Results for Reggie Watts

Some interesting things I found recently, and not so recently (since it’s been a while since I posted short links).

# Guitare à crayon

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)

# 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?

… read more

Beatboxing seems to have grown in popularity due to things like YouTube, people like Alex Tew (not just mr. Million Dollar Homepage, but also founder of Humanbeatbox.com), and sites like digg.com where cool video are “dug” into popularity every day.

Here are some of my personal favorites I’ve seen so far:

Kenny Muhammad, the “Human Ochestra” is one of beatboxing’s greatest. He even worked with the New York Symphony Orchestra. This video is pretty awesome. Wind, his version of Kraftwerk’s Nummern (Numbers), has become a favourite beatbox routine for other people to show their skills.

Roxorloops, (Belgian and Vice World Champion) also knows how to do Nummern. I love the way he does echos and time stretching!

Rahzel is another one of the most famous beatboxers in the world. I particularly like this little MTV clip.

Then there’s Beardy Man. He is absolutely amazing (and nutty?) and can do a lot more than straightforward beatboxing. I love the way he scratches and his reverse technique is simply mindblowing. Check the Tim Shaw audio on his website.
He also has great cooking skills!

Kid Beyond records his beats and sounds on his Ableton Live setup. Check him on YouTube.

Reggie does the same kind of thing on some sampling gear and creates a song layering one part over the other. Reggie Watts: Out Of Control is just brilliant.

Alright, some of my favorites. You have any to share?