Name: Noise Box (Chaos Beans)
Instrument: Noise Box (Electroacoustic Found-Sound Instrument)
Orchestral Taxonomy: Electrophone / Experimental Percussion
Manufacturer: Lewis Edward Moten III
Material: Metal, Paper, Acrylic, Nylon
Hornbostel–Sachs: 53 – Electrophone (Electromechanical Found-Sound Instrument)
Built: January 26, 2026
Primary Use: Experimental Sound, Noise Performance
Components: Toothbrush, Paperclip, Springs, Zip Ties, Chain, Nuts, Bolts, Washers, Screws, Bush’s Best Maple & Cured Bacon Baked Beans (Can Only), Furniture Pad, Piezo Contact Pickup
Condition: Working
Status: In possession
A noise box is perhaps one of the most unique instruments around. It is rare to find one for sale, as the overwhelming majority are built rather than purchased. It is not the same as a noise machine, which usually sits in a therapist’s office, creating consistent white noise in the background to enhance privacy during conversations and create a calm setting. A noise box does the opposite, creating unpredictable sounds through random, experimental interaction. The maker of such instruments has free rein to place anything on the surface that makes sound — springs, strings, and all sorts of things. The more creative, the better.
Usually, these are made with large wooden boxes with a surface of a square foot or two. For my noise box, I started out with an empty can of Bush’s Best Maple & Cured Bacon. The surface area that I have to work with is very small. I kept the center clear so that I could press a Piezo pickup to it after it was complete.
I started creating four holes in the bottom of the can with a wood screw. I stretched two different types of springs and screwed the ends to the can. On one of the screws, I also added a loose spring to play with. Another screw was used to hold down a paper clip with a sticker of a baked turkey wearing a fez and sunglasses, a reference to a recurring theme on Friends with turkey heads — specifically where Monica wears one with a fez and giant sunglasses.
A larger hole was made for a bolt that could be pressed down using a spring, a few washers, and a nut to help bring it back up. Another bolt in the front was more ridged, allowing me to affix a zip tie to it.
I grabbed some electrical tape and an old toothbrush and taped it tightly to the edge of the can to help vibrations transfer cleanly to the can. A furniture pad was placed on the side to add another texture of noise.
Making noise is just a bit of fun. This is an exploration of sound, playing around, and seeing what you can come up with. I have a leather chain belt that came with my sporran, and I would drag it along the edge or just let it pile up on top. I just have fun playing with springs and rubbing everything together. Ideally, this should be a larger box that can sit in my lap, but this small experiment was fun to see how it worked.
