Audio Rat Engineering

I've spend the last few day putting together this mono synth using my favourite microcontroller (yeah you guessed it), the Arduino Nano. This project is based on the article by Blog Hoskins (linked below) and is a single voice synthesiser with a bunch of different ways to alter the sound (LFO, attack, decay, resonance). The arcade button is used to select between different waveforms (sine, square and triangle) and I spent way too long fumbling though the code to trying and make it work. Once I'd finished it I called my partner Beck into the room to show her what I'd done, it was really similar vibes to being 12 and calling my Grandma into the computer room to show her my "Hello world" script I'd written and her not really getting it but still being very supportive of the 'cool thing' I'd done.

The wooden frame was made from a few bits of wood I found on the side of the road and the artwork used for the panel is from Elora ( Owakita).

As with most projects I do this was more about doing the thing than having the thing. So this is gonna go straight on the shelf and I'm going to start working on another synth, but using a teensy (like arduino nano, but much more powerful) controller that is able to handle multiple voices (can process more than one note at a time)

http://bloghoskins.blogspot.com/2020/11/20-synth-project-complete-build-guide.html

https://twitter.com/Owakita_

The Old Fashioned Fuzz is assembled and up and running. It's gritty, it grimey and just like the original Fuzz Face it'll sometimes pick up AM radio. It is the first circuit I've taken from idea (granted, not original, but we've all gotta start somewhere) through to complete production and I learnt tonnes in the process.

I started by taking the fuzz face circuit (link below) and setting it up on a breadboard, which is a prototyping board that allows you to experiment with different components before locking them into a final configuration. I added a simple tone section, which allows control of the bass and treble and a bias k**b which changes the way the transistors interact with each other, and intern the sound of the circuit.

Once I was happy with how it sounded on the breadboard I used a program called Eagle to draw in my circuit and generate files I could send to a printed circuit board manufacturing company in China. I paid my $6 and a week later I had 10 custom printed boards.

My beautiful partner has been learning to use water colours and designed the art, which was UV printed onto a light blue powder coated enclosure. It's no coincidence that the enclosure is the same colour as MOTHER ENERGY DRINK's classic Epic Swell™ flavoured brew. I am currently seeking sponsorship, so please hit me up and we can talk details.

The blue LED is very bright, and as the age old saying goes, if the ambient blue light is rocking, don't come knocking.

https://www.electrosmash.com/fuzz-face

I just ordered a trial run of AudioRat Fuzz pedal printed circuit boards! The circuit is based on The Fuzz Face, which was made famous by Jimi Hendrix in the late 60s. This pedal features two additional k**bs, bias and tone. The bias k**b allows you to control the grit of the effect, while the tone k**bs helps you dial in the desired amount of bass/treble and helps the instrument sit right in a mix.