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.
NPR_Nut writes “A group of musicians took centuries-old instruments from the forests of Congo, brought them into the city – and plugged in! Their do-it-yourself amplification devices conjure up garage bands. African punk music from Konono Number One.” Link (WindowsMedia audio). Wow, this is really great- they also talk how they made the DIY pick ups.
Master chip musician Gijs Gieskes has outdone himself this time: his second Walkman tape sequencer controls the Game Boy music cartridge LSDJ via various knobs and circuitry. In other words, the sequencer he built controls both a Walkman tape deck and a Game Boy. Check out this audio sample or this one to hear what all this sounds like. The effect is quite brilliant: a madcap tape deck scratch system with Game Boy music. Forget records and turntables. Tape is the future, man. Link.
The term “mash-up” or “bootleg” (or, more commonly, just “boot”) describes the result of mixing together two or more records to create a whole new track. Though originally performed live using turntables and DJ mixers, recent advances in sequencing software have taken this art-form to a whole new level. This document outlines how mash-ups can be made using the software package Tracktion. Link.
The carriers tend to hide how to make ringtones so you’ll buy them, but there are a few good resources to make your own. This one is from FunMobile…How do I make mp3, m4a/AAC, wav ringtones? How do I make a mmf ringtone? How do I make a qcp ringtone? How do I make ringtones from CD? How do I make a polyphonic (midi) ringtone? Tons of screenshots and how to action. Link.
Neat photoset found on Flickr. After a crack appeared inthe case of my Sony MicroVault and it spilled all over the floor. I decided to mod it up, and spent a while looking for something cool. I found this cassette, and this is the result. B Side looks awesome. All in all, 2 hours of work and thinking, for a very simple, but I think rather cool mod for my old usb stick. Might be a fun project to add an iPod Shuffle to a tape adaptor. Link.
exogenous writes “A full-size working harpsichord made from Lego”. With the exception of the wire strings, this instrument is entirely constructed out of LEGO parts–the keyboard, jacks, jack rack, jack rail, plectra, soundboard, bridge, hitch pins, tuning pins, wrestplank, nut, case, legs, lid, lid stick, and music stand are all built out of interlocking ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) plastic bricks and related pieces. There’s even a MP3 of it playing. Link.
The future of music mixing and sampling is here. It’s going to be around a ping pong table, with headbands…”We were playing ping pong with paddles that had piezo sensors in them. When the paddles hit the ball, they would actuate the starting and ending points of a sample – so the faster we played, the more ‘frantic’ the sonic output. It was a fun piece.” Link.
