INM name graphic

$666.00 + S&H

Owner’s manual

Ordering Info

January 2010 - Infernal Noise Machines now in stock at Big City Music!

The INM owner’s manual is now available.

August 2009 – v1.3 Available for order.

Here is the current production unit. There have been a lot of changes since the v1.0 & v1.1, everything has been upgraded in some way. The major changes:

  • VCO:
    • Square, Saw, Ramp, Triangle and Sine waveforms
    • ~0.5Hz-~140kHZ
    • 1V/oct
    • Temperature compensated
  • VCF:
    • Improved performance overall
  • VCA:
    • IImproved range, attenuation and general performance

Although the images below show a black housing, the case is actually gray.

Front panel

Panel measures 12″ x 6.5″

INM back view

Back panel

INM panel mess

Panel wiring

Much nicer this time!

PSU, VCO and Jacks

15 June 2009 – Some samples from the (thoroughly) revised INM.

These were one ~45 minute long sample that has been split into bite-size, somewhat coherent chunks. As you will hear, I love drones, but these really show off some of the possibilities of the INM. Metallic, percussive, video game, musical, noise, all kinds of fun.

Currently, I only have two CV sources (a 1964 function generator). They were applied to the VCA1, VCA2, Frequency and Range inputs while I played with the controls.

6:27
5:26
5:24
3:50
5:49
6:16
4:35
3:36

How to order:

Distributor:

  • BigCityMusic.com – Link

Direct:

The I.N.M. is a build-to-order item. Current lead time is 8-12 weeks.

All orders must be pre-paid. 50% up front & 50% + S&H at time of shipping is also OK.

Send flight an email via the contact page. Please Note the products you are interested in.

We accept Paypal, credit and debit (via PayPal of course).

The PayPal address is .

Shipping not included in above price.

Ships from Seattle, WA 98118 United States.


1 October 2008 - v1.0 built.
This was built by accident, but that is a good thing. A customer said that he was interested in an INM when it was available. I was out of my medication at the time, and replace the word “INM” with “Plague Bearer”. Once I woke up, work began. This is NOT a production unit, I am trying to find a more cost-effective build. The joysticks are from my jealously-hoarded secret stash, but I’m looking into distributing them – 100k, 0.2W, 90° swing, all-metal construction (apart from shaft pivot bearing).

INM front view

Front panel

Panel measures 12″ x 6.5″

INM back view

Back panel

INM panel mess

Panel wiring

Confession: It was nice and neat until I tried to close the lid – not enough room for tidy wiring. The end result looked more like the traditional rat’s nest.

Oh yeah: If anyone knows where to get these housings, please let me know! I can’t find them anywhere. The only ones close aren’t close enough (Hammond, Teko, Rose-Bopla, Bud, etc.).

12-4-2008 – The final specs:

Here are the final specs for the I.N.M.:

IMP

  • Domains (frequency range groups)
    • 4 switch-selected
  • Frequency adjustment
    • Coarse and Fine
    • Fine scaling adjustment (relative to Coarse) – 5:1 to 25:1
  • Range adjustment (range of frequency variance within domain)
    • Coarse and Fine
    • Fine scaling adjustment (relative to Coarse) – 5:1 to 25:1
  • Low-Pass Filter
    • Bypassable
    • Variable cutoff
  • Control Voltage (CV) inputs
    • Frequency: 0 to +5V
    • Range: 0 to +5V
  • Output
    • variable

I.N.M.
Everything above plus the following:

  • Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO):
    • Waveforms
      • Triangle
      • Square
    • Frequency Modulation
      • Variable base frequency
      • Selectable modulation source
        • Signal from Imp
        • External signal
        • CV input: ±12V
      • Variable modulation depth
      • External signal input
        • Level control
        • Buffer
  • Dual Voltage-Controlled Bandpass Filter (VCBPF), each channel:
    • Selectable Input
      • VCO Triangle
      • VCO Square
      • Imp signal
      • External signal
    • Center Frequency (fc)
      • Variable base fc
      • CV input: ±12V
      • Selectable control
        • Internal, CV, both
    • Filter bypass
    • Variable gain and Q
  • Dual Voltage-Controlled Amplifier (VCA), each channel:
    • Variable level
    • CV input: ±12V

11-4-2008 – Prototype finally completed, samples below!

The picture (NOT the final enclosure! Just for prototyping!). The Black box is the Imp, while the two boxes comprise the I.N.M and will be in one enclosure when finalized.

INM_prototype_image

The basic signal flow block diagram:

INM Block Diagram

Here’s some sound clips!

There are four Domains (frequency ranges) for the noise generator. The I.N.M. Imp has a fixed Low-pass filter (LPF) for when the high end is too much (which is quite often). These samples are of the Imp section only:

Unfiltered
LPF
3:07
3:10
4:50
1:57
3:01
1:10
1:53
0:51

Here are samples of the full I.N.M.. I first thought to group them by what was being manipulated, but that got boring. They are done free-form – varying parameters, switching sections in & out, and using my lovely circa 1962 function generator on the Control Voltage (CV) inputs. Nothing else was used.
As many of you have undoubtedly discovered, it is damn near impossible to record “a couple samples”. It’s easy to get lost and end up with quasi-songs, or at least an hour or more of “samples”. I trimmed some down, and left the more cohesive pieces together.
DISCLAIMER: Note the ironic use of the word ‘song’. This is a NOISE machine. However, if you like ambient glitch, they might count. heh.

bugs
0:46
Sound8
1:06
metallic
1:27
set1
0:59
percussive
3:12
sound3
2:22
fog horn
5:56
CV sampler
6:31
song2
2:17
Sampler3
7:49

This one was fun: I connected a CD output to the external input of the I.N.M., and tried to pretend I could mix (just kidding, I am quite aware I can not.) Someone with a bit more skill than I could have some mixing fun, or add some variety to a set.
The song is “Electronaut”, by V.N.V. Nation