Animusic ~ The Incredible Music Machine ~ Music Animation ~ The Mother of All Doohickeys

© Copyright 2011 Cindy Murdoch (homesteadbound)

The Incredible Music Machine, also called the Mother of All Doohickeys in emails circulating the net, is a remarkable machine created from farm implement equipment parts that plays music. Or is it? Watch the remarkable video, and then read on to find the answer to this question and many others.

Occasionally I receive emails from family and friends suggesting that I write an article about a certain topic. This is one of those hubs. I must confess when I received this email and watched the video, entitled “The Mother of All Doohickeys”, I was very intrigued – fascinated may even be a better word to describe my feelings. The email had the following video attached to it.

Watch it and see for yourself. It reminds me of the ultimate pinball machine.

Here is another video using the same synthesized instruments. Enjoy!

The aforementioned email began with the title, “The Mother of All Doohickeys,” and right after that continued, “You have to see it to believe it!” I watched the above video before I read beyond this point. Just the image from the video, sitting there waiting for me to click on it, was too enticing for my mechanical mind to resist.

The balls being blown out and landing so precisely at just the exact right moment to create the musical composition was entertaining to say the least. It is amazing to see the balls shoot into the air, land on their intended target (a percussion device) creating a musical sound, and continue to bounce precisely into return shoots, called catcher cones. Amazing! In fact, the email stated that it was, “Totally fantazmaglorious!!!” Yes I spelled that right! I checked it three times!

The next paragraph in the email tells me that we have done this all backwards. It instructs us to read the email first; then watch the video of the Incredible Music Machine created by Animusic. Oh well, it’s too late to undo it now. You have already experienced the enticing magic of the video. So I guess we will continue with the email, albeit late.

The email goes on to explain that this amazing contraption was a cooperative endeavor between the Sharon Wick School of Engineering (University of Iowa) and the Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory. That seems like an unusual mix, but then again the video did display the workings of a very unusual machine.

It is said to have taken this team, combined from the two above organizations, just over 13 thousand hours (6.25 years) of man power to set-up, align and calibrate, and fine-tune before the video could be created.

The email continues stating that the majority of the contraption was comprised of John Deere farm equipment parts and irrigation equipment from the Iowa area.

The email finished by stating that the machine was being displayed at the University of Iowa and was later scheduled to be given to the Smithsonian Institution for permanent display.

I can’t really tell you when I started having doubts about the authenticity of this amazing machine, but somewhere along the line, I began to have misgivings. Did this marvelous machine exist, or was it an intricate computer simulation? I hoped that Snopes would be able to give me the scoop.

Snopes confirmed what I thought might be true – the machine did not exist. This contraption is a music video, and was in fact computer-animated. The video which plays a catchy tune using balls to strike a variety of percussion instruments is entitled “Pipe Dream” from a DVD that was produced by Animusic. Animusic acknowledges that the graphics and music are completely digitally synthesized.

Take a tour through the amazing and unusual Animusic's Synthesized Instruments.

This incredible music machine, created by Animusic, has fascinated many people who have contacted the Smithsonian inquiring about its existence.

The Smithsonian responds to all inquiries with a form letter informing its recipients that the Incredible Music Machine is actually a computer animation, not an existing musical instrument or machine. Their letter goes on to state that the University of Iowa does not have a School of Engineering by the aforementioned name and the Trammel Music Conservatory does not exist.

All of this information is followed by a bit of humor, indicating that the Smithsonian cannot accept a donation of a machine that doesn’t exist. It would make it kind of difficult to say the least.

The University of Iowa has also received many phone calls and visits from persons who want to see the machine in action.

Here are a couple more Animusic videos for your enjoyment!

Despite the fact that this machine does not exist, and was actually a computer animation, it still holds a fascination for me. It would have been incredible for this contraption to have been a real machine that could mesmerize with its precise timing and mechanized movements, but I still enjoy watching the Incredible Music Machine video, created by Animusic, with the knowledge that it is only an animation. I hope you do too.

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© Copyright 2011 Cindy Murdoch (homesteadbound)

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