Roland TR-505 Replacement Back Plate for 3D Printers

This one is in via BD594

"I thought I would share this with you and your readers. I recently purchased a Roland TR-505 drum machine and sadly the back panel was missing. I hear this is a very common issue so I designed one in TinkerCad. The 3D files are free for download and anyone with access to a 3D printer can make one. thank you"

You can find it here.

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DIY - Build The Ultimate Wooden End Panels For The Access Virus Redback Synthesizer

bd594

"I am currently working on another music video for the fall of 2020. I decided to go off the beat and path and document one of my custom synthesizer builds. Learn how to build your own custom wooden side panels for your favorite synthesizer. This video was not scripted so I tend to repeat myself. This video was not scripted so I tend to repeat myself. Warning! Some portions of the audio is loud due to the use of power tools."

World's First Tesla Coil Theremin Utilizing a X-40 Laser Rangefinder

Published on Sep 8, 2019 bd594

Don't miss the Roland JV-1080 at 1:54.

"I wanted to build a Tesla Coil Theremin utilizing a X-40 Laser rangefinder. There are some MIDI controllers on the market that use Ultrasonic and Time of Flight sensors however they are very limited to distance and have a wide field of view. The x-40 laser rangefinder solves both problems. Also there are some ridiculously over priced Laser Rangefinders that are combatible with Arduino for hundreds of dollars. Don't waste your money and purchase a X-40 Laser rangefinder for $12 however you will be required to download and update the firmware. LLia Sam has developed firmware for the X-40 Laser Rangefinder which can send distance data 60 times a second via a serial link. I was able to test at 16 feet with no issues.

My schematic and Arduino code can be found here:
https://github.com/squirtifier/X-40-L...

LLia Sam's firmware for the X-40 and instructions can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_co..."

Ice Ice Baby - Old School Computer Remix Featuring Stephen Hawking DECtalk Vocals

Published on Jun 4, 2019 bd594

"Sorry, It has been a while since my last old school computer remix. Can someone tell me what phone number I am dialing? Hint listen to the other end answer the phone. The audio is optimized for stereo headphones. About 60% of my time was spent programming the DECTalk vocals for Ice Ice Baby. It was really tough to keep the vocals in sync. Back in 2009 I used a 8 inch floppy in my Bohemian Rhapsody video and do prefer that sound. However it appears people are more familiar with 3.5 inch floppy drives rather than 5.25 and 8 inch drives. So in the video I decided to Frankenstein a 3.5 Floppy and CD Rom head assembly.

Devices Used:
Stephen Hawking's vocals - DECTalk Express (Paul)
Backup vocals - DECTalk Express (Harry)
DECTalk TTY Controller - MiniComm II
Bass - Yamaha CX-5M Computer
Synth Bass - 3.5" Floppy / CDRom head mechanism.
Drums - Hard Drive Heads
Cymbals - Hard Drive Platters
Hand Claps - High voltage DC automotive spark coil"

See additional posts featuring bd594's creations here.

The Doors - Break on Through Old School Computer Remix

Published on Oct 4, 2015 bd594

"It's been awhile so I hope you enjoy my old school remix of The Doors - Break on Through to The Other Side. My video has two versions one with DECTalk vocals and one without. DECTalk is same speech synthesizer Stephen Hawking used back in the 80's. Which video do you like?
Devices Used
HP ScanJet 3C - Vocals
DECTalk Express - Vocals
Yamaha CX-5M Computer - Saw Wave Bass
Yamaha CX-5M Computer - Sine Wave Organ
Drums - Slamming Hard Drive Head
Cymbal - Striking Hard Drive Platter"

The Bit-52's Robot Band cover Private Idaho

Published on Mar 30, 2014 bd594·25 videos

"Fred's vocals by DECTalk Express which is also used by Stephen Hawking. Cindy and Kate's vocals utilized two HP Scanjet 3C flatbed scanners. The robot guitar, keyboard, snare and bass drum all are controlled with a couple of PIC16F84A microcontrollers.

special thanks goes out to:

Chris Rasmussen who offered to fly me and my robot band down to Athens, Georgia for the Art Rocks Athens Festival. Sadly due to my work schedule I could not make it. What he didn't know I was already secretly working on my next video so I offered to promote this great venue.
http://www.artrocksathens.com/

Pastor Snoopi Botten has provided great on-line material with respect to programming the DECTalk speech synthesizer. http://theflameofhope.co/DECTALK.html

Special thanks goes out to Greg Howley and without his help this project would of never seen the light of day.
http://www.skaface.ca/main.html"

From the man who brought us (click here for all):
Season's Greetings from The Glasgow School of Art
Skrillex - Bangarang - Old School Computer Remix - with a MATRIXSYNTH sighting no doubt. :)
FUN - We Are Young - Old School Computer Remix
Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know - Old School Computer Remix
BD594 - Living on Video
Robot Band EOL covers Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger"
Little Drummer Boy Performed by Robot Snare Drum and HP Scanner
The Animals House of the Rising Sun Old School Computer Remix
The Bit-52's The World's Greatest Parts Band playing The B-52's - Rock Lobster
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix
Funkytown Remixed with Old Computer Equipment

Season's Greetings from The Glasgow School of Art

Season's Greetings from The Glasgow School of Art from The Glasgow School of Art on Vimeo.

This one in via Alan, spotted on Creative Review.  James Houston who created the video brought us a number of other brilliant pieces using vintage computer gear.  You'll find links to them at the bottom of this post.  Be sure to check them out.   And of course, be sure to see the holiday channel below for more holiday posts!  Some great ones have come in so far.

"Season's Greetings and best wishes from The Glasgow School of Art for 2014.

This year's seasonal e-card comes from alumnus James Houston. James graduated from The Glasgow School of Art in 2008 with a first class degree in Visual Communication. He works in Glasgow as a moving image maker. http://www.1030.co.uk

The ensemble: A collection of vintage Mac computers, a Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum + 1 and a SEGA Mega Drive perform a rendition of 'Carol of the Bells' with lyrics re-written by Robert Florence & Philip Larkin in the Mackintosh Library at The Glasgow School of Art. Jacket by Ten30.co.uk (Alan Moore, GSA Textiles alumnus 2008).

James aimed to create a piece of Christmas music by appropriating past Christmas gifts. "I discovered that a few had the capability for speech synthesis so the obvious next step was to figure out how to assemble a choir." he said. "This is a process which is based on the last piece of work I did as a student at GSA." (See James' Degree Show film - Big Ideas (Don't Get Any).

Lyrics: Carol of the Bells

HAIL THE MACHINES
SWEET OLD MACHINES
BLOW OFF THE DUST
WIPE OFF THE RUST

CHRISTMAS HAS COME
JOY IS FORETOLD
FOR THOSE OF US
YOU NEVER SOLD

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Thrift Shop Toys Cover Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - THRIFT SHOP

Published on Oct 22, 2013 bd594·24 videos

From the man who brought us:
Skrillex - Bangarang - Old School Computer Remix - with a MATRIXSYNTH sighting no doubt. :)
FUN - We Are Young - Old School Computer Remix
Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know - Old School Computer Remix
BD594 - Living on Video
Robot Band EOL covers Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger"
Little Drummer Boy Performed by Robot Snare Drum and HP Scanner
The Animals House of the Rising Sun Old School Computer Remix
The Bit-52's The World's Greatest Parts Band playing The B-52's - Rock Lobster
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix
Funkytown Remixed with Old Computer Equipment

---

http://www.karaoke-version.com/mp3-ba...

"Thank you to Karoke Version for permission to use their vocal tracks in my video. Initially I tried to program the vocals with DECTalk but it was unintelligible. All the toys were purchased from Goodwill and Value Village. I apologized for my failed attempt to turn Elmo and Teddy Ruxpin into Zombies. The premise was to have rejected toys cast aside by society turn into a couple of Zombies. As always I didn't have enough artistic abilities and time to complete this.
Toys used
Yamaha CX5M - organ
Casio SA-9 - saxophone and bass
Hard drives - drums
Elmo - Main Vocals
Teddy Ruxpin - Backing Vocals
Tomy Omnibot - Robot Voice
All the toys were hacked and are controlled by two PIC16F84A micro controllers and a bunch of L298N H-Bridges."

Skrillex - Bangarang - Old School Computer Remix

Published on Mar 13, 2013 bd594·24 videos

I spy MATRIXSYNTH in this one. :)

".
Skrillex was the most requested so your wish is my command. Bangarang was a complicated song with respect to timing and now I have a new respect for Dubstep. For all the haters out there the audio in this video is 100% in sync with the original song. If you don't believe me then test it out for yourself.

Vocals were performed with the DECTalk Express. The same speech synthesizer used by Stephen Hawking back in the eighties. The main vocals are the Betty and Rita presets overlapped. Kit and Dan vocal presets were also used.

Back in 2009 I used an 8 inch floppy drive in my Bohemian Rhapsody video but this time I wanted to update it with Sammy1am's Arduino version. I find 3.5 inch floppy drives only sound good when playing short duraton notes with a fast tempo.

DECTalk - vocals
HP Scanjet 3C - lead
Yamaha CX-5 computer - guitar
Floppy and CDROM - lead bass solo
Modified Toy Laser Guns
Robot Bass, Snare and Cymbal"

Also see the following or click here for all of them in order:
FUN - We Are Young - Old School Computer Remix
Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know - Old School Computer Remix
Robot Band EOL covers Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger"
Little Drummer Boy Performed by Robot Snare Drum and HP Scanner
The Animals House of the Rising Sun Old School Computer Remix
The Bit-52's The World's Greatest Parts Band playing The B-52's - Rock Lobster
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix
Funkytown Remixed with Old Computer Equipment

And BD594 - Living on Video for a traditional synth cover.

FUN - We Are Young - Old School Computer Remix

Published on Dec 22, 2012 by bd594 (click for more).

"Old antiquated computer equipment that refuses to become obsolete.

HP Scanjet 3C - Vocals
Yamaha CX-5 - Piano
BWD-504 Oscilloscope to display CX-5 audio output
Harddrives - Drums
The Harddirives are controller with a PIC16F84A microcontroller"

And the original:

Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know - Old School Computer Remix

YouTube Published on Sep 28, 2012 by bd594

"HP Scanjet 3C as the vocals. It lags a bit due to the fast paced vocals. In order for the stepper motor to play a note it has to be moving and with that large carriage it takes a few milli seconds before it can play a note. It doesn't sound like a lot of time but stretch that over a 4 minute song and voila...out of sync. Programming does help to compensate but it is not perfect.
Amiga 600 Bass on left audio output and Guitar on right audio output
Each audio channel was feed into an oscilloscope
2 Harddrives as the drums and cymbal
Xylophone as the Xylophone (duh)
Both the Harddrive and Xylophone are controlled by one PIC16F84A mircocontroller"

bd594 also brought us the following mechanical hits:
Robot Band EOL covers Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger"
Little Drummer Boy Performed by Robot Snare Drum and HP Scanner
The Animals House of the Rising Sun Old School Computer Remix
The Bit-52's The World's Greatest Parts Band playing The B-52's - Rock Lobster
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix
Funkytown Remixed with Old Computer Equipment

BD594 - Living on Video

YouTube Published on Jul 27, 2012 by bd594

"Living on Video is one of my favorite songs from the 1980's. The pencil sketch video effect was created with a demo copy of AKVIS and it is a similar effect used in A-Ha's music video "Take on Me".

equipment used
Access Virus TI-2 Polar (Lead Synth1)
Korg Radias (Lead Synth2 and Vocoder)
Sequential Circuits Pro One (Bass Synth)
Roland SH-101 (Lasers)
Casio VL Tone (Rhythm Solo)
Korg ESX-1 (Drums and Vocal Effects)"

And the original:

Trans-X - Living On Video Official Video

Uploaded by UnidiscMusic on Feb 20, 2010

"CLICK TO DOWNLOAD http://bit.ly/9ed9BT
Trans-X Living On Video
© 1981 Unidisc Music Group
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/UnidiscMusic
Become a Fan On Facebook CLICK http://bit.ly/aybWug"

Robot Band EOL covers Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger"

YouTube Uploaded by bd594 on Mar 26, 2012

"In my previous videos I have received alot of comments requesting the vocal styles of Stephen Hawking so your wish is my command. This is song is based on the group Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" Please support the band and buy this song.

Vocals Digital DECtalk Express play both the male and female vocals (the same unit as Stephen Hawking used back in the 80's) and it is controlled by a Genesi linux box
Robot Snare, Robot Bass Drum and Tambourine
Robot Keyboard and my trusty old HP Scanner

thanks"

Korg MicroKONTROL triggering Korg microX. Preset B44 - Chorous E. Guitar.
DECtalk Express salvaged from a junk pile for vocals.

More vids by bd594 previously posted here.

Little Drummer Boy Performed by Robot Snare Drum and HP Scanner

YouTube Uploaded by bd594 on Dec 12, 2011

"Hello I would like to thank all my channel subscribers for joining and have a safe holiday and a Merry Christmas

BD594, Toronto, Canada

This project was a really difficult, it was 70% timing and 30% execution. Many people have seen videos with floppies and stepper motors playing songs. These motors have a quick response time because they are not under a heavy load. The problem with a flatbed scanner is the large moving carriage head. It was not designed to move quickly and when it is playing music you will notice the head changes directions. This is to prevent the carriage from smashing into the chassis. So as the notes are playing the carriage head has to periodically change direction and this will add many seconds to a 3 or 4 minute song. As for the drums they are just a couple of solenoids connected to a pulley system in order to ampilfy the movement.

enjoy"

The Animals House of the Rising Sun Old School Computer Remix

YouTube Uploaded by bd594 on Dec 2, 2011

"While following on the coat tail of my first popular video "Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix" [posted here - also see bd594 & the mechanical label for more] i tried to change the venue and built a couple of robot bands (yeah! machines that play actual instruments). These videos didn't fair as well so i decided to go back to the basics and create another video utilizing old computer equipment. For this video i recorded each instrument separately with a decent stereo mic and i also used a mixer to adjust the audio levels. i would like to point out that absolutely no sampling or audio effects were used.

instruments

a. HP Scanjet 3P, Adaptec SCSI card and a computer powered by Ubuntu v9.10 OS as the Vocals. (hey, the scanner is old)
b. Atari 800XL with an EiCO Oscilloscope as the Organ
c. Texas instrument Ti-99/4A with a Tektronix Oscilloscope as the Guitar
d. Hard-drive powered by a PiC16F84A microcontroller as the bass drum and cymbal

i was very pleased how the hard-drive drums turned out and they sound great. i will definitely use them in my next video. Oh Yeah, my next video i would like to use a current song so please leave any recommendations.
(3OH!3 is a big contender)

i would like to give a shoutout to James Houston who (i think) was the first person to use multiple legacy computer equipment in conjunction to make a song. Be sure to take the time to view his YouTube video "Big ideas: Don't get any - Radiohead cover by James Houston". [posted here]

For all you haters out there:
1. The timing is not off, take the time to listen to the actual song before criticizing.
2. No, i don't have a lot of spare time so i have to use it sparingly.
3. Fair use on the internet. Not making any money here! i wasn't even born when this song came out but this is just one way of reviving an older song and introducing it to Generation Z.

:)

thanks for watching
BD594"

Build Your Own Nerdy Antiquated Obsolete 7 Segment Display Lady GaGa / Daft Punk VJ Glasses

YouTube via bd594 | January 22, 2011 | http://www.youtube.com/user/bd594

Not directly synth, but the DIY aspect can be applied and it was sent in.

"Long before Daft Punk's motor cycle helmets with LED messages scrolling by or Lady GaGa's video display glasses we were apart of a generation limited to displaying text on calculators with small indistinguishable red coloured displays......Oh Joy..... I remember as a kid running around the house showing my family how to spell words like "bOObS", "hEllO" and "ShEll". This was accomplished by entering in certian numbers then holding the calculator upside down.....Ah memories. It appears that 8 bit music is being intergrated into popular music each day i.e. "The Time (dirty bit) by The Black Eye Peas". So why not build your own pair of archaic antiquated 10 digit 7 segmented display glasses. Just image you will be able to star in your own music videos or just stand out in the crowd in the middle of the dance floor. Should any drinks be dropped in your lap or thrown in your face have no fear of electrocution because these glasses can easily operate on battery power. Should you decide to be a Super Uber Geek and build your own glasses utilizing Nixie tubes than I am not resposible for your hair catching on fire or tempoary blindness caused by the 170+ volts coarsing through your temples. If you are still interseted in obtaing the schematic and PIC basic code then send me your email address.

enjoy
James"

The Bit-52's The World's Greatest Parts Band playing The B-52's - Rock Lobster

YouTube via bd594 | September 07, 2010

From the man who brought us Bohemian Rhapsody and Funkytown.
"What do you get when you combine retro computer parts and an up and coming robot band?

The Bit-52's

This is dedicated to all fans of The B-52's who are also known as the "Worlds Greatest Party Band". It just so happens they currently on tour so go out and buy some tickets. This idea has been simmering in my mind for the last couple of years and after many months of procrastinating it is finally complete. I was also motivated to finish my robot band after seeing a YouTube Video from "The Trons" from New Zealand.

The Bit-52's consist of:

Fred's Vocals - TI99/4a computer, speech synthesizer and terminal emulator ii module
Kate and Cindy's Vocals - Two HP Scanjet 3C scanners, UBunto and sjetplay written by GanjaTron
The Guitar, Keyboard, Cow Bell, Cymbal and Tambourine are all controlled by various types of push/pull solenoinds for a total of 23. The Solenoids are powered by four ULN2803 darlington drivers and everything is controlled by two PIC16F84A microcontrollers."

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix

YouTube via bd594.

Also see Funkytown!

via bd594:
"I want to thankyou for commenting on one of my You Tube Videos "Funkytown" your blog was instrumental. Please note I created another Video that I think your readers may enjoy. I think you will find the use of HP Scanjet scanner as the vocals as WOW. Intially I tried to get 4 scanners for each vocal track in Bohemain Rhapsody but this equipment is getting harder to find. I had to record the HP scanner four seperate times to represent each vocal track. I hope you enjoy and thank you for your kind words."

video description
"There are millions of computers sitting idle at home using fantom electricity. Let's see where all that power is going. This is dedicated to all fans of Queen and hey let's not forget about Mike Myers and Dana Carvey of Wayne's World.
Please note no effects or sampling was used. What you see is what you hear (does that even make sense?)
Atari 800XL was used for the lead piano/organ sound
Texas Instruments TI-99/4a as lead guitar
8 Inch Floppy Disk as Bass
3.5 inch Harddrive as the cymbal
HP ScanJet 3C was used for all vocals. Please note I had to record the HP scanner 4 seperate times for each voice. I tried to buy 4 HP scanners but for some reason sellers on E-Bay expect you to pay $80-$100, I got mine for $30.


To quote Ben Rogerson "The old computer parts version of Bohemian Rhapsody is surely only weeks away".

Yes, I agree but what was suppose to take weeks took me months"

Funkytown Remixed with Old Computer Equipment

YouTube via bd594

"This is a shamless ripoff of James Houston's remix of Radiohead's Nude but I decided to try it for Funkytown by Lipps Inc. I choose Funkytown and only used computers from the early 1980's that were destined for the Junk Yard. This is how I got the idea for Junkytown. I also used a modem but DTMF tones are lousy for musical notes (no harmonics) but I was very lucky to find two notes that did sound good. On your phone punch in 3 3 2 3 and you got the beginning part of the solo and the rest is history. Please note no synthesizer or audio effects were used and all the audio was recorded from either a microphone or direct line. Some of the audio was amplified when it was mixed down because the levels were unusable ie. the printer and modem. The Commodore 64 was used for the main Bass and Guitar. The Ti-99/4A was used for the second part of the solo because of the limitation of DTMF tones. It was tempting to just sample the modem but I did not in order to keep it 100% original. Finally it was difficult to video tape the printer because it kept shaking the table so I looped the printer video in the begining of the video. The printer sometimes caused the harddrive head to shake out of sync so I inserted a screw into the mechinism and this some what helped."