10.09.2008

opto_synth

Optical square wave synthesizer with 2x LED tentacle interface and amplitude modulation. Inspired by http://bleeplabs.com/ .







opto_synth from Alex Inglizian on Vimeo.

9.09.2008

NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC RADIO presents: /FRELAB/

September 5 – October 11, 2008

NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC RADIO presents:
/FRELAB/
(Forward and Reverse Engineering for Live Analog Broadcast)

107.3 FM

A live broadcast and engineering event

Workshops and events September 5th -7th and Saturdays through October 11
Full Schedule of Events

SCHEDULE:
Friday, September 5, 1 - 5pm
-- Circuit Bending Workshop with special guest Alex Inglizian (Cliplead_)
5-8pm — screening of new works for analog TELEVISION BROADCAST (••please contribute works for TV broadcast ••)
DRUM MACHINE CIRCLE to be broadcast to cars on the street (•• Participants encouraged - bring your own drum machine and cables! structured improv - scores provided••)
performances of select John Cage scores, and more ...

Saturday, Sept 6, 12 – 5pm -- Radio and transmission arts day!
1 - 4 pm: FM radio transmitter building workshop ... (folks take their transmitters home!)
5-6pm -- Christy Matson (and friends) will be performing, Grounded, a 4-channel improvisational audio piece that combines analog electronics, digital sound synthesis and headstands!

Sunday, Sept 7, 2 - 5pm - Television transmitter building workshop .... drop in and make something happen!

all events are free and open to the public



Kavi Gupta Gallery is pleased to invite Neighborhood Public Radio artists Jon Brumit, Lee Montgomery and Michael Trigilio for a live radio project that will consist of interactive programming and workshops. The opening weekend and subsequent weekends during the span of the exhibition will be filled with impromptu collaborations, interviews, hacking, bending, performances and events such as a selection of John Cage scores, a Friday night drum machine circle, radio and television transmitter building workshops and screenings of new works for television broadcast.

Neighborhood Public Radio is an independent, artist-run radio project committed to providing an alternative media platform for artists, activists, musicians, and community members. NPR (founded in 2004 Oakland, California) who shares their moniker with National Public Radio, streams onto the Internet as well as utilizing their own low-power FM transmitters. The group organizes community-based projects that are free and open to the public. By circumventing the need for commercial or corporate sponsorship, NPR provides a genuine conduit for free speech through grassroots low budget shows based on providing “snapshots” of various people and neighborhoods.

“If it's in the neighborhood and it makes noise, we hope to put it on the air.”

Neighborhood Public Radio have broadcast from, done shows or presented their work at The Whitney Museum of America Art as part of the Whitney Biennial 2008, Artists Television Access, Southern Exposure, San Francisco; Novi Sad Contemporary Museum, Serbia; Fadaiat//Borderline Academy, Tarifa; Chicago's Version 5, Yerba Buena center for the Arts, San Francisco; FSK Radio in Hamburg, and the De Young Museum, San Francisco. Creative Work Fund, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, CEC Artslink, and ISEA Community Domain Commission have supported NPR.

7.09.2008

Experimental Garage Sale




On July 19th, 2008 between Noon and 9:00 PM at the Experimental
Sound
Studio of Chicago ( www.exsost.org ) will be held the first
ever
Experimental Garage Sale. The event will feature an open air
flea
market/swap meet in the beautiful backyard of the Studio.

The items available for purchase or trade will consist mainly of
gobs
and gobs of toys and parts suitable for circuit bending
as well as
completed circuit bent musical instruments.

Entertainment will be Open Mic performances through out the day well
as raffles and A Rock Paper Scissors Tournament to top off the night!

There will be plenty of time to socialize and talk shop!
Midwest Benders Unite!


More info at
Experimental Garage Sale Myspace

Experimental Sound Studio Backyard
5925 N Ravenswood Ave
Chicago, IL 60660

4.02.2008

VactrolSynth_v.3 schematic


Here is the schematic for the 3rd revision of my vactrolSynth. It uses only one 4093 quad NAND gate chip. Try experimenting with different capacitor values for the control and audio oscillators to achieve various tonal capabilities. Note: this schematic omits a potentiometer before the vactrol LED... add this for a pseudo pitch control. Try to use a super-bright LED and a photo-resistor with a wide range for excellent frequency response.

2.28.2008

Yamaha CS-5 Synthesizer Repair.

I successfully repaired my CS-5 last night. I was a bit of a struggle because the previous owner attempted the same thing but destroyed the circuit board contacts in the process... I had to do a bit of surgery but it's quite solid now.
For anyone who would like to know: in order to remove the front panel, you need to take off the two plastic ends and then the 3 screws along the bottom in the back. The top should then be free of the body.
Check out this flickr set for more photos.