Circuit bending research project - REPLY TO THIS PLEASE (circuitbenders)

[Circuitbenders]

Just moved this topic to the main discussion page, maybe you'll get some more replies

[andy_wheels]

1. How did you first get into Circuit Bending?

after seeing one of reed ghazalas hippyfied speak and spells i started twiddling with a little yamaha keyboard i had in the shed... i was immediately pleased with the sounds i found and equally happy with the freaked expressions of friends when i showed them what i was doing...

2. How important do you feel it is to have an understanding of true-theory electronics? Is the knowledge necessary to enable one to progress further into the art?

initially it isn't at all important but as you go deeper certain basic electronics knowledge becomes vital. i'd admit to still having large holes in my understandings but i scrape by...

3. What factors do you think have contributed to the development and current state of the art?

the cheap availability of old tech and the fantastic way ideas can be shared via the internet have both been important to the development of circuit bending.

4. What do you think makes Circuit Bending such an easy access art form?

it's very hands on, cheap and easy to start. the thrill involved in twisting devices into new uses is very satisfying.

5. Do you regularly make music or perform with your Circuit Bent instruments? Or is the thrill in the build?

yes, i'm more of a musican than a circuit bender. i regularly use circuit bent gear live as it creates a craziness that makes for a really 'live' show. i think it's obvious why an audience might get more enjoyment from seeing someone twiddling a barbie karaoke into feedback insanity than standing by a laptop.

5. What do you think the future holds for Circuit Bending?

i dont like predicting the future... but i hope there will be a few years left before the invasion of chinese 'black blob' tech kills the art...

6. Reed Ghazala often mentions how body contacts can enable both an instrument and the player to become one entity – what is your opinion on this coming together of man and machine?

i find more interest in the meeting of ideas between technology and art/craft rather then a rather glib sci-fi concept like that.

7. To what extent do you feel miniaturisation (both in circuit board and component design) has contributed to the development of the art?

'black blobs' are evil! generally, older ic's and circuits are more fun to bend than newer, miniature ones.

8. What are your opinions on people who Circuit Bend for financial reasons (eg people selling bent instruments on Ebay etc)? Do you think Circuit Bendings cottage industry could ever progress to more of a mass production type?

selling useful modded instruments is fine. selling one sound / one bend toys is a bit crap however.

a mass production would surely nullify the idea of circuit bending? it makes no sense. bending is craft from mass production. without the craft it's nothing...

9. Where do you see Circuit Bending in contemporary music?

all over the place! i do think it sounds great when used along side more 'normal' ways to create music. pure circuit bent music does tend to sound a bit limited.


10. What first attracted you to Circuit Bending?

a casio childhood and the smell of solder melting.

[Signal:Noise]

8. What are your opinions on people who Circuit Bend for financial reasons (eg people selling bent instruments on Ebay etc)? Do you think Circuit Bendings cottage industry could ever progress to more of a mass production type?

I sell on ebay, and though i tend to stick to the same machines i do my level best to make each unique.

Adding a bit more after Our esteemed leader's comment.

As I've said, I do sell on ebay and it is amazing how much badly done shit is out there. It's almost insulting to see someone sell a DD-6 drum machine with 4 switches for 70 quid, when I've done identical drum machines with patch bays and all the trimmings and they've gone for a lot less. I'm alsways fair with my pricing, auctions get started at 99p so people can bid what they think a machine is worth, rather than some over inflated price i consider right. There are however, lots of times when i am utterly shocked buy how much something goes for, but again, if someone feels that the machine is worth that who am i to argue.

[iqoruvuc]

1. How did you first get into Circuit Bending?

It was weird; i had heard about circuit bending but never given it much thought, and then saw a circuit bent casio on eBay and found myself buying a soldering iron and hanging around maplins at weekends.

2. How important do you feel it is to have an understanding of true-theory electronics? Is the knowledge necessary to enable one to progress further into the art?

Whilst chance be a big factor here you can definately have more control over the sound if you know (a) what your doing and (b) where to look.  I have all but a basic knowledge of electronics which gets me by, but I wouldn't get by without the knowledge of other people.  I would not have ever figured out the 555 oscillator by chance!

3. What factors do you think have contributed to the development and current state of the art?

The internet been a great source for people to get help/find out about it/share ideas, and also the shear complexity of some music programmes makes it fun just mucking about and having a laugh.  I also think the availability of software samplers (perhaps even downloaded for free) means more people have had access to samplers and want to play around with strange sounds.

4. What do you think makes Circuit Bending such an easy access art form?
the fact that apart from the odd few most of those 80's keyboards have not held their value.  I would hate to have to buy keyboards brand new!

5. Do you regularly make music or perform with your Circuit Bent instruments? Or is the thrill in the build?

I primiarlly bend to get sounds, but I often get more pleasure from the bending (maybe I should rephrase that  )

5. What do you think the future holds for Circuit Bending?

Some machines have become quite collectable, and I imagine with all those destroyed or circuit bent that will continue.  SMD technology could kill circuit bending or it will force people to develop the ideas further.

6. Reed Ghazala often mentions how body contacts can enable both an instrument and the player to become one entity – what is your opinion on this coming together of man and machine?

I don't really buy that man and machine thing.


7. To what extent do you feel miniaturisation (both in circuit board and component design) has contributed to the development of the art?

I imagine it hasn't in many ways, although cheaper constructions costs due to miniaturisation could allow cheaper products?!?!

8. What are your opinions on people who Circuit Bend for financial reasons (eg people selling bent instruments on Ebay etc)? Do you think Circuit Bendings cottage industry could ever progress to more of a mass production type?

I can't see it going into mass production because of it's very essence however I can invisage small-scale production of boards and kits such as type Highly Liquid produce.  I have never sold any of my machines since I have either bodged them half through building them, or only have one of them and don't want to part with it.  Space does become an issue so I expect at some point I will sell a few.  Like anything if there is too much crap for sale (one bend wonders) then people will not want to purchase anything and that coulld harm the movement.  Being able to make money from your 'art' allows freedoom to some extent because you can buy more gear and if successful give up that horrible 9-5!

9. Where do you see Circuit Bending in contemporary music?

Right at the forefront wih Phill Collins

10. What first attracted you to Circuit Bending?

the unpredictability of it.

[jamiedodd]

thanks for replying (and for moving the topic for me and encouraging people to reply)


im most grateful

[jamiewoody]

1. How did you first get into Circuit Bending?
I DID AN EBAY SEARCH FOR "CASIO" AND THE WORD CAME UP. I WAS INTRIGUED INITIALLY BY, "WHAT DID I JUST READ?!!" I HAD TO FIND OUT!

2. How important do you feel it is to have an understanding of true-theory electronics? Is the knowledge necessary to enable one to progress further into the art?
IT IS POSSIBLE TO DO IT WITHOUT CLASSICAL ELECTRONIC TRAINING, JUST AS IT IS POSSIBLE TO PICK UP A GUITAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT A MIXOLYDIAN MODE IS. BUT, THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE MORE PROFICIENT YOU BECOME! AS A MATTER OF FACT, I PLAN TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL FOR ELECTRONICS BECAUSE OF CIRCUIT BENDING!

3. What factors do you think have contributed to the development and current state of the art?
I THINK THE INTERNET, WHICH HAS SPED UP THE FLOW OF INFORMATION HAS BEEN A HUGE FACTOR. I THINK ONE DOWNSIDE, IF THERE IS ONE...WELL, CASIO IS NOT MAKING SK1 KEYBOARDS ANYMORE. AS MUCH AS I LOVE THE BENT SK1S, IT IS ALMOST LIKE SHOOTING A BALD EAGLE IN THAT ONCE THEY ARE ALL BENT, THERE WILL BE NO MORE TO BEND, UNLESS SOMEONE IN JAPAN IS MAKING REPLICAS OR SOMETHING.

4. What do you think makes Circuit Bending such an easy access art form?
I DON'T THINK IT IS AN EASY ART FORM, REALLY. I THINK BECOMING TOO LAX IN ONE'S APPROACH CAUSES ONE TO BE CARELESS. I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE.

5. Do you regularly make music or perform with your Circuit Bent instruments? Or is the thrill in the build?
LATELY I HAVE USED CIRCUIT BENT INSTRUMENTS, AS WELL AS OTHER HOMEMADE SYNTHS IN RECORDING PROJECTS.


5. What do you think the future holds for Circuit Bending?
WHO KNOWS WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. REED GHAZALA SET HIS RADIO ON A TABLE, IT SHORT CIRCUITED, AND HE DISCOVERED ALL KINDS OF WEIRD SOUNDS...THIS WAS WHEN HE WAS IN HIGHSCHOOL IN THE LATE 50S! SO, IT IS NOTHING NEW. IT SEEMS THE ART FORM HAS REALLY GROWN IN THE PAST 5 YEARS.  I WOULD LIKE TO HOPE IT WILL ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO INNOVATE, CREATE AS WELL AS PRESERVE A RICH HERITAGE.

6. Reed Ghazala often mentions how body contacts can enable both an instrument and the player to become one entity – what is your opinion on this coming together of man and machine?
I THINK THE VERY IDEA OF THE BIOELECTRONICAUDIOSAPIEN IS COMPLETELY FASCINATING! I USE BODY CONTACTS IN A LOT OF MY CIRCUITS. IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, IT IS MANIPULATING THE CAPACITANCE OF THE CIRCUIT.

BESIDES, THERE IS A WAVE BEHIND EVERY THING IN THE UNIVERSE, SOUND, LIGHT, MOTION...IT ALL COMES IN WAVES. ATOMS WITH POSITIVE CHARGED IONS AND NEGATIVE CHARGED ELECTRON ORBITALS ARE AT THE BASIS OF ALL MATTER. THESE MOLECULES ARE CONSTANTLY MOVING!

7. To what extent do you feel miniaturisation (both in circuit board and component design) has contributed to the development of the art?
I'M NOT FEMALE, SO I DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT! (JUST KIDDING!) ;-)

8. What are your opinions on people who Circuit Bend for financial reasons (eg people selling bent instruments on
Ebay etc)? Do you think Circuit Bendings cottage industry could ever progress to more of a mass production type?
MY OPINION IS, LIKE ANY ART FORM...THERE ARE THE ARTISTS, AND THERE ARE THE PATRONS. IF I DIDN'T MAKE THIS STUFF, I WOULD BUT IT! PLUS, IT IS HARD TO JUST MAKE A LIVING THESE DAYS, SO ANYTHING ONE CAN DO TO MAKE AN HONEST BUCK...GO FOR IT!

9. Where do you see Circuit Bending in contemporary music?
I HAVE HEARD THERE ARE RECORDING ARTISTS DOING IT TODAY. THE THERAMIN LIKE SOUND IN "GOOD VIBRATIONS" WAS A CIRCUIT BENT INSTRUMENT. WHAT WAS THAT, 40 YEARS AGO?!

10. What first attracted you to Circuit Bending?
LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THE VERY IDEA OF IT. WHEN I SAW THE WORD PRINTED ON MY COMPUTER MONITOR, I WAS INSTANTLY HOOKED! I'LL ALSO ADD, THAT THROUGH CIRCUIT BENDING, I AM LESS INTERESTED IN CIRCUIT BENDNING, AND LEARNING TO BUILD MY OWN SYNTHESIZERS FROM BASIC CIRCUIT BOARDS AND COMPONENTS!

[Gordonjcp]

Jamiewoody - did you notice that this topic is three years old?  Also, lay off the capslock ;-)

I wonder how the original poster got on with his project?

[Circuitbenders]

He siad he was going to send me a copy but inevitably he never did. Shame.

[jamiewoody]

nope....i HAD to use CAPSLOCK to differentiate between the questions and my answers...since i can't change the colours.

[casioboi]

1. How did you first get into Circuit Bending?

The same way Reed did, I guess. I used to poke around inside transistor radios and stuff when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s and noticed that shorting the solder connections with a metal object created weird sounds.

2. How important do you feel it is to have an understanding of true-theory electronics? Is the knowledge necessary to enable one to progress further into the art?

I've studied electronics, but I think the whole point of bending is to just poke around and see what noises you can make. An in-depth understanding of electronics could cause you to overthink what you're doing and dismiss some ideas without trying them simply because they don't fit into an engineer's worldview. As a general rule, too much knowledge tends to make us try to force things to fit our preconceptions.

3. What factors do you think have contributed to the development and current state of the art?

I'm not really up on the history of circuit bending, so I won't venture an opinion here.

4. What do you think makes Circuit Bending such an easy access art form?

The consumer electronics revolution of the 1980s has left us with a surplus of cheap vintage devices. Anyone can grab an old keyboard off of Ebay and take it apart and try new things without suffering much of a loss if they break something.

5. Do you regularly make music or perform with your Circuit Bent instruments? Or is the thrill in the build?

My Casio drum pads are the first devices I've modified, and I've only just started that project. I'm not much of a driummer, so I think seeing the full velocity-sensitive, 20-pad MIDI drum kit completed will be a bigger thrill than actually playing it.

5. What do you think the future holds for Circuit Bending?

Like all technological trends in music, it will become cliched for awhile, only to make a resurgence some years later. Rinse and repeat.

6. Reed Ghazala often mentions how body contacts can enable both an instrument and the player to become one entity – what is your opinion on this coming together of man and machine?

Resistance is futile?

7. To what extent do you feel miniaturisation (both in circuit board and component design) has contributed to the development of the art?

Miniaturization actually undermines the ability to bend a device somewhat, as newer devices are mostly DSP-based (i.e., they rely on software algorithms rather than circuit layout) and are thus not really bendable.

8. What are your opinions on people who Circuit Bend for financial reasons (eg people selling bent instruments on Ebay etc)? Do you think Circuit Bendings cottage industry could ever progress to more of a mass production type?

It's an art form, and artists have to eat too. That said, I think people should come up with their own bends rather than buying a bent device that is an exact copy of a bend that has already been done before.

9. Where do you see Circuit Bending in contemporary music?

Not sure I get this question.

10. What first attracted you to Circuit Bending?

I've been curious about electronics since I was a toddler. Bending is just another aspect of that.

[Circuitbenders]

This thread is over 3 years old now so i guess the original purpose is way past but having said that, if people want to keep on replying to it then feel free as its always interesting to hear peoples responses to these questions.

[jamiewoody]

we see people peruse this forum with occasional posts and reply...it is nice to get to know other's visions behind what they do.

[druzz]

fun little tread , here'S my answers

1. How did you first get into Circuit Bending?

i wanted to build an analog modular synth but quicklly understood that i should start with something more easy.
so i started to look around for projects. build  an APC and by searching around i found circuit bending , so i fried a little yamaha fm module that was plugged in the mains then learned to do it rigth.

2. How important do you feel it is to have an understanding of true-theory electronics? Is the knowledge necessary to enable one to progress further into the art?

maybe not but personally i'm the kind of guy who wants to understand what is happening  and i appriciate having knolegdge that can be of use in what i do.  i think that if you want to expand circuits beyond just making shorts and adding pots and switches . also i like to know approximatly what i'm doing

3. What factors do you think have contributed to the development and current state of the art?

communication :- internet wich hs plenty of nice place like here to share ideas and to learn
                      books   i've read circuit bending by Reed  G
and am curently reading the art of hardware hacking by  Nick C and they helped me a lot to get into it fast and effectively

4. What do you think makes Circuit Bending such an easy access art form?

easy acces ?? i'm nt sure about that. drawing is easy acces, dancing is easy acces. do to circuit bending you need some stuff.
doing it doesnt mean youre doing it as an art form

5. Do you regularly make music or perform with your Circuit Bent instruments? Or is the thrill in the build?

every time i do a new piece i try to use it on a song

5. What do you think the future holds for Circuit Bending?
i fear that maybe the cool bendable stuff will become more rare because of miniaturisation but there will always be tons of junk

6. Reed Ghazala often mentions how body contacts can enable both an instrument and the player to become one entity – what is your opinion on this coming together of man and machine?

yeah watever
same ting for any old musical instrument if you ask me

7. To what extent do you feel miniaturisation (both in circuit board and component design) has contributed to the development of the art?

it makes our eyes hurt i guess

8. What are your opinions on people who Circuit Bend for financial reasons (eg people selling bent instruments on Ebay etc)? Do you think Circuit Bendings cottage industry could ever progress to more of a mass production type?

i respect good craftmens selling their work . iwould despise peolple using the hype on circuit bending to sell trashed crap.

9. Where do you see Circuit Bending in contemporary music?

electronic music started with circuit bending 
electronic music started in contemporary music

10. What first attracted you to Circuit Bending?

making new sounds
using my iron
taking boring trash around me and turn it into something cool