Marcel Maslyk | 1966642 | 08-04-2025

Background

I started work on this project right after finishing Challenge 1. With me I brought the skills I have learned before, I am now more comfortable creating different loops and I was able to break up a complex idea into its sub-steps more easily as a result. Another helpful bonus was the Arduino skills I have learned in high school, and which I've sharpened up again during CBL-2 in the same quartile as Creative Programming. This way I was already quite well prepared to start working on a basic concept and start iterating some concepts and thinking of things to implement. This however, would end up being more difficult than I expected.

Learning and Challenge Process

In Challenge 1 I already started getting ideas on what I wanted to make with fractal patterns, after seeing a beautiful demo of it in the example codes. For Challenge 2 however, this would however prove rather difficult for me. I wanted to make something original, and all the ideas I have seen by searching for inspiration on YouTube has already been made before for the course. I saw many people creating simulators and games, which I wasn't exactly interested in myself.

My first learning experience in Challenge 2 came here. My first step in distilling what I wanted to make presented itself in identifying what interests me as a designer, and what direction I want my designs to take. For myself, I distilled a few core values which I wanted Challenge 2 to satisfy:

• An interesting mechanism incorporated in an unusual way.
• Something that hasn't / has rarely been made before.
• Designed in a simple yet elegant way.

This first round already helped me gain a small focus on what I'd like to make, and would more easily help me see what fits and what doesn't fit my goals. This is a technique I could also use in further projects once I am more certain about what my PI&V is, and to what goals and vision I'd like to adhere.

After this, I quite quickly started to narrow down what topic I'd like to explore. I have been fascinated by audio and different ways to either manipulate or visualize it. My first idea was to create an audio visualizer which could be controlled by switches and dials. Whilst a cool concept, I was concerned that breaking up an audio signal and processing it into different frequencies using something like an FFT to create a unique visual was way too complex.

This is where my second learning moment appeared. As I gained skill and I knew how code worked more properly, I was able to divide what the code should do into steps much more easily, so I can already sense what would be either too simple or too complex to work with roughly. Skill leads to better foresight, and making selections is easier with experience.

Eventually I landed on the idea of a synthesizer with multiple oscillators. And only then I started to work on a code/physical prototype. I currently was focused only on making a proof of concept to further validate whether my idea was good, and if it's workable in the future.

Making a simplified prototype worked extremely well! I was able to quickly identify areas which I wanted to improve by seeing what the hardware does. This is a true testament to how useful iteration is in designing. Specifically how iteration can be built on feedback of the last to keep constantly improving. Each iteration has a set of critical points which needed addressing. An example of this is how unstable the raw data from the ultrasonic sensor is. This could be seen as a positive for weird synth modulation, but I took the route to try and smooth the readings out. I ended up implementing a very simple smoothing algorithm into the code as a result.

Figure 1, the initial prototype I made as a proof of concept for the synthesizer.

I specifically took the effort to use my DSLR camera on a tripod to learn how to record proper shots of products, and how to use DaVinci Resolve for editing. Whilst quite rough around the edges still, it is a big step towards making more professional looking videos than what could be done with a smartphone. This is definitely something I want to take with me in further projects and potentially in my career path later on. Learning new media and implementing them is something I described as one of my core goals in PI&V, and I am happy to have managed to do that during Challenge 2.

Beyond the Challenge

I have a few core lessons I learned during the project as described before. Within this I also identified how I'd like to take them with me into my PI&V, further courses, and potentially my career after my studies.

Identify key (personal/professional) goals. In addition to a potential design brief or criteria for a project, this helps bring even more focus and coherence in a design. It also has the benefit of making designs fit better into a portfolio, and have them be a reflection of how I personally go about designing. This is something at the core of PI&V, but throughout this challenge I have realized how important it actually is if the scope of what I can make is virtually endless.

Keep exploring ideas through iteration and simple prototypes. I have gained so many unusual insights through prototypes the past two challenges which I would have totally overlooked if I haven't made at least a simple prototype to see what I can make. Key is also to improve each iteration based on feedback of the last for optimal output.

Use varied media. Videography in my execution was completely unrelated to coding and Arduino, yet I gained a valuable insight and want to continue using it and exploring it more in future projects. Keep that spirit going for other media as well.