First unusual instrument video we've been able to film since the beginning of the pandemic. It's good to be back! Thanks for sticking around and being here :)
i dont think those sounds are sadness at all. i have to say i like sad songs but the joke is i don't hear sadness, i'm just saying it so others know what i'm talking about
Man Dennis is such a character, it’s so wonderful to see him presenting this unusual instrument with such passion! This is also one of those gimmicky that actually sounds really cool and like something that could go in all kinds of things.
Yeah, you get anything from soft airy notes to weird creepy and alien noises. I can imagine using that thing for effects in movie soundtracks like crazy. Ah there he just mentions sound effects... If his neighbors ever thought an alien invasion was coming with those sounds?
Yea thres realky nothing special besides the rods but look like something standard or obtainable. Not like theyre hand blown.. when crystal is that thick though its pretty tough.. its not just your ordinary typical silica glass tho.. little different..
@@reesespuffs8998 recording date and upload date aren't necessarily in the same order. The fact he changed shirts in this one is probably the best indicator ;)
oh come on that's nothing special *opens Ableton Live and plugs in MIDI keyboard* In all seriousness I have incredible respect for him, he is a Musician with a capital M. It's incredible.
@@eleven9286 I think it's technical because he had to learn music and theory and uses his acquired techniques on various instruments. He didn't come out the womb playing everything
It has the same layout as a standard keyboard, so if you have decent experience with keys then you would probably also pick up on this instrument pretty quickly.
I love a good synthesizer as much as the next guy, but there's something truly special about creating such wild, varied sounds with a physical, acoustic thing
I'm constantly amazed at how musically adept rob is. Its incredible how he basically walks up to an instrument cold, and a few hours later hes playing fairly proficently. Impressive.
By his own admission, Rob is mostly so proficient because he's good at adapting his musical knowledge. He knows guitar and keyboards, so anything that plays like a guitar (many of the stringed instruments) or a keyboard (like the Cristal Baschet here) is fairly intuitive for him. There's definitely a high level of musical ability required, though, you can throw somebody like me off by just tuning a guitar slightly different.
At 2:24 there's a very breif smile we get from Dennis, I've only seen it a couple of times. It's when someone who has mastered a specific subject to a point where their knowledge is so deep down the rabbit hole, and they see someone naturally just "get it". You can tell Dennis has a fondness for Rob, but that's one of those subtleties where you peek into someone's mind. He sees just how alike him and Rob are.
The way Dennis' eyes light up when Rob explains why he thinks it's like a keyboard; this is why music is an art form over everything else. Only those involved in it truly understand just how deep the beauty and art truly go.
This is just one of those instruments that will never be able to sound right when reproduced by a speaker. It's such a thick and resonant sound that you really have to be in person to experience it properly. I've been lucky enough to be in the same room as a small one in high school but it was only a single octave. I'd love to actually be in the room to feel the resonance of that instrument.
@TheDireWolf To record it and really capture it on a record, I suspect you'd need to mix a lot of different mics together. I'd be interested to hear some ambient artist go at one of these with like, a whole 16 channel mixer worth of different mics all around the room.
@TheDireWolf even then it wouldn't sound the same - the resonating plate heavily modifies the "raw" sound (= the vibration driving the plate), it doesn't just amplify it, Each of the plates is going to have a specific frequency response. Also there are probably also some nonlinear effects at play and feedback into the tuned resonators themselves, which will be really hard to replicate. I think a professional mic setup from different angles would do it a lot more justice. Although going to town with a piezo and a pedal board would be very cool too :)
I immediately thought of a church organ when he started playing. It's the same story with them, but the whole building is built to vibrate and resonate so you could never duplicate it.
To be honest, I am really wondering why it is such a rare instrument. It has such a rich sound and could potentionally even be industrially produced for relatively cheap. So many possibilities! Also, it seems to me like the perfect replacement for an organ in a small chapel... with enough supply of holy water
My guess is because it was invented by a sculptor. The sound is mostly likely just a curiosity to them, without any interest in fully exploring the musical capabilities. Also a lot of visual artist don't want their products packaged up, mass produced, and/or commercialized. They feel it cheapens their work.
This is brilliant, but it would almost have to be an outside instrument at that point... Or you'd have to have a much more complex water catching, and perhaps maybe redistribution system?
I was thinking it could use like a gutter at the top of the glass prongs that slowly lets water flow down them. Like a pipe with a bunch of tiny holes for each prong and a bucket of water at one end as a reservoir. Your hand would then get wet from playing it, instead of you wetting the prongs with your hands.
The bow on the large metal speaker gave me chills. It sounds so damn awesome. That's some A grade horror movie material right there. You can sometimes tell when a sound is synthetic and to me that often isn't scary. Almost as it it bypasses my suspension of disbelief. This is incredibly eerie without feeling at all synthetic. I might have to make a sound byte and scare my friends with this.
It sounds like some kind of creature screaming and flashing its fangs just before lunging forward at top speed to bite a chunk of your flesh clean off.
Good glass (doesn't even have to be temperate or borosilicate, just glass with few imperfections) is actually very strong. It's the tiny imperfections and scratches that create points where cracks can start.
I love it so much that this instrument is full acoustic. The whole video feels like a genius sharing his invention with another genius who can understand the whole depth of how fascinating this instrument is both musically and in its engineering. Rare moments that’s worth remembering and living for.
This is a perfect demonstration of what an analog instrument can do... As much as I like electronics, the inbetweens and odd sounds and extended techniques are the FEEL of an instrument like this is magic
Perhaps ironically, the Cristal Baschet was originally invented in an attempt to replicate the sounds of electronics - Bernard Baschet was a fan of pioneering Electroacoustic musician Pierre Schaeffer, even working with him in the 1960's as part of Schaeffer's "Musical Research Group," and was inspired by the futuristic and otherworldly sounds of Schaeffer's manipulated tapes.
The big strength of electronics, especially digital tools is the predictability and precise control. This instrument shows that for exploration, less control and more unpredictability can be very useful.
Saint-Saëns' Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals originally called for a similar instrument called 'Glass Armonica' but he changed it due to the rarity of the instrument
It is rare that a video actually just leaves me agape but when rob started to play at around 7:30 I was just left speechless. What a unique and gorgeous and breathtaking sound.
I would love a collab between you and Martin from Wintergatan. Maybe try his modulin. You two are very different, but with the same love to music and both very talented and creative.
God, that was a pretty great show that I haven't thought about in years. It was a solid concept of a show, though like a lot of shows, started getting a bit spectacle creep dramatic for my tastes. Were you per chance a fan of Pushing Daisy's as well?
Now THAT is an instrument of terror. The best part is how it can be made to sound nice, comforting, and innocent, but then instantly and smoothly transition into a sound that induces fear. 😨 I enjoy it. My favorite part was it somehow gave me a feeling of nostalgia like I was listening to an old black and white horror movie.
I don't think a sample pack can do this justice. there's so much potential for sound variations on top of other sounds, it's truly boundless for expression. I want to listen to more aomehow
I suspect that the only way for an electronic musician to truly capture this effect would be physical modeling - a software instrument running a physics simulation of the real instrument's physical properties. No idea how much acoustics and programming knowledge that would require, or if simulating such a complex system of physical interactions would even be possible with current hardware. Just recreating the behavior of the plate reverb-like speaker cones would probably take months of full-time study to accurately simulate.
@@drpibisback7680 The current physical modelling instruments are not capable of this kind of modelling. They are basically just a whole bunch of resonant filters (resonator) with exiters (white noise, pulse, or some other sound source). It's called physical modelling but, it's basically just a hack. It CAN sound extremely close to real instruments in some cases, especially if you intelligently modulate parameters while playing. But modelling this accurately... I don't even know how you'd go about it. You can "easily" model aspects of this instrument on computer, but the whole of it seems a bit beyond current techniques.
Fuckin sample packs lol we have no idea about sound, what sound can do. This shows it to me. It’s akin to magic. There’s so much potential, and we’re spoiled with easy sound emulation and simplified understanding of sound and vibration. Like, how did he know that that shape of metal speaker would work? Think about that
You consistently do some of the most interesting music-related youtube content. Your videos sincerely feel like you're shooting them to show your viewers something worth seeing. You're not flexing, not clickbait, neither fake nor pretentious. Your genuine enthusiasm for these instruments is contagious. Thank you for raising the bar, Rob!
Wow ! That actual musical piece that Dennis played at the end of the video was hauntingly beautiful. The fact any note can be played with different articulations is truly a incredibly unique musical instrument.
I love Dennis's enthusiasm for sound here! He reminds me of some of the folks who mentored me in high school doing improvised music, such enthusiasm just for the novelty and emotion of a unique sound, whether traditionally "musical" or not.
it's stuff like this that makes me fall in love with music all over again. this can sound so whimsical and airy but also sinister and foreboding. a truly amazing work of art.
Dennis is such a cool dude, I love how much character he brought and all the cool stories about the instrument. This strange instrument series is always great but this one stands out for sure!
Pretty sure the other composer Dennis mentions is Hans Zimmer (Inception/ Interstellar). He used a Cristal to score parts of Interstellar. The odd thing is I like the sound of this instrument but find Zimmer's usage (especially if it's the Bwaah in Inception) uninspiring.
@Megan Hutcheson I've seen the first two Dune interpretations and liked them both a lot. Unfortunately I swore off 'to be continued' movie endings since Harry Potter 7A. So until/ if they finish the story I likely won't watch it.
That is most certainly Cilff Martinez - I remember reading years ago that he owned a Cristal baschet and he’s been using it for many of his film scores. There’s even a clip on youtube him playing his instrument for a bit.
16:17 this section is perfect for huge metallic catastrophes, like the sound of being *inside* of a giant ship ramming into something and being torn open. Or having the camera perspective of being inside the ankle of a mecha when it’s ankle snaps and great sheets of metal than tear apart.
Haha, bonkers- I bought a CD, “Cristal: Glass Music Through The Ages” back in the early 2000’s, that Linda Ronstadt (yes, the singer) produced, and Mr James is featured. He plays several different glass instruments, and compositions inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s glass armonica by Johann Hasse (1699-1783) and Mozart to modern pieces- including the piece he plays at the end of the video! Had to find the CD in my collection again! 😊
As a percussionist and experienced wine glass toucher: our director wanted us to pick up a new technique or new instrument constantly, which will take an undetermined amount of time because WHO KNOWS how naturally and quickly we can learn our part, we've never played that instrument before or with that technique. Meanwhile the band directors believe it's harder for the wind players to learn new music on their same old instruments they always play.
I know percussion keyboards they sometimes write 4 or 6 mallet compositions, but I've yet to see the equivalent of a clarinetist playing 2-3 clarinets simultaneously lol
First, most wood wind players play other woodwind instruments and instruments outside of woodwinds often. The difference is role in the orchestra. Percussion drives tempo and accents dynamics. Woodwinds can ruin a performance, even when their rhythm and pitch is technically perfect, because of the timbre of the sound is off. So yeah, different instruments have different roles and all have to fulfill their roles to make the ensemble whole.
I play drums and a bunch of stringed instruments and had to really resist melody when I learned drums. I had some roto toms and way too much other stuff. I quickly realized I just needed a small kit with the limited hobbyist skills I have on the instrument.
If ever there was an ensemble instrument for horror films, THIS IS IT!! When the lowest notes were played, it had a sound similar to what you'd get if you used the bow on the low strings on a piano. The way it would flange when played hard, sounds like a trombone amplified through a spring reverb in a guitar amplifier. a lot of interesting sounds, with no electronics! I really do like it, thanks for posting.
Never have I had an instrument bring tears to my eyes but at 7:19 my eyes got a bit watery. This instrument sounds much more beautiful than I expected.
@@manuelorrego3314 I appreciated this, haha. Thanks for typing. :)))))) Keep the dad jokes coming, seems like something that could be a positively defining trait for you guys! :D
Imagine playing wet hands on this instrument. It's so incredibly haunting and interesting to listen to, very cool that you got to mess around with it, I love how enthusiastic Dennis is about it too.
I am so innately and viscerally moved by the glass and water instruments. Feels like a longing for a long lost memory. I am fascinated by how much this touches my soul.🥰🌟🌟🌟🌟
I've heard of a similar instrument that is made of several glass bowls that rotate, and you play it by placing your fingers on top of it. I think it is called the Glass Harmonica. The Cristal Baschet is cooler though, because of the way it is built (and it has whiskers)
When I worked as a machinist, I would cut 20'+ bars of metal tubing, and upon using compressed air to clean the chips out, I discovered the beautiful, deep notes created by different lengths of tubing. Combined with my high school physics lesson on nodes, I always wanted to build a combination organ/tubular bells art installation that I could play with two different keyboards - one to blow into the tubes, and one to strike them. Maybe once I reach ridiculously disposable income, I will pursue this project. I did build wind 4 sets of wind chimes with smaller lengths of narrower tubing, using the node principle to generate a pleasing chord. My mom still has the set I built her, 7 years later.
@@gabrielbennett8239 he mentions in the next video, that likely the folks at that time already had a lot of lead poisoning, and the additional lead glass contact might have just pushed them a bit further.
16:37 those are some amazing sounds, reminds me of the Reapers in Mass Effect. Definitely has an evil tone. You could fit that into any horror movie I'm sure.
There should be more of these. It sounds amazing, it’s not so huge you couldn’t have one in your house, and there’s no way that it would be harder or more expensive to build then a piano. The only reason I can think for there not being many is that no ones heard of them. But I want one. Really bad
The parts of sound effects, specially the section around 16:46 reminds me a lot of the ambient soundtracks used in some really nice horror games like dead space and alien: isolation
This thing feels like a theramin, in that most people just want it to make Spooky Noises For Movies, and that ticks me off. This is a BEAUTIFUL instrument. I cannot think of ANYTHING else that sounds like it.
This is one of those "weird instruments" that actually can sound really damn good lol. Some of the stuff you played was outright haunting, and I'd say, unique (for a single instrument to create that sound, I mean)
Honestly didn't think I'd spend this much time watching two guys stroking their rods. In all honesty though, this is one cool instrument. Thanks for sharing!
First unusual instrument video we've been able to film since the beginning of the pandemic.
It's good to be back! Thanks for sticking around and being here :)
: )
we love u
I'm so happy to see you have this much fun again. Keep up the good work buddy! 👍
Anytime man
Hi Rob! This is so cool that I clicked like in the first 5secs. Ever hear of Harry Partch and his "instrumentarium" of diy instruments?
"It's a sad song, It doesn't resolve. It's just like: We're sad, the end."
-Rob Scallon 2021
Beautiful
If you say it in a softer way Rob did, you can make it beautiful.
SO SAD!
thank you.
I heard that in the video, instantly scrolled down, and this was the top comment
i dont think those sounds are sadness at all. i have to say i like sad songs but the joke is i don't hear sadness, i'm just saying it so others know what i'm talking about
"He's the master of glass"
"You can see right through me"
This is the wholesome content everyone loves
Gaunter O'Dimm
*Right after*
owner of W E T instruments
reminds me of Mr Roger's when he'd visit his music friends lol
Not everyone. That was a very unfunny joke.
I get it, because hes a meth addict. Sad. But funny joke.
I love how you can clearly tell this is the second recording with Dennis. He is so comfortable and trusting of Rob with the instrument.
Rob is so careful to keep his hands off the glass and its so thoughtful!!!
I was thinking that, last time he was slightly stand-offish but this time he was more friendly and personable
Man Dennis is such a character, it’s so wonderful to see him presenting this unusual instrument with such passion! This is also one of those gimmicky that actually sounds really cool and like something that could go in all kinds of things.
8:41 Ravioli
Yeah, you get anything from soft airy notes to weird creepy and alien noises. I can imagine using that thing for effects in movie soundtracks like crazy. Ah there he just mentions sound effects...
If his neighbors ever thought an alien invasion was coming with those sounds?
He reminds me of the guy that played Artie on "Warehouse 13"
He reminds me of any time Jay Leno is giving a tour of his garage and it’s a car that he really really likes.
@@chipford1945 i knew he reminded me of someone!!
I really appreciate this gentleman sharing his obviously hard to repair instrument with rob. Such an emotive sound
He wasn’t repairing it
*djentleman
Well of course there’s a lot to be gained to be in a video of a famous youtuber… no doubt they compensated him for his time too
It's all just 1 type of glass rod, seems like he'd have 50 more of those in a box to replace when they break
Yea thres realky nothing special besides the rods but look like something standard or obtainable. Not like theyre hand blown.. when crystal is that thick though its pretty tough.. its not just your ordinary typical silica glass tho.. little different..
I love that the “furious hand washing” segment was used here and in the Armonica, and I can’t tell which one it’s original to. 🤣
This one he changed his shirt after hand washing, didn’t notice that on the Armonica video. But this time I was focusing on it :p
Yea I noticed that too it’s the same segment
Ikr!
Just check the upload date
@@reesespuffs8998 recording date and upload date aren't necessarily in the same order.
The fact he changed shirts in this one is probably the best indicator ;)
Can we take a minute to appreciate Rob's technical ability to be able to play almost any instrument from any era?
oh come on that's nothing special *opens Ableton Live and plugs in MIDI keyboard*
In all seriousness I have incredible respect for him, he is a Musician with a capital M. It's incredible.
I think we call that "natural ability" not so much technical. Although he has technical skills for sure.
@@eleven9286 I think it's technical because he had to learn music and theory and uses his acquired techniques on various instruments. He didn't come out the womb playing everything
It has the same layout as a standard keyboard, so if you have decent experience with keys then you would probably also pick up on this instrument pretty quickly.
@@jazzfeline5970 The attack is totally different, but once you get used to the instrument it's like a bowed keyboard.
This guy's hysterical laugh is so contagious. He enjoys every bit of what he is doing.
I love such people.
Ok. Im not the only one who laughed along with him out of nowhere
It reminds me of george r r martins laugh. There’s something comforting about these laughs x)
This guy is a mad scientist. The cackle proves it
I love a good synthesizer as much as the next guy, but there's something truly special about creating such wild, varied sounds with a physical, acoustic thing
totally
Now this is the appropriate instrument to play C418’s Wet Hands on.
Totally underrated coment
C418 is so hiraeth
@@_BangDroid_ another word to my vocabulary, thank you
Came down here just to say exactly that.
Im so sad he didn't. Missed opportunity.
I can't wait when in 100 years, historians refer to Rob's channel as an archive of weird instruments of days past.
That is the perfect way to describe this channel
If we are still here in 100 years…..
Yes, you actually can't wait.
@@dustbargames6371 Maybe 20 years and goodbye humanity xD
Or less :(
Thus is such an alien sound. It's wild and ethereal, gentle and brutal. There's so much unique potential to this absurd and beautiful instrument.
I agree. As soon as I heard it I was like this is the most ethereal sound I've ever experienced
reminds me of the sounds from Absolution
I am thinking of Sam Gendel
I'm constantly amazed at how musically adept rob is. Its incredible how he basically walks up to an instrument cold, and a few hours later hes playing fairly proficently. Impressive.
By his own admission, Rob is mostly so proficient because he's good at adapting his musical knowledge. He knows guitar and keyboards, so anything that plays like a guitar (many of the stringed instruments) or a keyboard (like the Cristal Baschet here) is fairly intuitive for him. There's definitely a high level of musical ability required, though, you can throw somebody like me off by just tuning a guitar slightly different.
@@drpibisback7680 exactly my thought; he already knows the theory, so it's all about learning the technique required by the particular instrument
@@drpibisback7680 But then he's also pretty good at bowed instruments... And drums...
I'm completely convinced I could invent an entirely new instrument tomorrow and Rob would master it in a day.
He's a true musician
At 2:24 there's a very breif smile we get from Dennis, I've only seen it a couple of times.
It's when someone who has mastered a specific subject to a point where their knowledge is so deep down the rabbit hole, and they see someone naturally just "get it".
You can tell Dennis has a fondness for Rob, but that's one of those subtleties where you peek into someone's mind. He sees just how alike him and Rob are.
Very good analysis
i love how quickly rob picks up instruments, always a treat to see how he’s going to use the weird and wonderful things he plays
I was looking for this
This thing has a real "stuck for a winter in a haunted hotel with a writer who's going insane" feel to it.
Any similarity to any existing piece of intellectual property is purely casual
Hi Lloyd
heerrrrreeeeeeesss johnnnnyyyyy
to me it more has a fantasy n wonder tune ..honestly the sound range they go over in the vid is amazing
Oddly specific
that guy is like a proud parent, so constantly excited to show Rob every last little thing it does.
Cristal Baschet: requires thorough handwashing before use.
Truly an instrument of the times.
lmao
Because germs only started existing in these times
@@customsongmaker it's a joke u moldy potato
Underrated
@@thatspiderbyte yes the lockdowns and masks and sanitizers are a joke that haven't saved any lives but ruined millions
I love how excited and unpretentious Dennis is about this thing.
That's it!
The way Dennis' eyes light up when Rob explains why he thinks it's like a keyboard; this is why music is an art form over everything else. Only those involved in it truly understand just how deep the beauty and art truly go.
2 things:
this dude absolutely LOVES what he does and that makes me really happy
i was waiting depserately the entire time for interstellar...
Interstellar was the first thing I thought of.
There's already a cover of it on yt if you haven't heard it already! It's how I first discovered this instrument, here:
th-cam.com/video/wGX5eUjP64U/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=SFLStudioF%C3%A9eriqueLive
This is just one of those instruments that will never be able to sound right when reproduced by a speaker. It's such a thick and resonant sound that you really have to be in person to experience it properly. I've been lucky enough to be in the same room as a small one in high school but it was only a single octave. I'd love to actually be in the room to feel the resonance of that instrument.
Well if anything, you gotta have a speaker the size of the metal plate.
@TheDireWolf To record it and really capture it on a record, I suspect you'd need to mix a lot of different mics together. I'd be interested to hear some ambient artist go at one of these with like, a whole 16 channel mixer worth of different mics all around the room.
@TheDireWolf even then it wouldn't sound the same - the resonating plate heavily modifies the "raw" sound (= the vibration driving the plate), it doesn't just amplify it, Each of the plates is going to have a specific frequency response. Also there are probably also some nonlinear effects at play and feedback into the tuned resonators themselves, which will be really hard to replicate. I think a professional mic setup from different angles would do it a lot more justice. Although going to town with a piezo and a pedal board would be very cool too :)
I immediately thought of a church organ when he started playing. It's the same story with them, but the whole building is built to vibrate and resonate so you could never duplicate it.
@TheDireWolf @Balduin interesting. This is what fascinates me about music and sound. Great discussion
Goes between sounding sort of like strings, to vaguely organ sounding, to blaring out really heavy brass at the low end. Really versatile
Real "Elder Thing" kinda instrument, I love it.
nice @@ctdaniels7049
The lower pitches really remind me of how low steel drums sound
To be honest, I am really wondering why it is such a rare instrument. It has such a rich sound and could potentionally even be industrially produced for relatively cheap. So many possibilities!
Also, it seems to me like the perfect replacement for an organ in a small chapel... with enough supply of holy water
My guess is because it was invented by a sculptor. The sound is mostly likely just a curiosity to them, without any interest in fully exploring the musical capabilities. Also a lot of visual artist don't want their products packaged up, mass produced, and/or commercialized. They feel it cheapens their work.
@@barongerhardt along with that, it was probably quite annoying to make
Because most synths or libraries can reproduce this type of sound, and nobody would hear the difference.
@@eleckson but the artistry of analog!
@@joe7272 Lol
Adding some kind of overhead misting system that's activated with a foot pedal seems like it would be pretty kickass.
This is brilliant, but it would almost have to be an outside instrument at that point... Or you'd have to have a much more complex water catching, and perhaps maybe redistribution system?
These guys are thinking way ahead!
Would love to see something like this be a more mainstream instrument. Such increadible potential
@@lushanetucker3515 streets ahead!
I was thinking it could use like a gutter at the top of the glass prongs that slowly lets water flow down them. Like a pipe with a bunch of tiny holes for each prong and a bucket of water at one end as a reservoir. Your hand would then get wet from playing it, instead of you wetting the prongs with your hands.
Love the lower notes where the large resonator kind of joins in with a metallic bark
It kinda gives me tuba vibes which is really weird because it's glass rods and bars and screws.
I love it when the guy cackles. He's like "this thing is nuts... And I paid for it!! Hahahaha!!"
Truly an enlightened man.
His best cackle was when he stopped Rob drying his hands. Full mad scientist tier cackle.
The bow on the large metal speaker gave me chills. It sounds so damn awesome. That's some A grade horror movie material right there. You can sometimes tell when a sound is synthetic and to me that often isn't scary. Almost as it it bypasses my suspension of disbelief. This is incredibly eerie without feeling at all synthetic. I might have to make a sound byte and scare my friends with this.
It would be cool if there were different sized ones
Didn't feel too horrory to me, it's more of a "badass huge thing" sound effect
It sounds like some kind of creature screaming and flashing its fangs just before lunging forward at top speed to bite a chunk of your flesh clean off.
This guy is just the perfect amount eccentric for me. I could spend a lot of time with him.
I thought this instrument would be fragile as heck, but it actually seems pretty resilient.
Glass and crystal rods are surprisingly strong
Qualité Française
Good glass (doesn't even have to be temperate or borosilicate, just glass with few imperfections) is actually very strong.
It's the tiny imperfections and scratches that create points where cracks can start.
The distorted timbre of the deep notes with the metal sheet really tickles my music heart. Epic instrument!
I love it so much that this instrument is full acoustic.
The whole video feels like a genius sharing his invention with another genius who can understand the whole depth of how fascinating this instrument is both musically and in its engineering. Rare moments that’s worth remembering and living for.
5 minutes is all it took to absolutely fall in love with Dennis and his humor. What a great dude!
This is a perfect demonstration of what an analog instrument can do... As much as I like electronics, the inbetweens and odd sounds and extended techniques are the FEEL of an instrument like this is magic
Perhaps ironically, the Cristal Baschet was originally invented in an attempt to replicate the sounds of electronics - Bernard Baschet was a fan of pioneering Electroacoustic musician Pierre Schaeffer, even working with him in the 1960's as part of Schaeffer's "Musical Research Group," and was inspired by the futuristic and otherworldly sounds of Schaeffer's manipulated tapes.
The big strength of electronics, especially digital tools is the predictability and precise control. This instrument shows that for exploration, less control and more unpredictability can be very useful.
The sounds you produced with the bow on the metal "speaker" were amazing. They would fit great in a lot of Sci fi movies
Either C418's Sweden or Erik Satie's Gymnopedie 1 would sound sick on those
Saint-Saëns' Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals originally called for a similar instrument called 'Glass Armonica' but he changed it due to the rarity of the instrument
i was thinking the same!
what about c418’s wet hands
@@marbyyy7810 Clever!
C418!
I love that guy!
This is my favourite type of video - learning about instruments that I've never even heard of before, let alone what they sound like!
It is rare that a video actually just leaves me agape but when rob started to play at around 7:30 I was just left speechless. What a unique and gorgeous and breathtaking sound.
This guy has so much personality, one of the best guests you’ve had so far, Rob.
I really loved this guest. He's so passionate and energetic, makes me want to make weird sound contraptions as well.
The sheer number of sounds and timbre shifting...it's so expressive and versatile
I would love a collab between you and Martin from Wintergatan. Maybe try his modulin. You two are very different, but with the same love to music and both very talented and creative.
Try adding Colin Benders to the mix and I’m convinced they’ll invent a whole new genre of music within a day!
The only issue is that Martin's based in France, but I would love to see this.
This guy looks and sounds as delightfully deranged in a super intelligent way like Artie from Warehouse 13
God, that was a pretty great show that I haven't thought about in years. It was a solid concept of a show, though like a lot of shows, started getting a bit spectacle creep dramatic for my tastes.
Were you per chance a fan of Pushing Daisy's as well?
I thought of the guy from Fringe
@@jaxblonk5127 I know I was. I watched both of them for a good while, since they were interesting concepts.
Now THAT is an instrument of terror. The best part is how it can be made to sound nice, comforting, and innocent, but then instantly and smoothly transition into a sound that induces fear. 😨 I enjoy it. My favorite part was it somehow gave me a feeling of nostalgia like I was listening to an old black and white horror movie.
I don't think a sample pack can do this justice. there's so much potential for sound variations on top of other sounds, it's truly boundless for expression. I want to listen to more aomehow
I suspect that the only way for an electronic musician to truly capture this effect would be physical modeling - a software instrument running a physics simulation of the real instrument's physical properties. No idea how much acoustics and programming knowledge that would require, or if simulating such a complex system of physical interactions would even be possible with current hardware. Just recreating the behavior of the plate reverb-like speaker cones would probably take months of full-time study to accurately simulate.
@@drpibisback7680 The current physical modelling instruments are not capable of this kind of modelling. They are basically just a whole bunch of resonant filters (resonator) with exiters (white noise, pulse, or some other sound source). It's called physical modelling but, it's basically just a hack. It CAN sound extremely close to real instruments in some cases, especially if you intelligently modulate parameters while playing. But modelling this accurately... I don't even know how you'd go about it. You can "easily" model aspects of this instrument on computer, but the whole of it seems a bit beyond current techniques.
Fuckin sample packs lol we have no idea about sound, what sound can do. This shows it to me. It’s akin to magic. There’s so much potential, and we’re spoiled with easy sound emulation and simplified understanding of sound and vibration. Like, how did he know that that shape of metal speaker would work? Think about that
Would have to sample bare articulations of every note, would be a pain but it’s no different from what someone like a Spitfire Audio are doing
Try looking up the Glass Armonica, the predecessor to this instrument, invented by Benjamin Franklin.
Someone please show this to Christopher Nolan for his next sci-fi epic
lmaooo
i had full interstellar vibes
It was used in the Drive soundtrack. Sigur Ros has used it on a few tunes too which are very cinematic.
No. More trumbone.
I was just thinking the same thing. 😎
This seriously needs a set of high resolution samples collected from it.
"Glassworks" from the company Soniccouture includes samples from both this instrument and the Armonica.
You consistently do some of the most interesting music-related youtube content. Your videos sincerely feel like you're shooting them to show your viewers something worth seeing. You're not flexing, not clickbait, neither fake nor pretentious. Your genuine enthusiasm for these instruments is contagious. Thank you for raising the bar, Rob!
Very well said 👌
You're a guy I'd love to get to know, Mr. Commenter
Wow ! That actual musical piece that Dennis played at the end of the video was hauntingly beautiful. The fact any note can be played with different articulations is truly a incredibly unique musical instrument.
It’s crazy how those lower notes sound like a timpani with the resonator, what an amazing unique instrument
I love Dennis's enthusiasm for sound here! He reminds me of some of the folks who mentored me in high school doing improvised music, such enthusiasm just for the novelty and emotion of a unique sound, whether traditionally "musical" or not.
it's stuff like this that makes me fall in love with music all over again. this can sound so whimsical and airy but also sinister and foreboding. a truly amazing work of art.
Dennis' performance at the end was absolutely beautiful, ethereal, haunting yet comforting.
Bravo 👏
Now this is an instrument fit for Minecraft music if I’ve ever heard one
C418's Wet Hands
@@MrFreeze22mc LMAO
Was just about to comment this
had to look to see if there was a comment like this. it was my first thought as rob was playing.
I would love to hear RAIN in that instrument.
Oh yeah
I was thinking of Rain from the Halo 3: ODST soundtrack
@@eyeballpapercut4400 That and Deference for Darkness would sound great.
or just set it up outside and let the rain play it!
@@theunwelcome oooooo, that’s a great idea!
NPR level editing and sound, with your technical skill, touch and love for music makes this series shine. Dennis is the best too!
The way he explains everything with joy reminds me of a child telling their parents about their favorite superhero
Dennis is such a cool dude, I love how much character he brought and all the cool stories about the instrument. This strange instrument series is always great but this one stands out for sure!
Just watched the glass harmonica and now this. So fascinating!
Glass Armonica*
Pretty sure the other composer Dennis mentions is Hans Zimmer (Inception/ Interstellar). He used a Cristal to score parts of Interstellar. The odd thing is I like the sound of this instrument but find Zimmer's usage (especially if it's the Bwaah in Inception) uninspiring.
might be Cliff Martinez
@Megan Hutcheson I've seen the first two Dune interpretations and liked them both a lot. Unfortunately I swore off 'to be continued' movie endings since Harry Potter 7A. So until/ if they finish the story I likely won't watch it.
@Megan Hutcheson Lynch's Dune is uh, quite the watch, it's definitely something xD
@@digitalbarrito3555 I have experienced it drunk, sober, and high and no matter the state, I am always shook by the first voiceover.
That is most certainly Cilff Martinez - I remember reading years ago that he owned a Cristal baschet and he’s been using it for many of his film scores. There’s even a clip on youtube him playing his instrument for a bit.
16:17 this section is perfect for huge metallic catastrophes, like the sound of being *inside* of a giant ship ramming into something and being torn open.
Or having the camera perspective of being inside the ankle of a mecha when it’s ankle snaps and great sheets of metal than tear apart.
Makes me think of Mass Effect and the reapers
Haha, bonkers- I bought a CD, “Cristal: Glass Music Through The Ages” back in the early 2000’s, that Linda Ronstadt (yes, the singer) produced, and Mr James is featured. He plays several different glass instruments, and compositions inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s glass armonica by Johann Hasse (1699-1783) and Mozart to modern pieces- including the piece he plays at the end of the video!
Had to find the CD in my collection again! 😊
It's also on Spotify! I love it for when I'm studying.
what's the name of that song?
This probably sounds so much better in person. One of those sounds that doesn't translate digitally
With TH-cam's compression, definitely!
I think with a good mic it's coming close enough for a good approximation
The vibration fell different in person
Rob playing Ravioli on that thing was the happiest i’ve ever seen him
I was also giggling along with him lol so contagious
It's amazing how this has the sound of organ, tubular bell, flute, strings, and a bit of brass all rolled into one.
As a percussionist and experienced wine glass toucher: our director wanted us to pick up a new technique or new instrument constantly, which will take an undetermined amount of time because WHO KNOWS how naturally and quickly we can learn our part, we've never played that instrument before or with that technique. Meanwhile the band directors believe it's harder for the wind players to learn new music on their same old instruments they always play.
I am also an experienced wine glass toucher. Only play guitar though.
I know percussion keyboards they sometimes write 4 or 6 mallet compositions, but I've yet to see the equivalent of a clarinetist playing 2-3 clarinets simultaneously lol
First, most wood wind players play other woodwind instruments and instruments outside of woodwinds often. The difference is role in the orchestra. Percussion drives tempo and accents dynamics. Woodwinds can ruin a performance, even when their rhythm and pitch is technically perfect, because of the timbre of the sound is off. So yeah, different instruments have different roles and all have to fulfill their roles to make the ensemble whole.
Come to think of it, I know some jazz ensembles where the clarinet player picks up other woodwinds to play just to fill out the sound.
I play drums and a bunch of stringed instruments and had to really resist melody when I learned drums. I had some roto toms and way too much other stuff. I quickly realized I just needed a small kit with the limited hobbyist skills I have on the instrument.
10:04 reminded me exactly of Halo 3: ODST’s soundtrack. that hauntingly beautiful oboe is exactly the same note as the first one he plays here.
Same here
X2
The synth they use is based off of this... so yea lol.
@@trendingverge is it really? Thats so cool
Touch grass
I love the sympathetic resonance of the low notes where they ring again when he plays the higher notes
Once again, Rob proves that he can master any instrument on the first try. I love this series, so glad to have you back!
If ever there was an ensemble instrument for horror films, THIS IS IT!! When the lowest notes were played, it had a sound similar to what you'd get if you used the bow on the low strings on a piano. The way it would flange when played hard, sounds like a trombone amplified through a spring reverb in a guitar amplifier. a lot of interesting sounds, with no electronics! I really do like it, thanks for posting.
I'd love to hear a duet with the theremin, accompanied by a string quartet.
theres already a duet with the theremin: th-cam.com/video/d1M-SVBiDbw/w-d-xo.html , but no string quartet yet
@@lifegame1lu111 Beautiful.
Weird, I just was on a previous video then saw this comment. Peter Theremin, th-cam.com/video/RwTdR0XoKl0/w-d-xo.html
And maybe a solo with a bowed saw with those crying notes....
Never have I had an instrument bring tears to my eyes but at 7:19 my eyes got a bit watery. This instrument sounds much more beautiful than I expected.
It's a wet instrument for a reason I guess
@@manuelorrego3314 I appreciated this, haha. Thanks for typing. :)))))) Keep the dad jokes coming, seems like something that could be a positively defining trait for you guys! :D
@@manuelorrego3314 what is this instrument called please?
Imagine playing wet hands on this instrument.
It's so incredibly haunting and interesting to listen to, very cool that you got to mess around with it, I love how enthusiastic Dennis is about it too.
I am so innately and viscerally moved by the glass and water instruments. Feels like a longing for a long lost memory. I am fascinated by how much this touches my soul.🥰🌟🌟🌟🌟
Dennis playing at the end was mesmerising, such a unique sound and beautiful. That was incredible, thanks for sharing!
I've heard of a similar instrument that is made of several glass bowls that rotate, and you play it by placing your fingers on top of it. I think it is called the Glass Harmonica. The Cristal Baschet is cooler though, because of the way it is built (and it has whiskers)
Yes! Thats the Armonica, invented by Benjamin Franklin!
The band Aquasonic plays those... underwater.
that was my first though- this is like the Glass Armonica, except dramatically more complicated
I love this. The sound somehow makes me think of a cross between an organ and a steel drum.
5:26 This guy’s laugh sounds so much like Joker’s. It’s perfect
This guy is a legend love his character and personality
When I worked as a machinist, I would cut 20'+ bars of metal tubing, and upon using compressed air to clean the chips out, I discovered the beautiful, deep notes created by different lengths of tubing. Combined with my high school physics lesson on nodes, I always wanted to build a combination organ/tubular bells art installation that I could play with two different keyboards - one to blow into the tubes, and one to strike them. Maybe once I reach ridiculously disposable income, I will pursue this project.
I did build wind 4 sets of wind chimes with smaller lengths of narrower tubing, using the node principle to generate a pleasing chord. My mom still has the set I built her, 7 years later.
What a fun guy to hang out with. This man loves what he does.
you could say that about either one of them
This guy sounds like an unhinged madman and I love it. Maybe the lead and mercury from all the vintage glass instruments has taken its toll a bit
Thank you heavy metal poisoning
I think he plays reproductions with modern glass.
That theory is bunk in the first place, the metals couldn't leach out in any appreciable amount to do anything.
@@startedtech so you think
@@gabrielbennett8239 he mentions in the next video, that likely the folks at that time already had a lot of lead poisoning, and the additional lead glass contact might have just pushed them a bit further.
16:37 those are some amazing sounds, reminds me of the Reapers in Mass Effect. Definitely has an evil tone. You could fit that into any horror movie I'm sure.
Rob "they never made an instrument I couldn't play" Scallon
RIGHT ?
The dude can take a sh!t and it'll sound fantastic.... I hate him 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Except the saxophone...
There should be more of these. It sounds amazing, it’s not so huge you couldn’t have one in your house, and there’s no way that it would be harder or more expensive to build then a piano. The only reason I can think for there not being many is that no ones heard of them. But I want one. Really bad
Seems like the kind of think you could build.
@@DrewLSsix I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that could build it. But I don’t think I could.
I want one!
The parts of sound effects, specially the section around 16:46 reminds me a lot of the ambient soundtracks used in some really nice horror games like dead space and alien: isolation
This dude's completely nuts and I'm loving every second of it.
This thing feels like a theramin, in that most people just want it to make Spooky Noises For Movies, and that ticks me off. This is a BEAUTIFUL instrument. I cannot think of ANYTHING else that sounds like it.
check out the glass armonica, definitely in the same family
@@GergC Eh, I guess so, but the metal resonator on the cristal is making that sound BLOOM in a way that doesn't happen with other glass instruments.
Kinda sounds like an orchestra section
@@GergC *glass harmonica
It's more like a waterphone, the actual instrument they use to make the spooky horror movie sounds.
That tiny jam at 16:45 with the final sound that obviously impressed Dennis is frightening and beautiful simultaneously.
I love Dennis’ excitement and obvious passion for this stuff.
This instrument is freaking haunting and beautiful. The way it resonates makes me think of a hidden kingdom underground made of crystal.
It's like a portable symphony in your house. Incredible work of art and a real talent to play. Thanks for sharing!
please never stop finding these awesome instruments and sharing them with us
This is one of those "weird instruments" that actually can sound really damn good lol. Some of the stuff you played was outright haunting, and I'd say, unique (for a single instrument to create that sound, I mean)
10:12 THE FIRE NATION IS APPROACHING
Honestly didn't think I'd spend this much time watching two guys stroking their rods.
In all honesty though, this is one cool instrument. Thanks for sharing!
Rob: playing his “Sad song that doesn’t resolve”
Me: THE FIRE NATION IS COMING EVERYONE RUN
10:13 I heard the Fire Nation, too!!
What an amazing tour guide to such a pleasurable musical oddity!
It's amazing how just hearing the intro brings you to Interstellar... And then it turns out "a big Hollywood composer" has one.