Federation Bells

The State Government of Victoria commissioned The Federation Bells Melbourne in 1998. The project marked the centenary of Federation of the State of Victoria. You can read the history here.

Refurbishment

In 2009 the City of Melbourne and Arts Victoria first asked Spring Innovations, a subsidiary of Spring Studio, to repair the playing mechanisms of the 39 upturned bronze bells so the carillon was more reliable.

The existing installation had many many problems, which led to the Bells eventually requiring completely new mechanisms and control systems. Spring Innovations came up with a musicianly approach and so won the tender to design, develop and manufacture a new state of the art system in 2011.

a field of actuators
a field of actuators

Above are the actual actuators hand built by us for the installation. As of 2023, the bells have rung a total of 190,264,000 times since we started counting in 2011. Note: I just downloaded the log and find its really odd that the ;ast three digits are 000. The chance of that are: well: 1000:1 against.

Heres the log in detail

Bell	Week ending 2023-01-01	Total up to 2023-01-01
1	5714	3221494
2	3948	2608978
3	6916	3429763
4	4361	1651896
5	5357	1703015
6	6348	2801812
7	3340	1585240
8	8094	2794479
9	4270	1741080
10	4535	2094140
11	3104	1676289
12	3676	1935866
13	11292	4128045
14	5069	2588497
15	14338	6044747
16	9465	5197399
17	8666	3396272
18	11255	4887500
19	15206	7362486
20	3364	1650526
21	26000	11500538
22	8814	3702343
23	11641	6416094
24	3166	1409410
25	13477	6117318
26	12698	5300793
27	35687	15673714
28	21759	10738780
29	14648	6065891
30	10955	6695551
31	24769	10725404
32	5755	2578724
33	27705	12568997
34	5845	2620439
35	11633	6331907
36	4739	1795178
37	14250	5778429
38	8267	3669790
39	19971	8075176
		190,264,000

The new system comprises a remotely programmable server which stores and plays back hundreds of original compositions in playlists that we compile and schedule, to the delight of casual visitors.

The system reveals the full potential of the Bells, thereby giving the composer full control over the dynamic range of each bell.. Terry McDermott wrote the playback software using MAX MSP.

This drives three sixteen channel FGPA based controllers built by our associates, Considered Solutions in Sydney. The pulses that energise the Federation Bells then drive 39 custom Voice Coil Actuators designed and built by Spring Studios, each mounted in a 3 axis adjustable saddle, to ensure a repeatable stroke. (see photo below of the smallest bell and actuator – about a coffee cup sized)

Closup of small bell mechanism on pole
The Federation Bells smallest bell mechanism after 10million rings

Swift and accurate public musical instrument

The whole system has a response that is swift and accurate, and highly responsive, unlike many carillons. This allows the composer to develop orchestral like crescendos, muted accompaniment to a melody and many other advanced articulations.

Live public performances launched the refurbishment in April 2012. Acclaimed Diva Deborah Cheetham wrote and performed a special piece for voice and Bells.

Harry demonstrated the dynamic range and precise time keeping of the new system by playing a medley in complex tempos.

A well attended night-time concert of new music wrapped up the launch.

Purple Bells in public park
Federation bells lit purple in Birrung Marr

Spring Studio collaborated with the owners to upgrade the lighting system which lead to the music changing the lighting in real time.

Multicolored LED spotlights made in Germany pick up the distinctive shapes of the bells at night. The lighting system incorporates protection against overheating, a important consideration as the world warms.

Momentary temperature measurements are logged and compared to safe limits, so temperature sensitive components are automatically protected against overheating. At the Federation Bells Melbourne it can exceed 40 degrees for several days. This is an important consideration for the protection of this iconic installation, which receives many thousands of enthusiastic visitors annually.

Recycling

Sign Box

Spring Innovations adopted a damaged City of Melbourne Sign Box, marked for recycling. We installed several new items.

  • A bright video monitor, which shows current events and items of interest.
  • A WiFi hot-spot to allow visitors to play the Bells via the ground breaking app.
  • A logging thermal probe to help with temperature management.
  • A networked MIDI interface so keyboards can directly control the Bells for a live performance.

Spring Innovations continues to develop and manage the remote control access so the curator can arrange daily schedules remotely.

We provide secure access to the Server to facilitate Arts Programs

Federation Bells – features

  • Spring Innovations designed and built the bell playing mechanisms to use a sophisticated programmable FGPA controller and so the bell strokes can be adjusted in several ways, remotely.
  • The system listens to itself play each bell several times, early every morning and thus the software delivers an assessment report by email twice weekly.
  • The curators upload and play new compositions in moments.
  • AFL Team Anthems for each team in turn sound as fans flock to the nearby MCG to support their heroes. This has led to reduced graffiti and damage.
  • We celebrate Christmas, the New Year, and other significant occasions with Special Compositions
  • Suitable music celebrated key International and Civic events.
  • Composers may win a substantial prize for new works.
  • Play-lists  draw from many hundreds of increasingly sophisticated compositions submitted by local and visiting composers.
  • Large groups of schoolchildren make the Federation Bells a ‘must  see’ destination and so there is a real buzz on-site.
  • the Bells provide a delightful sense of wonder and fun as a result of the app interactivity.

Increasingly complex pieces

In recent years the reliability of the system has improved to about 99.8% and so composers can write increasingly complex pieces. 

This has led to many outstanding compositions in our play lists. Pieces are written by people from all walks of life, from young children to professionals.

We enjoy playing original works when we work on the Bells because we engage visitors with information about the history of the bells and their special characteristics.

International Jazz Festival

Barney McCall composed a piece for his Jazz Band A.S.I.O.  and Bells, entitled ‘Transitive Cycles‘.

It features several difficult time signatures which likewise push the Band and the instrument to their limits.

Free app for the Federation Bells

  • The App Incorporates a sequencer and sound samples which therefore is able to record and store new tunes. Once stored, the real bells finally play the tune.
  • Visitors can also play back their original compositions off line, anywhere, any time.
  • A visitor is able to access the bells most days via a phone app on – site, in between schedules, and early evening
  • The App includes a simple game and viewer to show what pieces are playing and scheduled, and much more besides.
  • The app is available for both iPhone and Android.

Spring Studio produced the free stereo bell sample set which is available as a Kontakt Patch from this page

A professional composer is now able to incorporate real Bell sounds in larger compositions created on a DAW (workstation).

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