Audio and Video Illusion called the McGurk Effect
December 19, 2012 – 2:05 pm | No Comment

It is true, music is best heard when your eyes are closed or if you can get really really close to the stage performer.
Everyone knows this because visual cues can at time be distracting. …

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Articles in Audio Gear

Elektron Octatrack
December 22, 2010 – 6:20 pm | No Comment
Elektron Octatrack

The Elektron Octatrack DPS-1 promises to pretty much be “Ableton Live in a box”. Whether or not it lives up to this, I don’t know, but I do know that the following …

Steam-Powered Record Player
November 30, 2010 – 12:20 pm | No Comment
Steam-Powered Record Player

Simon Lanson has created all sorts of interesting projects, but his steam-powered record player is one of my favorites.

Simon built the DIY steam engine part completely from junk he had lying around his garage. …

What a record sees
September 10, 2010 – 9:34 am | No Comment
What a record sees

Tim Franco is a photographer based in Shanghai, China. His photographic work tries to examine objects from different perspectives:
“My art pushes further the idea to investigate the documentary work through portraying certain kind of …

Steam powered sequencer
September 1, 2010 – 10:09 am | No Comment
Steam powered sequencer

Dabbler & experimenter Paul Bower was browsing eBay looking at vintage steam engines one day, and decided to do something fun with it: he built a DIY steam-powered sequencer.
Using an old 1920′s steam engine …

Trombone + flamethrower = all kinds of awesome.
August 30, 2010 – 7:44 pm | One Comment
Trombone + flamethrower = all kinds of awesome.

Trombone players often get a bad rap, so trombone player/DIYer Jonathan Crawford decided to really step up to the plate and do something about it.
Jonathan took a barbecue ignition system, a propane tank and …

1973 ad for Sony reel-to-reel tape deck
August 13, 2010 – 9:38 am | 4 Comments
1973 ad for Sony reel-to-reel tape deck

This is a vintage ad from National Geographic, April 1973. It features a Sony TC-377 reel-to-reel tape deck, with the phrase:
“Whatever weird instrument your great-grandson will be playing, the Sony TC-377 will capture it.”
Click …

Herbie Hancock shows his Fairlight CMI to the Sesame Street kids
July 20, 2010 – 1:16 pm | 2 Comments
Herbie Hancock shows his Fairlight CMI to the Sesame Street kids

I always loved how Sesame Street brought in all sorts of fantastic musical guests for the kids and viewers. Here’s a great clip of Herbie Hancock showing the Sesame Street gang his Fairlight CMI:

My …

Thomas Dolby’s solar-powered boat studio
July 19, 2010 – 9:03 pm | 3 Comments
Thomas Dolby’s solar-powered boat studio

Keyboard magazine recently did an interview with Thomas Dolby in his home studio, which just happens to be… a boat.
Powered by both solar and wind power, the studio is located somewhere on the north coast …

Double slide controller
July 16, 2010 – 8:49 pm | One Comment
Double slide controller

What do you get when you combine 2 trombones, and Eigenharp, 2 wii nunchucks and Robocop? Evidently you get first prize at Georgia Tech’s 2010 Margaret Guthman New Musical Instrument Competition.

The Georgia Tech Center …

Gloggomobil – the coolest musical toy ever
July 15, 2010 – 9:25 am | 2 Comments
Gloggomobil – the coolest musical toy ever

There are a ton of musical toys out there, such as toy pianos and xylophones. Never have I been so fascinated by such a simple yet creative toy as I am with the Gloggomobil.

A …