Guitars dreams p.2: console hybrids - geek-aesthetics and artistic noise generation (Sega, Nintendo, Atari, etc.)
Continuing the guitar theme started in the previous post , let's consider the musical experiments of geeks. Today I will pay attention to such a phenomenon as a hybrid of a guitar and a game console. Such projects have gained popularity among nostalgic for 8 (16) -bits of DIY fans in the past 10 years, in some cases, as bold design concepts, and in others, as a fundamentally new tool with unique functionality. I believe that these, sometimes undervalued, experiments deserve close attention.
Perhaps, the first version of the DIY tool that received limited popularity in the geek community was the so-called. Nindendo Ibanez or Nindendo Guitar.
Oddly enough, this is a classic 6-stringed instrument with one or two humbuckers, which differs from the standard sample only in a hollow body from the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System, used as a deck. As you know, this iconic game console was released in 1985 and gained immense popularity, being one of the best in its time.
The creators of this hybrid seized the insides of the console to give the owner the opportunity to place there some guitar effect, an acoustic system with a small amplifier (turning it into a guitar-combo) or something less trivial.
To prevent string tension from breaking the fragile body of the console, the creators supplied it with special oak inserts. According to those who heard and tried the instrument, fastening the strings to plastic noticeably reduces sustain, due to which the instrument sounds “dry and jerky”.
Custom workshop Devil & Sons on the 25th anniversary of the Sega Megadrive (Genesis) released Segacaster, in which the body of this console was used as a deck. It is not excluded that the masters were impressed by the enthusiasts who created the concept of Nindendo Ibanez.
Interestingly, studying the question, I ran into the video of 2008, where 2 young people demonstrate a similar tool. Perhaps these two will be able to challenge the right of authorship of the concept.
This extraordinary instrument is another gadget for nostalgic guitarist gamers. According to legend, the guitar appeared as a result of a dispute. The administrator of the once popular BitFixGaming forum nicknamed Fibbef decided to make this tool a dispute. It is not surprising to me that he succeeded, as it is known that representatives of some nationalities can do anything at all for a dispute ...
As a result, the admin has a full-featured hybrid of electric guitar and gameboy, recreated in larger sizes, which was named Guitar Boy. For those who have not yet lived at that time, I’ll tell you that the GameBoy is one of the first successful and one of the most powerful portable gaming consoles of its time, released by Nintendo.
A progress report and demonstration of the tool’s capabilities were presented on YouTube channel on September 14, 2015.
As it turned out, Raspberry Pi was chosen as a platform to recreate the capabilities of the original console. The tool copes with the functions of the guitar and game console. The device deck is made in the form of an enlarged case of the original console.
One of the most famous early consoles, produced in the early 80s of the last century, was the Atari 2600. I would even be surprised if they did not make a guitar or some other musical instrument out of it.
The device was created by an Australian with the nickname cTrix in 2011. In 2012, at one of the Japanese festivals, the devil-appliance was revealed to the general public and created a real sensation in the land of the rising sun. Japanese geeks were fascinated, but after that, the eight-bit sound generator was thoroughly forgotten.
Little is left of the guitar in gAtari. The instrument reproduces sounds previously recorded on an EPROM chip, which is used as a cartridge. The main control element of gAtari is a joystick, which switches sounds and triggers tracks recorded on a cartridge.
Next, the signal is fed to 3 successively connected effects pedals (equalizer, flanger and hold pedal) mounted on the fingerboard.
From the video it becomes clear that the instrument is capable of very distinctively noise generating.
Those who remember the restructuring, the console, which became the basis for a musical instrument, was familiar under the pathetic name "Rambo TV Game".
Perhaps the most impeccable, from a musical point of view, a hybrid in today's collection, developed by a prominent figure in the geek-subculture Jeri Ellsworth. She combined into a single whole (in the full sense of these words) a bass guitar and a super popular in the 80s the home PC Commodore 64. The debut of the instrument and its creator passed in the beginning of 2012.
Interestingly, the sound of a bass guitar is not recorded by a traditional electromagnetic pickup, but by piezo sensors (one for each string), and then processed by a computer. Due to the processing, quite ample possibilities of changing the waveform and a very interesting characteristic sound appear. After digital processing, the signal returns to analog form, pre-amplified, then fed to the output.
The system is designed in such a way that the wave shape changes depending on the pressing of certain keys. This allows you to dynamically change the character of the sound during the performance.
In addition, the top row of Commodore 64 keys is used as a “Keytar”. This, hypothetically, increases both the performance capabilities of the instrument and the number of fundamentally new techniques of hybrid sound extraction. The instrument is powered by 16 AA batteries, which are enough for 8 hours of continuous execution.
I sincerely hope that I liked the review. There are still a lot of guitar instruments to tell about. If the cycle, according to readers, has not exhausted itself - write about it in the comments. Traditionally, I propose to participate in the survey. I will be glad to lively discussions on the topic.
Jeans
I remind you that in our catalog you can buy guitar amplifiers, combos , as well as other musical instruments for creating music.
Nindendo Ibanez and Segacaster - 8-bit aesthetics and 16-bit plagiarism
Perhaps, the first version of the DIY tool that received limited popularity in the geek community was the so-called. Nindendo Ibanez or Nindendo Guitar.
Oddly enough, this is a classic 6-stringed instrument with one or two humbuckers, which differs from the standard sample only in a hollow body from the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System, used as a deck. As you know, this iconic game console was released in 1985 and gained immense popularity, being one of the best in its time.
The creators of this hybrid seized the insides of the console to give the owner the opportunity to place there some guitar effect, an acoustic system with a small amplifier (turning it into a guitar-combo) or something less trivial.
To prevent string tension from breaking the fragile body of the console, the creators supplied it with special oak inserts. According to those who heard and tried the instrument, fastening the strings to plastic noticeably reduces sustain, due to which the instrument sounds “dry and jerky”.
Custom workshop Devil & Sons on the 25th anniversary of the Sega Megadrive (Genesis) released Segacaster, in which the body of this console was used as a deck. It is not excluded that the masters were impressed by the enthusiasts who created the concept of Nindendo Ibanez.
Interestingly, studying the question, I ran into the video of 2008, where 2 young people demonstrate a similar tool. Perhaps these two will be able to challenge the right of authorship of the concept.
Guitar Boy - Tetris with Tremolo
This extraordinary instrument is another gadget for nostalgic guitarist gamers. According to legend, the guitar appeared as a result of a dispute. The administrator of the once popular BitFixGaming forum nicknamed Fibbef decided to make this tool a dispute. It is not surprising to me that he succeeded, as it is known that representatives of some nationalities can do anything at all for a dispute ...
As a result, the admin has a full-featured hybrid of electric guitar and gameboy, recreated in larger sizes, which was named Guitar Boy. For those who have not yet lived at that time, I’ll tell you that the GameBoy is one of the first successful and one of the most powerful portable gaming consoles of its time, released by Nintendo.
A progress report and demonstration of the tool’s capabilities were presented on YouTube channel on September 14, 2015.
As it turned out, Raspberry Pi was chosen as a platform to recreate the capabilities of the original console. The tool copes with the functions of the guitar and game console. The device deck is made in the form of an enlarged case of the original console.
gAtari 2600 - the Australian joy of the Japanese boom
One of the most famous early consoles, produced in the early 80s of the last century, was the Atari 2600. I would even be surprised if they did not make a guitar or some other musical instrument out of it.
The device was created by an Australian with the nickname cTrix in 2011. In 2012, at one of the Japanese festivals, the devil-appliance was revealed to the general public and created a real sensation in the land of the rising sun. Japanese geeks were fascinated, but after that, the eight-bit sound generator was thoroughly forgotten.
Little is left of the guitar in gAtari. The instrument reproduces sounds previously recorded on an EPROM chip, which is used as a cartridge. The main control element of gAtari is a joystick, which switches sounds and triggers tracks recorded on a cartridge.
Next, the signal is fed to 3 successively connected effects pedals (equalizer, flanger and hold pedal) mounted on the fingerboard.
From the video it becomes clear that the instrument is capable of very distinctively noise generating.
Those who remember the restructuring, the console, which became the basis for a musical instrument, was familiar under the pathetic name "Rambo TV Game".
Bass guitar Commodore 64
Perhaps the most impeccable, from a musical point of view, a hybrid in today's collection, developed by a prominent figure in the geek-subculture Jeri Ellsworth. She combined into a single whole (in the full sense of these words) a bass guitar and a super popular in the 80s the home PC Commodore 64. The debut of the instrument and its creator passed in the beginning of 2012.
Interestingly, the sound of a bass guitar is not recorded by a traditional electromagnetic pickup, but by piezo sensors (one for each string), and then processed by a computer. Due to the processing, quite ample possibilities of changing the waveform and a very interesting characteristic sound appear. After digital processing, the signal returns to analog form, pre-amplified, then fed to the output.
The system is designed in such a way that the wave shape changes depending on the pressing of certain keys. This allows you to dynamically change the character of the sound during the performance.
In addition, the top row of Commodore 64 keys is used as a “Keytar”. This, hypothetically, increases both the performance capabilities of the instrument and the number of fundamentally new techniques of hybrid sound extraction. The instrument is powered by 16 AA batteries, which are enough for 8 hours of continuous execution.
Total
I sincerely hope that I liked the review. There are still a lot of guitar instruments to tell about. If the cycle, according to readers, has not exhausted itself - write about it in the comments. Traditionally, I propose to participate in the survey. I will be glad to lively discussions on the topic.
Jeans
I remind you that in our catalog you can buy guitar amplifiers, combos , as well as other musical instruments for creating music.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/410495/