DJTechTools' upcoming solder-free MIDI controller kit provides users with 16 arcade button triggers + LEDs and will apparently be released as an open source product at launch -

• Release Date: November 30th • Price: Aprox $125 for the Kit + Arcade Buttons ($2.50 each) optional wood case- $40 • Plug and Play-compatible device, compliant MIDI controller • USB powered • Must be assembled (no expertise required) • 16 programmable buttons • 16 programmable LEDs • Expandable to 20 programmable buttons and 4 analog controls • Limited-edition 200-piece run in this configuration (black PCB with blue LEDs)

Related:


Midibox rox your sox

Troy Davis created some very awesome recreations of Devo's signature Energy Domes. Beginning with a tiered stack of fiberboard for the mold, through to vacuum forming, paint job, and padding - a thorough explanation can be found in his project pictorial. sweet.

Instructables user garagemonkeysan made this guitar amp from the popular Little Gem circuit, and put it in this useful little case with a cord reel on the back. Nice work!

More:

Flashback: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier

MAKE contributor Michael Una posted a review of Highly Liquid's MD24 kit which converts MIDI events over to an array of 24 +5V outputs -

The new MD24 falls into the latter category. It takes a MIDI input and gives you 24 discrete +5V outputs that can be used to drive relays, transistors, or servo motors. Functionally, the MD24 is similar to HighlyLiquid's MSA-T or MSA-R kits, except that you now have 24 outputs instead of just 8- a significant improvement.

From the pages of MAKE:


Make - Volume 15 - Drumbot Activate!

Synth DIY's amphibious mascot, better known as "Mr. Braska", has been visiting a series of home labs via postal transport. The photo galleries of his modeling efforts serve as a nice way to bring together otherwise unconnected, private workspaces - plus he's getting pretty good with an iron -

See a whole lot more from Mr. Braska's travels over at SynthFrog.

Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool:

ITP students Hana, Ania, and Greg built this augmented xylophone, the multixylophoniomnibus. Despite having a basically unpronounceable name, the project looks nice and they have a very in-depth review of the process that they went through in order to produce a working product. Nice job!

They also have a large number of photos available in their Flickr photo set.

Mark just boinged a link to this cool magazine how-to from 1961 (.pdf) by Roy L. Clough, Jr. It's hosted at Cigar Box Nation. [via Boing Boing]

Yusynth has a nice PCB layout for building a classic voltage-controlled Moog filter. This particular iteration appeared in MiniMoog synths, utilizing Robert Moog's signature transistor ladder design for sweet, sweet analog sounds.

Miketron converted his random MIDI note generation software(MAC/PC) into hardware form via an ATMega168 chip -

A couple of months I took my MAX/MSP code for Random7 and rewrote so I could embed it into a hardware version.  Random7 Hardware Version 1 (R7H) is a very basic version of the Random7 software.  The core element of R7H is still the same,  the program pick from 7 different midi notes randomly.  As of now the key R7H is preset to the key of A Major, and the only control is a potentiometer that controls the speed of R7H.  Output for R7H is a midi port, an on/off switch, and there is also a red led the flashes everytime a note is sent.

The Steel Rod Box creates some surprisingly pleasant sound from surplus surgical hardware -

For reasons unclear, my father has a few boxes of unused spinal surgery equipment and tools in the garage. including a whole heap load of stainless steel rods that are threaded the entire length.

Something had to be done.

So i've come up with the Steel Rod Box, rods of varying width screwed in on both ends into a basic wooden box. I've included a simple contact mic from a piezo transducer to pick up the vibrations for amplification.

Looks like the Austin-area Handmade event series is going strong, not to be missed for those local -

We’ll be building 4ms’ Autonomous Bassline Generator. The upper division class is filled but there should be some space in the beginner class. Even if there aren’t any seats available, there will be all kinds of things happening in the gallery space for EAST. You can play with the Thingamagoop 2, Eric Archer’s noisemakers, Andromeda Space Rocker kits as well as other handmade instuments.

Last month I posted about SoundCloud's slick music sharing site, really the best I've seen. David Noël from SoundCloud posted in the comments about one of their hacks from London Hack Day called CitySounds.fm. I've been tuning into the site a lot for a bit of the unexpected and to gain exposure to artists I may not have discovered on my own. The site pulls tracks and sets uploaded to SoundCloud in real time according to location. The homepage (The Board) looks like the screenshot above and represents the most active cities. Click on a city and hear a stream of the latest music uploaded from that location. Alternately, the popular chart represents the 32 most popular cities according to tweets put out about those cities. If you make music, you can sign up on SoundCloud for free, upload tracks, and see them appear on CitySounds.fm right away. There are also individual city pages, like this one for Chicago, which list stats and most popular genres coming out of that city. Getting bored with your music collection? Check it out.

Kyle Evans' heavily modded didgeridoo looks a bit like it was plucked from Master Chief's luggage and it's malleable drone sounds just as intense -

I created this instrument to experiment in the combination of the organic sound qualities of a didgeridoo with the advanced signal processing capabilities of modern computer programming and sound synthesis. This custom built didgeridoo features externally mounted modules that allow the performer to process and manipulate the sound of the instrument in real time. All control data is transmitted wirelessly via blue tooth and is controlling several audio processes created in a custom-built software environment.

In 1913, Italian painter and composer Luigi Russolo created a new type of musical instruments he dubbed the "Intonarumori", or "noise intoners". The sounds produced by these devices were definitely unusual for his era and you'd be hard pressed to find anything similar to it today. An explanation of intonarumori construction via Wikipedia -

Although there were several varieties of intonarumori, they each were created with the same basic structure. Each instrument was constructed of a parallelepiped wooden sound box with a metal radiating horn on its front side. Inside the box was a wheel that, when turned by means of a crank or electric button, caused a catgut or metal string to vibrate. The wheel could be made of either metal or wood, and the shape and diameter of the wheel varied depending on the model. At one end of the string there was a drumhead that transmits the vibrations to the speaker. The pitch of the vibrating string was controlled by both the speed that the wheel was cranked and by the tension of the string, which was controlled by a lever on top of the box. The lever allowed the performer to play glissandos or specific notes, and also allowed the performer to change the pitch by small intervals. The intonarumori often had a range of more than an octave.

[Thanks, Erica!]

Bleep Labs announced the sequel to their Thingamagoop synth/noisemaker and it looks to be one heckuva major upgrade. The Thingamagoop 2 features -

• Analog VCO controlled by analog or digital signal from Arduino. (A separate Arduino board is not required)
• Sample and hold, Arpeggios, noise, and bit crush effects with open source code so you can program your own sounds!
• All the analog sounds of the original Thingamagoop.
• Controllable LEDacle - Ramp and random waveforms with rate control.
• New modulators - Square wave amplitude modulator and triangle wave pulse width modulator.
• Tough, stomp box type body with silk screened graphics in 3 different styles.
• Easy to access battery - No more screws!
• Much fuller and louder speaker.
• CV in and out.
• Arduino Programmer jack. Easily hook an Ardunio board up to the Thingamagoop 2.
• Kit now comes with a pre-drilled enclosure.
• Still assembled in Austin, Texas by Dr. Bleep and friends.

In the Maker Shed:

Thing-a-ma KIT

Cyrille built this MIDI fader box based on Arduino complete with desktop config software - looks perfect for one-handed live usage. Check out the photoset for the full feature list.

MirlitronOne explains how to turn a Velleman MK107 LED Running Light kit into a simple 8-step sequencer for use with analog synthesizers. A handy kit hack, but it's also not too much work to build one from scratch.

Related:

Sequence it!!

The Alunda Church Choir put their backs into this performance titled "Harvest" using the land-amplifying terrafon instrument. The piece, created by Olle Cornéer and Martin Lübcke, is apparently part of an ongoing series (requiring some very sturdy and determined participants). Read more over at Create Digital Music.

The Tank is already accepting submissions for Bent 2010 : The 7th Annual Circuit Bending Festival -

Tentative Festival Dates: New York, NY Bent Festival - April 22, 23, and 24 Proposal Deadline: December 1, 2009 Participant Notification: December 11, 2009 In keeping with the expanding interests of the community, this year we are continuing to open the Bent Festival to performers and artists that create their own electronics as well as to those who hack, bend, modify and destroy them. We are currently seeking performers and artists to participate specifically in these categories: Performers, Installation Artists, Artwork Submissions and Workshop Instructors. Please send all proposals and questions to: New York Bent Festival - bentnyc@thetanknyc.org

A demo on how to create an 11-piece MIDI drum kit using Rock Band and Guitar Hero drum sets together. It includes velocity-sensitive triggers and a high-hat open/close pedal.

Create a full MIDI Drumset with Guitar Hero and Rock Band Drums

Ever wished that when you play air guitar, it would make real sounds instead of just the ones from your best death metal face? David Fournier, Jean-Louis Giordano, Monireh Sanaei, Maziar Shelbaf and Gustav Sohtell are here to help. They build the AIRduino guitar, a wearable virtual instrument. Open source with full documentation, naturally. [via Fashioning Technology]

Tom Nunn demonstrates the "skatchbox" a simple percussion box outfitted with contacts mics and a plethora of objects for scraping, tapping, swiping, etc. The shuffling and raspy textures the boxes make are pretty unique, certainly warranting further investigation by audio experimentalists out there. And if you've got some plastic combs, a piezo disc, and a flat box building one of these should be a breeze.

The Arduino-based synth project formerly known as binder synth is now known as Adasynth - and it sounds like development is coming along right nicely. Davitr0n provides some background on his project -

The goal of this project was to make a patchable synthesizer as versatile as we can while keeping the cost down.  Since I know how to program C++ and have a basic understanding of electronics we chose to use an arduino. So far we’ve stayed pretty true to that goal.  With just the arduino, a resistor chip, some recycled wood, and a lot of help in the form of interface components (plugs and jacks) from my old electronics teacher we have a working synthesizer.. and to be honest the results so far are much better than we expected.

Arduino Pocket Piano Synth Kit

MAKE subscriber Justin fused the convenience of digital music with the feel and playback functionality of a cassette -

It is a cassette tape adapter and a micro usb port hooked up to a tiny mp3 player that I picked up at target. Its a simple build and only took an evening. Its an on going project I started a while back.

Designed for use with the Pocket Piano shield for Arduino, Marc Nostromo's Squealer synthesis engine-

The engine implements a small monosynth with a few waveforms, a HP/BP/LP continuous resonant filter, decay and a few little own tricks that  generate a LOT of aliases, making a great dirty digital synth. Since the Pocket Piano has only 3 potentiometers available for control (the 4th one being hardwired to the volume), I use a "page" system to implement series of 3 parameters to fiddle with. To switch "page", use the rightmost note of the A.P (NOT the one under the led, the one left to to it). To help you know which page you are at, you can use the led: it will flash a number of time equivalent to the current page you are at.
Here's the parameter list:

• Page 1: wave selection / octave / release
• Page 2: filter type (continuous lp-bp-hp) / filter cut-off / filter resonance
• Page 3: wave loop position / wave loop length (makes the oscillators go wako)

It should be able to work without being connected to an outlet. It should have lights and it shouldn't be to heavy to move around. Ateast not by a small wagon. And it should be loud. Not Mötorhead loud but loud enough. It should also be cheap enough so that I would not cry if it got trashed or stolen after a few gigs/parties.

In the Maker Shed:


In the Maker Shed: Arduino Duemilanove

This is very cool - Dann Green of 4ms Pedals has posted schematics, code, and parts list for the Autonomous Bassline project. The ATtiny84 based module is also available in kit form with an optional heavy-duty enclosure. And if this thing wasn't awesome enough as is - an infrared clock signal can be used to drive the unit.

Sebastian built an experimental record/looper circuit, resulting in some interesting sample contortionism -

This circuit currently has a few ways to manipulate audio. These are:

A record button allows the user to sample incoming audio to a RAM buffer

A potentiometer sets the input level

A potentiometer sets the sample rate / pitch for playback. The changing of sample rate can be recorded if desired, by physically changing the position of the pot during recording.

The address lines A0 - A18 can be manipulated ie. moved around, removed, replaced, giving a wide range of effects such as stuttering, repeating and basic granulation.
Although this does not sound like heaps of manipulation, keep in mind that this circuit can absolutely mangle a sound beyond recognition. The ADC is running at its maximum speed, and as such the sample rate can be varied greatly for example.

I like where Youtube user DanieleMattei is going with his video Filter control via light blob tracking in Processing. Using OpenCV and Processing (what else!), he rigged up a way to control the parameters of his MIDI synthesizer by waving a flashlight around. It doesn't look too complicated to set up, and might be a fun way to compose something as a group. With a web cam built into your laptop, you could set up a mobile sound station that anyone with a flashlight (or bright cellphone screen) could play.

Far beyond simply open-sourcing the schematic, Eric Archer posted a full step-by-step for recreating his Mini Space Rockers drum-synth kit on protoboard. Hmm … I get the feeling he really wants us to build these =] - very awesome.

Included with the project is a list of 25 variations for achieving a wide range of different sounds, all the way from "Thump Bass" to "Space Hawk" -

First choose which sound you’re going to build. […] Thats how you determine what values to use for capacitors C1, C2, and C3. What they do: C1 and C2 set the pitch range and affect the pitch envelope. C3 determines the decay time of the sound. I’ve tried up to 100uF here, which gives some looooong sweeps.

YouTuber datenkrieger75 built quite an excellent technobox featuring a patchable circular sequencer, a Gakken SX-150, and Mini Space Rocker circuits. Things start to sound prett wild (and eerily voice-like) around the 1m30s mark.[via Create Digital Music]