Enjoy Monty Python’s Argument Sketch on two vintage speech synthesizers

A DECtalk Express stands in for Monty Python actor Michael Palin, with an Intex Talker (Votrax SC-01A) voicing the role of John Cleese. Retro speech synthesis just sounds better. Not more intelligible, necessarily, but absolutely better. And it’s hilarious. Eat your heart out, Transmediale / Ars Electronica / etc.: If all of this sounds familiar, […]

Radio Shack’s TRS-80 now has polyphonic MIDI and a tracker

The Tandy Corporation-manufactured, Radio Shack-sold TRS-80 computer debuted in 1977. But now you can now add full polyphonic MIDI support thanks to George Philipps and Michael Wessel. And it’s already transformed into a serious live instrument and production tool. Assembly cost: about $35. The TRS-80: a tool for the 2020s.

Peter Kirn - June 2, 2025

The Speak & Spell is reborn as a chaos monster and glitchy groovebox

You’ve heard the Speak & Spell. You’ve heard circuit-bent Speak & Spell. But are you ready to open a Hellmouth of total destructive speech chaos based on combining those into a massively powerful groovebox?

Peter Kirn - July 29, 2024