Circuit-Bending: Build Your Own Alien Instruments (ExtremeTech) [Paperback]

Reed Ghazala (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0764588877 | ISBN-13: 978-0764588877 | Edition: 1

• Fans will get bent out of shape if they miss the first book to cover circuit-bending-"bending," for short-the method by which an electronic toy or a device such as a keyboard is short-circuited and modified to create an entirely different sound
• Written by the inventor of the technology, this book covers the tools of the trade, shows how to build a bending workshop, and reveals secrets that will have readers of all levels making sweet music in no time
• Readers learn basic bends, body contacts, and other bending skills, as well as ways to create bent instruments from a variety of popular toys and electronic devices
• Features some of the author's own unique creations

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"We send probes into deep space to listen to alien worlds. But alien worlds aren't always that far away."
—Reed Ghazala

Alien music could be inside that old Speak & Spell at your neighbor's yard sale. Circuit-bending sets it free. Start turning throw-away audio electronics into magical music engines and discover a freedom of expression that comes straight from your dreams. All you need to know about electronics is how to solder—an how to read these instructions from the guy who accidentally started it all. Limitations? Only your imagination.

Inside you'll find detailed instructions for turning ANY circuit you find into an alien music engine overnight, along with never before revealed secrets to bent instruments including:

1. Incantor
2. Cool Keys
3. Casio SK-1
4. Casio SA-2
5. Harmonic Window
6. Phone Toys
7. Casio SK-60
8. Realistic MT140
9. Casio SA-5
10. The Electronic Womb
11. Casio Sax
12. Particle Bays
13. Write with Light
14. Rap Rhythm
15. Mall Madness

About the Author

Reed Ghazala developed the technique of circuit-bending in 1967, following the chance encounter of a transistorized amplifier with an unidentified object in his desk drawer. He can often be found writing music, sculpting, taking photos, hunting mushrooms, building things that fly, or indulging in other creative pursuits as befits a true Renaissance man.

Product Details

• Paperback: 450 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764588877
• ISBN-13: 978-0764588877
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of great info, a ton of filler October 23, 2006

By Cody Ranaldo

Format:Paperback

This book is a great beginning introduction to circuit bending. When I recieved it I was immediately ready to read it cover to cover. However, while the information regarding what parts to get, as detailed info on completing specific projects is great, I couldn't help being distracted by a good amount of slef indulgence from the author. I'm really interested in the technical aspects of bending, and how to be able to strike it out on my own once I learn a thing or two. This book enables you to do this. It reads as preachy at times, and I find the personal asides (long pasages about camping trips and windstorms blowing charred embers into a tent, talk of the hippie 60's, etc.) to be annoying. I was able to overlook them until about page 100, but they certainly get old quickly. From a more utilitarian standpoint, it is simply harder to find what you are looking for when wading through a sea of wacky quips.

Hippies and aliens aside, I would seriously reccomend this book to anyone who has no experience whatsoever in electronics. Ghazala teaches good soldering technique, and moves through explanations of electronic components at a slow pace. However, If you are interested in circuit bending and other DIY electronic music forms in a broader sense I would recommend the book "Handmade Electronic Music" by Nicolas Collins over this one, simply because it presents things more seroiusly, more concisely, and has useful historical asides (talk of John Cage, Nam June Paik) that are more interesting than Ghazala's personal tales.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to bend but lack any experience? This book is all you need. December 5, 2005

By Count Spankulus

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was a novice with no bending experience but plenty of interest. I purchased this book because it was about the only reference I could find on the subject. I had ascertained from poking around on the internet that Reed really was the Godfather of bending. It turns out that he is also an exceptional teacher/writer. This book starts at the very beginning: The history of bending, necessary tools, soldering techniques, etc. Someone with no electronics experience whatsoever will be able to follow every step. I never felt like any steps were missing from the process. Reed explains every detail clearly, concisely and often humorously without insulting the reader's intelligence. The book goes on to discuss bending about 15 specific instruments. This is a great way to get a start and prepare you for the real fun: bending your own instruments. The only complaint I have is that it would have been nice to have all important tools and parts specified with part numbers (Many are). This would allow the reader to more easily obtain the necessary parts. However, this info is available online if you search a little. Word of warning: The costs of the necessary tools to bend are not negligible. You will need a soldering station, a Dremel hobby drill and various switches and components. The costs add up. However, these are mostly fixed startup costs that become trivial over the course of a bending career.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed... August 24, 2005

By Kelsey Cain

Format:Paperback

I just started looking into circuit-bending about a month ago. I googled the term and thankfully found Reed's site. It was both inspiring and informative. This book reads the same way. Without speaking over the head of the reader, this book holds much information on the subject. It is full of tips, pictures and diagrams that will have you on your way to creating your own interesting instruments. Though circuit-bending deals with electronics in so many ways, he still covers the aspects of instrument design. This book has it all, so check it out.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Much like the evil genius books in style and substance November 27, 2007

By calvinnme HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This book is great for aspiring electronics hobbyists who know nothing about building their own electronic devices but would like to learn and have something more interesting to show for their efforts than some boring counter device with a seven segment LED display. There is plenty of instruction on selecting components and assembling circuits, but there is not much in the way of theory as to why you get the sound you do. In other words, if you are looking for the math or musical theory behind any of this, it is missing. I really wouldn't have been that bothered by all of the narrative side trips that the author took that other reviewers have already mentioned if only at the end of the day he had delivered the goods in relation to the theory. If you are a fan of the Evil Genius series of books, you will probably like this book too. The instructions are clear and correct, and you will have something that works if you follow directions. What is missing is the why. What would be nice would be a book that combines the how of this electronics book with the why of more theoretical books on the subject that are usually totally impractical. I am yet to find one. The most accessible books I've found on the mathematics behind music are the two volumes of Musimathics that came out just recently.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Best Bending January 16, 2007

By El Colin

Format:Paperback

This is The One; the comprehensive guide to circuit bending I have been searching for since I was introduced to the art in 2003, (by a friend named Reid, oddly enough.) At the time there was nothing but a few scattered resources online. We bought an eighty dollar electrical engineering book because we were anxious to learn and advance what we were doing. If Circuit Bending: Build Your Own Alien Instruments were available then, we could have saved ourselves a lot of confusion, a lot of fried circuits (R.I.P. Lovechild 1,) and Eighty Dollars!

Whether you are just starting out, or have been bending for years, there are countless tips, techniques, and in depth explanations that make Reed Ghazala's book a priceless addition to your workshop (or bedroom.) Even with processes I have known for years, Ghazala boils them down, simplifies and perfects them. And the text never gets boring; there is a perfect combo of technical-layman-mumbo-jumbo-anecdotes-and-asides that keep you turning pages and wanting to know more about the instruments, the art, and the author. You can also see, hear, and read more at Ghazala's website or the book's companion website, (even if you don't have the book yet.)

There is no be all and end all in Circuit Bending (one of the beautiful things about it) but Ghazala's book is the way to begin one's mastery of the art, all coming from the master himself.