FX031 UI MAGNET SNAPS

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There is something very satisfying about the ‘click’ that is heard when a magnet suddenly connects to a steel object. I was reminded of this when using magnets to dampen unwanted string resonance on the piano harp recently & decided to explore the idea further.

I have a pair of very strong magnets that I retrieved from inside a failed 6TB Hard Drive. They take considerable force to seperate them and are each glued to a small metal bracket. And while playing with them I suddenly realised that ‘magnetic clicks’ would be useful as UI clicks!

Of course being a fan of ‘clicks & cuts’ and pointillistic percussion since back in the 90s, I also started to think about the variations I could create by having the magnet ‘grab’ different objects.

So this library is the result of me hunting through my library of physical props, checking to see which ones are actually made of steel and contribute to an interesting resonance to magnetic click sounds. 

The final list of props include:

bare magnets: big=big, big=small

spanner x2, chisel, big square washer, triangle, brake drum, metal cracket, hearth shovel, BBQ spatula, metal plate, large ball bearing, lathe chuck, threaded rod, nang, rusty bell, guitar shim ruler, tin can x3, aerosol can, salad server, rattly clamp, and two tank tongue drums.

With each prop I performed sets of single magnetic clicks, and double clicks For the latter, the HD magnets were attached to a bracket, so I could release the magnet so that one end connected first, ‘ka-click’. 

Have a listen via the audio preview & video.
I exported them as individual clicks so I could ‘play’ them using XO Browser for the video.

Alt: Soundcloud link