Binatone Galaxy, by Stephen Cornford

Binatone Galaxy is an installation for used cassette players that looks on their obsolescence not as an ending, but as an opportunity to reconsider their functional potential. Superseded by digital audio players as recording and playback devices, cassette players become, in this work, instruments in their own right.   The piece takes irreverent delight in disposing of the prerecorded tape inside a cassette and replacing it with a microphone that amplifies the rhythmic and resonant properties of these once ubiquitous audio shells.[...] Read more

Greeting Card DIY, Musicworks Issue 114

Top 6 Reasons to Circuit Bend There are a lot of reasons why circuit bending is the fastest-growing underground electronics branch of the acquired-technology arts movement:   It’s easy. You don’t need to know anything about electronics to get involved with this intuitive approach to the subject. All you need is a screwdriver, a sense of curiosity, and a keen eye for the unexpected. It’s inexpensive. Most circuit benders use materials found at thrift stores, garage sales, or even in the garbage. It’s green. Many of the devices and[...] Read more

Cigar Box Sequencer DIY, Musicworks Issue 112

The sound of a square-wave sequencer instantly brings to mind the sounds of some of the earliest video games as well as—for some—the earliest computer music. A square wave is the simplest waveform to produce digitally, as it can be generated from a single digital line, without needing an analogue-to-digital converter. You may be familiar with 8-bit music from videogames or the chiptunes scene; we’re going to make something even more primitive: it’s “1-bit” music. It’s possible to get it to sound a bit like Space Invaders or Pong[...] Read more

Parsnip Oboe DIY, Musicworks Issue 110

Check out this parsnip oboe, created by Rob Cruickshank for Musicwork' DIY in issue 111. The red pepper bell is optional according to Rob, but I, for one, consider it absolutely necessary! The search for new sounds and new creations has unearthed a cornucopia of root vegetables, peppers, and lemongrass—sure to delight the family and be a feast for your ears. A word of caution when attempting this DIY at home: temperature, saliva, vegetable quality, and a host of other factors make these instruments unpredictable. As with cooking, you’[...] Read more

La chambre des machines, by Bernier and Messier

“La chambre des machines is a project where two electronic musicians are driven by the desire to be involved, as physically as they can be, in a performance context,” explains Nicolas Bernier, discussing his ongoing collaborative work with Martin Messier. “It’s not a conceptual piece; it was made in action, from day one.”   A clock ticks, electronic signals beep, a high tone drones. The action on stage involves two mechanical boxes—one is taller and more old-fashioned in appearance, with a wooden frame and funnel-shaped speaker[...] Read more