“The challenge was to take an existing electronic device and to re-create it – rewire it, hack it, add new circuits – modify it and turn it into a new instrument and create new sounds it was never intended to make,” says Stephen Barnwell. And it had to be done for less than $70.
So Barnwell, a mechatronics major from Asheville, electronically married an Atari 2600 game console with a Casio keyboard, and the resulting “Cataritone” has earned him a coveted spot as one of five finalists in the annual Moog Circuit Bending Challenge. For making it this far in the contest, Barnwell has won two passes to Moogfest, April 23-27, where he will present his creation to festival goers and contest judges. The top three entries will walk away with Moog synthesizers.
The work on Barnwell’s invention has been a labor of love, but the relationship between the two components has not been entirely smooth. “They’re not meant to be in the same box,” he says. “I’m mixing audio and radio frequency video signals, so some interference and noise are unavoidable. I’ve been rewiring, shielding and working on cleaning up the output signals – making them nicer to listen to and look at.”
In addition to adding new sonic options, Barnwell says he wanted to wire in the Atari “to add some cool visuals to go with the music I play. A lot of musicians use software visualizers in their performances, but the results are predictable; a drum set and a guitar can produce more or less the same images. I want to make modules where the same waveforms and controls that are producing audio can generate video as well, so that each instrument will have a unique visual signature.”
“I do a lot of different things within the mechatronics program, AV installations, robotics, controls,” says Barnwell. “So I’m not just about the music. I’m an all-around electronics geek, modding, designing, repairing and restoring all things electronic, and I’m an art geek, so wherever I can find outlets for creativity within the program, that’s where I really thrive.”
Barnwell hopes to make a career out of his passion, and as a first step, to follow in the footsteps of other UNC Asheville students who have found creative engineering work at the Moog Music factory in Asheville. “Being a finalist in the competition bodes well,” he says.
Barnwell has already started his own business, The Circuit Surgeon LLC.
For more information on the Moog Circuit Bending Challenge and video of all the finalists, visithttp://www.moogfest.com/circuit-bending.