If you’ve been looking to get into circuit bending your own musical instruments and need that extra push to make the jump, MAKE Magazine has posted both a PDF and video podcast with a basic how-to. I got to play with the resulting instrument Bre built, and it’s great fun; the Speak & Spell is based on the design by Reed Ghazala, “father of circuit bending” who has made a couple of appearances here on CDM.

Here’s the video:

In this weekend projects video, Bre Pettis and Justin Gerardy hack into a speak and spell and an omnichord.

From: Circuit Bending – Make: Video Podcast

Circuit Bending – Make: PDF Podcast

For more information, be sure to pick up a back issue of MAKE Magazine issue 4, the music special; I contributed several articles to that including portions of the circuit bending feature. The online extra for that feature has additional bending resources:

MAKE Magazine Issue 4: Circuit Bending

Previously on CDM

Stories tagged circuit bending on CDM

Keyboards with Eyeballs, Circuit Bending Info and Book

Circuit Bending: Reed Ghazala on Free Learning, Teaching [Reed Ghazala himself talks to CDM]