Pikachu orchestra

Kaseo from Japan making insane sounds from everyones favourite Pokemon ; )

NEU live

Love it! ; )

Windscale - Conflicts in Time = finished

The new Windscale album 'Conflicts in Time' is finished at last!  Just needs the artwork done then we will unleash it.

New enclosures

Got a shipment of new cases handmade in the USA by Brad.  Great quality Electro Harmonix style folded steel with a sloped front.  They were a bit more expensive than my usual enclosures but look great and are well sturdy!  Will probably sand the front panels to make them a bit shinier.

Interesting Ebay 4

A Vortexion 4 channel all valve mixer, similar to one used by the legendary Joe Meek.  Loads of photos at the Ebay auction.

Kawasaki keyboard

Circuit Bent Kawasaki keyboard with pitch control knob and switchable light dependent resistor (housed in a nice chrome bezel).  Often it's hard to find the pitch control bend on these keyboards but not on this one ; ) Soundclip here.

Ge Rangemaster treblebooster clone

Clone of the mythical Rangemaster circuit.  Uses a Mullard OC-76 Transistor but has bias trimpots connected to the base and emitter of the socketed transistor so any Ge PNP transistor could be substituted such as the OC-44 or OC-71.  Has 1M2 drop down resistors on the input and output of the circuit to minimise 'popping'. 

Burns Buzzaround clone

Here it is, my version of the Burns Buzzaround.  I must admit it's got a really nice sound with a lot of versatility!  Controls are Timbre, Sustain, and Balance.  Soundclips here (ac-128 plus 2 Mullard OC transistors, DI), and here (3 ac-128 transistors, MIC). The pure ac-128 Buzzaround has a lot less background noise and is smoother sounding.  The one with the Mullards is a bit more full on.

Burns Buzzaround comparison

I have one of these breadboarded at the minute, it's sounding good!

Brian Duffy - 19th weirdest instrument ever!

Found this on Sonicsate, wait for a bit and theres a little interview with Brian Duffy from Modified Toy Orchestra!

Circuit Bent Yamaha PSS-130

Really like this Bent Yamaha PSS-130!

T********r pro MK2

3 transistor T********r pro mk2 clone with LED indicator, full on Jimmy Page style fuzz.  Soundclip coming soon.

Ampeg Scrambler 2

Ampeg Scrambler I made for Dom.  Octave up mentalism!

Gefs set up

Gef sent me a pic of his set-up with the 1 knob Fuzz clone I made for him, nice spring reverb!

Arcade Drum

Toy drum machine that sounds like an old arcade game when pitched down!  I've come across 2 versions of this circuit - one sounds ok, but the other generates the arcade weirdness.  No way of telling from the outside which one you will get!  This is staying in the studio ; )

V-Tech Alphabet Apple 2

Another nice example of the V-Tech Alphabet Apple. Glitch button, Pitch control, and reset switch added. Lovely random Analog sample and hold craziness, listen here.

Roth Mobot live

Roth Mobot from B Kolak on Vimeo.

Saw this on Get LoFi (a great blog!). The band are playing live in Chicago but beaming it to New York, then the shots of the NY audience are beamed back to be projected in Chicago! ; )  

Nice live setup too.

Interesting Ebay 3

Wah pedal with resistive coil foot 'pump' on Ebay. The foot controller is a piece of military hardware!

Megcos keyboard/drum machine

Simple keyboard/drum machine with downwards pitch control.  This is one of the first 'toys' I have seen with surface mount components instead of the usual larger resistors/transistors/capacitors etc, making it a bit fiddly to solder!  Audio here.

Iron Fist Of The Sun Live

My mate Lee performing Live in Birmingham the other week, pretty full on! ; )

The Mummies fuzz action shot

Nice shot of The Mummies using the 1 Knob Fuzz clone I made for them.

Large Squarewave Synth (Atari Punk Console)

Monster 6 knob Squarewave synth influenced by the Atari Punk Console and the Blast Fed Disaster.  Audio example here.

Super Concert Animal Keyboard v2

2nd version of the Super Concert animal keyboard I have done.  Downwards pitch control, glitchloop threshold control with momentary on button, reset button, and light dependent resistor with on/off switch. Mayhem here.

Phonics Keyboard

The original toy is basically an alphabet desk with a keyboard attatched!  The bends are 'always on' and consist of a pitch knob and a light dependent resistor, the more light the lower the pitch.  Works best in a darkened environment.  In a light environment no sounds are generated until you cover the light dependent resistor.  Audio here.

Rangemaster clone

Rangemaster Treblebooster clone using a Mullard OC76 Germanium transistor.  The transistor is socketed and has a bias pot so the pedal could easily be upgraded to the mythical OC44 or OC71 transistors.  The casing has been given the 'relic' treatment!  DI recording here and MIC recording here.