Circuit board instrument

[Moldover] decided to change up the way CDs are packaged for his album release. Yes, you still get a CD with some pretty sweet music, but the case can also play sounds. He custom printed a circuit board containing some LEDs, buttons, photoresistors, and what looks to be a piezo transducer which all combine to produce a strange whine like noise. But with the included headphone jack, he shows it can be used to produce some very interesting music – reminds us of circuit bending.

[Thanks Ferdinand]

Comments [9]

tagged: cd, circuit bending, instrument, music

9 Responses to Circuit board instrument

mess_maker says:

September 1, 2009 at 12:30 pm

Great idea! Good luck, Moldover :)

Reply Report comment

nope says:

September 1, 2009 at 1:06 pm

very nice. i hope you make some sales.

Reply Report comment

Zero says:

September 1, 2009 at 1:11 pm

That’s pure genius, I so want to have this CD, would sit next to “Pulse” on my living room showcase shelf :))

Congrats for pulling this one off

Reply Report comment

spacecoyote says:

September 1, 2009 at 1:31 pm

portable cd players are getting really cheap nowadays. the case could have included a cd player so you could mix your sounds with the disc.

Reply Report comment

nemo says:

September 1, 2009 at 1:44 pm

he could have put a single light sensor under the cd in the case, so that the printed design on the actual cd would play music when spun.

Light passes through empty spots on cds, so with simple dithering in the printed design you could make it play “happy birthday” or something similar when spun. Similar to old music boxes.

So music on the cd in digital form, and a nice little chiptunish song built into the print on the cd, with a player in the case.

Reply Report comment

nemo says:

September 1, 2009 at 4:10 pm

wrote an article about my idea, read if you are curious: http://www.hackniac.com/articles/2009-9-1-analog_cd_music/analog_cd_music.php

Reply Report comment

grovenstien says:

September 2, 2009 at 12:43 am

ha ha circuit bender he he!

Thats some jolly noises your making there.

Reply Report comment

Stunmonkey says:

September 2, 2009 at 12:49 pm

I like the idea, there are a lot fun of things you could do with the general concept. Awesome idea to make use of that dead space in a cd case by stuffin it with electronics.

He does call it a theremin, which it clearly isn’t, but whatever it is, it is an amusing idea and very nicely implemented.

Reply Report comment

Nathan Lively says:

February 29, 2012 at 10:24 am

I just posted an interview with Moldover where we look at his CD as well as other cool instruments – http://sounddesignlive.com/fun-instrument-design/

Reply Report comment