ox in a box - destroy it yourself

Last in line: circuit bent Roland TR-626 Rythem composer

2011-10-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to George Gleixner for inspiration and instructions.

Bontempi KS 3400

2008-06-22T03:55:00.000-07:00

This is a moddified italian toy keyboard Bontempi KS 3400. Bends are very basic with this one, preset trimpots are connected to external potentiometers for control over volume and pitch. I also added a voltage drop potentiometer, speakers on/off switch and line output for live use.

CASIO SA-20 #3

2008-06-22T03:47:00.000-07:00

Another moddified Casio SA-20. Modiffications (from left to right):

-speakers on/off
-glitch randomizer switch+pot
-feedback/overdrive switch+pot
-voltage drop pot
-deep crash push button
-line output

Magical Light - Casio ML-1

2008-06-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Since we're going to Pescara(IT) at the adriatic fair festival to exhibit our (Cheap Tunes) works (cds,tapes and my bent gear) I bought a few toy synths that are going to be bent and than exhibited in Pescara. First one to go was Casio Magical light (ML-1). This one is probably going to be for personal use only so i installed just the line output + a toggle to switch between speaker and line out and deep crash push button.

VJing the old fashion way

2008-06-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Liquid slides aren't something new, but are still very fun to watch as well as to perform. A while ago me and two friends of mine decided to try this technique during a live set of Spock Studios as a visual background.

how it works: you mix together various ingredients that you find at home and put them in to double glass slides, which are than projected on the screen. Best resoults when mixig together high contrast colors and oily+reactive things. Heath shield should be removed from slide projector, otherwise nothing much happens.

Commodore 64 #3

2008-04-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Since the guys at 8bit ventures announced that the new cartridge(mssiah) is coming out in Q2 2008, i moddified another commodore 64. The mods are the same as on the previus one (audio in/out, noise off switch, 4 pots, mouse/pot selector switch and video out), only the enclosure is different (newer C46K). Link to the new cartridge (info+faq).

Deep crash video

2008-01-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

Squarewave, circuit-bent - Medeli MC-3

2008-01-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

"This very common instrument is likely one of the last non- toy squarewave keyboards; it was regularly sold at least until 1995, and it is a "must to have" for every real squarewave lover because it is not rare and thus easy to find, has a relatively large keyboard, 4 note polyphony and accompaniment in the unique combination with the famous sounds of a Commodore C64 home computer or classic Gameboy. (Unfortunately none of the really freaky or more advanced C64/ SID sounds are built-in.). It has even a programmable(!) simple drum computer ("custom drummer", only 1 pattern) with 5 drumpad buttons and very electronic sounding special blip percussion. The accompaniment can play nicely disharmonic because it accepts any note combinations and not only those few those establishment defined to be "chords"....(from WarrantyVoid )"

5 switches were installed on this synth to control digital data flow from FM chip to CPU. By turning off one or more of this switches you get interesting new sounds/noises.

C(r)as(h)io screaming acid

2008-01-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

I took a second look at Casio SA-20 that was killed in action sometime before (some keys aren't workie). After a while I decided to install only the deep crash push button and paint it. By pressing the push button, synth begins to loop random noises and can be used as a stand alone noise maker.

Yamaha PSR 8

2008-01-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

Circuit bent Yamaha PSR 8, with full sized keys and pretty good built in sounds. I added 6 toggle switches. By making connections on these switches, you get a bunch of new sounds varying from completly noisy to very musical sounds.

spectaculaRRRe_Spectrum&video out

2007-12-07T06:45:00.000-08:00

Sinclair zx Spectrum with RCA connector for composite video output. got it for cheap with bunch of old casettes and original games.

-Sinclair zx spectrum, installed composite video output

puff daddy premium

2007-10-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

Fuzz Face aka Puff Daddy with AC128 transistors. New enclousure: instead of the old chasis 100x120mm this one is put into 80x100mm enclousure + it has bigger knobs 32mm.

Crash me gently

2007-09-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

Circuit bent Casio (crashio) SA-10 toy synth with 100 preset sounds and 32 rhytem accompaniment:

-deep crash push button
-voltage drop/dying batteries pot+ switch
-glitch/distortion pot
-line out
-3 leds

Roland TR 505 video

2007-08-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

At last, video demonstration of the Roland tr505 rythem composer. Cassete player is used to compress the entire mix and to give it that lo-fi feel...

Photo dump

2007-08-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Just some of the stuff i picked up recently.

commodore 64: strike II

2007-08-25T01:45:00.000-07:00

"... in a long forgotten time and place where internet was a subject of sci-fi movies, Hollywood special effects were not CGI, but hand crafted models, car design was boxy, drum sounds were big, shoulder pads were big and hair was... well, er, big also... the number one console people had in ther homes was the commodore 64..."

Beside toxic yellow paint, I added audio input, so that any incoming signal can be processed with mono synth's filter, a switch that lets you choose between audio in, audio to ground (noise free mode) or middle position (normal), composite video output (since RF can be a bit hacky sometimes) and a switch that lets you choose between 1x & 1y pots and control port 1 (in case you need to use a joystick or a mouse)...

Roland TR 505 modded

2007-07-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

Some fresh stuff after a while... Modified drum machine from Roland, the TR505. This is a very basic drum machine it has 16 basic sounds, it holds 48 preset and 48 user patterns that can be linked into 6 songs. I picked it off of ebay for 50$ including m-audio midisport, which is pretty cheap.

I wired 100k pots for individual sound control, by turning up the knob, the sound goes from nothing to normal to crunch/distortion (upper row, from left to right): bass, snare, rimshot/clap, ride/crash (below are the hats), toms, congas, cowbells.

Instead of doing patch matrix as with alesis HR16 I added only few bends/effects, including (second row, from left to right) :
-overdrive/distortion switch, ads distortion to the entire mix,
-pitch mod on/off switch + pot, shifts up the entire mix a few octaves
-(hats level pot)
-closed to open hats switch, replaces closed hats with open ones
-on/off/on switch, bottom position replaces bass sound with clap, upper positon switches on some kind of ring mod
-the last switch shuts off the hats and adds slight commpression to the mix

I also attached wodden side pannels from walnut wood for that extra retro look...

MM Solist 61 ----> Atari amplifier

2007-06-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

I picked up this amplifier some time ago for 30€. It's a Melodija Mengeš Guitar amplifier, which has pretty neat sound actually (internal fuzz uses RC4558, similar to JRC which can be found in original TubeScreamers), it is 80W/8ohm. In addition I bought a matching speaker (Jensen's vintage reissue) and made a cabinet to hold it.

moos slayer

2007-06-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Casio CA110, aka moos slayer with some soft bent mods...

-led replacement
-speakers on/off
-tremolo/crunch effect, switch + pot
-dying batteries/voltage crash, switch + pot

wobblevision

2007-06-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

TENTO Shiljalis 402DE russian portable tv, bought for 4 €, converted into a Wobblevision.

Puff Daddy, reborn...

2007-06-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

After the original Puff Daddy fuzz died, i had to built another one... This pedal is based on what seems to be the most popular distortion effect ever made, after four dacedes when it was first brought up by Dunlop as Fuzz Face this effect still has it's own unique charm that everybody seems to like. More about Fuzz Face and it's derivates can be found here and here.

Hassle(The)Hoff - tremolo effect

2007-05-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

Tremolo effect, based around EA Tremolo, that was published in Electronic Australia Magazine in 1968. This effect is really smooth and neat sounding. When level pot is maxed, effect ads slight overdive to the output and if you put depth to zero, you can use it as a booster/overdrive. thanks to Paul Marossy for info and pcb layout.

modifying boss digital delay DD3

2007-05-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

I've turned the direct output into a fx send/return loop using stereo jack, send and return are connected to lugs of a feedback pot. This is basicly R. Keelly mod without smoothening cap switch. You can connect another effect (chorus, distortion, wah...) in fx loop and while your original guitar signal stays clean the repeats become affected by whatever you have plugged in... fx loop can easily be lead into selfoscilation, resulting very interesting shoegazing sounds.

atari video

2007-05-15T06:43:00.001-07:00

clockwork orange

2007-05-15T05:25:00.000-07:00

Guitar overdrive/distortion with switch for the third diode (asymmetrical distortion). Effect has a nice natural sound and when turning the drive up it goes from slight boost to overdive to distortion. It goes nice with bass guitar as well.

atarian punk

2007-05-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just finished this project, it is based on atari punk console schematics, doubled and added low pass filter... I'll record some video sample on sunday... Atari dual punk console:

alesis hr16 circuit bent video sample

2007-05-06T02:15:00.000-07:00

lo-fi video sample of circuit bent alesis hr 16 drum machine, that was moddified a while ago. This video was later featured at sonicstate and matrixsynth.

plug'n'bend breakout box

2007-05-05T02:44:00.000-07:00

multiporpuse bending patchbay in a breakout box. 25 pin connectors, and 4x5 RCA patchbay

commodore 64 mod (part2)

2007-05-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

In the second phase I installed 4 pots connected to the control ports 1&2 for live tweaking with the prophet 64 (link to the schematics). I've also added an audio output. more mods for C64 can be found here.

TrueBypass loop II

2007-05-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

another TB loop, this time in another chasis.

alesis hr16 circuit bent

2007-04-22T01:22:00.000-07:00

my first bending project - Alesis hr16 drum machine, thanks to burnkit2600 for all the useful info.

commodore 64 mod (part 1)

2007-04-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

First step in modifying a commodore for use with the prophet64 cartridge. Guts of C64C in an older (breadbox) enclousure, painted in black:

bending patch cables

2007-04-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

15 bending patch cables for the upcoming alesis drum machine...

TrueBypass/loop pedal

2007-04-15T00:34:00.000-07:00

3pdt switch,
aluminium enclousure 80x30x120,
4 x 1/4" jacks
1/8" jack for DC in
red led

Schematics

DO - DO

2007-04-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

I was a bit bored, so i decided to pimp out some toys i found at the attic. this is what came out: