Comments on: Open-source hardware projects for the electronic artist

Open-source hardware projects for the electronic artist

Blazecock Pileon — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 13:06:25 -0800

To work around the proprietary whims of digital audio software developers and laptop processor limitations during the mid- and late-1990s, a small band of technically-minded people, including the electronic musician Blitter, pulled together in the late 1990s to engineer the open-source OPEN DSP EZ-Kit platform, a 16-bit computer designed entirely with a focus on low cost and extensible control and DSP arithmetic capabilities. While this project and similar commercial offerings never seemed to gain the critical mass needed to sustain long-term interest, perhaps the new Arduino hardware project from MIT's Processing hardware group may gain a foothold with Processing and Pure Data audio software hobbyists and artists alike, allowing the creative community to extend, enhance and share inventive uses of new technology. Arduino's use has already begun in fascinating museum installations around the world, and has become a part of this year's SONAR and Ars Electronica festivals.

By: neustile

neustile — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 13:40:03 -0800

The EZ-Kit guys formed as the DSP Music Syndicate (Noah Vawter / Shifty, Brian Whitman / Blitter, Ben Recht / Localfields and Ethan Bordeaux) to make Chiclet using the same chip as the EZ-Kit but in a smaller package. (Chiclet was v2 of Noah's "Death Synth" linked above, without all the Palm Pilot front end stuff that Brian and Noah made.) Their only 'album' was Concrete Music, a 30-year song in a concrete brick. The Arduino hardware looks specwise very similar to Noah's 1-bit Groove Box. Noah has also gone on to gain fame as one of the original PSP music hackers, another great platform for hardware portable music.

By: neustile

neustile — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 13:40:58 -0800

Crap fixed Concrete Music link.

By: chasing

chasing — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:28:09 -0800

Whoa. Awesome post. Please, if you have any more links about these sorts of things, plie 'em on. I'll throw some in there myself when I get a chance!

By: stenseng

stenseng — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:34:26 -0800

So, as a beginner interested in synthy stuff, but without the time or skills to build much in the way of electronic gadgets - are there any inexpensive wholly pre-made synth gadgets out there?

By: afx114

afx114 — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 16:00:14 -0800

"inexpensive" and "pre-made synth" are usually mutually exclusive.

By: stenseng

stenseng — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 18:10:43 -0800

which bums me out. Then I go back to hooking goodwill casio keyboards up to guitar amp modeling boxes...

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 20:38:23 -0800

"which bums me out. Then I go back to hooking goodwill casio keyboards up to guitar amp modeling boxes.." Hey, bum not, my friend! Plenty of good sounds to be gotten that way! Anyhow, it all depends on what you do with the sounds anyway, right?

By: Chuckles

Chuckles — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 05:18:41 -0800

stenseng, I'm a little confused by the need.. Maybe it is my total lack of any artistic instinct whatsoever, but it seems to me that you have a PC, so use it.. In general though, I am really interested in the concept of open source hardware.

By: stenseng

stenseng — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 10:56:50 -0800

Oh sure - I've got VSTs coming out the yingyang, but real physical analog hardware just sounds different. And it can be a lot more fun to play with.

By: Chuckles

Chuckles — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 11:56:39 -0800

Okay, I can see wanting all analog effects, but that isn't what the post is talking about (unless I'm really missing something).. I bet there is room to make an open source platform that would allow plugging of analog effects modules. A lot of the cost is audio grade power supply, RCA jacks, chassis, etc.