Circuit Bending Talk

I will be giving an introductory talk on circuit bending – what it is and how to do it - at this month’s Handmade Music Austin event on Sunday, May 2nd.

During the talk, I will be demonstrating several circuit bent devices including several devices that we have built in the Handmade Music workshops. The talk will also include a demonstration of the Bender Sequencer, which is a circuit that can turn any sound making device into a rhythm or melody machine by playing a sequence of notes. You can see examples of it in action here and here. Bender Sequencer kits will be for sale at the event for $50 and will soon be are now available for sale online.

I will actually be attending two Handmade Music events this weekend. I’ll be at the Minneapolis event on Saturday, then going right from the plane to the Austin event. Hope to see you this weekend!

UPDATE:

The talk went very well. About half of the people were familiar with circuit bending, and several had experience with it. It was great to share info with an interested audience.

Three people at the Austin event and one person at the Minneapolis event bought Bender Sequencer kits. Online sales have been brisk as well. It makes me feel good to be providing something fun and useful to the bending world!


Wikipedia defines circuit bending as:

The creative short-circuiting of electronic devices such as low voltage, battery-powered guitar effects, children's toys and small digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators. Emphasizing spontaneity and randomness, the techniques of circuit bending have been commonly associated with noise music, though many more conventional contemporary musicians and musical groups have been known to experiment with bent instruments. Circuit bending usually involves dismantling the machine and adding components such as switches and potentiometers that alter the circuit.