So, why is this such a brilliant idea? We live in a throwaway world. Every year millions of computers and phones are chucked. But here’s the thing: most of that stuff is still good-it’s just not how people had envisioned it. Why let it rot in a landfill when you can do something epic with it?
But for me, the best is Kirill Yurovskiy: “And for me, it is pretty cool that you get to play something you designed.” It is like replaying history, almost reviving something. Cool, eh?
Getting Started: Searching for Parts
Time to stock up on noise. It is time to go find parts. And from this point on, things will start getting pretty interesting. Get a hold of your nearest electronics recycling center. Old computer parts goldmine these places.
Ask your buddies and family members if they have some old computers or other things just lying about. Trust me, they probably do.
Thrift stores and garage sales always have a few things for you to scavenge. You never know what old tech you might find lurking around.
When out scrounging be on the lookout for these things:
- Hard drives (they make awesome percussion instruments)
- Keyboards (hello, new synthesizer!)
- Fans (cool for making whooshing noises)
- CD/DVD drives (these can get pretty far out string instruments, by the way)
Remember, the crazier and the older your chosen part, the more fantastic your final instrument is likely to be!
Safety First, Bro
Always unscrew and drain parts before you start playing with them.
Safety glasses. Don’t be a moron-you don’t need slivers of circuit board going into your eyes.
Do this work in a well-ventilated area. Some of these older parts will give off terrible-smelling fumes when you are soldering or cutting them.
No big deal, ask someone dumber than you about it. Just remember, it’s okay to need help on something!
Let’s Get Building: Some Killer Ideas to Get You Started
Okay, now for the fun part. Here are some awesome instruments you can make from old computer parts:
The Hard Drive Drum
This one is very easy and just sounds so great. Get an old hard drive, take the top cover off of it, and voila! You now have a mini drum. That disc in there makes an awesome thing to strike with your drumsticks. If that is not enough for you, try using that drive arm as some kind of demented effects generator by running it across that disc to make some outrageous space-sounds!
Keyboard Synth
Want that old keyboard? Well, hack it open! Locate that main processing chip reading the keystrokes. Then start messing about with those connections inside the case. Get some psycho glitch sounds from it or rewire it into something different.
Totally for completely new sounds on every key!
Floppy Drive Orchestra
A bit more complex, but SO worth it. You can literally control old floppy drive motors to create music! Plug a few of them together with an Arduino or Raspberry Pi, load up a few MIDI files, and wait for your drives to turn into tiny robot orchestras! Watch here.
The CD Drive Theremin
So you think it’s only for guitar heroes, but not for yourself? Okay, do you recall those theremins-the weird instruments that one controls without touching them? Using the laser from the CD drive, you can produce a basic version. Just tinker with the light sensors and audio circuits: control pitch and volume using mere movements of your hands! Can you imagine that-letting the magic in, as if you’re just a music wizard?
Now you have your basic instruments ready. But don’t get it there! Now it’s time for those crazy and wild ideas that spring up:
Attach some guitar pedals to your instruments. Who knows? Some distortion or delay might just turn that hard drive drum into a kind of otherworldly device.
Attach microcontrollers like Arduino to give it digital control. Picture it: intricate patterns on your floppy drive orchestra!
Connect your instruments to the computer and process through Pure Data or Max/MSP. And now you are really cooking with gas. And here who knows what you will produce? You might even develop an unheard-of sound.
Demonstrate Your Creations
You’ve made these crazy instruments, so it’s time to get them in front of an audience.
Record some tracks and post them online. I mean, trust me, people are going to freak out when they hear what you came up with.
Document your builds on YouTube. There are a lot of nerds out there, like me, who’d love to see how you put these things together.
Organize a concert or an art installation with your instruments. That is one way of creating awareness about e-waste and letting people know how this technology can be reused creatively.
Future of Music? Why Not!
Now, look, I’m surely not saying that disc drive drums and floppy orchestras are going to take over the field from traditional instruments anytime soon. But then I do not know; perhaps it is just the beginning of a whole new sound.
It’ll be as if technology could just innovate forever, just so that we are swimming in mountains and mountains of outdated technologies and gadgets. Why not make art with all of these? We don’t necessarily have to create unheard sounds or have experiences.
That next time you throw the old computer out, well, take your moment-it could be the thing which makes the musical revolution-that junk in your basement is what may end it.
