synthesizer on technabob...

steampunk brass synthesizer blows my mind

steampunk_synthesizer

I always thought analog synthesizers were inherently retro. Just not quite this retro.

This unbelievable steampunk modular synthesizer features tons of dials and intricate brass etching throughout. All of the buttons and knobs were hand lathed, and the synth includes a number of antique parts as well.

With all those wires, buttons and knobs, the whole thing reminds me of some…

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June 26th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio geek art + craft retro strange + wonderful technology

pulsewidth’s felt mini synthesizers make soft, squishy music

felt_korg_synth

When I think of old school analog synthesizers, I think of hard plastic, wood and metal cases, and plenty of knobs, switches and wires. Not so says this crafter, who’s made up this batch of awesomely soft synthesizers.

Brisbane Australia textile artist pulsewidth has created these miniature versions of classic synthesizers from throughout the ages. Each tiny fabric synth is…

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February 26th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio geek art + craft retro strange + wonderful

relive the big and chunky days of gadgets with fauxsure shirts

screenprinted_controllers

Remember when controllers had corners and not curves? When speakers were bigger than a house? When storage was limited but personal? and rectangular? Remember when synths… Nevermind. Synthesizers still look the same. Oh wait. Remember when synths had no USB connection? Because there was no USB in the 80s?
If you can remember those days it’s because you ain’t drunk!…

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February 13th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio geek art + craft just plain fun retro video games

fridgebuzzz atari 400 synth has buttons, knobs galore

atari 400 synth synthesizer fridgebuzz fridgebuzzz analog sound

This wild looking analog synthesizer gets its body from a classic Atari 400 computer – but none of its brains.

Created by Paul Rothman’s Fridgebuzzz Electronics (yes, that’s supposed to have 3 “z’s”), the simply named Atari Synth has more buttons and knobs than you can shake a stick at.

The Atari Synth is a polyphonic 12-oscillator, 3 modulator square…

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January 10th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio hacks + mods retro technology video games

drawdio music pencil lets you doodle electronic sounds

Drawdio Electronic Pencil

Feeling musically inclined, but haven’t the time or knowledge to write sheet music? Now you can produce your own sonic creations simply by doodling on a piece of paper.

Designed by Adafruit (in collaboration with Jay Silver), Drawdio is an analog synthesizer circuit that straps to any soft-leaded pencil, and lets you crank out electronic sounds while you sketch. The…

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December 2nd, 2008 comments (4) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio cool toys technology

gakken sx-150 analog synthesizer is a hacker’s delight

Gakken SX-150 Analog Synthesizer

The Gakken SX-150 is a little analog synthesizer kit that came packaged in a recent issue of a Japanese DIY science magazine. Now, these funky mini synths have started to show up around the globe, leaving all sorts of interesting beeps, blips and squeals in their wake.

Originally included in an issue of Otonanokagaku (Science for Adults), the compact synth…

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September 27th, 2008 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio hacks + mods technology

noise.io: iphone synthesizer sounds very cool

Noise.io iPhone Synthesizer

With the recent launch of the iTunes App Store, we’re just starting to see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Here’s one I’m really looking forward to playing with when it hits the App Store later this month.

Amidio’s Noise.io is a full-featured sound synthesizer, capable of producing all kinds…

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August 5th, 2008 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio media players mobile tech

omega orion analog synth inspired by kubrick

Omega Orion Synthesizer

When I think of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it usually conjures up imagery of HAL 9000’s glowing red light, the strains of Also Sprach Zarathrustra, and dead astronauts launched silently into space.

But the guys over at Studio Electronics used the film as inspiration for the design of their new Omega Orion synthesizer. From its sleek white and black case…

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July 31st, 2008 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio design retro

midibox sid: c64 transformed into glowing midi synth

MidiboxSID C64 Synthesizer

The venerable Commodore 64 is well known among the electronic music community as a synthesizer modder’s dream machine thanks to its robust SID audio chipset. But most of the mods I’ve seen end up looking just like an old C64 and all the cool stuff is going on under the hood. So when I came across this mod, all those…

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June 8th, 2008 comments (9) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio hacks + mods retro

tonal plexus synthesizers get up to 1688 keys

Tonal Plexus Micro-tonal Keyboard Synthesizer

If you thought that the 312-key Chromatone synthesizer had a few more keys than your everyday piano, just wait ’til you get a load of the Tonal Plexus and its even more plentiful keyboard design.

The Tonal Plexus series of keyboards is a micro-tonal input device featuring rows and rows of buttons which generate tones with far more precision than…

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March 28th, 2008 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio gadgets strange + wonderful

typographic synthesizer makes fonts like music

Meek FM Typographic Synthesizer

This unconventional design tool provides a unique way to create new typefaces. Working somewhat like an analog music synthesizer, knobs and button pushes influence the shape of your font characters.

Designed by Rob Meek and Frank Müller, the Meek FM Typographic Synthesizer uses a custom controller device along with special software to allow manipulation of typography as you adjust the…

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February 22nd, 2008 comments (2) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: design interactive strange + wonderful

circuit bent commodore 64: revenge of the 80s

Bent64 Commodore 64 Circuit Bending

One of the most popular computers from the 1980s, the Commodore 64, is having a minor renaissance as an electronic musical instrument. The C64’s audio chip is famous for producing an array of warm, familiar 8-bit beats and blips.
As a result, the trusty C64 has become a popular platform for “circuit bending”, which is hardware hackers’ terminology for taking…

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February 16th, 2008 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio computing hacks + mods retro

thummer: this synthesizer is all about expression

Thummer Keyboard

If that 312-key keyboard I told you about recently was a little too complex for you to wrap your head around, here’s another electronic musical instrument that I came across, and this one only has 114 buttons. It’s called the Thummer, and its a portable synthesizer that’s capable of creating some really dynamic sounds, thanks to its unique input scheme.…

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September 25th, 2007 comments (3) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio strange + wonderful

atari video music: forgotten 1970s tech

Atari Video Music

Everyone remembers Atari for their famous video game consoles, arcade games and even home computers. Being a child of 1970s and 80s technology, I’m surprised that I don’t ever remember seeing this oddity.

The Atari Video Music was released in 1976 and was an analog video synthesizer that could generate a kaleidoscopic light show on your TV screen when hooked…

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August 24th, 2007 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio home entertainment retro strange + wonderful

chromatone 312 key synth laughs in the face of 88 keys

Chromatone 312 Keyboard

Here’s an interesting tidbit of recent history for any electronic musicians out there. A couple of years back, a strange little company called Chromatone thought it was time for an overhaul of the traditional 88 keys on pianos (or less on many synthesizers.)

The Chromatone CT-312 keyboard has literally hundreds of individual, unlabeled keys. The “312″ in the name is…

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August 9th, 2007 comments (56) stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio retro strange + wonderful

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