Cymatics Test: Mustard Seed and the WSG

Posted on February 11, 2011 by John Keston

I recorded this sound during a cymatics experiment that I conducted with Pramila Vasuvedan of Annichia Arts to see if patterns in mustard seed would emerge. To generate the tones I connected my WSG to a simple amplifier and then to a twelve inch speaker with a platform suspended above the speaker cone. Mustard seed was poured onto the platform as we tested different frequency and amplitude combinations. This experiment was not quite successful, probably becuase the WSG has multiple oscillators, but we learned a few things in the process and created some interesting sounds, as well as some unbearable ones that I’ll refrain from sharing. Listen for the hiss of the mustard seed vibrating on the one eighth inch thick panel of plywood that we used as a platform.

Cymatics Test: Mustard Seed and WSG

Weird Sound Generator Meets Memory Man

Posted on January 27, 2011 by John Keston

This evening I introduced the Weird Sound Generator (WSG) to the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man delay. The two of them hit it off and the next thing I knew was that someones jack went into someones input and some completely unprotected signals went down. A little mood lighting later and… here’s the result of the union.

WSG Meets Memory Man

Four Oscillator Drone Produced with the WSG

Posted on March 20, 2010 by John Keston

What good is a Weird Sound Generator if you’re not using it to make weird sounds? Sometimes it is nice to just hold it on your lap and stroke it gently. That aside, it’s quiet useful once you plug it in and start twiddling the knobs. Here’s a piece I created by tuning the each of the four oscillators on the WSG and then fiddled with the filters. At the same time I made some adjustments to a phaser that I was running it through in Ableton Live and topped it off with ping pong delay.

Four Oscillator Drone

WSG Build Gallery

Posted on March 17, 2010 by John Keston

I’ve created a slideshow that illustrates the process of building my Weird Sound Generator, from the unopened box through completion of the project. The third photo in the series (shown below) shows the items that came out of the box including all of the components for the WSG and a CD by Ray Wilson titled Electroluminescence.
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Weird Sound Generator

Posted on March 15, 2010 by John Keston

This weekend I completed building a Weird Sound Generator, or WSG, component kit from Music From Outer Space. The kit comes with a printed circuit board and all the electronics, including resistors, capacitors, diodes, ICs, potentiometers, switches, and wires. The rest, like the housing, faceplate, and soldering is up to the builder.

I built a box similar to the recommended specifications and cut the faceplate out of an old computer case. The wood I used was scraps that I held onto and recycled. In fact, I managed built the entire instrument without buying anything beyond the kit itself. Even the stain, nails, glue, screws, and backing board were materials that I had hoarded from previous projects over the years.

It took me about thirteen hours to complete. But, it was a fun thirteen hours of playing with my soldering iron and power tools while following instructions, or coming up with a way to cut through metal, or mount a nine volt battery inside an already cramped case. And, although the case isn’t perfectly square, and the leads are more than a bit tangled, I’m pleased with the little noise maker that I now have at my disposal. In the next entry I’ll illustrate the sequence of events that took place in building this device. Oh yeah… and sounds.