Some photos from the workshop. Thanks to everyone who attended. To hear about more of our workshops join our mailing list on the home page.

Thanks to the people who attended our workshop.

Some photos from the workshop. Thanks to all participants and to We’re All Bats for having us.

Here are some examples of DIY synths mae by us using contact mics and other components to make a unique instrument.

INSPIRATION

The circuit we will be building is developed from the ’noise567’, originally designed Christian Hemmo in 2001. An NE567 Tone Decoder IC is wired up in a completely unorthodox manner to create a very noisy and strange squarewave generator / ring modulator. Through experimenting and circuit-bending we have changed component values to find our own sound, added a built-in contact microphone to amplify springs and other physical objects, and added a light-dependent resistor to allow for theremin-like pitch control using handheld torches, flashing light toys, strobe lights, sunlight and shadows, or any other way to modulate the amount of light hitting the sensor. 

The circuit is built using the ‘paper circuit’ technique. Instead of a conventional manufactured printed circuit board with copper tracks, the circuit layout is printed on thin card. The component legs are poked through pinholes in the card and twisted together on the other side, then soldered. This very accessible technique was pioneered by experimental synth designer Peter Blasser, who publishes many unusual sound circuits in this format, for example the ‘Rungling’ featured in the book ‘Handmade Electronic Music'
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The spinner toy component is inspired by a gig we did under the name of 4’33’society which was led by Phillip Raymond Goodman where members of the group were invited to create methods to create sounds and noise with a fidget spinner.  

For our next experiment we wanted to see what happened when using a solar panel to bring in light, creating control voltages to control pitch in a similar way to the LDR on the Fort Processor.
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We've filmed a few of the results. These are very initial ideas so far. We wanted to imagine how Mars sounds and so far recordings by NASA show that yes Mars does sound like Noise ! (see video 2nd video in this post)

We wanted to use this idea on a simple circuit just to see what happened.  We are using the same '4000 series' CMOS chips as in the oscillator section of the Chernobylizer.  We skipped the breadboard this time and instead are using a cardboard/paper board and used a compass to poke out the holes for the components. The circuit is Ciat Lonbarde's 'Rungling', which we are using as a starting point to circuitbend and modify with an added small solar panel as light sensor.

Next we are going to experiment more with solar and other circuits. We are also trying out partially solar-powered circuits.  

We have been looking at vintage electronics textbooks and websites for more inspiration and ideas about simple solar/audio circuits too. At the most basic level, a solar panel connected directly to a speaker or audio input can pick up light fluctuations and directly convert them to sound!

"The Perseverance rover carries two microphones, letting us directly record the sounds of Mars for the very first time.

Even though Earth and Mars are entirely different planets, it may be comforting to know that if you were on Mars, you might still sound pretty much like yourself. If you were standing on Mars, you’d hear a quieter, more muffled version of what you’d hear on Earth, and you’d wait slightly longer to hear it. On Mars, the atmosphere is entirely different. But, the biggest change to audio would be to high-pitch sounds, higher than most voices. Some sounds that we’re used to on Earth, like whistles, bells or bird songs, would almost be inaudible on Mars."
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/sounds/​

Below, Perseverance taking a selfie
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/taking-a-selfie-on-the-red-planet

Sounds from Mars. I've (Lisa) already loaded these onto my sampler and had a few Mars sound adventures while using them with FX. The closest I have gotten to outer space apart from looking through the telescope.

Visit the Isn'tses Etsy store to buy our psychogeographic noise synths, eurorack art panels and Isn'tses merch ​ - isntses.etsy.com

source: magazine.caltech.edu/post/mars-first-photo-jpl​
​www.nasa.gov/solar-system/planets/mars/advances-in-nasa-imaging-changed-how-world-sees-mars/

​Where are the aliens?
As in Ray Bradbury's "The Million-Year Picnic", we are the aliens, the robots are the aliens.  Mars is not our planet.

"NASA’s Perseverance rover puts its robotic arm to work around a rocky outcrop called “Skinner Ridge” in Mars’ Jezero Crater. Composed of multiple images, this mosaic shows layered sedimentary rocks in the face of a cliff in the delta, as well as one of the locations where the rover abraded a circular patch to analyze a rock’s composition." mars.nasa.gov/resources/26995/perseverance-workspace-at-skinner-ridge/

Going to Mars
We are going to Mars.
You can too, get your boarding pass.
Join us

To see our Synths Visit our Store
​www.etsy.com/shop/isntses