Maker Faire Rome 2025
AMMILAB - Mechanical Music : past and present
Before vinyl and radio: we listen to Mechanical Music media using original instruments and new adaptations. A Player Piano Roll Reader: Reusing and modifying part of a 1920s player piano mechanism, the public will be able to listen to period perforated rolls (or 'piano rolls'). Furthermore, they can interact by adding expression and dynamics to the musical pieces by manipulating dedicated controls—a bit like a driving simulator, but for music. A Digital Perforated Card Disc Reader for the 24-note Ariston Organette: We use new technology to listen to musical disc media from the late 1800s. An original 24-note Ariston Organette, built in Leipzig between 1885 and 1910. The Ensemble of Street Organ (or Barrel Organ) with Perforated Card Strips and 3 robots (bassist, percussionist, and glockenspiel player). This ensemble was presented in the 2021 edition but with new musical pieces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tro6KcqsDdM&t=5s
Additional Project Photos
Maker
FLAVIO PEDRAZZINI
AMMILAB was founded in 2013, participating in the first Maker Faire Rome with a linear camera scanner for scanning playepiano rolls. This scanner is currently in use for digitizing rolls at the Department of Musicology in Cremona (University of Pavia), which houses the largest collection of music on piano rolls in Italy (approximately 10,000 rolls). We are a group of enthusiasts of machines and music, and we enjoy dedicating ourselves to projects that help preserve a specific musical historical period, using the new technologies available today.
