This project started with a random trip to a discounted charity shop; the kind you pay for items by its weight. While digging through bins of discarded lamp-shades, 40s floral dresses, and worn out copies of Hardy Boys books, my hand brushed against a thick mass of cable and wire. My curiosity piqued. In what seemed like ages I carefully unraveled the mess, piecing out each cable as their ends were reached, and came across what appeared to be a toy of notable construction. This beige box with faux-wooden paneling was hefty; it clearly was not just an average child's plaything. Flanked by two controllers each with their own knob, I instantly recognized it as a video game system albeit one fashioned before my existence. Something about it's design inspired me. "What could I do with this?" I thought to myself as my thumb rubbed across the thick layer of rust and dirt on the chassis' surface. Needless to say, I bought it.
Inspiration hit about fifteen minutes later during the drive back home. I had been thinking about a mix I was working on at the time; in fact, the excursion to the thrift shop was an effort to clear my mind in hopes of coming back to the studio with a fresh perspective. Mixing digital audio on a computer has it's drawbacks, notably the lack of tactical feedback throughout the whole experience. I wasn't satisfied with arrays of knobs and faders that merely mimicked the experience of working on analog systems. I desired to make a device that felt natural and was inherently unmusical as a way to force myself to think differently about music production.
One of the drawbacks of many of the human interface designs for music production is that they are often inspired by their analog predecessors (which in themselves are extremely limited). DJ mixers and vinyl turntables have become replaced by similar looking banks of knobs and digital turntables that control DJ software.
I wasn't looking to simply manufacture a device to fit my own needs. That endeavor can be achieved with off the shelf parts. I wanted to transform an object from the past; a relic from a time period I feel connected with through my art but didn't have the opportunity to experience. This was an artistic process. The end result is an object object that is functional but has strong aesthetic components.
The whole creative process behind this piece was an act to retrieve something tossed off to the side and breath new life into it. Acknowledged as something functional and worth preserving, this Pong video game system has been transformed from one form of physical computing into another.
\\\\\ It exists as an homage to retro computing and early days of 'chiptune' style music.
\\\\\ Brains made of an Arduino-based microchip that converts resistor values into MIDI signals via USB
\\\\\ Not a synthesizer in it's own right but a human-interface device that is assignable to virtually any parameter on a computer.
\\\\\ It was devised out of a need for a streamlined "master" controller but one that mimicked the tactile experience of early video game controllers.
\\\\ Complete with push buttons, rotary encoders, switches and faders.
\\\\ It is a functionalist piece of art; I sought to reclaim something considered to be obsolete and "retrofit" it for contemporary applications.
\\\\ Used with early tracker programs like Fast Tracker II.
\\\\\ It was devised out of a need for a streamlined "master" controller but one that mimicked the tactile experience of early video game controllers.
\\\\ Complete with push buttons, rotary encoders, switches and faders.
\\\\ It is a functionalist piece of art; I sought to reclaim something considered to be obsolete and "retrofit" it for contemporary applications.
\\\\ Used with early tracker programs like Fast Tracker II.
Rewired potentiometer, added push button, and double throw switch
Added crossfader
10-pin IDC input for future expansion.
Essential Functions
Not the actual unit I came across but the exact same model you'd buy from Sears.
