Punched tape is a form of data storage developed in the Nineteenth Century from weavers’ loom cards and used in various forms through the 1980s. The location of holes in a roll of paper indicate code. YouTube user 256byteram made this synthesizer that uses a punched tape reader as his/her entry in a contest for creative uses of the 555 timer integrated circuit:

It is a three channel music synthesiser, capable of four octaves per chanel. The 555′s are used to generate each octave for each voice (or channel). There are twelve 555 timer IC’s used for the synthesiser section and two more for tempo control and paper speed. It is sequenced by a Heathkit H-10 paper tape unit and programmed with a 486 PC running QBasic (seriously, it’s easier).

The musical piece is Bach’s Invention #8.

Link via Make

Check it out: Link [embedded YouTube clip]

Japanese designer Yoshi Akai creates electronic musical instruments from unusual objects, such as telegraph machines and stylophones. One of his recent works is a three-channel, eight-step synthesizer that can be played by placing different colored LEGO blocks in various positions.

via CrunchGear | Official Website

This is basically a giant spring reverb made from 10 slinkys. I was trying to make the best sounding spring reverb possible, I think I achieved this but it is probably the most inconvenient spring reverb ever made. The reverb time (sustain) is so long that the springs need damping and I found that the best material for doing this is a slice of cucumber wedged under the end of each spring, other materials like foam or rubber tend to kill all the treble.

Link (with MP3 audio clips) – via Make