Circuit Bending and Synth building blog for beginners and pros alike. Featuring Circuit Bending resources that include: Tips, images, audio, and video. The lowdown on my new instruments, Glitch art, Minimalist ideas, electronic music, etc.
For those afraid of poking around your instruments finding glitches, here is another step by step tut from circuit-bent.net. This one is not a data line cutting mod, instead its a patch bay with some RCA jacks. Sound samples and more images can be located on this confusing page. As a side note the VSS-30 I believe was meant to be the competitor of the SK-1 with many additional features. It also seems to be more expensive and even harder to find.
Today I investigated the MySpace: CircuitBent group. Nothing that really beats Yahoo: Benders or the LiveJournal Groups. Basically a handful of artists and a large group of people with silly photos. Through some browsing I stumbled on the profile of the chiptune artist Chesterfield showing some bends and a few Gameboy Mods. He so happens to be promoting for the Bend++ Festival ( Official Blog Link?) which just started in Japan!
Chesterfield's website is full of links, audio files, and videos ( specifically this manic Speak glitching video ) so poke around at http://bending.hp.infoseek.co.jp/
Quite an impressive circuit to say the least, 3 LFO? with filter and ring mod. Nice. Too bad its all knob control and no CV or opto-theremin. Still looks and sounds pretty neat. Just wondering why this person would take the picture on the linoleum floor and not against a solid color. If people spend time making these things they should atleast spend some time making the auctions look presentable and not shitty. The first bid is at $150 given the prior runnings of simular items I predict that it will sell for $250 atleast. Audio Link
Ebay auction
Well I got the forementioned issue of the Grooves magazine with the picture of a bent speak and spell on the cover. It is true that there are no mentions of Circuit Bent gear persay in the entire magazine. However there is an ad for Orgy Of Noise CDs and a brief description of the cover photo referring to Ghazala and also Bill T Miller of circuitbending.com, I wonder if he is related to Brian Miller the Art Director of Grooves. Anyways the big story which ties into the Circuit Bending realm I guess is the write up on Merzbow aka Masami Akita. One thing that I learned about Merzbow is that Masami has managed to release more albums then the delayed Wesley Willis ( Over 500 to mere 50 ).
Decent article with no real insight into anything except that people don't dig his laptop based stuff as much as hardware analog noises and there is a new Merz album out. The images of Masami in the article can be found on google without any effort. No links to free music or anything. Great writeup about Wesley can be found here though http://www.monzy.org/wesley/
Over the weekend I tried to make the smallest possible opto theremin based on the common 555 chip. It uses one photocell and one 10uF capacitor. There is a switch embeded that inverts the Wave and Duty creating a different tone color of the square wave. At the bottom there is a 9volt connector. The headphone jack is soldered directly to the pin 3 of the output with a 8 ohm resistor to match the impedence. Everything is shrink wrapped with a hole cut for the opto resistor and fiilled with hot glue for durability. I will post audio files soon as well as a schematic once I find some free drafting software.
This is something that I saw on the Gizmodo blog, its called a Vocalizer 1000, something that takes and transcribes your voice with one of their instruments. This thing looks interesting to bend cause all the samples are probably in Chip Rom form or just hook it up to Reason and have some fun that way. Anyways one of these things is up on ebay right now Vocalizer 1000. After googling for a little bit I found this site contains songs recorded with this thing http://www.lucytune.com/midi_and_keyboard/vocalizer.html
Absolutely bizarre, I guess for $75 ( current eBay price ) anyone can be a Money Mark.
Apparently Grooves Magazine is doing a story or something on Circuit Bending, well at least Ghazala's Incantors. The Barnes and Noble in my town did not have it, hope your print media outlets are a little better. Also as an added bonus the Furby is back. Heh, now I just hope that they bring SK-1s back so people stop paying a bunch of money for them online. [Via Benders List]
Not sure when this happened but CasperElectronics.com has gotten a make-over and currently takes the cake for being one of the awesomest bending sites out there, IMO. Too many pictures and devices for me to go into so feel free to browse for yourself. Some points of interest however may include: wood encased SK-1, Mechanical Sequencer, and lots of good hints and tips, like the VTech Alphabet Desk Glitch, I know I'll be trying that one. Great job, a Must see!
http://www.casperelectronics.com/
Via[Phil]
Can be checked out at www.thedirtybear.com a design group that used to do Mount Sims' and Tommy Sunshine's website, however both of those are down now. Located in one of the navigation buttons it merely functions as a sample loop player, however still useful if you need a raster graphic of the SK-1.
Joe Paradiso's SK-1 has been around on the net for quite a while, and most likely was one of the first instruments of its kind that I have seen, back when I started researching Circuit Bending a few years ago. Although I don't think that he shorted his SK-1 persay. It does appear to be modified in order to interface with his huge modular synth which can be seen here.
http://web.media.mit.edu/~joep/synth.html
For a mere $69.97 one can aquire a sweet looking Radiation Detector from Sports Man's Guide. Not really sure why anyone would want to gut something like that, but for the art of circuit bending and synth making nothing is off limits.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=51259
Pretty tite, circuit bending gallery via Google.com
Link
http://www.pbase.com/tyoung/circuitbending&page=all
Interesting construction for sure, I like the idea of simple controls, but why stop with only 2 oscillators available for the ring mod. It would be just as simple to add an input allowing for processing of external sources like guitar or other instruments. Anyways its not my call on this one. For more info on ring mods and how they work check out this paper.
http://www.du.edu/~etuttle/electron/elect61.htm
eBay Link to the auction for the Solar Station
ElectroKraft company website
Echo Keyller is confirmed to be more irritating then ever with the pitch mod. Allerian added a pot instead of the opto-resistor to his little gem allowing for a better control as well as touch possibilities. I am working on the super pitch mod which will be posted soon.
about pimping out your iPod and who needs that crystal clear fake sound anyways. We need gritty and square! Powered by a 9Volt this iPod custom FuzzBox utilizes the LM386 IC amp chip, which BTW was my first chip project ever. Back in the day I used to make portable guitar amps out of them and they sounded awesome to say the least. It is mono and does have quite nice harmonic distortion. It looks like Rob had build 2 of these units and I am pretty sure that they are Nano and Shuffle compatible! The Lm386 is a very nice amp IC with many possibilities and can even be turned into an oscillator For more info check the PDF
http://www.jameco.com/wcsstore/Jameco/Products/ProdDS/24125.pdf
Also for more on Rob and the Fuzz Box check out his MySpace page
http://www.robwonder.com/
I got this sweet looking console thing the other day. But I am not sure what it is to begin with. Its an Accutest Circuit Analyzer, and on google most of the sites just have a brief mention, but nothing that tells you what it does. Its got 5 CV modules with knobs and different scaling and a huge patch selector. My guess that it evaluates certain ICs, and has some programmed testing functions. I'll post some more once I pop it open.
The LiveJournal group has been cranking out some good stuff lately, and here are the latest highlights. DC_Animal brings us a recased in an old Video tape wooden storage case. The distortion pedal has more settings then you can shake a fist at. The nice thing is that the construction tips are posted and quite a few images are available as well here: http://www.geocities.com/dc_animal/oxidizer.htm
The second instrument is by the book SK-1 Aleatron R.Q. Ghazala mod with a quite attractive breakout box created from an old video cassette tape case ( coincidence?) from our friend bent_hack who also brought us the bent Master System experiment.
This mod was sent to me by fellow bender and experimental musician Allerian, is called the Copper Box. The case supposely came from an old hand reciept machine. The control surface features four copper touch plates that are tied to the onboard oscillator circuitry changing the resistance levels when they are touched by skin thus effecting the oscillators. Copper happens to be the best conductor trailing only to silver, being far cheaper makies it a great choice. I tend to use just plain old screws with their tops sanded quite well to create a rought conductive surface.
The conductivity depends on oil levels of your skin and can be improved by wetting the skin. Other things that are quite interesting to experiment with are flourecent lights and "plasma" lamps, the ones that have arcs of energy in them. Electrons get picked up by the contacts and turned into various noises. For some reason this mod reminds me of the Mars Rover, I dunno maybe its just me.
This must be what everyone's synth porn nightmare looks like. What this thing does is actually beyond my comprehension, seems like its a bunch of modules and a sequencer all crammed into a body. Freaky yes, Awesome yes. For more info feel free to look around at http://www.sdiy.org/pinky/
Thanks to Phil for showing me this.
This ad placement probably takes the cake. Saw it at SoundClick when listening to the Schmitt Trigger synth sound sample, who do these people think we are? And what kind of things will we click on? I suppose a Free* 360 would be damn nice when sitting around the house with buddies on a Friday nite listening to Sergeant Pepper and drinking Olde English. Enuf said.
Building stuff from scratch is in, check out this Schmitt Trigger based oscillator synth, housed in an old switcher box. Its no Doo Rag, but hey its a first prototype. I do have to admit that Schmitt Triggers sound pretty nice, will definitely be ordering some to experiment with in the near future. Link to project here:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/circuitbending/208258.html
Motivated by my latest cassette buying kick, I came across this Gem.
The Art of Noise, in visible silence. Thinking to myself, "Wow Art Noise from the 80s!! Synthy experimental sounds! I'm there!" So I got the tape and popped it in the boombox at home. Geez I want my $0.49 back.... Most gawd awful General MIDI song quantized crap that I have heard in a while. But I guess some people rave about this Band
on Amazon calling it their best work ever and saying that it ages well. 2 things can be learned from this:
1. Carry a tape player and batteries all the time. At least the batteries, cause tape players are found all the time at thrift stores so use theirs.
2. Anything that has a title which sounds cool, or looks like it is cool with pictures of robots or computers ( unless it is Kraftwerk) is usually lame, so spare the time and effort.
I guess not, since I get ads about Circuit bent stuff over gmail.com now.
Not saying that Highlyliquid's kits are not awesome or anything but still, I would imagine they have enough business without soliciting the Darkside. I guess who am I to talk, Mr. Amazon here. Everyone is out to make a buck and there is no shame in it. The main thing is that we all should be Making Synths Not War and sticking it to the man making by the living offa it.
The data cutting tutorial mentioned earlier for the Yamaha FM chip was followed to the t by the fellow bender Monki. I guess the result worked as expected cause I didn't hear otherwise. This ties in very well with my post about neat bends, just look at that ziptie and cable channeling job! Professional! Buttons are nice as well, match perfectly. For more images feel free to check out, sounds are coming soon so I hear.
http://monki.geemus.com/Electronics/YamahaPSS170/
Minutes of annoying fun can now be extended in to hours or possibly days with the simple opto-theremin mod detailed here.
Here is a list of things needed:
1. Sound Effect keychain toy ( please see previous post about sources for those )
2. Opto-resistor with light to dark range around 0k-400k ohms
3. Soldering Iron
4. Knife or flatblade screwdriver
Now, unpackage the keychain, do not insert batteries yet. Pry open the case with a knife or screwdriver. Locate the 150k pitch resistor on the back of the board and unsolder it. Cut the legs of the opto-resistor and arrange as shown in the image to solder it down. With a knife cut a little groove in the top half of the case for the resistor legs to stick through. This makes the case close better. Super glue everything if needed, these keychains are cheap so they will fall apart easy especially if carried in your pocket. Insert the batteries and test. Everything should work. If it doesn't check all the connections from the speaker and to the board, sometimes they break.
Press a button and change the amount of light to the sensor. The waves will now change pitch as the amount of light is decreased to the sensor. Here are some samples of the unit recorded though a microphone. I suppose the next step is adding a sound-out jack, but that may require some further tinkering and cramming of things inside.
Sample 1
Sample 2 same, except w/Delay. ( Superb!!)
One thing I started to see a lot more of is people actually posting pictures of insides or
info detailing how they made something. This is a trend that I very much endorse and enjoy. However given that other people will now see your build's insides it is only natural that you attempt to make them neater. Here is a gallery from the artist Phoebe aka October71 displaying some very neat keyboard modding skills along with other things of interest.
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=3675255&uid=1886162
The keyboard shown is actually a square wave synth keyboard that untill now was regarded by everyone including me as a cheap block blog type not capable of very much. However this is not the case. I do have to point that even without any mods this keyboard sounds fantastic.
There are a few great resources about this keyboard like the Tablehooters site
http://users.informatik.haw-hamburg.de/~windle_c/TableHooters/HingHon_EK001.html
But what takes the cake is the actual building manual for the keyboard available from its manufacturer!!!!
http://www.elenco.ws/manuals/ak-900.pdf
Totally insane info even includes sound synthesis and wave theory!
And to drive it home is this page
http://www.elenco.ws/
It includes a ton of schematics for keyboards, sound generators, power supplies and others, like this function generator for instance using an XR2206 IC
http://www.elenco.ws/manuals/fg-600k.pdf
Add a photo resistor and you got an optical theremin. Amazing. Thanks Phoebe you made my day. [Via Benders list]
This dual resonator/filter dubbed Dubernator/Duber/Deebernader whatever you want to call it, comes from Peter B the creator of awesome instruments meant to blow your mind, seen here http://www.ciat-lonbarde.net/.
Actually I have never seen anyone make more tripped-out circuitboard layouts then this guy things layout every which way except strait. The most awesome part about the Doober is that you can build one yourself given that Peter Graciously provides the schematics and construction manuals on his site, however if you are too busy working a real job you can also purchase one assembled for $220. That is cleap IMO considering some people spend twice that much for 555 oscillator driven magic boxes. Duber Link:
http://www.ciat-lonbarde.net/duber/index.html
Last week I finished up the construction of the 3 VCO Opto module to be used with the opto sequencer. The design is very simple. Once again I utilize 555 IC chips as my oscillators. The module has 2 mono outputs which can he perceived as a stereo signal or mixed individually. Each set of knobs controls the frequency and duty of separate 555s. Opto-resistors are wired in parallel to each pot giving a wide tonal range. The big chicken head controls a multipole switch patching modulation input of 555s to various circuit points. Each of the output VCOs can be synced to that if desired. The 3rd VCO is only for patching and acting as an LFO. Everything is wired on the small perfboard with solidcore copper wire.
Here are the videos of the synth in action. Please be warned that some sharp tones may occur once in a while.
Video 1
Video 2
Additional photos can be seen in the gallery.
It appears as though Midwest-Analog along with Thomas Henry is nowhere to be found on the internet nowadays with the exception of the wayback machine site. A real shame this is because they had some very interesting synth construction books and tips. I got my Electronic Music: The reprints copy a couple of years ago now, and glad that I did, just wish I would've ordered the other books as well. Feel free to rummage through the wayback machine site and pick what you want, some schematics and all the text still left.
This time it has knobs to control the multipole switches creating glitches and crashes. Speaking of bent systems, I spent about 4 hours last nite working on the Master System. It was very frustrating to say the least. The chip schematic I found earlier is the correct one for the 315-5124 chip. The xtal is 10 mHz, the power and audio out pins correspond perfectly. The goal of the experiment was to see if data could be altered or sent to the TI76489. After trying long and hard it was determined that it was not possible using the simple techniques at my disposal like timers, diodes, and jumpers. The system crashed everytime something unexpected was introduced on the chip. I suppose I need to get some logic ICs like flip-flops and Schmitt triggers and try again. The system does crash very easy so I would be willing to bet that most of those bent consoles crash like there is no tomorrow resulting in glitched up screen. As far as audio goes during the crash you just hear the last note being played as a drome and some data noise once in a while. The creator of the bent Nintendo consoles promissed me more files so I will post those once he comes through.
Schematics for a simple but extremely cool sounding sound generator can be found on www.musicfromouterspace.com website once again. This time the number of components that it takes to build this thing can be counted with your fingers and toes.
Impressive sounds can be heard here.
http://meme.no/locomofon/audio/usg1002.mp3
http://meme.no/locomofon/audio/usg1003.mp3
http://meme.no/locomofon/audio/usg1004.mp3
http://meme.no/locomofon/audio/usg1005.mp3
http://meme.no/locomofon/audio/usg1006.mp3
More available here: http://meme.no/locomofon/usg1.php
As far as the operation goes, it looks like the oscillations are created with the Hex Inverter Schmitt Trigger IC by the process of signal feedback. The other IC is a 741 Op-Amp acting as a filter/amplifier and an optional mixer. The schematic looks a little complicated with words like wacky and zany used to describe circuit functions. But really it is very simple. One thing I would do differently is use opto-resistors instead of pots, cheaper and will get a lot more interesting sounds that way.
Based around the 555 and 4017 combo this sequencer also features a built in crossfader mixer with a 741 and 386 combo. Interesting sights, sounds, and practical tips. Like don't forget that pull down resistor :-) makes logic circuits work alot better. http://www.sailormouth.org/index2.php?pg=mod_seq_proj.inc
Men Who Can't Love ,whose site seems to be broken at the moment, bring us another oscillator packed project. This time we are experiencing 2 LFOed 3 Oscillator ringmoded pedal of untold and unheard of sonic potential. Not much really that I can tell from the auction except that people want to purchase this item even though there are no sound samples.
Link Here
++UPDATE++
The 5 osc thing is probably packed full of 555s cause the description mentioned square waves. Also it most likely sounds simular to this http://www.menwhocantlove.com/drone.mp3
That is a sound sample from the previous noise machine sold about a month ago for, and I am not kidding, $470.00 US DOLLARS!!!!! JESUS!!! I need to build a 50 oscillator box and make like $4700.00 Dollars!
Link Here
These things have been around for ages come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The other day I won an auction for the RoadEqualizer Box which is essentialy a sound effect keychain built into a case with a bigger speaker. My circuit did have a pitch resistor and the value was about 150k. After replacing that resistor with a photo-resistor I was able to use my opto-sequencer on it to create some awesome synthy sounds. Definatelly recommend this device to anyone who is starting out. They are cheap, under $2 except for the StarTrek one thats $10, and can be played much like opto theremins with only minor modifications. I will post samples from my mod very soon. In the mean time check your local novelty store for these babies.
Available from several places right now.
http://therestlessmouse.zoovy.com/product/2302
http://jupiterwholesale.com/product/CD3910
StarTrek Effects Keychain
Recasing is a very important aspect of Circuit Bending. Olaf Ladousse a musician and an artist from Spain seems to have a great knack for it. His amazing website and flickr set was linked to me by a reader and just about made my jaw drop when I saw all those things. Bravo!
http://www.papelcontinuo.net/
http://www-us.flickr.com/photos/papelcontinuo/sets/953565/
A lot of the sound toys don't have to do much besides look really cool. In Ghazala's book there are a few pages dedicated strictly to conveying the point that household objects can be used as shells for noise makers. The finished instrument is bound draw oohs and aahs by its sheer looks alone as well as rake in mucho dinero on eBay. Objects such as wooden salad bowls can be flipped upside down creating domes, old telephones and intercoms can look like vintage communicators, adding machines or stenographs are often gutted and rewired. Last but not least there is tupperware which is a quick and easy case for just about anything.
The hardest part involved with recasing is usually the ability to pick things out of the ordinary and envision them as something new. This skill however seems to come very naturally to Olaf whom I assume studied art and design somewhere. For those of us who are design challenged, including me, there are many links to draw inspiration and imitation from, this happens to be one of those. Thanks Karramarro.
Pretty much like this. Doesn't look like there is much on the inside at all. Power stage, control panel interface driver, MIDIBOX programmed module, and the FM chip board. Lots of info and awesome sound samples are located here.
http://ucapps.de/midibox_fm.html
It also turns out that those FM chips are easy to obtain from old soundcards like the SoundBlaster Pro. Thanks to Phil for showing this to me.
The creator of the Awesome SK-1 has got another auction up. This time it is a tri-oscillator opto-theremin. Good inside pictures as well as audio samples on a dedicated site with function descriptions.
http://www.kingcapitolpunishment.com/sleepdrone.html
The auction can be found here
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7350541591
Interestingly enough I just finished work on a tri oscillator with opto control last friday as well! Just been lazy to blog about it. This goes to prove my theory that no matter what people think of, someone will eventually have the same idea and try to make money on it.
Mine were aluminum stock about 9.75" by 4.5". Finding the right material can be tricky but luckily I found an old paper sorting shelf with these pieces as individual inserts. They were all about the same dimension and right thickness. Metal does not have to be the only choice for faceplates, as seen on PulseEmitter's modular, Plexiglas makes modules quite sexy looking, however then you have to worry about the mess of wires inside. Plexiglas is pretty easy to break to the desired size with minimum of tools. Drilling however does require some skill and a drill press is a must when trying to make consistent, professional looking holes in any material, be it plastic, wood, or metal. Mine was $70 new and I love it to death.
The design consists of 2 wood cut sets of equal length. The only thing you have to make sure are the dimensions so test everything and measure out carefully cause you only cut once. To cut the wood the best power tool is a Compound Slide Miter Saw, its very safe and easy to use. Granted not everyone has one of those in their workshop so try and find someone who does, it would save a lot of time, materials, and frustration resulting from uneven wood cuts. After everything is cut, arrange pieces on a flat surface and make sure everything fits well.
The bottom and top pieces of this design are squeezed by the side pieces. The bottom piece is set in about .5" to create an appearance of little feet giving room for cables running underneath if needed.
The holes for the screws are then drilled with a smaller drill bit through the side pieces parallel to the top/bottom. This predrilling helps to prevent the wood from splitting and also from having it poke through the sides. Counter sink or larger sized bits must also be used to create room for the screwcap when it gets driven in all the way in. After the holes are made an electric screwdriver or a handdrill with a right bit is the best bet for driving them in. Hand screwdriver will take forever and may not have the power to penetrate the wood and create a tight fit.
The back for the synth enclosure was made from Pegboard. Its is cheap, easy to cut, has holes for ventilation, and for additional jacks or switches. Perfect! Cutting it is tricky, it tends to shred easy so power jigsaw is a must.
When all said and done the box looked pretty awesome. Strait angles, perfect cuts and a snug fit. Only thing left was to sand and apply the wood finish. The finish comes in many types and shades. I picked a darker more prominent but that was just a personal preference at the time. One word of caution, DO NOT USE SPRAY PAINT ON WOOD. Especially if it is not meant for wood. It will stink for days and never dry making the fact that the box is made from wood pretty much pointless.
The finished product turned out great now it is a matter of designing more circuits to fit inside. Additional pictures of construction can be seen in here. http://www.getlofi.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=MicroStack
Pulse Emitter aka Daryl has been doing this sort of thing for a while as seen by his modular synth and numerous Synth Noise records he has released. A few schematics are also available on his site to help the beginners and pros alike. Last nite however I learned that his site does have open directory listings, thanks to Phil aka ruin who runs http://ruinprojects.jomdom.net/
The following links feature some of pictures and schematics that are not on Daryl's main site. Making the processes of bending and noise making alot easier for all of us. Please feel free to check out his main page at http://www.synthnoise.com
http://www.synthnoise.com/synth/
http://www.synthnoise.com/mods/
Music From Outerspace is an awesome website! Too much info to blog about, it is just a matter of looking through and picking out whatever you need. Some people think that Sound Lab Mini synth is pretty easy, however the WP-20 found on the MFO pages appears to take the cake on that. Full instructions can be found in the handbook available from MFO link:
http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/analogsynth/WP20/WP20_PG1.html Each synth component whether it be LFO, VCF, or VCO consists of only a handful of components and ICs. However the builds look very impressive when built carefully.
Ken Stone's Modular synth site is full of great resources for building synth circuits. One of the many schematics there is a keypad to VC converter which uses a keypad scanner chip to read buttons pressed and convert them to resistor values that attemuate the voltage. I can think of quite a few uses for something like this when it comes to controlling experimental oscillators. This circuit only spans an octave however if more range is needed there are ways to build a more elaborate full function keyboard as detailed on http://www.musicfromouterspace.com
website.
I think this is it. The site is in Japanese so I can't read any of it, but the number of pins is 64 total same as 315-5124. This will definatelly help when poking around.
The Japanese SMS does have the YM2413 chip clearly seen in the above image ( Large scan ). Right next to the main Z80 NEC CPU and the Sega Chip. While researching this I came across a great site. http://www.smspower.org/maxim/ .Lots of interesting music hacks and hardware docs for SMS.
SN76489
YM2413
YM2612-Used in Coin Ops and Genesis.
As it turns out Genesis has the YM2612 FM chip along with the PSG SN76489, Go figure. If anyone is curious as to programming the PSG the following link has a great tracker program made just for that. http://mod2psg.kontechs.de/ However I am just interested in sending a bunch of random binary data to it and seeing what it comes up with.
I popped open my Sega MS Power Base only to be let down. No sn76489 or Yamaha YM2413 for that matter, WTF? As it turns out there is a Sega 315-5124 chip which is a TMS9928 VDP ( a video sub processor ) combined with a SN76489 sound chip. Interesting, but where is the Yamaha YM2413 for FM synthesis? Well I guess it was an optional chipset on Japanese systems that allowed for 9 channels, 15+1 instruments, hardware vibrato and amplitude modulation. The board have traces for the chip marked. Damnit. Sorry to lead every one astray with the previous post about the Yamaha Chip, however this should set the record strait. One good thing that did come out of this is that I have a console that is naked sitting on my workbench. I think I may do a quick video bending tutorial with it. For more chip info on Sega Master System visit this link.
http://www.nepereny.org/misc2/sms.html
...as pointed out by this auction for a nice clean Bent NES console from UK. It features a patch system with 2 switches. More videos of what the system does can be found here http://www.filefarmer.com/vidiot/NES. Apparently this guy's wife doesn't like his 14 bent consoles which include TI99s and Atari 2600s lying around the house doing nothing, I'd say its time to get a new wife! These babies can rake in upwards of $184. I'll email the guy for some pictures of the building process. Once again I wonder if there are audio glitches as a result of the video bends.
What brought this on was the write up at http://circuit-bent.net/pss-270-tutorial.html detailing the trace cutting bend for PSS-270. After researching the chip for a few minutes I learned that it is a Simple FM sound generator that uses an 8-Bit data bus to control all of the registers. Unfortulatelly I couldn't find a supplier for the chip, but I would be willing to bet that any basic Yamaha keyboard has one. However one thing that is for sure this chip is in the Sega Master System along with a relative of sn76477. Cutting the datalines would get some interesting results for sure, but pumping data into the chip should be quite fun as well. It just so happens that I have a Master System laying around and I am not afraid to gut it. Maybe sometime next week.
Great YM2413 info.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ronholst/map/resources/sound/yamaha_ym2413_ds.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_YM2413
Dj Dab seems to have lots of things with knobs and switches around his studio. However what caught my attention was the Mod gallery detailing some of the EEPROM swapping and programming for the Drumulator, HR-16, and other drum machines. I guess the guy sells his programmed chips for very reasonable and I guess has glitch ones as well. The website does have a backdoor to the directory listing with some cooler stuff that is not on the webpage. Look around for yourself. http://www.djdab.com/dabframes/DIY/
Here are few shots from the Gallery Opening gig I played last nite in Iowa City, Iowa. The gear list included modded Concertmate-370, unmodded TI Translator with Germal speak module, Zoom multitrack used for Delay only, GBA with NL 1.2, Vestax mixer, and the EA-1. Lots of synth power that fit very well except for occasional sudden changes in amplitude from the translator unit which startled the bystanders. Other gear brought included a modded SK-1 and my opto-sequencer, however they were not needed. I had plenty of material to work with for 3.5 hours I was there, but unfortulatelly non of it was recorded. Everything was done in such a hurry and the recording ended up being the last priority.
Bending and politics go hand in hand, or do they? The bender Univac who runs his www.techdweeb.com website showcasing his creations has let out a somewhat controversial mod consisting of a circuit bent G.W.Bush doll. The placement of switches and jacks is somewhat vulgar and may stir uneasy feelings to say the least, or simply crack you up and make your day. However to each is their own so think for yourself. There is also a guide to modding the BeatBlender toys located on his site as well so check that out. [via Benders list]
For those living under a rock in Molvania. Zlad is back and he is the Anti-Pope. Just about the time Elektronik-Supersonik finally got unstuck in your head, here is a new one to replace that.
Video theremin is something that I stumbled across during one of my soon to be over "Surt At Work" scessions. Haven't gotten a chance to try it on my machine yet, but it looks like it takes video and converts it to tones by interpreting outlines and other characteristics. Someone needs to pump some bent video games through it and see what that sounds like.
http://www.interoscitor.com/products.html#WhatItDoes
This morning Phil at Ruin Projects informed me of an update to his site. More descriptions, samples, and images have been posted in his project section. His collection of patchbay-joystick control gear is rather nice including a TR-626 and an SK-1. The samples are fresh and my favorite thing to do is simply download them or ones like it and slice them with Recycle or other audio software. These audio snippets can then be imported into Reason as individual drum or sampler sounds. There is plenty of circuit bent mp3s to go around if you don't have the time to bend yourself. If you are into whacked out glitch music, I suggest you go that route. One thing to always remember however is giving the creators proper credit. Don't just rip stuff off, but then again this is the Internet where everything is supposed to be free.
Silly me. Here is the link: http://ruinprojects.jomdom.net/
Nothing yet, someone needs to buy it and make a sweet noise gizmo! Vintage unit link Apparently it is a vintage testing box from 1900s. However it looks to me like it may be a Radionics machine from the turn of the century. Radionics stuff link.
P.S. Damn, I can't type for shit today. Sorry everyone.
China of course. Here is an interesting video of a manufacturing facility in China, showing their shop and happy workers assembling trimmers and pots. Some of those components look really good. I need to get some joystick industrial pots that's how I stumbled across this. Prices are generally very reasonable even better then Jameco. International shipping and wire transfers is what you end up paying an arm and a leg for. You have to understand that these people deal in 1,000s of units per order, so paying $100 in fees is chump change. But I would rather do that then buy another component at Radio Shack, I swear they have the shittiest, most expensive parts on the planet.
Over the weekend I learned of 6955 a Game Boy artist who's been modding and building his own kick ass gear since 1998. As an interesting side note, it looks like this Gameboy Artist is not using Nanoloop or LSDJ instead it appears that his software of choice is the Gameboy Camera synth. The site speaks for itself so check it out at http://robotandproud.com/6955/. I am being told that more projects are on the way, but in the meantime listen to some LivePA Mp3s available for download and they are a real treat.
PS. For more info on 6955 check out this article. http://discorder.citr.ca/features/02aug6955.html I thought that 6955 was something along the lines of a Gameboy chip model, however its actualy a shortwave frequency on which Radio Pirates broadcast. Interesting.
Tony the creator of super awesome SK-1 wrote me back and included some promised sound files. In the meantime the auction for the SK-1 was spiced up to include this www.myspace.com/qrsrstcdetuvcde music link. The samples are pretty sweet and the sequencer seems to do surprisingly good job of changing the sounds and glitches. Note to self add one to the next build. I am pretty sure that the chip combination is 555, 4017, and 4066. At least those would do the same thing. The hifi mic auction on the other hand left me still baffled. The picture of a chick with her head wrapped in aluminum foil for some reason brought on the images of a certain centipede video and also 80s music vids, where people's guitars are not plugged in, still they are jamming really hard. No sound file posted on the auction site, however I have the exclusive link here enjoy.
Sometimes I wish I could travel anywhere in the world at any moment. This time I would love to check out Japan especially during the week of 10/1 through 10/7. The reason being is Bend++ festival. The fact that Japan is superior in every aspect of electronic gadgetry also reflects in their variety of unique, cool, and virtually unavailable in US sound toys. If you want to see what I mean check out Kaseo's page, I'm sure he is gonna be there. I just hope people post some videos and pictures afterwards.
Sequencers take synths to new levels. They can even make simple oscillators useful and rhythmic sounding. After spending some considerable time designing the interface for my 6 channel programmable analog sequencer I decided to go ahead with cutting and populating of the aluminum face plate. The finished product ended up resembling a synth module which can be loaded into a case and populated with other modules. However creating a 16 step programmable analog sequencer would take quite an effort considering each channel would need 16 knobs, unless some clever memory banking is used, still such a build can take days to complete and cost a lot of money mainly sunk into Potentiometers and switches.
The cardboard prototype posted earlier was an attempt at creating a minimal but practical instrument. With 2 knobs, 6 buttons, and 10 LEDs this design is simple. The assembly can take at most a couple of hours with the right parts and it is hard to screw up. Future versions may even require fewer components, utilizing multiple modes for each control. Built around a programmable I/O board running a custom sequencer program makes the unit extremely flexible. The software can be upgraded to include algorithmic voltage generating functions. The intent of this particular sequencer was to have a light control source which can be used to play optical theremins or any other photo resistor devices. Utilizing a principle of Vactrol control the controlled devices do not have to be grounded or voltage matched in any way. Everything works out nice and easy. The amount of light emitted from a given channel and a given beat can be adjusted by the control knob and once the sequence is tweaked with desirable light amounts it can be played back in a loop fashion at any tempo. More info on the construction of this device will be available in a document form very soon along with source code.
Enjoy the video and sound clips in the meantime.
Seq1.mov
Seq2.mov
Seq3.mov
The artist at http://www.collapsicon.net/ has created a very cool looking Video-Bent Nintendo. The US version had been gutted and in its place crammed a Japanese version Famicom. The jagged edges remind me of something post-apocalyptic, along the lines of a device sent back to the present with hopes preventing WWIII or something, well maybe not quite. Great flash website. More info and tunes available there. [ Link via Yahoo:benders]
This has been mentioned a few places, but I will be doing a different twist on it. Just for the reference here is the link to the original Csound midi hardware article. Lots of great hacking info there.
Call me crazy, but aren't ICs supposed to be cheap? Not these extremely Rare Silicon Systems SSI-263P chips. They are analog "phoneme generator" used in Text-To-Speech (TTS) Synthesizers. This chip is up to $50, but that may be cheap, considering this identical auction for what appears to be the same ic closed at $142 and still did not meet the Reserve! Speech boxes pop up on eBay once in a while and usually are pretty cheap. However for those who can't wait, order a SpeakJet for only $21.99 from www.speechchips.com while there, also check out the video generator IC looks useful.
It appears that there are currently a few synth chips available on eBay, lots of 10 programmable sound generator Yamaha AY-3-8910 chips! for mere $12 US. More info available on this dedicated site as well as the datasheets. Also found are a few SN76477Ns, one of them still in the original Archer package for only $6.95 so snag it now, sn76477N.
I just love snooping on previously bought items of certain eBay sellers. For instance the SK-1 builder has purchased his SK-1 for $30.99, however one certain item is surelly to be found wherever cool circuitry exhists, Forest Mims Engeneer's Handbook!!!! Other parts spotted include large quantaties of knobs, switches, and other vintage cases. Looking forward to some crazy gadgets from the same seller soon.
