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This keyboard has two basic bends, both dealing with the sustain of the note played. One knob will shorten the amount of time a note will play, while the other will lengthen it, and both can also pitch the tone down. These two bends can be mixed to very interesting results. I have added a 1/4" out out jack, and it takes 4 AA batteries.
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This, in my opinion, is a pretty nice little synth. The guts of it were so simple, it was easy to get a lot of functionality out of it. The bends installed cause it to play an ever present tone, which can be distorted with the red and gray knobs. You can blend this tone with a tone generated by a key press. This will cause some interesting sounds, as the tones are mixed. You can flip on the switch above the red knob, which will play a specific not from the keyboard, so you don't have to hold one down, while exploring the possibilities. The center green knob has two switches associated with it. If they are both in the "off" position (down) the knob will do nothing. Flip the left one, and the knob will control distortion, pitch, beats, etc, or flip the right one, and get different results, You can even have them both on simultaneously for more options. Really, there are too many possibilities with this instrument to show in a 5 minute video, but I did my best. You'll need to obtain this, and try it for yourself. I installed all my controls where the battery back would nestle, and thus had to cut it out. I installed a new external battery pack, and it is attached to the front of the instrument with velcro. It takes 4 AA batteries. It also has a 1/4" output jack.
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This keyboard has two simple bends, controlled with a switch and knob. They are both pitch bends, and both pitch it down. When the switch is in the up position you get a pretty normal pitch bend, using the knob to take it down pretty low. When the switch is in the down position, the knob will take the town from pretty low, and disintegrate it into patterned clicks, and sometimes interesting "beats". It's a pretty cool instrument. It takes 4 AA batteries. It also has a 1/4" output jack.
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Here is a little speak and spell clone that you see everywhere. It's ability to teach a kid to read, I question, but it is good for making noise. I installed a pretty simple pitch bend in this one. You can pitch it down with the knob, until the voices and melodies pretty much disintegrate, or pitch it up to get interesting distorted effects. It makes a pretty cool sort of drum machine, as I found out. It takes 2 AA batteries. It also has a 1/4" output jack.
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This is an interesting keyboard. I could not find most of the normal bends you find in the sort's of toys, but I did find a good pitch bend (down). The interesting thing though is the loop bends I found. There are two, but potentiometer controlled, and switch activated. They will sustain the tone played indefinitely, but, this little keyboard has a two tone polyphony, thus when the one of the loop bends are enacted, you can combine two tones. This get's really cool when you turn on the vibrato, and pitch the thing down. It acts a little different when amplified, so I've included what it sounds like playing from the internal speaker as well. There wasn't much room in this, but I did the best I could. I have included pictures of what the best I could do looks like (added character). Takes 6 AA batteries.
SOLD
I like this thing. It's a toddlers keyboard and animal sound maker. It had a very good pitch bend that takes the sounds, and completely destroys them. The disintegrate into peeps, and sequels, and rhythmic patterns, and drones. I'm sure you'll find it very wonderful. Usually I am opposed to removing any of the original functionality of a toy, just cause I'm a little eccentric, but there simply was no room inside this to install parts, so I removed the speaker. Along with the pitch knob, I also installed a 1/4" output jack. Takes 3 AA batteries.
SOLD
This is a simple speak and spell clone. When I got it the voice was sort of jangled, and it still is. It has a pitch knob, which will pitch the thing both up and down, depend on the direction in which you turn it. I installed a 1/4" output jack for your amplifying, or recording pleasure. This thing-a-ma-jig will take 2 AA batteries, and there is no battery compartment cover.
Here is my newest instrument up for auction. Let's get right down to the modifications. This one has a pitch knob, which is controlled by a toggle switch. When the switch is in one position, the knob which controls the pitch, will pitch the instrument down, when the switch is in the other position, turning the knob will pitch the instrument up. It also has another knob which distorts the tones. This is capable of some neat things, disintegrating melodies, and weird patterns. Take a look at the video, and tell me what you think. Takes 3 AA batteries.
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This is a speak and spell clone. It's called an alphabet learning center. I opened 'er up and added in some nice bends for you. It's got one potentiometer which controls the pitch; it can be pitched up, and down, until the tones, voices, and various other sounds decay into blips, and squeals, and patterns. There is a second bend, which is potentiometer controlled, but I didn't want to lose the original sound of the toy, so I added a switch to turn it on and off. It distorts the sounds, makes the voice more robot like, perhaps. You'll love it, I'm sure. I also added in a 1/4" out put jack, for your sampling, amplifying, plugging needs. Takes 4 AA batteries.
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This is an older one, which I already added a pitch knob to. I opened it back up and added some functionality in the form of another knob which fades in a tone, and also distorts the tones that the instrument plays when you press buttons. It already had an 1/8" output. Take a look at the video for an example of what it can do.
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This is a new one I cooked up. It's a nice little keyboard which makes some crazy sounds.
I added two potentiometers, one distorts the tones which emanate from the speaker area when you press a key. The other slowly fades in a tone, and distorts the original tone. Really, words will never adequately describe the sounds this thing can make, which is why I made a video for you. But really, the only way you're ever going to truly know what kind of sounds this truly wonderful machine can make, is to buy it.
I also added a 1/4" output jack for all your outputting needs. We all have different outputting needs, so I added the most ubiquitous connector. You're welcome.
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I added another knob to this one which fades in a tone. You can pitch a note played on the keyboard down, until it is playing a constant sound, maybe a singular tone, maybe a glitched out stream of tones, and squeaks and squeals. You can then fade in the tone controlled by he second knob to combine the two. It really creates a lot of possibilities.
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I made this instrument from the amp that's in these pc speakers. It's a pretty good noise maker. It has pretty good range, and can do some interesting things, as evidenced in the videos.
You can feed other signals into it, and have it modulate the sound. This is done by using the green 1/8" jack and cable that used to be the pc peakers input.
You can feed the signal from the instrument out into your amp in two ways. One, through the 1/8" jack on the front, which used to be the headphone jack. The sound fed through this jack is not what you'll hear from the built in speaker, though. I use this method to apply an interesting vibrato effect to my little keyboard.
The second method to feed the signal out is through a 1/4" jack I added to the top of the instrument. This signal is the exact same as heard from the internal speaker.
This instrument is powered by an a/c adapter, which is included.
This here is a very unique item, which I have named "puff", only cause its housed in a power puff girls tin.
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You have a switch that turns on the whole thing-a-ma-jig, located on the top of the machine.
Now the interesting part: the knobs. Those knobs are really where the whole thing comes together. Without them, this thing would only be mildly amusing, instead of super... amusing. Turn 'em any which way, and you'll be pitched up, down, right, left, and through dimensions you are too afraid to even question the existence of. Just make sure that once you feel a moderate amount of resistance, you quit turning the knob, cause you might break it (out of pure excitement, not cause they're faulty knobs.
In all seriousness, it is a good little sound maker, which can be sampled from, or played through your other synths, or played straight.
I have included pictures of how one might want to change the batteries, should that ever be an issue.
This here is a very unique item, which I have named "super", only cause it was the most available word for gluing. It is super though. I did construct it, if my memory serves, from a radio, and a voice changer, plus some knobs, and switches, and audio jacks.
You have a switch that turns on the whole thing-a-ma-jig, located on the left of the machine, below the first audio jack, which just happens to be an input. There are also two more switches. Both have different effects when switched on, or off, or even vice versa. In the right top corner you will find the second audio jack (both are 1/8th inch, by the way) and that one can be used as your output, but I'm not the boss of you, so you go ahead and do whatever feels right with it.
Now the interesting part: the knobs. Those knobs are really where the whole thing comes together. Without them, this thing would only be mildly amusing, instead of super... amusing. Turn 'em any which way, and you'll be pitched up, down, right, left, and through dimensions you are too afraid to even question the existence of. Just make sure that once you feel a moderate amount of resistance, you quit turning the knob, cause you might break it.
This piece can generate it's own tones, distort them, and you can pitch them up and down. It can also have other signals fed through it, as evidenced in the videos I will post links to. In all seriousness, it is a good little sound maker, which can be sampled from, or played through your other synths, or played straight.
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Here is #20. It basically has three pitch knobs, two of which I added. They all pitch it down, but with pinpoint precision. The effect is quite good. I also added an rca output, but normally I would have added a resistor to fine tune the audio signal, as sometimes it can sound kind of funny. But this time I didn't, to see if folks might prefer it. In the video it is playing through its own speaker, the sound file below it is what I recorded coming from the output.
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Number 19 is pretty sweet. It has a pitch knob. Turn it one way, it pitches down, till it starts to glitch out, turn it the other way it pitches it up until it glitches out. If you pitch it too high it can become unstable and die. The best way to get it back, that I have found, is to take a battery out, and reinsert it, or if that fails take a battery out and insert it backwards, then reinsert it correctly. It is real easy to recognize if you have it pitched too high, and very easy to avoid. Along with the pitch knob is an 1/8" output jack I have added. Video:
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Here is #18. I had some troubles with it. Apparently what circuit controls the demo, is different from the circuit which generates tones for the keys. I had the thing in demo mode while bending it, then I switched it over to play mode, and none of my bends worked. I figured whomever would rather have bends which affected it while in play mode rather than when in demo, so I rebent the thing, to, in my opinion, much better results. Makes some crazy sounds. It was rather sensitive to touch, so I added body contacts, four to be precise. I also added an 1/8" output so you can sample it, play it through an amp, or possibly stick an 1/8" jack in your mouth and feel the current, though I doubt that would be enjoyable. Video next:
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I bought this guitar, and it was non-functional, a rare occurrence with thrift store purchases, so I opened 'er up, and located my problem. Some one had failed to properly secure the lead from a capacitor. I fixed that, and it works awesome now. I wired up a pitch bend, and called it a day.
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I finished this synth I began a while ago. It is based off of this voice changer that one may purchase at wal-mart for six buckaroos. It is circuit bent of course. Originally it came with a mic and maybe three or four different voice settings, like "alien", "monster", and such like. I took the speaker out, wired that to two fourth inch jacks, took the switch, which changed the voice setting, out and rewired that to a six position rotary switch, and added in two potentiometers, or variable resistors, to change the effects. It produces its own audio signal which can be altered by turning the potentiometers, flipping toggle switches, or by switching which voice setting its on.
