Circuit bending
Modification of an electronic device to create an instrument
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Circuit bending is the modification of circuits in electronic devices such as children's toys and digital synthesizers to change or control their sound output, usually by dismantling the machine and adding components such as switches and potentiometers.
Circuit bending has commonly been associated with noise music, though many other contemporary musicians have experimented with it.
Experimental process
The process of circuit bending involves experimenting with inexpensive second-hand electronics that produce sounds, such as toys, keyboards, drum machines, and electronic learning products.[1] Circuit bending is generally exploratory: modifications are made without a manufacturer's schematic or a predetermined design, and useful bends may be found by temporarily bridging points on an exposed circuit board and listening for changes in the output.[2]
A common modification involves the device's clock circuit. In many electronic toys, the clock controls the pitch of sounds as well as the speed of programmed sequences. Changing resistance in the timing circuit can therefore alter both pitch and speed. Useful circuit points may be connected to controls such as potentiometers, photoresistors, or touch contacts.[3]
Devices that use crystal-controlled clocks or highly integrated circuitry can be more difficult to modify because fewer timing components and connections are externally accessible.[3] Circuit-bending guides recommend using battery-powered devices rather than equipment connected to mains electricity.[3]
History
Serge Tcherepnin, designer of the Serge modular synthesizers, discussed his early experiments in the 1950s with the transistor radio, in which he found circuit points that responded sonically to touch, and wired them to "body contacts" on the plastic chassis.[4]
In 1967, musician and technologist Reed Ghazala encountered a similar phenomenon when a toy amplifier with its circuitry exposed accidentally shorted against the inside of a metal desk drawer, producing unexpected sounds.[5]: 8 This experience inspired him to begin building circuit bent instruments intentionally. Ghazala coined the term "circuit bending" for the practice in 1992 and began publishing about the technique in Experimental Musical Instruments that year.[5]: 8 [6][7] He was described by Motherboard as the "father of circuit bending."[8]
Starting in 1984, Swiss duo Voice Crack began creating music by manipulating common electronic devices in a practice they termed "cracked everyday electronics."[9]
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