMX to a point where others could continue is outstanding within itself.
Even if it wasn’t perfect I’m so happy to finally hear it play that song. I waited years hoping for this, so thank you
I love how many people were quick to judge Martin for abandoning this machine, then after an entire team had to work together to get it functional enough to play something, it becomes immediately apparent why Martin didn’t pursue with this design.
Yeah, the big issue was that Martin never actually showed the state of the machine. All the videos were about how well it's going and that only a few little tweeks were necessary. All music he played on the MMX sounded good, probably due to editing.
So when he stopped the MMX it just looked like he was throwing away a perfectly working concept.
If he showed the actual state of the machine, I'm pretty sure most people would have agreed with the decision to discontinue the work on it.
@@dak1stYes, but all his videos/plans AFTER this machine have the same level of dishonesty.
@@br52685Well, I'm convinced.
@@br52685 That's probably not wrong.
@@br52685 IF not more. The new machine is probably going to have twice the issues.
That is great, I can see you are still using the angle grinder, paying tribute to the legacy! It took one Swedish dreamer to start this project, but some proper German engineering to finish it!
To be fair, it's international engineering by this point. The volunteer team has people from Germany, France, Switzerland, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, the UK, and I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting several more.
And when Japanese precision engineering comes into play XD But you are right, It's an accomplishment not for one, but for many!
Whoever has been doing the videography for the MMX restoration videos has been absolutely killing it
Also very much appreciate the subtitles!
It’s a Teameffort all around. Several people shooting, giving feedback and texting for a rolls. Thank you!
Yes! I was gonna comment on how very well edited this was. Only - very minor - thing is that it's somewhat creepy when the speaker is not facing the camera in use. (-=
I like that the word "janky" made it all the way to Germany
To me if gerry rigging was to be used in Germany it would be fantastic.
This feels like the cap off the MMX desperately needed. So we can finally let go the project, knowing what it was, and what it wasn’t.
Watching all the work being done by Martin, and then even more work being done by this crew really shows how huge of an undertaking this machine was/is, but hearing it play a live song without any editing really solidified that point. Wow. I got a huge feeling of intimidation just thinking what it will take and the amount of tiny tweaks needed to go from a semi functional current state to something that could be heard as a live instrument playing Martin’s ever chased “right music”.
Great work, it’s a pleasure to see.
This just shows the engineering prowess of the designers of the workable and usable machines of the past in the two museums. Those old machines still sound great today.
Martin should spend a couple days visiting the Music Cabinet and shoot video and resurrect the Music Machine Monday series for your display. A "season 2" so to speak.
@@billkeithchannelAnd how the machine is analog in its function. The only electronics to the machine are for drive of the motor and amplification to the sound, there isn't anything else electronic driving the marbles or the works. That's an achievement within itslef.
crazy hearing how many marbles were hitting the floor for even just the simple instruments.
Even with all the highly appreciated work put into this, I can't help but find that the machine still sounds so "sad", whereby we can clearly hear why this design was still not ready to tour. It is still wonderful that this iteration had graced this planet.
I waited so many years to hear this, and I finally feel at peace! Now I'm eager to see how the third attempt at a marble machine shapes out!
Good call on the MMX, Martin. It was painful to watch you move past it, but now it’s clear why.
Good luck, can’t wait to see Wintergatan in concert. 😊
I find it very interesting that at the time he made this machine, he was thinking on taking it on tour with him. CRAZY to think that, it wasn't so long ago, but long enough to know that this engineering accomplishment can be put to rest, complete with people who want to show passion for music and engineering. Thank you to all who've made this possible!
Hearing the MMX play the original song made me so happy! I've been following Martin on his journey for years, and it felt like the true end of a chapter. Looking forward to the MM3!!!
Goosebumps....Pure goosebumps!
The dedication by the team to make this machine plan a song!
🥳
This was what everyone has been waiting for! Literal years.
I don;t care that it doesn't quite work right, it is a thing of beauty and crazy genius...
Wow, well this demonstration shows well that even if the machine looked great, it was far from being finished ! Nothing is really in the rythm…
Loooots of tuning and tinkering left in it. That's for sure. But first getting it into a semi permanent place!
ya. i remember martin talking about how much "editing" he did to make the machine sound great, so hearing it unfiltered like this gave a really good perspective into how different the reality is. a crazy feat to get it working, but brings even more clarity as to why martin decided to start working on one that is actually reliable (and tight)
@@chevrotain Yeah this is quite eye opening. It's beautiful to see in motion, but it's not up to snuff for an actual concert.
And the fact that even to play this on it takes 3-4 people constantly fiddling with the machine to stop it from breaking...
I was following the MMX videos for a few months before the cancellation, and I had no idea it was in that bad of shape...
@@Muddytony20 The marble swoosh with its amazing over-rotation does not help as it can trap marbles, and the silicone tubing in the divide-by-four does the same.
It really needs somebody to stand guard up on top of both sides of the machine to clear any blockages before marbles drop down.
I’m just glad he decided to play the original one, not just because of the comparison, but also the fact that it’s such a beautiful tune…
Fascinating. Thank you. My late father would have loved it. Can't complain, he almost made it to 100. He played piano was a pilot built computers, radio stations and built the house we grew up in.
The first house you build / renovate by yourself is for your enemy, the second one for your friend, and only the third one for your own family - At least that's how we say it in our country.
Fantastic, thanks for sharing the MMX working, and thanks for all the hard work to get it there!
It's amazing to see what has become of Martin's crazy idea and the community that has gathered around that idea
This just shows the engineering prowess of the designers of the workable and usable machines of the past in the two museums. Those old machines still sound great today.
Martin should spend a couple days visiting the Music Cabinet and shoot video and resurrect the Music Machine Monday series for your display. A "season 2" so to speak.
Thats planned since about 3 years. ;)
Somehow this makes me think of the Voyager spacecrafts.
Technology a bit outdated, performance a bit wishywashy, but the granddaddy (or -mummy) of a lineage of machines that would never have been if not for them. Source of inspiration to many, pushing boundaries of what is possible, daring to imagine. Really wholesome and emotional to come full circle, even if the destination isn't fully reached yet and the desired final perfection may forever be unachievable.
It's so awe inspiring that something Martin thought was just a fun little project turned into something that supports all this.
Absolutely. So much wonder, joy, and inspiration has come from this project. It's a brilliant example of the age-old journey vs. destination question. Even though it's disappointing and painful to discover that you've been traveling towards like Mordor when you thought you were heading to Rivendell (and it's OK to mourn that), it doesn't take away from all the wonderful experiences along the way. Now you have that much more wisdom for your next adventure.
I'm just stunned the first marble machine was completed enough to make a song and video.
Well, it took only 60 days of filming plus 60 days of post production to get that video done…. So, „complete“ is also a big stretch for the first machine.
2:18 taking an angle grinder to the MMX is wonderfully nostalgic!
I didn't really get why Martin gave up on it at first. It sounded great in his videos. But now that I can hear it live without any post-processing, I can see why he's starting over. It's still a beautiful machine, and I'm glad its being shown off for what it is.
its not sad but the marble machine takes on so much personality with the final song. like its struggling to remember ::3. poor baby..
Seems like a foundational issue (almost literally) is the frame isnt beefy enough to hold the machine without shaking a lot while being hand cranked. Fixing that issue would require a total rebuild...
A band aid solution could be to run it off the electric motor, but that defeats the hand powered nature of the MMX
Martin seems to have failed right at the inception: the machine was always too compact and built without shock absorption or self leveling in the frame, and with no counterbalance for the rotating assemblies.
Something that isn't too obvious in the video is that the floor wasn't ideal either. That worsens the shaking quite a bit.
@@Musikkabinett Good to know, and something Martin needs to consider. Probably most stages aren't the most solid of platforms, so the variable quality of stages needs to be considered... Especially considering how heavy the new MM looks like it will end up being.
@@FamilyHomeTheater definitely going to be hefty, but the load is more spread out over a larger area.
The MMX puts a ton of weight on just 4 tiny pressure points.
But it will still need to be an important consideration for the stages where the MM3 will be presented
Looking forward for the next meeting!
Yesss, now we want a original song for mmx
There's definitely the idea to get a few more songs recorded, but it's not set in stone yet and it is unlikely that they will be written by Martin or Wintergatan. Stay tuned!
First a praise comment to the people that had to reassemble the MMX from pieces. You people having never seen the fully assembled MMX, in person before. You managed to put the mechanical puzzle back to gather, fix/improve many issues discovered and have it play a song! That's huge! I bet it was fun.
I'm not going to read all 303 comments. What I have read said little about all the work and energy these devoted fans put into making MMX play a song in front of an audience. I salute them.
Performance points about the played song. I really don't hear the timing errors. I did hear the change in tempo and marbles striking the floor. I did notice it took two people to power it. Lastly. I could hear a marble bounce off the drum heads through the acoustic mics but no synth drum sounds played. Was the bass guitar even programed to play? It was all xylophone.
Lastly. In the video someone made a comment about how much MMX shakes. I'm not surprised. The first day I saw that frame with the programing wheel mounted. I thought to myself. That's not sturdy. Say we turn that frame into a table. You have to stand on it for some task. Would you feel safe with secure footing? That's why marbles landed on the floor. It shakes.
A struggling marble machine. its rather beautiful. like a dream trying to become real.
Ah, now I understand Martin's despair!
This is so dang amazing! Thank you all for undertaking this, and of course, thank you to Martin for creating the machine and the dream in the first place, and allowing you guys pick up where he left off!
I LIVE THERE
HOW DID I NEVER KNOW ABOUT THIS WHATTTT
The audio mastering on this video is SLAMMED and presents so well. Kudos to the audio engineer.
13:50 mmhmmmm, not sure what I saw and heared 🤔 If this is unfiltered and unedited how the MMX was then I can understand why Martin gave up. I always had the impression it was near to perfect working but not like this 🥺
They cant play that good like martin does. For example tempo is bad on this video, they can't play manuel things like guitar, hit hat.
@@muharremsuz Martin used a *lot* of post-processing to clean up audio mistakes, even when livestreaming.
Thank you so much for all the work you put in so this machine could play! I really want to go to the 2024 meetup although I am in the USA, but I'll see if I can make it
I have allot of love for the MMX. No its not perfect, and you know what, it doesn't have to be. i don't care how many marbles hit the floor... or how much it vibrates or how loud its moving parts are, It was a labor of love and a critical step for Martin. I don't fault Martin at all for realizing it was too much and abandoning it, clearly it had a plethora of problems and yeah it took a whole team just to be able to play one song. But just to hear it play that one song in the end.. i wont lie i shed a tear :D
it may not be the perfect playable instrument... but its definitely a masterpiece of artistry and engineering. Worthy of a museum.
I can feel the music playing in my head
Awesomeness cheers Martin and all that got this beast going because it’s been a long time many hours of hard work with the complexities of this marvel
I see why Martin quit the machine...good lord.
After years of analysis I am ready to conclude that dropping marbles onto a surface and hoping they bounce predictably back into a mechanical system is a terrible idea! Thank you for attending this lecture.
Humans create music better than a physical machine? Who would have ever thought?!?
if Martin didn't have this grand idea of a world tour on his agenda and making the machine look as good as it plays, it would've been completed by now, and a third iteration of this machine wouldn't be kicked around like it currently is. having something that just works and works well with minimal maintenance is ideal, but not what he wants. sacrificing that simplistic and effective design for something that looks better instead, and that will need a lot of time to implement and won't be as reliable. this is where it all came undone, in here you can see how badly some of it unravelled.
Ihr seid sooo cool! Martin ist sicher mega stolz auf euch! 👍🎵🎶
This is one of those things that just keeps evolving and who knows where it's going to end up
It probably needs a lot more fine tuning taking several days everytime it is moved or the song is switched...
But it surpassed expectations in one aspect above all 100% no doubt: Looking cool. Belongs in a museum, definitely.
Leute, ihr seid so großartig❤ vor einem halben Jahr stand ich in Rüdesheim andächtig vor zwei Ruinen... ihr habt Wunder vollbracht😂🎉
Und wie ihr sicher wißt, hat Martin für einige Probleme (4xDivider!!!) inzwischen eine Lösung!
Y'all did a great job getting it in shape!
Several years after seeing the original, I'm glad the MMX is still alive.
Dragon Skin (available from Smooth-On & Amazon) silicon would be a far more durable material than latex for the vibraphone pads. Good to see the Marble Machine X community coming together to make this performance a reality, well done and thank you to the entire team.
I am soooo sad that it will be in August again... I wanted to come last year, but as an Ausbilder, I can not take time off work in August because that's when my new apprentices arrive. So I had hoped it would be in July this year, but again, no luck for me 😢 Still, I hope it will be an awesome event for everyone visiting as well as for those organizing it!
Young people who don´t glue on roads, HOORAY !!
1:40 Don't be so hard on Yourself dude! It doesn't look shit at all.
Underrated comment
Just for anyone not realising coin777 is joking, newsx says "sheet metal" there ;)
Well I know my plans next time I go to Frankfurt for work
Just to save you a trip: please be aware that the museum has its winter pause right now, and the machine will only be on display later in the year.
If you don't go to Frankfurt often you could try to reach out to the museum, just know that showing up there unannounced won't work.
@jbert42 thanks for the warning, I had seen that when checking the location :)
I saw some mechanical machines in Taiwan / Tainan / Chimei Museum, 100 years ago they used "weights" to charge the rotating handle. Before playing someone had to spool up a rope with weights and push play. This ensured that the speed was probably right all the time.
We have a computer history museum here in Silicon Valley (California, USA), and I think these marble machines could have a very good place near Charles Babbage computing machine. Seattle also has a music history museum, that might be even better place.
for rusty marbles try Evapo-Rust, also probably a good idea to add a mounting plate at the base.
Would love to hear that original Marble Machine song being played on this one.
I’m not saying it would be any different, but this feels like a problem of engineering approach. It’s like building spiral staircase but with only designing the next step. Each new step compounds any issue and then you spend a lot of time on that step trying to fix issues introduced by previous steps. Instead designing it all up front might be better. MMX was designed based on the original design, which also didn’t work live. I’m not engineer but I think about the fly wheel and how much rotational energy is there. It’s on the side of the machine, which I think would mean it will always be off balance and wanting to torque the machine. A center flywheel might be better. Etc etc. it’s an amazing machine and work of art but I think it struggled since it was designed linearly vs holistically. Idk I’m a marble machine believer and hope one day to see a production version play live.
Put the marbles into Fensterreiniger, afterwards heat them within an ofen to dry them (I use the microwave drying glas vases with heating them).
Way to go brother you designed it for the road size
That machine is glorious.
Wonderful! 🎉
Congrats all! Great work!
Ball bearings have oil on them from manufacturing process. They are tons of funto play with the sound they make when banged togetherbetter than glass marbles.
Great progress guys, but the song at the end was only the vibraphone though 😞
When are the drum & bass going to be added to the mix?
We have plans to create a community album out of suggested/ written songs, stay tuned!
@@Musikkabinett Here is a song suggestion: ruclips.net/video/rn-nM4CxXkQ/видео.html
It is a song called _Music Box_ and it was written by Stewart Copeland of Police fame for an 80's American television show "The Equalizer".
A simplified version on the MMX would sound great.
It's beautiful!
Try giving it more legs/a wider base to help reduce crank shaking. Another dumb way to reduce shaking would be to crank it with not as much force. I can only guess that the crank needs a fair bit of strength to turn, but putting too much strength into it will easily cause shakes
Awsome! wish I could have made it
I think if martin had showed more of this, and less tried to make it appear all rainbows and rosies, until it was too late, I think WAY more people would of understood why he had to start over a third time!
Really cool you guys managed to get it to play the MM song though, it kind of at least deserved that to be acomplished, even if it lost half of it's marbles in the process, as well as you guys too I'm guessing hehe.
If any instrument like this is going to be able of touring, the sum of the assembled parts must be very very few...
After watching years of work on the MMX, and seeing the result... How the hell they got it so right with the MM in the first place?
Three words; Stainless Steel Marbles.
These guys' dads invented the DSG gearbox!
Nice to have some closure.
The more complicated it gets the closer it gets to being able to do what the original could without actually being able to.
Demonstrates how well edited the video of the first Marble Machine was, and neither that or the MMX was anywhere near going on any tour. The aestetics of the machine is great and it was no doubt a great and fun project for Martin, but it is so clear why he had to abandon this version and focus on something more reliable. I see he went to the polar opposite in the start of his new project, making it reliable tech before aestetics, but has eventually found back that the machine needs some aestetics too. The videos of Martin making the MMX was entertaining because of this focus on also making it look cool, but alas it became too cool without actually working well. Let's hope he finds a good compromise, and no doubt that he can spice his videos with great music which the first videos were so full of and make us "believe". :)
I think the MMX needs one final Video of Martin playing the original song on it
It’s almost bitter sweet to is play the original song.
Some of his genes must've entered my baby. He has a dctors degree in nano physics and runs a lab south of Portland Oregon. I sent him this video.
Какая же она крутая, отличный звук 👀
close encounters of the third kind! 👽
Everybody wants to be a Rock Star.
It lives!
The shaking is very significant. 👀
Bearings with a chrome finish would have solved the rust issue right away without compromise
just happy to see this, I stopped following martin when he stopped making music
I had no idea the MMX failed and was abandoned. I remember the original marble machine video and watching him build the MMX for a long time, but then I stopped watching before completion. This made me sad to rediscover it.
I mean to be fair, they weren't holding the dampers off the vibraphone, so there wasn't as much resonance as there should have been.
Cool!