London, Feb 3 (IANS) For all those wannabe drummers or in a mood to start a band, trying vegetables instead of traditional guitar-bass-drums line-up can be a novel idea.
Not impressed? Well, listen to designer Yuri Suzuki – the sound artist behind the Disney audio system that lets you transfer audio messages through your finger – and just plug anything in!
He has invented a circuit board called ‘Ototo’ that is actually a customisable synthesiser that can be attached to any conductive material to make music with your fingers or mouth.
Touch any object that’s been connected by a crocodile clip to one of the synthesiser’s contact points and it makes perfect notes.
Be it an eggplant or a piece of broccoli – all make sound.
“From plant pots to saucepans, the Ototo kit means even the least musically fluent amongst us can create a fully functioning synthesizer orchestra from almost anything we have to hand,” Suzuki was quoted as saying.
How does this function?
‘Ototo’ includes a rotation control that functions as a variable know, allowing musicians to turn it to alter sounds.
A light meter transforms sound based on how much light it receives and a slide control can be swiped for sweeping pitch changes.
There’s even a breath sensor that adjusts the loudness of a note depending on how hard a person blows on the object.
The circuit board contains a built-in speaker, a stereo jack for headphones and a USB port for audio output, said a press release by Dentaku, Suzuki’s company.