Short links for August 10th, 2009
Some interesting things I found recently, and not so recently (since it’s been a while since I posted short links).
The idea behind “la Guitare à crayon” is to be able to paint and play music with the same instrument (crayon mean pencil in english). It’s a custom usb guitar with open source software: namely, pure data (for sound) and gimp, blender, flash (for visual).
Guitare à crayon
- Hardware features:
- Accelerometer X-Axis (for example controlling the octave)
- Accelerometer Y-Axis (for example controlling an effect)
- 6 analog strings giving around 10 bits of resolution
- External input: 1 analog, 1 digital
- 4 positions switch
- 8 buttons
- 4 pots
- 1 piezo with velocity filter (for example trigging any sound)
- 1 ir distance sensor (+-6cm – +-20cm)
- 1 unuseful led (for tapping the bpm)
- Pressure-sensitive tablet
- Foot controller (using a led & a photoresistor)
- Foot switch (looper, change sound, …)
- Software features:
- No driver (firmware & bootloader)
- Linux, Windows, Mac
- Pure Data poweful DSP (sample, soundfont, fx rack, multiple looper)
- Gimp for 2d (drawing, painting, photo, …)
- Gesture tracking on the tablet (linux only)
# Beem – The Future – Lego synth models, inspired by danmcp's paper models. Artwork to the album – Beem "The Future" at www.beem.se
# 8 Track Walkman-Pod thing (Retro-tech)
Instructables user XenonJohn writes:
This is an admittedly mad project to see what might have happened if Sony had invented the Walkman earlier than they did – and made it so it took 8 track tape cartridges (which came before cassette tapes were invented).
In other words, can I make a personal 8 track player with just headphones in the style of a Walkman?










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