Sensatronic Wave Chimes

We created our own digital wind chimes, fully programable with any sound and/or visual. A wave chime midi controller with a world of potential.

We are designing punk DIY instruments by and for a whole host of young people who are in different ways facing barriers to interaction with digital music technology. Many people with sensory, learning or physical impairments that many technology companies simply do not take into account when designing their products. So we are advocating on behalf of those people and at the same time doing it ourselves, building our own instruments and controllers.

If you have or know or work with someone with a sensory, learning, physical or even financial barrier to music technology then this is the instructable series for you. Use this as a tool for inspiration as well as instruction. Take a look then go make it even better than us. Mold it to your needs, make it your own!

You will need:

Ototo

Conductive fabric

Marbles/weights

T stand or something to hang from

Speaker

Optional:

Computer with midi receiving software/app

This is the easiest step of all. Simply buy yourself an ototo, wait patiently at your letterbox then rip open the packaging when it arrives and get stuck into your new gismo. Priced at a reasonable £69.

http://www.ototo.fm/

Comes with instructions and lot of fun projects on the website too.

The ototo works through conductivity. The white and black keys on the front are the same as the keys on a piano. Attach a crocodile clip to each or any of them and as you touch the other end, it will trigger the corresponding key. Once batteries have been placed in the back, you can cycle through the ototo's in built samples and sounds

Take some conductive material and cut it into threads. We attached some marbles to the bottom to help give each chime some sway. You can make yours any way you want, just make sure they are weighted at the bottom.

We used a drum stand and a bit of wood but you could make something far more ornate and beautiful.

Attach the Ototo to the side of your stand.

Take your crocodile clips from the Ototo and attach them to your conductive chimes.

Then attach your conductive chimes along the top of your T stand and bluetac or tape down to hold in place

Take an audio jack from Ototo to a speaker/amp to amplify

Take micro USB from Ototo and connect to laptop or computer

Load up your midi receiving DAW or app

The DAW or app will read the midi signal straight away. You can then use the Wave Chimes to control anything you like. Maybe a synth, maybe it can trigger visuals or control lights...there is no limit other than your imagination.

If the last few steps sound complicated for you, fear not. They are only optional extras. The in built sounds are perfectly sufficient to get cracking and have some fun.

Find new sounds to create, play with different materials or ways of playing the chimes.

Maybe rather than a T stand you could use a lampshade or an umbrella to hand the conductive chimes?

Before long you will have designed something fun, interactive and beautiful that almost anyone can play instantly all for under £100.