Each day, as I read the news and write pieces on technology, art or even just my blog, I’m almost always listening to National Public Radio. More specifically, I listen to my hometown NPR station, WHYY 91 FM from Philadelphia, PA. WHYY offers a unique listening experience that’s really unmatched on both traditional and Internet radio. With shows like Car Talk, All Things Considered and Fresh Air (which is produced in Philadelphia) in addition to a wide range of news, music and politics, I feel informed and never out of the loop.

If you’ve got some time and want to hear fresh, new content, I suggest streaming WHYY online from WHYY.org. I just open it up in iTunes and leave it on for days, usually falling asleep to it. Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite local NPR station. If you do, we’ll be sure to include it in the post so people have other sources of radio to check out.

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Italian fashion designer Salvatore Ferragamo has created a tie for all you digital audiophiles out there. It’s a stylish piece of silk neckwear adorned with tiny multicolored CD’s and headphones. The tie comes in red or Navy, but with a $160 price tag it’s not cheap.

Despite the high cost, this item is clearly a must have for gents looking for discerning ladies who appreciate a man for his wardrobe as well as his massive MP3 collection. Remember, truly classy chicks aren’t just going to be impressed by the size of your hard drive.

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If you live in NJ or NYC and have some free time tonight, be sure to stop by the Etsy/MAKE/Create Digital Music Handmade Music Night event. It starts at 7PM and is being held at Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, NY. It’s easily accessible from the subway and yours truly will be attending and checking out some of the best DIY music around!

Handmade Music Night will include the following goods:
• Chiptune game-music
• Wireless sensor driven sound
• Wii balance board instrumentation
• Custom software for sound-mutation
• Experimental MIDI controllers of oddity

If you have a DIY instrument, be sure to bring it along with you. I’ll be digging through my old boxes and possibly dragging my beat up M-Audio Oxygen8 around, searching for that perfect mod that’ll let me create the sounds I want to hear.

Here’s the deets. Hope to see you there!
Handmade Music Night

7/8/08 - 7pm

Etsy Labs

325 Gold St., 3rd floor? Brooklyn, NY

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Air guitar is a big thing but an even bigger musical hit is on the horizon. Omer Yosha has created an interesting, elegant interface that uses infrared sensors to control music applications he’s calling AirPiano. Similar in concept to the theremin but with many more advancements, the AirPiano allows any untalented schmuck to wiggle his fingers above the board to make sound.

This is done by a virtual matrix of keys and faders above the board, each assigned with MIDI messages and ready to be triggered at the whim of the user.  Once those MIDI messages have been triggered it then relays the positioning of your fingers to a computer via USB, where the preprogrammed AirPiano software converts it into sound, or if you’re talented, music.

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We’ve talked previously about how the Nintendo DS can be used in all kinds of fun ways, including both homebrew and music. The fine folks over at Remaincalm.org have rounded up 25 pieces of audio software for your enjoyment. You’ll find everything here: drum machines, sequences, mixers, loopers, bit crush filters, trackers, MIDI interfaces, samplers, synths and so much more.

After giving this list a go, you’ll be creating so many beats on your DS that people are going to start calling you Fatboy Slim. It’s probably due to your addiction to cheese puffs, though; not because you’re producing good music.

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It’s a shame that Sega doesn’t manufacture gaming consoles anymore but it’s good to see the company can still churn out some interesting product.

Ampbot is Sega’s latest creation and it’s a weird one. Ampbot follows you around blasting music from 12W speakers. It dances to the beat, busts a move and will set you back $500. Yeah, I know. Ampbot seemed like the coolest fucking thing since Purple Rain until you found out he was $500. Cool idea, bad execution.

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Over on Flickr, user j.rusten decided to craft his own pair of headphones. Constructed with a vintage look in mind, the cups are made of layered cork with a green plastic shell. The final result? A cross between Grado and an Air Force pilot’s headset.

The drivers used only cost $50, so I’d imagine you could design your own pair for under $100. Get the cred, head the music, bang the girl. Wait, what?

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The description of the Voice of Saturn Synth Kit is making me very excited:

This is a 10 step analog sequencer, which basically steps through 10 different voltage levels that are set by the black knobs. The output control voltage and trigger signals are typically used to control pitch, filters, drum triggers and an endless number of other parameters on other synths.

It’s based on a decade counter chip (CD4017) driven by a 555 timer (clock), although it can also use an external clock signal. The sequence can be shortened by connecting an eigth-inch audio cable from the reset jack on top to one of the step’s jacks. It features both a gate output and a S-trigger output for Moog synths.

This is THE must-have board if you’re looking to form the next Atari Teenage Riot. Circuit-bending meshed with sequencing guarantees you’ll have a fun time even if you don’t know much about music or electronics. I guarantee you you’ll create wacky, fun sounds with a kit like this.

The best news is that the Voice of Saturn is available as a bare-bones kit for $70, an “everything kit” for $125 and you can even get a fully-assembled (and tested) version for $250. Not bad!

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If you like playing music with useless hardware and you’ve got no time to go to the Tashi station to pick up some power converters, then check this YouTube video out.

Some geek hacked his old 3.5-inch floppy disk drive to play the Star Wars “Imperial” tune.  Unfortunately, no documentation was made to show you how to build one yourself, so you’ll just have to suffer. Hey, it beats being taken to the Dune Sea, cast into the pit of Carkoon: the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlaac, where you’ll be slowly digested over a thousand years.
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Anyone who’s into athletics or sports of any kind should consider grabbing one of these t-shirts from Music and Sons. A built-in pocket with a 1/8″ jack connects to your iPod or Zune and a pair of headphones hooks in right behind your neck at the collar. The result? Tangle-free skateboarding/BMXing/log-jamming.

With great looking washes and colors, these are dorky t-shirts that’d you’d actually want to wear, unlike others we’ve showcased. Though they’re expensive at $70 a pop, you’ll sleep well knowing you’re a digital man in a digital age.

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