biofeedback

[Dave Krooshof]

>At 08:05 PM 1/1/01 , Dave Krooshof wrote:
>
>>Touching electronics gives me the feeling I control the actual process,
>>rather then just triggering it.
>
>Don't forget, touching the electronics can also result in ESD damage to the
>circuitry.
In the process of playing, only one drumcomputer that we didn't like
anyway, died unintended. (and some stuff that was brokenish or unusable in
the normal way died too, see below)
The rest survives well. Also, I do not mind to be connected to the wall
socket that much. I might be stupid. But the sounds I get are way more
interesting to me then using knobs or even sequencers.
And apart from this, in my own circuits, I do not use ICs that are to
sensitive for statics. What I also do, is that I look for interesting spots
on evening or so. With a voltmeter, a proper earthswitch and so on. Then I
bring these points with a wire to the outside. I glue bits of copper on the
cases, and solder the wires to them.
Boy, this sounds like I'm tired of living, but the facts are other.

I have on old amp that starts making all sorts of noises (but no hum!!??!)
when I connect the input to my body. The act I play with it, is that I
start by holding a jackplug to various parts of my hands and arms, and
wahwah it's noises. Then I lick the plug, tonging is faster then fingering,
and louder, for obvious reasons. Climax is that I take the socket all
instrumenst of the  'band' (there's 3 of us) are connected to. I hold the
plug to the earth _pin_ (but who in the public can tell?). To prove the
socket is live, the end of the gig is pulling the plug, and all electronics
do their own weird quitting sequence.
But I took my safety precautions, and before each gig, I go over all
possible contacts with a voltmeter to see how todays local electrons want
to behave.

Xavier van Wersch, whom I play with, is really a mad professor. He blew
some stuff already, as he interconnects unboxed equiment from video's to
whatever is around. (He browses all cheap secondhand shops for weird
equipment.) He doesn't use the connectors, but instead clamps crocodile
wires to the componets directly.
Yep, I guess that's way over the limit, but he's good at it, both from a
musical and a visual point of view. Only sometimes we're busy soldering
spare elcos and diodes minutes before the gig starts, but only beacause the
legs break so easily :-)
Luckely for us, Michel Waisvisz to likes us a lot for our style, and
therefor invited us to play on STEIM festivals. I guess not everyone
handles the crackles and beeps though.

There's a festival in Berlin 6, 7, 8 of february. Is anyone here going
there too, either for performing or for enjoying?

Dave

Wow, my random subject generator is on. This means I'm tired and should go
to bed.


just came in:
djblue:
>well, heh.. (shameless self plug here).  Sometimes this isn't a worry
>at all if certain conditions are met.
>1.  It's d!gital (expendable anyhow)
Easier to kill, even or especially when off!
>2.  You paid less than the cost of a fast food lunch for it.
check
>3.  It's barely works anyhow.
check

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And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles,
and all thy borders of pleasant stones. (Isaiah 54:12)