# Raymond Scott's Fascination Machine![[PR-FASCINATION_02.jpg]] ## About the Fascination Machine ### Raymond Scott's Vision Raymond Scott, a visionary composer and inventor of the mid-20th century, was a pioneer in electronic music and ambient sound. In the 1950s, he imagined the _Fascination Machine_, a speculative sound-generating device designed to create continuous, ever-evolving sonic environments. Scott envisioned this "instantaneous music" as a sophisticated alternative to traditional background music, intended for spaces like offices, factories, and homes. His goal was to produce complex, non-repetitive audio textures that would seamlessly enhance daily life with a constant, yet unobtrusive soundscape. ![[PR-FASCINATION_01.jpg]] ### Our Fascination Machine In 2008, to mark the centennial of Raymond Scott's birth, Adam O’Callaghan organized an event at Concordia University to celebrate Scott's groundbreaking contributions to music and technology. Using Scott’s original notes and diagrams from the _Manhattan Research Inc._ album, we delved into his descriptions of five distinct sonic experiences. From this, we developed a generative sound instrument using Max/MSP, paired with a custom Arduino interface to interact with the Max patch. The result was a fully functional sound device that faithfully brought Scott's forward-thinking ideas to life in a modern form.  ## Credits Concept and creation: Matthew Waddell, Nathaly Arraiz ## Tags #Year-2008 #Speculative-Design #Sound #Electronics #Collaboration #Max-MSP