[microsound] "No Input Mixing Board"

[Michal Seta]

Hi Nic,

The base idea behind the no input mixing board is that a mixing board
is never perfectly silent.  It is then expected that when you plug its
output to its input, the inherent noise (or hum) that is within the
system will quickly start adding itself up and you will be able to
build a feedback loop.  Most mixers have pre-amps built in which can
greatly help you build the sound faster (and they will add a little
bit of noise to the signal as well).  You can then use the EQ knobs to
shape the resulting signal.

Some mixing boards come with built-in effects so you could very easily
start sculpting very intricate soundscapes but if you want to be true
to Nakamura you should use a plain mixing board with only controls
being volume, gain and some EQ (usually just 3 knobs on simple boards:
treble, mid and bass).  Note that having multiple mixing strips and
ways of cross-connecting them gives you an advantage (most mixers will
have auxiliary inputs and outputs which you can exploit to make cross
connections between different strips).

Getting a cheap mixing board will bring you quick instant
gratification because those will usually have higher signal to noise
ratio.  You will be feeding back in no time.

If such minimal meas of noise making interest you, you may also be
interested in Larseneurs (http://www.larseneur.net/NewsENG.php).  The
idea being that you simply use a computer and let the sound pass
directly from your microphone input straight to the output.  Your only
control is input volume.  Your sounds will greatly depend on the
ambient noise.

Happy feedback!

./MiS

On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 11:14 PM, Nic Freed <beatthefinalboss at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello :)
> I have become very interested in the works of Toshimaru Nakamura recently,
> with his self-named "No-Input Mixing Board", and I would like to learn more
> about it. From what I understand, the output of the board is connected to
> the input... but if so, where does the initial sound causing the feedback
> come from? I would like to try this myself, once I understand it better, so
> I was also wondering about what I would need to purchase to create something
> with this method.
> I am 15 years old and without a job, so maybe a cheap mixer and something to
> create sound, like a function generator? I would probably try and get it for
> my birthday, so it can't be too expensive :x
> Thank you very much, in advance!
> --Nic
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