Hand-Cranked MIDI Sequencer Made From A Can Of Beans

This is a MacGyver’d instrument if there ever was one – a hand-cranked MIDI sequencer made from a baked bean can.

Does this count as a tangible sequencer?

via hotchk155:

One empty baked bean tin, some lego and a stack of little magnets… stick magnets on the tin and slide them about to ‘program’ the sequencer, then grab hold of the ‘transport control’ and crank away…. The breadboard contains 5 hall-effect switches and a PIC16F688 to generate MIDI note on/off information. This is piped to Reason in the first half of the clip and to a Dave Smith Mopho synth in the second half.

reckon with a baked bean tin about 16ft in diameter and about 25,000 magnets you could dump your sequencer software.. and you’d be getting some good aerobic exercise to boot :o)

7 thoughts on “Hand-Cranked MIDI Sequencer Made From A Can Of Beans

  1. For the Live version, you'd stick the magnets to the inside surface of that 16ft baked bean can and then get inside and run in it like a hamster wheel. As the magnets come past your face you frantically re-arrange them in real time, just mind you don't kick them out of place as they go past your feet!

    Brings a whole new meaning to the term "live looping". šŸ˜‰

  2. For the Live version, you'd stick the magnets to the inside surface of that 16ft baked bean can and then get inside and run in it like a hamster wheel. As the magnets come past your face you frantically re-arrange them in real time, just mind you don't kick them out of place as they go past your feet!

    Brings a whole new meaning to the term "live looping". šŸ˜‰

  3. Fantastic blog, I just came across it and Iā€™m already a fan. I just lost 30 pounds in 30 days, and I want to share my weight loss success with as many people as possible. If I can lose the weight then any one can. No matter what you do, never give up and you WILL attain every one of your weight loss goals!

  4. Thanks Shanelle, that's a major contribution to our happy synthesizer community. Unfortunately, I didn't lose weight because when I built this sequencer, I accidentally ate the beans. Still, if you have any more weight-loss tips, please don't hesitate to keep them to yourself.

  5. Thanks Shanelle, that's a major contribution to our happy synthesizer community. Unfortunately, I didn't lose weight because when I built this sequencer, I accidentally ate the beans. Still, if you have any more weight-loss tips, please don't hesitate to keep them to yourself.

  6. Thanks Shanelle, that's a major contribution to our happy synthesizer community. Unfortunately, I didn't lose weight because when I built this sequencer, I accidentally ate the beans. Still, if you have any more weight-loss tips, please don't hesitate to keep them to yourself.

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