Sunday, April 27, 2008

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Green Keyboard

Green keyboard with Pitch control and distort switch.  Capable of some pretty agresssive tones and drones.  Audio here.












Collapsing Star prototype

'Collapsing Star' prototype with pitch and collapse controls.  Audio here.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Germanium Transistor tester

Made myself a Germanium Transistor tester based on the testing circuit in R.G. Keens The Technology of the Fuzz Face. The circuit is screwed to a varnished wooden block, and provides a quick and easy way of finding out the approximate gain and leakage of a Germanium transistor.

Andrea and his groovy tunes radio

Andrea from Italy sent me this video of him and a friend playing their groovy tunes radio! ; )
Hard to tell but it looks like they have a pitch control, and some switches and body contacts on the handle.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Kay Tremolo with EH LPB Boost


Kay Tremolo with built in clone of the EH LPB boost circuit giving an overall volume control for the effect as well as blend and rate controls. Listen here.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Hing Hon Ek-001 'Vortex' SE

The latest in a long line of Hing Hon EK-001 'Vortex' keyboards.  I keep on picking up these keyboards with different insides every time so each one turns out different.  Controls added are the 2 knob time vortex section (with crash protection preset pots) and an overall pitch control.  Had to remove the internal speaker to fit the controls in, and added a 1/4 inch audio output. The bends make this version is a LOT bassier than others I have bent in the past.  Audio here.

Pascal Labrouillère - Ma Dictée Magique



Pascal has bought quite a few devices from me. Here is a video he has done featuring the french version of the Speak and Spell, more here.

Monday, April 14, 2008

X-Factor drum machine


Drum Machine with added downwards pitch control. A light dependent resistor also affects the pitch when switched on.  Audio here.

Brumcast 94 featuring 'WIndscale' LIVE



In this weeks show we are proud to present a live performance from Birmingham circuit bending types WINDSCALE along with Grime from Baybee Venom, Acoustic from Richard Chappell, The Kidzlikedanny choir, Industrial from Flesh Eating Foundation and Torque, Post rock(?) from The Hungry I, lots of electro from Distinct Radi0, Johnny Normal, Aaron.C and Ack!!!

Super Concert Animal Keyboard




Insane animal sound keyboard with 2 pitch controls, and a 'droneloop' button with its own threshold control. Things start getting mental when the light dependent resistor is switched on, more light equals more extreme downwards pitch shifting. Mayhem here.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Modified Kay Tremolo



Custom order for Damien from Switzerland, a modified Kay Tremolo. Started out as a normal Kay Tremolo but a few things just didn't sound right to me so I waded in and modified the circuit! First I replaced one resistor in the circuit with a preset potientometer which allows you to determine the base speed of the pedal (the audio example shows the pedal set to the fastest it can go, open it up and turn down the pot and you can get slower base speeds). I had major problems with the amp stage (too much distortion) so I simply got rid of it leaving just the bare tremolo circuit, a much cleaner sound! The 2 controls are blend (mix between dry and wet signal) and rate (Tremolo speed). Audio example here.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Custom Mega Voice Changer



Custom job for Thomas. A re-housed voice changer, 2 pitch controls, volume control, 3 'modes', switchable line-in and dynamic mic in. Took quite a while to get 'right'! The input section features special custom circuits for connecting a mic/line to the original electret mic circuitry.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

GE Fuzz Face with Roger Mayer mods


The last of the recent batch of AC-128s went into this Fuzz Face Clone with Roger Mayer/Jimi Hendrix circuit modifications. Fuzz here.

Sing and Play keyboard.

Keyboard with added pitch control for mental pitched down drones. The keyboard lights up while you play! Audio here.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

New Windscale songs on MySpace

Some new songs uploaded to the Windscale Myspace profile. Mostly rough mixes for the new Windscale album ' The Golden Path'.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Tonebender MK2

Finished a nice version of the Tonebender MK 2.   A 2 transistor (AC-128s used) circuit that sounds very similar to the classic Fuzz Face, maybe a bit less fizz in the top end. Audio example here.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Brumcast - The Sound of the Midlands


Kicking off with some tremendous 'Violent Pop' from Miss Halliwell, Brumcast 91 features an exclusive new track from post rock group 'Old School Tie', mashed electro from 'Windscale' and 'The $hit', acoustic from 'The Destroyers' vocalist Paul Murphy, Ska from 'Cracked Actors', techno from RTi8, goth rock from 'Dead Instruments', Drum N Bass from 'Drowned Denko', Metal from 'Shirkume' and 'Smokin Corpses' and piles of other stuff. Listen in to the sound of the Midlands!

Bass Fuzz Face


Just finished this for Neil from Windscale.   It's a Bass Fuzz Face featuring AC-128 germanium transistors, all the Jimi Hendrix/Roger Mayer modifications to the original Fuzz Face circuit, and input/output capacitor mods for extra bass.  I have also added a switch that takes the 'fizz' from the top end making the sound even more 'bassy'.  Sound sample coming soon.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Windscale at the 444 club


A bit of an early set from Windscale at the Rainbow this Friday, quite looking forward to seeing Einstellung.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

'Vortex' version 3.1


A new rave look to this version of the 'Vortex', Audio here.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Stevies Speak and Spell

Stevie sent me a pic of his Speak and Spell made with the aid of my bending guide.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Inspired By Delia Derbyshire : Plug Me In

Windscale have a track (Yellow Sky) on the new 'Inspired by Delia Derbyshire : Plug Me In' compilation on Myuzyk, a new net label with lots of quality free releases.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Orange Keyboard

Orange keyboard with microphone.  I have added a pitch control and a 'filter' control.  Makes nice pitched down drones that you can play with the keyboard, the filter control gradually thins out the sound and changes the decay and pitch envelopes altering the timbre.  Mp3 here.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Bent 2008 USA

Held in 3 cities in the United States The Bent festival is a regular event now, with Circuit Bending workshops and Live performance.  Wish we had something like this in the UK.