Gwydion ap Dafydd of Konkreet Labs was able to hollow out a hardcover copy of Mary Hahn’s Praktisches Kochbuch (Practical Cookbook) to conceal a MeeBlip synthesizer.

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Gwydion chose the page well, since the glowing LED power light has been placed perfectly into the eye of a pig on the page. That’s pretty cool.

For his next hack, Gwydion promises to use a copy of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital.

[via Make:]

I absolutely love these handmade pillows from Gwendolin Tägert of SoftMachines. They look just like retro synths and drum machines. The series includes classics like the Roland TR-808, the TB-303 Bass Line, and the TR-909 Rhythm Composer.

The Roland machines fairly large (around 23″ wide), detailed with hand-cut felt, dimensional knobs, and cool stitching details. But they’re also quite pricey, selling for about $140 to $160 (USD).

But if you can’t afford that, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to snuggle up with some synths anyhow. That’s because SoftMachines also makes these screen-printed mini-pillows based on Casio, Moog and Arp mini synths. These sell for appx. $34 (USD) each, which makes them much more affordable. There’s also a set of three available for about $83.

Last, but certainly not least is the Minimachine, based on the classic Mini Moog, and selling for about $49.

These are the perfect gift for that electronic music fan on your holiday shopping list, and you can find them all over on Softmachines’ Etsy shop now. And if pillows aren’t your thing, they also make some awesome retro synth laptop sleeves.

The iTar case and fretboard will dock with your iPad, turning your iPad into a full-fledged guitar in seconds. Couple that with the iPad’s touchscreen interface, and you can play samples, drum it like a beat box, or play it like a synthesizer (or pick up a game of Angry Birds) in-between guitar riffs.

The iTar is the brainchild of inventor Harvey Starr, who has plenty of experience building expensive, custom MIDI-controller. Now Harvey’s company, Starr Labs, has got a Kickstarter project to produce the iTar. They’re still a way off from their $50,000 goal, but assuming the project does get there, it will be pretty cool to see this attachment produced.

You can get in on the iTar project over at Kickstarter now. A $200 pledge will get you your very own iTar (assuming the project hits its goal.)

[via Buzzaurus]

What, pray tell is a Bop Gun, you ask? Well according to Urban Dictionary, it’s “an imaginery(sic) term/weapon to be shot at the funkless people to fill their heart with funk in order to get them dancing. Invented by Parliament and George Clinton in the 1977 song Bop Gun.”

The operative word there is “imaginary,” but that didn’t stop circuit-bender/synth builder Greg Francke (aka “dobart”) from making an actual, fully funk-tioning (see what I did there?) Bop Gun.

I’ll leave it to the gun’s creator to describe his Bop Gun for you:

5 mixed squarewave oscillators allow for rapid phase matching and total funky collapse of even the most complex wave functions!

LFO modulates filter! All oscillators, LFO and filter are controlled by global attack/decay functions at the pull of a trigger! INVERT function allows for continuous function for those situations requiring fancy long-term funkic interventions. Funkify traffic! Passers-by! Bar Mitzvahs! The sky!

LED feedback ring at the business end reacts to funk levels, providing photonic enhancement in attractive aqua green tones. Extra-sweet readout panel provides incomprehensible feedback from selected functions. Audio output jack included, and batteries fit in the handle.”

In case you need further explanation, here’s a couple of handy diagrams illustrating all of the Bop Gun’s funky powers:

It looks like the Bop Gun got its humble start as a Victoreen Model 470A Panoramic Survey Meter, a gizmo designed for monitoring radiation levels around medical facilities. Hopefully all the noises it’s making in the video below are from the synthesizer portion, and not from high levels of plutonium in the atmosphere.

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This Bop Gun does come at a price though. Since it’s the only one in the whole funky universe, it’s selling for 1200 bucks over on Etsy. Go on, Toe Jam and Earl just landed from Funkotron and told me you should buy it.

Above is an example of an isle of tune. Doesn’t look intimidating right? It kind of looks like one of Zynga’s Facebook games. But at the same time it’s not readily apparent how it makes music, because it kind of looks like a Facebook game. And yet it does make music! But how? In Isle of Tune, you lay down roads, which dictate the length and the progression of your musical piece. Then you place the “instruments”, which as you may have guessed are the flowers, streetlights, houses and other roadside figures.

Here’s another example:

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Weird right? It looks like a game, but it’s not. It’s actually a music sequencer, but it’s not a very intuitive and natural one. But I have to admit that it looks fun, and like casual games, Isle of Tune could serve as a gateway software of sorts for people to learn how to create music via digital means. The people behind it are working on an iOS app, but for now you can use Isle of Tune online. Feel free to share the landscape and music you make in the comments.

This unique air piano called simply enough the airpiano that is made with some sort of sensors attached to a chunk of wood. The guy behind the concept device says that it is comparable to a Theremin.

The airpiano acts as a USB/Midi controller, and has eight infrared proximity sensors with up to 24 virtual keys and eight virtual faders. It has 40 LEDs for orientation and feedback and a lot more. It also has an expression pedal or foot switch connector. You can see the thing in action in the video below:

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[via synthopia]

The cool part about this thing is that it can turn the people that like to tap on the desk into real drummers. The device has a little clip that hooks to the desk and it picks up all the taps made on the surface and turns them into synthesized drums and stringed instruments.

The device has 100 different sounds and an integrated 1.3W speaker. It can strap to your leg for use at a desk and it has a pad integrated so you can drum right on it. Pricing is unannounced but the device should land in stores in Q3.

[via Gizmag]

The Ziggybox is one of the more unusual synthesizer rigs I’ve ever seen. It was created by Christian Losert and Paul Schengber, and it “generates and modulates sounds by placing cigarettes in the notch of an ashtray or by opening a box of cigarettes.” It sounds like a ridiculous idea, but watch the video below, and you’ll see how cool it actually is:

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The whole setup uses a few strategically-placed light sensors, interfaced with a C++ and Open Frameworks software to control Ableton Live over MIDI. I suppose there’s no reason they had to use ashtrays and cigarettes to control their sequencer, but I still think it’s a cool idea – or is that a KOOL idea?

[via Synthopia]

Developed by CreateDigitalMusic and Reflex, the open-source MeeBlip comes in kit form, but since all the parts are pre-soldered onto the board, it only takes a few minutes to assemble. Once put together, you can connect it to a MIDI keyboard or other controller, and crank out bleeps, beeps and beats.

The synthesizer is digital and supports virtual analog modeling too. But it is monophonic, meaning you can only play one note at a time. While that might be a limitation for using it as a stand-alone instrument, you certainly can create some interesting sounds for use in backing tracks and basslines if you’re creative. And the guys have open sourced the entire thing, so you’re encouraged to rip it apart, make modifications, and even release your own version if you want (assuming you give credit to the original project, of course).

Here are a couple of demo clips produced with the MeeBlip:

From those sounds, if DEVO is working on a new album, they might want to pick up a few of these for the studio. If you’re interested in grabbing a MeeBlip for yourself, head on over to their website where you can order one for $129 (USD). Full specs can be found here.

Under the hood, the Kitara is a powerful polyphonic synthesizer, controlled by a multitouch screen that can be used for multiple types of interactions with the instrument. The 8-inch screen and fret buttons act as a controller for the on-board synth.

The embedded electric guitar software lets you either “pluck” strings by touching them, or strum multiple strings just like a real guitar. But you can assign just about any sound you’d like to the strings. Individual strings can have unique sounds attached, and there are over 100 built-in sounds to start with. You can also use the Kitara as a MIDI controller for an external synth of your choice.

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As you can see from the video clip, you don’t have to use strings either. You can use X/Y movements on screen to influence individual sounds and effects, adding to the creative performance possibilities of the instrument.

While you can certainly pull off some similar things with some of the iPad apps out there, the fact that the Kitara comes wrapped in a guitar body, and offers tactile frets, it seems like a much more guitar-like playing experience to me. Heck, I’d probably drop my iPad if I tried to strum it.

The standard, molded black ABS polymer Kitara will sell for $849 (USD), while the solid-aluminum limited-edition sells for $2499. You can find much more about the Kitara over at the Misa Digital website, and you can pre-order one here.

[via Gadget Review]

The new shirt is up for pre-order right now and will come in S-XXL for prices running from $29.99 to $32.98 (USD). The keyboard on the shirt can play up to five different sounds and up to eight keys can be pressed at one time.

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The sound actually comes from a little amplifier that hands on your belt loop. Of course, the electronics have to be removed to wash this thing. ThinkGeek says that you will get your shirt by November 30 if you order today.

Gadget hacker Michael Rucci builds his audio mods into old electronic toys and other salvaged parts, but my personal faves are his Nintendo controller synths. He’s currently got this NES synth up on his Etsy shop.

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But from the looks of things he’s also done a version with one of those beefy NES Advantage controllers, using a pair of square-wave oscillators for sound generation.

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All of Michael’s synths make a variety of unusual analog sounds, and could be great for making electronic music, or just for having fun making noises. Unfortunately they don’t still function as game controllers, but I suppose that would get annoying when you play anyhow.

Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo modded one of those Mattel Mindflex EEG games into a controller interface for an analog synthesizer. Here’s a video of Robert doing his geeky best to make music with his mind…

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The more Robert thinks, the higher the pitch. The less Robert thinks, the lower the pitch. To me, it seems like it would be pretty difficult to actually play anything resembling a song with the rig, but that’s just me.

Want to try it for yourself? Robert has been kind enough to provide this brief instructional video for you guys who want to give it a go…

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[via Pitchfork via Make:]

Created by Linus Akesson, the Chipophone has the looks of an old organ, but the brains needed to crank out awesome 8-bit sounds for live chiptune performances. Linus ripped out all of the original tone-generators and wired up keys via a bunch of 74HC165 chips, daisy-chained together to an Atmega88 controller chip. He also wired up the knob potentiometers to the microcontroller’s analog inputs.

In turn, the microcontroller generates MIDI signals which are sent to another Atmega88 chip which produces 8-bit sounds. Here’s Linus showing off his wondrous musical creation:

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What chiptune video would be complete without a performance of the Super Mario Bros. theme?

[via Synthopia]

I’m reasonably certain this will not be one of the new musical instruments that ships with Rock Band 3.

[Flickr via Synthopia]

Wow. There are so many neat touches in that picture alone: the tiny monitor and the wires on the lower left synth, the wood-like paint on the upper right synth… Maybe someone can embed a chip or something and make these things actually play tiny bleeps and bloops!

Check out more of McPharlin’s miniatures on his Flickr page. He should make miniature papercraft versions of Genesis and David Bowie to go along with the synths.

[via Everyone Forever]

Nearly all of the Mopho’s parameters each has its own dedicated knob for hassle-free tweaking. I’d tell you more about it’s features, but I can’t understand the rest of them. So. Hey look! Pictures!

Check out Dave Smith Instruments’s website for more details. You can order the Mopho Monophonic Analog Synthesizer at Amazon for $800 (USD). It’s one bad ass mopho. With EXTREME SKRONK.

[via Retro Thing]

Instead of playing chords, the 8-bit guitar relies on two-button combos. It also has a joystick, which is used for modifying the pitch and adding/modulating tremolo. There other settings that can be tweaked in the guitar; fortunately Mike has included a way to save multiple settings in the guitar itself.

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Mike doesn’t elaborate on the guts of his creation, but he did say that he used an FPGA as a synthesizer, plus membrane potentiometers in place of strings. Frankly I’m out of my league here, so if you’re a chiptune enthusiast or a tinkerer, check out Mike’s website for actually usable information. All I know is that the 8-bit guitar is awesome.

[via Slippery Brick]

Other features of the Lucina include the 37-note, velocity-sensitive keyboard and built-in “150 sounds that cover a wide stylistic range.” The Lucina also has an external in audio jack for playing audio from an mp3 or CD player, but if all you have are wav or mp3 files, just feed them to the device via its USB port, so you can play along with them without being tethered to a wire.

No word on the price yet, but Synthopia has got word that the Lucina will be cheap. Roland, if you want Lucina to be a hit with kids, make sure that Rock Band 3 and Guitar Hero 6 have shoulder synthesizers.

Revealed at this week’s Musikmesse show in Frankfurt, the new KORG monotron is designed to crank out buttery-smooth analog retro sounds in a compact package. The monotron offers up all the controls you’d expect from an analog synth, including VCO, LFO and VCF knobs, as well as a tiny ribbon keyboard for picking the notes you want to play. And because of the way that the keyboard works, simple finger gestures can result in effects like vibrato. There’s also an audio input that lets you filter external audio sources. As an added bonus, the monotron runs on two AAA batteries, and is small enough to hold in your hand. Here’s an incredibly short clip showing off just a tiny taste of the monotron’s sounds:

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And if you’re really into retro sounds, you’ll be happy to hear that the monotron uses the same VCF circuit found in KORG’s classic MS-10 and MS-20 synthesizers, originally sold over 30 years ago. It should start shipping this May. Word on the street is that the monotron will sell for around €50 (appx. $67 USD).

[via Synthopia]