Distortion pedals and overdrive effects usually have a bunch of lovely transistors or op-amps inside and lots of knobs and dials to tweak the sound to your personal taste. However, it’s possible to get some crunchiness in your audio signal without all that fuss, as [Simon Hutchinson] demonstrates with his $2 “analog saturation box”. The […]
Got some spare filament and looking to build a guitar you can truly call your own? [The 3D Print Zone] has created a modular 3D printable guitar system that lets you easily mix and match different components for the ultimate in customization. The build is based around a central core, which combines the pickups, bridge, […]
There are plenty of audio mixers on the market, and the vast majority all look the same. If you wanted something different, or just a nice learning experience, you could craft your own instead. That’s precisely what [Something Physical] did. The build was inspired by an earlier 3-channel mixer designed by [Moritz Klein]. This project […]
What do you get when you combine an ESP32, a 16-bit DAC, an antique VFD, and an IDE CD-ROM drive? Not much, unless you put in the work, which [Akasaka Ryuunosuke] did to create ESPer-CDP, a modern addition for your hi-fi rack. It plays CDs (of course), but also can also scrobb the disks to […]
In the early years of electrification, when electricity was beginning to shape the modern world, this new technology was being put to use in many more places than turning motors and providing lighting. Some things we can see as obvious missteps like electrified corsets marketed as health tonics or x-ray treatments for eye strain, but […]
The B&W Nautalis is, depending who you ask, either infamous or an icon of modern design. Want the look but don’t have a hundred grand to spare? [Every Project All at Once] has got a Nautalis-inspired design on printables you can run off for pennies. He also provides a tutorial video (embedded below) so you […]
Plenty of consumer goods, from passenger vehicles to toys to electronics, get tossed out prematurely for all kinds of reasons. Repairable damage, market trends, planned obsolescence, and bad design can all lead to an early sunset on something that might still have some useful life in it. This was certainly the case for a sound […]
For all that “should have used a 555” is a bit of a meme around here, there’s some truth to it. The humble 555 is a wonderful tool in the right hands. That’s why it’s wonderful to see this all-analog stylus synth project by EE student [DarcyJ] bringing the 555 out for the new generation. […]
An intriguing mouth-played instrument emerged—and won—at the 2023 Guthman Musical Instrument Contest hosted by Georgia Tech. [Keith Baxter] took notice and reproduced the idea for others to explore. The result is the Zen Flute Mouth Theremin, a hybrid of acoustics, electronics, and expressive performance. At its core lies a forced Helmholtz resonator, a feedback system […]
This little audiobook player is a stellar example of the learning process behind a multifaceted project blending mechanical, electrical, and software design. [Mario] designed this audiobook player, dubbed Boxie, for his 3-year-old son to replace the often-used but flawed Toniebox. The inspiration for Boxie was the Toniebox, a kid-friendly audiobook player. While functional, the Toniebox […]