[sdiy] Calculator Synth

[GothGeek Sysadmin]

On Sun, Aug 12, 2001 at 04:31:12PM -0400, Prototek wrote:
>    As you can probably tell by my signature phrase below, I'm a Kraftwerk
> fan. Their Computerworld album recently got me thinking about making a
> calculator that can trigger various "bleeps, bloops, etc..." by pressing
> down the right keys. Hell, maybe its even possible to put a SID 6581 in
> there? I know this whole concept sounds a little silly and far fetched, but
> I'm still curious about it.
>    What about the old TI calculators that could speak? Has anyone ever
> circuit bent those to produce interesting sounds?

I've never found one of the TI calculators that supposedly existed.
>From reading Wolfgang Flur's  Biography ( "I was a Robot", which I highly 
recommend ) he said the sounds came from a TI translator of some kind.

Interestingly enough, the intro sounds to Pocket Calculator are the same
sounds that a Speak'n'Spell makes if you just repeatedly hit the [on] button.
I went and found mine just to make sure that I was saying the right button...
I distinctly remember being able to make these things say a word that
you typed in but I cannot for the life of me remember how I did it.
It *has* been 20 years since I used one in school so I guess I can
chalk it up to impending old age... but if anyone else remembers how
without bending it I'd appreciate it.

As might be evident from one of my prior posts I'm facinated with the
older sounding Speech Synth units.  Something I've noticed is that if
you play a phoneme, just a single one, the brain seems to latch into some
mode where it gets ready to decode the speech it thinks is coming.
I'm trying to come up with an easier way to do this then what I'm doing
now... but using phonems as tones is quite promising.  I'm looking for an
older AI Cybernetics Model 1000 ( or a schematic and PROM dumps if anyone
happens to have something laying around...  I'd also be willing to make
a schematic and copy the proms if anyone wants to loan theirs :-)

Urm. I digressed... back to Kraftwerk...   I think what gets me the 
most about Kraftwerk is the simplicity of everything yet how whole it
feels.  I love the drum sounds and have been questing for recreating them
without resorting to PCM stuff.   While I do own a few samplers
( Ensoniq Mirages (3), Korg DSS1, and an MPC2000XL ) I prefer given the
choice creating the sound natively.  That being said, all my current
drum machines but one are PCM based.  The one that isnt is a Univox
Rhythm and of my recent investments I have to say its one of the most
satisfying... soon it will be Midi...  but I still dont have those
totally synthetic drums that Kraftwerk used so any suggestions
appreciated.

-- 
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 - Tom Arnold -       When I was small, I was in love,                  - 
 - Sysabend   -       In love with everything.                          -
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