Circuit bending may be the creative personalization from the circuits within electronics for example low current, battery-powered guitar effects, children’s toys and small digital synthesizers to produce new musical or visual instruments and seem generators.
Emphasizing spontanity and randomness, the strategy of circuit bending happen to be generally connected with noise music, though a lot more conventional contemporary musicians and musical groups happen to be known to test out "bent" instruments. Circuit bending usually involves dismantling the device and adding components for example switches and potentiometers that alter .
Circuit bending is frequently used by individuals without any formal learning circuit theory or design, tinkering with second-hands electronics inside a DIY fashion. Affordable keyboards, drum machines, and electronic children’s toys (not always created for music production) are generally used. Aimless modifications can lead to short circuits, inducing the chance of fire, burning, or electrocution.
Aesthetic value, immediate usability and highly randomized answers are frequently factors while effectively bending electronics. Even though the good reputation for electronic music is frequently connected with unconventional sonic results, such innovators as Robert Moog [1] and Léon Theremin [2] were domestic electricians, and much more worried about the consistency and seem style of their instruments. Circuit bending is typified by inconsistencies in instruments built-in an unscientific manner. Even though many pre-fitted circuit bent machines take presctiption offer for purchase at sites such aseBay, this somewhat contravenes the aim of most practitioners. Machines bent to some repeated configuration tend to be more similar to the well-known practice of "mods", like the Devilfish mod for that Roland TB-303, the famous Speak and Spell toys or various Analogman or Pedaldoc guitar pedal circuit modifications.
Circuit bending a sound device typically involves taking out the rear panel from the tool and connecting any two circuit locations having a "jumper" wire, delivering current in one area of the circuit into another. Answers are monitored most likely through the device’s internal speaker or by connecting a guitar amp towards the speaker output. If the interesting effect is achieved, this connection could be marked for future reference or stored active by soldering a brand new connection or bridging it with crocodile clips. Frequently other components are placed at these points for example pushbuttons or switches, to show the result off or on or components for example resistors or capacitors, to alter the caliber of the audio output. This really is repeated on the learning from mistakes basis. Other components added in to the circuit can provide the artist more expressiveness, such aspotentiometers, photoresistors (for response to light) and pressure sensors.
how you can identify capacitors (which could provide a person a significant shock because of the electrical charge they store), and the way to avoid risks with AC power. For safety reasons, a circuit bender must have a couple of fundamental electronics tools, like a multi meter (a digital testing device which measures current, resistance along with other factors). It’s advised that beginner circuit benders should never "bend" any device that will get its power from mains electricity (household AC power), because this would have a serious chance of electrocution.
Innovators
Although similar methods were formerly utilized by other musicians and engineers, this process of music creation is considered to possess been pioneered by Reed Ghazala within the 1960s. Ghazala’s knowledge about circuit-bending started in 1966 whenever a toy transistor amplifier, by accident, shorted-out against metallic object in the desk drawer, producing a stream of surprising sounds. [5] While Ghazala states he wasn’t the very first circuit bender, he created the word Circuit Bending [6] and whole-heartedly promoted the proliferation from the concept and exercise through his writings and website, earning him the title "Father of Circuit Bending".
Serge Tcherepnin, designer from the Serge modular synthesizers, discussed [7] his early experiments within the 1950s using the transistor radio, by which he found sensitive circuit points in individuals simple electronics and introduced them to "body contacts" around the plastic chassis. Just before Mark’s and Reed’s experiments other pioneers also explored your body-contact idea, among the earliest being Thaddeus Cahill (1897) whose telharmonium, it’s reported, seemed to be touch-sensitive.
Since 1984, Swiss duo Voice Crack produced music by manipulating common electronics inside a practice they termed "cracked everyday electronics." [8]