DJ Mobile in MAKE Volume 27
Dutch artist Olaf Mooij converted a 1983 Ford Sierra into a rad-looking set of wheels that’s also a fully functional DJ setup.
Music
Take your creations beyond the workshop and onto the stage with diy music instruments! Let us show you how these creations range from simple, basic setups that produce beautiful sounds to more complex projects that require a greater level of engineering knowledge. With these tutorials and examples, we’ll guide you on this journey to make your own musical instrument for experimental, artistic or everyday use – so whether you’re starting out new or a seasoned sound creator, come explore the wonderful world of making your own music.
How-To: BeatBearing Tangible Rhythm Sequencer
Music sequencing doesn’t get much simpler than Peter Bennett’s BeatBearing tangible rhythm sequencer from MAKE Volume 17. Move the ball bearings on the grid and you change the beat. So what is the BeatBearing? Simply put, it’s a computer interface that takes the pattern of ball bearings placed on a grid and translates it into […]
Makafone: A Vintage DIY Phonograph Kit
The Makafone was a mail-order kit produced by the Modern Phonograph Supply Company starting in 1919. This ad and others like it were printed in Popular Mechanics and various trade magazines that catered to craftsmen. With the recent resurgence of interest in vintage vinyl and other archaic forms of media, I’d be curious to get a look at the plans for a Makafone and maybe build one myself.
Brass Farthing: Victorian Barbershop Tunes (video)
The Steampunk-inspired barbershop group Brass Farthing crooned and serenaded attendees at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011. In this video they tell the story of one rapscallion of a trombonist who steals the heart of a concert-goer’s wife. With their period clothing and brass aviator goggles, you can squint and almost imagine yourself within a Jules Verne novel.
This Potentially Annoying Sound Isn’t so Bad After All
Chris McMullen and Steve Withycombe’s Potentially Annoying Sound is a kinetic sound sculpture constructed from various mechanical elements and a set of discarded church organ pipes. At Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, attendees delightfully turned a large red wheel which was geared to pump air from a bellows into the pipes and play a chord. Interestingly, the name “Potentially Annoying Sound” was inspired by a question on the Maker Faire exhibitor application which asked what kind of noise it makes. After listening to it in the video above, I think you’ll agree that the sound is not annoying at all. In fact, it’s quite pleasant.
Dewanatrons in MAKE Volume 27
Cousins Brian and Leon Dewan make “analog, solid-state” instruments covered in knobs and dials, housed in beautifully finished cases. The instruments are called Dewanatrons. From MAKE Volume 27: It’s impossible to precisely control, so the “primates-in-charge” must guide the machine to produce melodies, percussion, and innumerable unpredictable sound effects. Brian explains, “It is the responsibility […]
Lava Lamp Music at Brighton Mini Maker Faire
First in a series of shorts from Larchmont Films promoting Brighton’s first Mini Maker Faire to be held at the Brighton Dome on 3rd September (this Saturday). Featured here is Brighton programmer, Jason Hotchkiss, in front of the Brighton Pier demonstrating how to make music from lava lamps. Jason and the Mini Maker Faire team are passionate about sculpting or creating something unusual from the everyday.
