Is polystyrene a good resonator? 

The curl of metal produce by drilling or turning on a lathe is called "swarf". Did you build the world's first swarfophone?

The first ship I was assigned to in the U.S. Navy was an aircraft carrier that was in the ship yard for an overhaul. Occasionally on my off time I found an interesting pass time; I would find a quiet nook on the ship and put my ear directly onto the bulkhead ... and listen. You could hear welder's chipping hammers, grinders, needle guns, mauls and other ship yard tools resonating from all parts of the ship. Some sounds had a fast reverb time while others had long delay echoes. Occasionally you could hear footsteps on bare metal decks and strangely enough the faint sounds of human voices. It was very percussive but had a strange musical quality who's tones depended (I presume) on the size of the metal plate being worked. I haven't thought about that for years until I heard the sounds of this video. It sounds exactly the same.

Hi Nicolas, been doing recycling workshops with my Primary School Science classes in Australia. The students adore your videos and we are learning so much from you! Thanks for the videos, keep up the fantastic work.

How you go through both cut-shot and slightly longer displays (like your tuning) is absolutely brilliant! Your video style is a really good pair with your music/sound-play!

Some of this reminds me of a wrought iron fence I knew as a kid. I would love running past it while letting my hand hit the pickets.

the blowing technique at the end sound very nice!!

😍🥰👂🎶🎶🎶 Décidément Nicolas Tu es un Fameux Créateur et je crois (en espérant ne pas me tromper sur le terme ) un Véritable Sound Designer. C'est super de partager tes idées de créations avec nous. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

This channel is absolutely the single greatest thing in the entire universe.

Omg we used to throw those "springs" away when I used to work in a machine shop. I had no idea you could use them like that , genius.

You are such an inspiration for me! I made myself an overtone flute a while ago using an old didgeridoo that didn’t sound that great as a didgeridoo, but with your idea Of the mouthpiece made from 3 cd’s sandwiched together it sounds fab! I didn’t actually use 3 cd’s in the end. I used just one between two bits of plywood which I then fretted down to a smaller mouth size. I then discovered that dividing tubes from a golf bag fit perfectly in the other end, so cut to different lengths, I now have more keys to play with 😊. My next project is an electric calabash drum 😊 Thanks for all that you do, you’re a star!

You have to try XPS! (Extruded polystyrene) It’s far more rigid than EPS (expanded polystyrene) and also comes in several thicknesses.

Wow! You have got to be one of the most innovative and imaginative musicians I've ever seen. I love your ideas and the fact I just watched you turn styrofoam and drill chips into an instrument is hurting my brain in the best way possible.

5:56 That sounds like movie music for a sneaky part of a chase scene where the good guy is trying to get through a building evading the bad guys who are looking for him. Damn, it took three seconds to get that impression from that sound.

The most obvious name would be the styrophone.

There were some polystyrene speakers used in amps in the past. Fender Bantam Bass amp and Yamaha TA-60 come to mind.

It is very interesting that many of the sounds you are creating in such a low tech way are actually reminiscent of the examples I have heard produced with the csound digital music synthesis system.

I find it incredible that you are able to find such unique sounds and harness them into an instrument. I envy the freedom you must have to be able to do this. To me the sound would go well in a horror game as I get a cruel vibe. I would call it the stynator .

I love how simple but clever and cool your projects are

Ce polystune est un enchantement !

I had no idea polystyrene was so good as a resonator! This gives me ideas.

You never cease to amaze me with your creativity. 😎🎙🎶✅

Back in 1969, the band I was in had polystyrene PA speakers. The worked quite well.

Fascinating. Amazing how bell-like the rods sound. Thanks mate.

Not just from the sounds itself it's menacing. This would fit in a horror movie if anybody's looking for creepy or intense pressing music.

I would like to hear what this would sound like on a wooden box instead of the polystyrene but the sound of it is pretty amazing either way

Thank you so much for this demonstration. I bright spot. Inspiring.

Very good! When I was a kid I saw a guy at UCLA doing a concert with instrument made of lengths of rod mounted to wood bases, some hollow and an instrument made of bicycle rim with strings instead of spokes, very interesting.

You are amazingly talented!

Cool, I also played drums and always noticed different interesting sounds of carved objects.

New to the channel but Nicolas, if you like springs you must already know about the Yaybahar right? Found out about it a couple years ago and was amazed at the sounds and versatility of the platform. Certainly one of if not my favourite modern invented instrument, to think such a great idea was just thought of in 2017 is kind of amazing.

Fantastic video, inspiring to make awesome sounds out of the cheapest materials! I also love spring reverb 👌

This one turned out great!

Hi Nico, thank you for your videos, it's very interesting for my organology class, especially for recycling used materials to make some music instruments.

So cool...I love it!

Nice experiment and cool instrument! Reminds me a lot of Arte TV jingles!

With the rods being threaded you should definitely try playing them like a Guiro/Reco Reco!! 🐸🎵

Love the percussive nature of it too! Naming is hard. So many elements. Polyrod. Springrod. Polyspring. Metallispring. Rod Springart.

Harry Partch would love this !

J'ai suivi le lien que tu m'as donné sur diaspora, super vidéo, c'est bien allumé et sonore à souhait ! bravo :-)

This Polytiresonnator is fun

Thanks!

excellent

5:15 Sounds like a very budged Carillion and I love it!

That instrument would make a killer horror game soundtrack

Nice full reverby sound

i absolutely love how they sound when you blow on them,,, super super neat

O cara transforma o Isopor em uma caixa acústica. Esse é o cara!

Apparentlly, the name Styrophone is taken. But this deserves it so much more.

Un véritable génie, passioné et créatif !

Simply amazing

Very nice. This would be amazing for film sound tracks!

I discovered your youtube channel recently and what you are doing is amazing!

That are some cute sounds. Since you are inviting suggestions: How about having the metal bar row horizontally at the bottom edge of the styrofoam board. This way you could play the bars like a Glockenspiel with both hands while still having access to the springs. Soundwise a bit of Rattle and Buzz might be a nice addition to the sound repertoire of the instrument. I am thinking of cutouts from PET bottles or tin cans. These could be mounted in a bent shape below the springs so that those would beat against the plastic. Thanks for the inspiration. Keep up the good work!

Awesome as always!

This would make an amazing soundtrack for a horror or otherwise atmospheric game.

It's like a song that you would use for a horror chase scene

I bet you could get some crazy sounds with a violin bow!

Salut Nicolas, merci pour tes vidéos. Je propose le polyston

Ce taff de ouf tu me fais halluciner ^^

Fascinating

I was going to joke about giving it the name "styrophone" (since it uses styrofoam as a resonator), but it turns out it's already used for a different (albeit similar) instrument. On that note, how would it sound using a bow on the rods to generate sound?

I believe you have created an instrument perfect for horror soundtracks. I like it

Getting some Amon Tobin vibes!

The line between genius and crazy is very slim indeed.

Chaque instrument est un voyage inouï. Merci! Un spiralostyrène. Or an springstyren. Que ce soit la matière (polystyrène!) ou la manière (souffler sur les ressors!). Bravo!

the Styrophone!

I wonder what would happen if the rods were long enough that they could be tuned to a harmonic from side to side? Would they resonate sympathetically? Likewise with the springs. Cool stuff!

Tu es un génie :) c'est des résidus de tour à métal excellente idée !

You are so interesting and likeable. CREATIVE. . .music sound brilliant musician innovative

Parfait pour des bruitages et musiques de film d'horreur ça

Cool video! 😎 There's an interesting instrument I stumbled upon called the yaybahar. It uses a long spring connected to a drum and some violin apparatus. I'd love to see you reconstruct something like that.

Getting strong "underground theme" for a video game vibe.

The StyroPhone? Loving your vids pal. Subscribed a couple weeks ago.

Brilliant! Such creativity!

The Tension is real.

You are now on Barth traces 😀 -What a little wonder, polystyrene can act as such powerfull resonator! I Think, you can easily give it any shape-someone wrote its surface is the key, not the material in the volume-whatever that means for building instruments. I favored the tapped sounds, great drum with a sympathetic touch-you can also scratch along the springs to extend the sound range. I find open ended springs difficult to tame for music creation-I wonder what you will make out of it 🤓

❤❤❤ UNIQUE MINDSET IMPRESSIVE❤❤❤ NOTHING TO SAY🤐🤐🤐

I wonder if those spirals could be made into a tuned snare as well? Do be cautious - sometimes they are very sharp!

J'adore !! :) ultra inspirant pour le sound design !

I get some strong "Battlestar Galactica " vibes from this

Thanks for sharing. I would not have imagined you getting such wonderful bass sounds out of Styrofoam! If I were to give it a name, it might be "Styro-Coil Thunderdrum".

With the way the instrument is positioned, it reminds me of a vietnamese bamboo xyolophone

Hope Tom Waits is watching this. Perfect instrument for his percussion!

Another crazy video, love it!

Great! I'd like to hear results by using a more solid sound board.

fear and hunger soundtrack generator right there

The rods sound makes me think of Harry Partch

Love you man.

OMG, u can make a kind of flute that has a spring, so the sound is produced by the airflow on the spring. a kind of tube with a spring in it with a resonation chamber that amplifies the sound produced by the spring

That could be greate on a Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire performance or maybe on a Iannis Xenakis piece.

I love your videos. I have a dream. Jacob Collier performating with you and yours instruments...

Honestly sounds super similar to the music in fear and hunger, very interesting

mouais, underrated french accent

Please how to make pressure organ

My mans just built a cave sound box

Wow, that's a SpringThing 😁

Salut Nicolas, excellent comme d’habitude! T’as repris le son avec quel(s) micro(s)? Merci

I love your creativity and sound. It has helped me grow as an instrument builder. Could you share what you use to tune?

Absolutely love your creativity and videos. A question if I may, where on earth do you find a giant tin can like that? Love and respect from Michigan, USA.

Um, you are so awesome. Such amazing instruments, and this one out of trash. It sounds ds great. I actually have a bunch of actually springs. Maybe I will try something similar.