Hello beta testers and other friends of Music Thing.
What I’ve been up to
I finally finished a few projects in 2023:
8mu: So long to design and so complicated for such a little thing. Great to see them out in the world. It’s a tiny midi fader & accelerometer for controlling computers and other things. [Buy one][Learn more]
Mikrophonie v3: A remix of Mutable Instruments remix of the original contact mic module from back in the day. [Buy one][Learn more]
Right at the end of 2022 I also launched… Move: a ridiculous, fun, cheap module combining a PIR sensor (like you get on proximity lights) and a mechanical relay.
London Drive: just like the Mini Drive, except VCS3-ish, rather than MiniMoog-ish and Twin Drive: just like the Mini Drive but two of them.
What I’m doing now
Right now, I’m on sabbatical from my day job. So if you have an idea for a collaboration, want to ask for or give me advice, brainstorm an idea, host a workshop, have me speak at an event, need a favour, or just want to chat, now is a good time. Email me tom@musicthing.co.uk or DM on Instagram.
What I’m doing next
I’m excited about a project coming up in the first half of 2024. I’ll be hosting a five day residential workshop in a house on the Cornish coastline near Falmouth. We’ll work with graphic scores, modular synths, field recording and other instruments. The whole thing is loosely inspired by my 2016 article “How I recorded an album in an evening with a lunchbox modular and a python script”
The workshop is being run by Dyski, a new arts organisation. If you want to learn more and get notified when tickets are available, join the mailing list at https://dyski.co/Workshops (and feel free to share this link). NB: workshops include grant-funded places for those on low incomes and local Cornish residents.
Enough of that, on to the Christmas Gift Guide
I last did a gift guide in 2020: That guide is still completely relevant so you should definitely start there.
Analog Hard Disk Synth Kit £49
From the genius Gijs Gieskes, just add your own old hard drive to make wonders. [link]Varispeed CV Tape Looper £299
OK this would be a very generous Christmas present, but Beep Boop Electronic’s hand-modified tape players, crafted in Bristol, are one-of-a-kind luxury items. [link]A box of blank tapes £10 for 5
I was surprised that Maxell still make new cassette tapes, which you can buy at Amazon, but you probably better off with a specialist like Mr Cassettes (UK) or Cassette Comeback (US).Untitled Harsh Noise Graphic Novel £15.99
”300 pages of pixel-noisescapes, created soley using the antique mac paint app LightningPaint.” I just got a copy and am really enjoy it, like ambient music for the eyes. {link]Ovum $129
A beautiful handheld synth, all analog circuits, aluminium and wood, hand-made in Canada [link]KnobKnobs £3-£5-ish
The perfect gift for someone who has music gear: hand-crafted knobs that make any piece of equipment more interesting. [link]Friction Mallets £20-ish
Bouncy balls on sticks. Buy them, make them, rub them on things, they make interesting sounds [link US link EU]Befaco Synth Duster €12
The ‘nice pair of socks’ of music gifts. [link]Moffenzeef Shtick £20
Tiny USB powered noise synthesizer. “Pushing the button randomizes all parameters of the algorithm. You cannot control or tame the output of SHTICK.” [link]The official Stop Making Sense zine $6
Mostly dance tips. [link]Korg Beatlab Mini £50-ish
A little round gadget that listens and critiques your drumming, shouting “Wonderful” or “Too slow” as you play in a male or female voice. [link]Composition for Three Small Speakers $30
Tristan Perich’s latest album is a CD-sized device that includes a tiny sound system. “When turned on, its music is synthesized in real-time by code programmed by the artist”. [link US link EU]Anything from Hack Modular on Tindie [link]
KRISCHER kits £120-ish
Very cute tiny oscillator and filter kits [link]Synthet, the synthesizer card game €18
Really nicely done set of cards with hand-painted synths, don’t expect your family to play this with you on the 26th. [link]Anything from Phantom Chips in Australia [link]
Touch synth and programming course €99
Beautiful looking synth PCBs from Synthux Academy, backed by tutorials and community [link]A subscription to Waveform magazine $42.95 [link]
A book from the Cafe Oto bookshop.
Don’t worry too much which one. [link]Miniware MHP30 Mini Hot Plate $100-ish
This has been on my Christmas list for ages and my family think it’s a joke: a 3cmx3cm hotplate formaking tiny crumpetssoldering and reworking tiny circuit boards. [link]DIY Electronics Notebook £4.04
Hand-written synth-oriented electronics notebook in the style of Forest Mims, downloaded as a PDF. [link]Leaf Audio Microphonic Playground €99
Lasercut wooden box with a contact mic inside (plays well with Mikrophonie 3) that acts as a base for all kinds of weird sound generating activity. [link]Some Drums £25
I’m not convinced that a folder of drum samples is a legitimate Christmas present, but if you disagree, these are good drums from my friend Will. [link]Peterlin £263
Beautiful little wooden synthesiser, designed by Peter Blasser, inspired by Rob Hordijk, built in Berlin. [link]Science Museum Giant Squid Tour £25
Nothing to do with music or synthesisers but I did this in the summer and it’s incredible. [link]
I’ll updated this list with more ideas over the next few days, check back on the web version, and send suggestions.
Hope you and your family are well,
Tom