Zen sand backyard in a suitcase doubles as MIDI controller

On the shallow finish of the pool, a MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) controller might be so simple as a handful of buttons that correspond to totally different notes. However whilst one wades into the deep finish of the pool, MIDI controllers are likely to nonetheless appear like hunks of plastic with some knobs and keys. Redditor Gilou_ needed one thing that felt extra natural (truly, “inorganic” if we need to be technical) and they also constructed this uncommon MIDI controller that appears like a Japanese-style sand backyard in a suitcase.

When you stumbled throughout this machine with none context, you’ll assume that’s precisely what it’s: some sort of moveable sand backyard. Opening the highest of the suitcase reveals a handful of darkish stones resting in a mattress of sand. Conventional rakes and scoops hold in straps on the lid of the suitcase. However beneath the sand there are just a few digital parts that flip the sound backyard right into a useful instrument. A piezoelectric pickup, like the sort you’d see on some acoustic-electric guitars, within the sand interprets the vibrations of sand raking and sifting into an audio sign that feeds into a pc’s sound card.

The sound from the piezoelectric pickup may be fascinating to a foley artist, however it wouldn’t be very musical by itself. To make this a helpful digital instrument, Gilou_ added an Arduino Micro board as a MIDI controller. The darkish stones are knobs that sit on potentiometers, which lets the musician alter the sound of the sand because it performs by the pc. Every potentiometer controls a special impact, similar to reverb or delay, that dramatically alters the sound of the sand. As an alternative of one thing that feels like a lapel mic rubbing on a shirt, the musician can create ambient music that’s fairly nice to listen to.