DrumKid - Hackaday Prize 2019 final video

Published on Sep 28, 2019 Nerd On The Wire

"DrumKid, my open source drum machine, has made it through to the 2019 Hackaday Prize final! The finalists were asked to make a 5-minute video of their projects, so I made a new, better video of DrumKid in action.

DrumKid will be available to buy in November 2019 from my website: http://mattbradshawdesign.com

You can see all the details of the project on my Hackaday page: https://hackaday.io/project/164521-dr..."

Also see: Nerd On The Wire DrumKid "aleatoric" Drum Machine

Nerd On The Wire DrumKid "aleatoric" Drum Machine

Published on Aug 22, 2019 Nerd On The Wire

Nerd On The Wire also brought us the Synth Guitar for DesignSpark Summer of Sound Challenge, and PolyMod open source modular synthesizer for Hackaday 2018.

"DrumKid is an 'aleatoric' drum machine, meaning it uses random numbers to determine the rhythm and sound of a drum beat. It comes in a handheld, battery-powered unit, designed for live performance.

This is my entry video for the 2019 Hackaday Prize - the Hackaday project page can be found here: https://hackaday.io/project/164521-dr...

This project is open source - all design files can be found here: https://github.com/mattybrad/drumkid"

"Drum machine are ubiquitous in modern music, but playing them live presents a challenge. When playing electronic rhythms live, whether using a drum machine or a laptop, it can often appear that a musician is simply pressing "play" on a backing track, removing much of the perceived spontaneity of a live performance.

My drum machine, DrumKid, aims to tackle this problem by using a variety of controls to alter a drumbeat live, using randomly generated drum hits which augment the original beat. Rather than being designed as a pre-programmed backing instrument, DrumKid aims to be a playable instrument in its own right, with continuously adjustable controls that work well in a live setting. My intention was to create an engaging, interactive device that, like any musical instrument, can be mastered over time with practice.

DrumKid is an open-source, hackable product based around an ATmega328 chip, as found in an Arduino Uno. The final product features a minimalist design consisting of a single PCB with buttons, knobs, and LEDs mounted on one side, and all other components mounted on the other side. Two laser-cut sections are used to protect the electronics.

I now have a fully working prototype of DrumKid, and I am happy with the audio quality, playability, aesthetics, durability, reliability, and battery life. I am planning to make a small, initial batch of DrumKid units in September to distribute to musicians for testing. After any necessary updates to the PCB design and/or firmware, I hope to build a larger batch of units and launch DrumKid for sale around November/December 2019.

DrumKid can also be constructed as a breadboard/stripboard project using an Arduino Uno - see the build instructions for details."

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Monome Aleph Very Rare Synthesizer Programmable Effect Box

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

Soundcomputer.

powerful audio processor, synthesizer, noise machine, rapidly modifiable instrument. a platform for experimental practice and organic discovery.

attachments.

connect grid controllers, modular synths, midi keys, stomp boxes, gamepads, hand-made circuits. for more direct control and uncommon pairings.

topography.

dynamically arrange control mappings with unprecedented flexibility. create software control sources such as modulators, logical operators, aleatoric processes, sequencers. all quickly storable and recallable.

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Monome Synth Module - Aleph Sound Computer Synthesizer

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"designed and engineered by ezra buchla [Don Buchla's son] and brian crabtree::

%100 percent functional and looking great!
w/ 4Gb SD card,
loaded firmware,
original instructions,
and mysterious still photography
that came with the unit.

}


Description from :
URL :: https://monome.org/aleph/

aleph is an adaptable soundcomputer where synthesis, drum machines, samplers, loopers, and various other possibilities can be implemented with creative mapping and numerous external control methods-- attach via USB (grid controllers, knob boxes, MIDI keyboards, gamepads), CV (control voltage for modular synths, foot switches, etc) and computers.

simply put, aleph is a small audio input/output device with a screen, bank of buttons, and series of encoders/knobs. it has the ability to host and run a variety of programs created by both monome and the user based community surrounding. new applications will be developed, documented and shared over time. elaborate mappings can be created without writing code by way of an easy menu driven environment and a thorough preset system.
soundcomputer.

powerful audio processor, synthesizer, noise machine, rapidly modifiable instrument. a platform for experimental practice and organic discovery.

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M13 Core

Published on Aug 28, 2016 davidryle

"An ambient aleatoric modular patch.

Noise Engineering Numeric Repetitor sending gate pulses to the Tonnetz Sequent which is sending (modulo) pitch cv to three Q106 vco's. Filtering and EG's are all synthesizers.com and Oakley Audio.

A Flame Chord Machine is also used for pitch duties to three more Q106 vco's and a Mutable Instruments Rings.
There are doubling of the pitch data to a noise patch using a pink noise source and a pair of Q960 sequencer to control a cv FM Radio module to a CGS Real Ring Modulator then through a MOTM 440 LPF into an Encore Frequency Shifter. The FS is cv modulated by a 10v signal from MI Frames. The Down output of the FS is sent directly to Clouds right channel. The Up output of the FS is sent through a Makenoise Echophon in pitch shifting mode. It is 1v/oct controlled from a fourth channel out of the Flame Chord Machine. The feedback output of the Echophon is sent to the left channel input of Clouds the left output of Clouds is returned to the Echophon feedback input and the mix out is back into Frames via a Yusynth Minimoog filter.

Frames is amplitude modulating the Clouds outputs.

Loads of pseudo random voltage and gate timings from two Turing Machines and 4MS QCD. The main clock is from Cubase dinsync to a Pamela's Workout.

Intellijel Plog is used for a Malekko Switch module to shift the vco third and fifth cv's from the Tonnetz, and the input to the Chord Machine. It is also used to toggle the 2nd Tone factor on the Chord Machine.
Two Maths and a Quadra are employed to control timing to the Frames automation.

Other FX include a Z-DSP in Halls of Valhalla, a Behringer Chorus Space pedal and a Strymon Blue Sky pedal. A pair of Lexicon MX200's are used for subtle reverb and delay."

Illuminated (Richard Devine) Cylindrical Modular Mix

"Remix of track 11 on Chad Mossholder's new debut solo album "Non-Site Specific on on Artificial Music Machine, released Dec 16th 2014

First remix using my eurorack modular system.

link to buy the album (both streaming and downloadable):

info:

As an extra special bonus track commissioned for this album, sonic wizard Richard Devine (Schematic, Make Noise, Warp Records) has created a complex aleatoric recombinant masterpiece out of a thousand exploded fragments of "Illuminated" using his massive modular synthesizer, a huge ever growing pulsating brain that rules from the center of his studio near Atlanta!"

New Monome aleph Looper and Drum Synth by Ezra Buchla and Brian Crabtree

aleph prototype looper and drum synth from tehn on Vimeo.

"filmed by emily lacy and kelli cain. edited by kelli cain.

performed by ezra buchla and brian crabtree.

http://monome.org/aleph"

Ezra Buchla is Don Buchla's son.

aleph.
designed and engineered by ezra buchla and brian crabtree.
made by monome in upstate new york.
$1400. ordering open now.
shipping late fall.

"soundcomputer.
powerful audio processor, synthesizer, noise machine, rapidly modifiable instrument. a platform for experimental practice and organic discovery.

attachments.
connect grid controllers, modular synths, midi keys, stomp boxes, gamepads, hand-made circuits. for more direct control and uncommon pairings.

topography.
dynamically arrange control mappings with unprecedented flexibility. create software control sources such as modulators, logical operators, aleatoric processes, sequencers. all quickly storable and recallable.

open source.
designed for community engagement, a benefit for musicians and developers alike. an exceptional educational tool. the library of uses and possibilities can only grow."

Additional details here.

Intellibent Design Patchable Circuit Bent Casio MT-540 MIDI Synth

via this auction
"featuring 42 unique bend points in one patch bay type configuration. connecting any 2 points together will cause all sorts of bizarre effects. glitches drones-cut up rhythms-aleatoric excursions into AMBIENT HEAVEN!

there are 4 'patches' located in GREEN pairs around the 42 (silver) bend points. you can modulate the amount of interaction between any set of bending points by routing separate bend points through the patches. there are 2 special fine tune-10 turn knobs/pots and 2 standard tune pots located on the far right where the speaker USED to be. both internal speakers have been removed to make room for the added parts.

TRIGGERING BENDS WITH THE ADDED PUSH BUTTONS
each of the 4 'patches' first gets routed through a potentiometer to dial in a desired amount of short circuiting mayhem... then by flipping the switch for a patch you stop the bending which causes the machine to play normal again---you can then trigger the bending at the dialed in amount with the BLUE push button for that patch.

located on the back are 2 reset buttons (one for battery operation the other for AC adapter power) for when the machine crashes and cannot be reset by simple on/off switching. I also have added a new DC jack as the one that Casio put on there just isn't very good!"

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circuit bent yamaha tg33 vector synth

tg33 revision

YouTube via spunkytoofers

via this auction

"- circuit bent yamaha tg33 synth with vector joystick (retains full functionality pre-bent when all bends are deactivated)

-breakout box with 32 banana jack patchbay which effects the awm waveforms

-4 switches activates 8 dedicated banana jacks located on side and back of box for switching

-8 stackable banana cords provided

-getlofi ltc1799 precision oscillator replaces internal clock frequencies for smooth pitch control of approximately 5+ octaves on any given note. (until the sound breaks into sound grains)

-1 switch selects precision oscillator or original fixed frequency clock

-1 fm/awm waveform glitch and resynthesis 4 position rotary switch with one center off-momentary on/lock on switch to activate rotary.

-replaced internal memory battery with a fresh battery.

-db25 connector cable from breakout box to synth

-db25 jacks on tg33 and breakoutbox

-1 vintage blue beehive lens with bright led lighting

-1 vintage milk glass lens with random slow phase lighting

-original owners manual

-bend diagram jpeg and tips and tricks sheet emailed to winner

-cd-r of manual, many great patches, and editor program

-power supply included (north american supply only, international countries will need to supply their own adapters. the tg33 is regulated to handle anything from 9-12 volts dc with a positive tip around 700 ma is best)

(check out video below)

this is probally my secret weapon of choice at the current moment. it's quite unique from other synthesizers and will reward those that take the time to program/tweak this thing.

although this isn't the most difficult synthesizer to program it will require the user to dig in a little bit and study the manual. the editor also accesses some very in depth synthesis options. vector synthesis is pretty straightforward and intuitive to work with but there are elements like assigning midi controls, selecting voices to work together, envelope shaping, indepndant lfos, sending sequences/controllers, and recording vector movements to really make the best of the possibilities. it's pretty simple to work with but has real power shaping sculpture.

if designing from scratch is too much for you to deal with it still would be easy tweak or play many of the included patch banks straight and all patches will respond to circuit bending.. the synth also features a random vector voice create feature!!! the included backed up sound banks are really well designed and have alot of sounds to keep you busy. but. those without a decent midi controller, basic midi knowledge, basic synth design, tweaks, and assigning controls from menus, etc, this may not be a good synth to start with if you are starting out or don't work with midi, otherwise be prepared to meet a truly unique synth!! "nice to meet you" it says..

the synth works with 4 waveforms in the vector per note of polyphony (think 4 oscillators per note). 2 of which are fm, 2 are awm based sampled waveforms. the awm waveforms are bendable. so approximately half of the 300+ available waveforms are circuit bendable. each waveform is independantly circuit bendable with it's own response to the pressures of bending. what makes that interesting is that when you play with the vector you can assign the circuit bent waveforms to the vector and also assign waveforms that aren't circuit bendable to the vector to either stack voices or morph a voice from the strange abstract sounds and aleatoric responses of circuit bent synthesis into a more traditional synthesis by use of the vector joystick or by assigning the x-y grid to two midi controllers. you can also record exact movements in the vector into the voice's program everytime you trigger a note. either way the awm waveforms can be circuit bent or left alone. the circuit bends depending on how you patch the waveform can have subtle tonal results such as stutter, tonal variations to extremes of complete self composing glitches or dense walls of sound. there are too many results to try to describe here.

instrument has an added getlofi precision oscillator which controls the total pitch of the synthesizer. all midi functionality is retained in the tuned frequencies of the oscillator. the oscillator is on a switch with the original clock signal if the user should not want to use overall pitch control. pitch bend internally by midi and pitch bending on the precision oscillator are not unlike each other but they are certainly completely different then each other.

the instrument is completely stable. able to go to completely strange circuit bent sounds and back to normal without any hitches at all in the system or voices!!!

now here is where things get completely chaotic!!!!

4 fm/awm brain scramble bends are allocated on a rotary switch. the rotary switch is activated by a switch is a 3 way switch which can either disconnect the rotary,momentary snap connect or lock into position. each bend interacts with the others to push it different directions sonically. these bends are completely chance orientated but more often then not great new patches are made and mysterious soundscapes occur. a switch activation cycles through complete mutations to the fm sounds, sound patch restructing, auto accompainments, self compositions, bizzare playing responses in reaction to sent control data. each throw of the switch creates a new sound either slightly altered to extremely altered with often mysterious and good results. since these bends are chaotic i've kept them seperate from the awm extention box as the awm bends of this instrument is completely stable and will not alter the sound of the patch when bends are deactivated. the fm bends are chance orienated and often alterations are extreme which make it better for studio work. although with some careful fm waveform assignments to the vector. you can find fm waveforms which aren't quite as extreme and make more subtle alterations and bent sounds. you can then improvise with the circuit bent fm/awm waveforms with some planning in regards to creating your own unique patches or finding the best presets and saving them into internal memory.

when fm waveforms are bent they can still be bent further with another activation from the fm switches but will not return the original patch without a power cycle on/off on the instrument. when the instrument is booted up the patch returns to its original form and nothing is lost in memory.

db 25 connector is in what used to be the cartridge slot with industrial strength adhesive. the connector already fit in the slot pretty nicely but the industrial strength adhesive sets the connector in it permanetely and securely. since the cartridge slot is occupied that closes up the option for using memory cards. this shouldn't be much a problem since the cartridge is proprietary and finding the exact card is extremely difficult since they are extremely rare and if you do find one they're pretty expensive not to mention all the time you'll be spending on ebay trolling for one.

the unit however has internal memory for patch storage as well as the ability to dump and recive patches via sysex. the unit's memory back up battery was replaced with a fresh lithium battery and a battery clip easily located so it would be easy to replace the battery in the future by the user or any tech.. as is, the fresh battery should last from 5-10 plus years depending on the use of this machine. the battery should last much longer than that, the battery i replaced was the original and was working fine before replacing and that battery had lasted nearly 20 years!! also a pdf manual, patch editor and many banks of great professional patches are included on a cd-r with this auction. i can include some patch notes of my own to illustrate how to organize a patch notebook to facilitate bending patches based on this system."

circuit bent yamaha tg33 vector synth and akai ewi 4000s


previously posted

circuit bent yamaha tg33 vector synth


Sold For: US $333.33