The Commodordion Turns Two C64s Into A Single Instrument
A person of the key good reasons the Commodore 64 grew to become an icon of the 1980s was its MOS 6581 “SID” sound chip that gave it audio abilities effectively past those people of other microcomputers of the 8-little bit era. The SID became some thing of a legend by by itself between chiptune fanatics, and numerous digital devices have been designed that produce their sound by means of a SID chip. Not lots of of all those glimpse nearly anything like standard musical devices nevertheless, so we’re delighted to see [Linus Åkesson]’s new task: two Commodore 64s joined again-to-back making use of a bellows to form a wonderful new instrument referred to as the Commodordion. It can be played in a equivalent way one performs a regular accordion: melodies are played with the ideal hand, chords with the still left, and volume is altered by various the strain in the bellows.
Of system, it is the bellows that helps make this instrument a genuine member of the accordion relatives. Made from 5.25″ floppy disks and sticky tape, it types a much more-or-significantly less air-restricted system linking the two pcs. The airflow in the bellows is calculated by way of a microphone put next to the air intake: the amount of noise generated is roughly proportional to the amount of money of air currently being expelled or inhaled. This information is then made use of to modulate the quantity created by the two SID chips.
By [Linus]’s own admission it’s not the most ergonomic of devices, so we’re doubly amazed by the total of talent he demonstrates while enjoying it in the online video embedded underneath. It’s not the to start with time possibly that he has turned a Commodore 64 into a musical instrument: he previously crafted a church organ and a theremin. Although the Commodordion may well seem complex, it is essentially a lot easier in design than a mechanical accordion.