A request for interesting fuzz pedals on an online forum made me suggest a number of circuits. The Harmonic Jerkulator was chosen. I took a commission and built a version of Tim Escobedo's circuit (with silicon transistors and no clipping diodes) into an EH Switchblade pedal. I think it was a success, from treble boost to chunky, gated-fuzz.
It's not going to make all guitarists sound like Steve Albini, but it has a character unlike many other fuzzes and overdrives that is fun to play. I was not trying to recreate the original Harmonic Percolator (by Interfax), but to make a pedal which could give a range of tones that would have impact when used live, and would deliver useful shelving (without needing to use extra EQ) when used in a studio.
It creates plenty of hiss and rumble, and even had traces of radio ghost voices in some settings; It does a great job of distorting that is not done by digital plug-ins.
I built Karl Klomp's Dirty Video Mixer from the schematic he put online.
The schematic with tweaked contrast and brightness
+ build as bare bones without enclosure
+ enclosure with lazer etched graphics:
A demonstration test recorded onto phone camera:
Source material was a VHS of video feedback (camera + monitor) through a circuit bent processor and a DVD of animated loops of diagonal lines created in Flash.
Cavan Fyans sent me a pair of PCBs for his latest Atari Noise Board.
I housed one in a "Little Miss Trouble"
tin that I found in a charity shop. After connecting potentiometers I
put sockets into the solder pads marked for touch connectors, then
plugged in a few connection wires (usually used for breadboard prototyping) which I jabbed into a mandarin and a banana. The results sound like this:
My second Atari Noise Board isn't housed yet, but I added four copper touch pads to the LM380 which adds some Crackle Box like action to the sound palette. There's always something playful to be made from bench scrap!
I also built a pair of WSG resonant filters. These are the smoothest sounding of all the filters I have made so far. I've enjoyed adding a force sensor/FSR (thank you Ian McCurdy) to squeeze open the vowel sounds.
A while back I was given the book Handmade Music Factory by Mike Orr. It's full of interesting pictures and info relating to DIY instruments. Trying to build some of the projects has been on my 'to do' list for a while.
After playing with the Diddley Bows made by Andrew Cooke I decided to have a go at making something quick and dirty.
A three-legged table fell apart in my yard recently: I discarded the rotten wood and salvaged a few pieces. The legs seemed in fairly good condition, one was used for this build. Other parts, such as the pick-up and tuning peg were from an old bass guitar. The jack socket was new, but fitted to the plate from an old strat-copy. The nut is weathered glass from Helen's Bay beach. The bridge; an found off-cut of conduit pipe. The tail-piece is an old bracket from some furniture.
Here's a demo video of the first notes played through one of my recently built "Smokey" amps:
The amp uses two recycled VHS boxes for the enclosure. The speaker is from an old keyboard, the capacitors and jacks were from an old mixer. More upcycling to follow.
The first workshop of BUILD/CODE/IMPROVISE/PERFORM was carried out on Saturday 6 April 2013 at Catalyst Arts, Belfast (part of their exhibition, 'Under Construction'). The devices built and bent at the workshop will be used in the other workshops in the series in preparation for an event at SARC as part of the Sonorities Festival.
Here's an advert I found after the event had passed:
Beginners build a booster unit in one day. No knowledge of physics is required. Learn basic soldering.
In four hours participants will build an amp-slapping boost circuit including: in / out jacks, control pot and bypass switch. Tools are available in the workspace.
Noise / feedback oscillator using a TL071 chip. One potentiometer. Six touch points. On / Off power switch. Features: wheezing, radio interference, and wild volume jumps.
In a bold move representing a modest, but significant, first step towards world domination, we, the RESET collective, are preparing to launch an independent record label, which after many hours of drug-fuelled debate, quasi-monastic soul-searching and scholarly deliberation we have decided to call... *drum roll*… R E S E T !
To mark this momentous occasion we’ll be throwing down the craic gauntlet this Saturday night at the Menagerie, with our first FEELGOOD SOUL-PARTY JAM of 2012. BOO-YA!!
To help us celebrate, we’ve invited Chester-based producer REAL - a prolific young talent with a colouful, exuberant production style – to deliver what promises to be an eminently danceable live set of skewed house and soulful garage.
Brian Greene will also be busting out his considerable live soul chops once again, while Defcon and Kab Driver are apparently planning DJ sets filled with “balls to the wall” party tunes to satisfy the inner Patrick Swayze in all of you.
Expect BROKEN HOUSE, DIRTY FONK, and SPACE VIBEZ galore.
PLUS - Psych-tastic live visuals by the one and only B.E.W.
9.30pm - £5
Come one, come all!!
RST001
The inaugural RESET release is a 9-track mini-album of dub-inflected, cosmic hiphop excursions by DEFCON, entitled IN BINARY SHRINES. Exclusive advance copies will be available to purchase at the gig on Saturday in the form of a limited edition digipak CD, adorned with some propa natty psychedelic artwork:
Circuit based on Tim Escobedo's Harmonic Jerkulator. This is based on the original Harmonic Percolator. Click the link and enjoy some words from Steve Albini.
