I still love the idea of soft circuits: electronics packaged in soft form factors instead of hard. It’s a big challenge — for one, you need some soft fabrication skills along with electronics skills, and then you have to contend with keeping your electronics happy in a soft (warm) place, which is the opposite of what they tend to like. But when you make a huggable calculator synth, it’s all worth it.

Our friends Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain of Monome fame write to let us know they’ve got spots in their felt circuits class at the awesome Machine Project in LA. Brian sez: "this year we’re making small contact mic amplifiers with a bent freakout capacitive touch point. it’ll be great fun." (East coasters, we’ll have to have them do the same over here, huh?) If you’re in LA and have the time, have a good time and take some project photos!

Felt + Circuits Workshop

Previously:

Felt + Circuits, for Sound and Enjoyment, From Happy Sheep

For more plush circuits, here’s a show in Nova Scotia featuring stiched sonic works, including a radio — but it looks like they don’t work. Functional electronics, even better, I say.

And for fans of the Monome, head over to Create Digital Motion today:

Monome as Visual Controller