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[migraneboy]

Don't know if this will work, but if it does, it's propably been done berfore.
The attached drawing didnīt work, so bear with me

The idea is to use a photoresistor as a "gate" for the output of a sound, serving as a trigger for a bend,
nothing new here.

The photoresistor is  put inside a small lightproof housing that has a little hole on one side to let the light in.
under this contraption runs a lightproof rubberbelt  0,5 -1,0cm wide that is set around wheels, sort of like a conveyorbelt or a tapeloop. The wheels are controlled with a varispeed electrical motor.

Under the belt, in line with the photoresistor is a LED or some other light.

On the rubberbbelt one can then pierce holes of different sizes and lengths to let the light thru whenever a hole passes the photoresistor. By measuring the belt these holes can be arranged so that they form a rhytmic loop that can be speeded up and down by controlling the motor that runs the belt.

is that enough explained?

I guess you could transform an old cassettedeck for this purpose and use a looped tape and a paper-punch-hole thingy for the belt..

All sorts of variations come to mind like linking 4 of these with different patterns to the same motor and use a simple "punch in" button for each so you could like... jam.. and stuff..

So, has anyone tried/seen/heard of something like this? Any further ideas on the subject?

[andy_wheels]

it's a bit like an old piano roll sequencer then? but with photo resistors instead of pins. hmmmm, i'm liking the idea.

mind you, it's a bit of a major project but could be well worth the effort. if someone can make a walkman powered mellotron then i reckon the belt driven sequencer is a possibilty.

walkman mellotron : http://mysterycircuits.com/melloman/melloman.html

how about driving it by a water wheel  or even wind power?

[migraneboy]

Yup.. might take a few evenings to put it together.. Also would have to make an opamp so I can use those really fast-responding photoresistors.. Or is there a way around this, so I could use regular ones?
Actually the wind/water power idea is great! In a postpostmodern-eco-hippy-kinda way! Would make a nice installation piece..

That mellotron is crazy!! Just wish they had made some more interesting sounds for it than that same old flute.. sounds pretty nice tough!


buzzzz..

[Circuitbenders]

seems like it should work and would be very cool in a 'what if it had worked out different and we were all using vinyl drives' kind of way, but i'm not sure i'd be willing to call it a 'cheap  & EASY sequencer' though.

that walkman mellotron is a masterpiece of 'way to much time on your hands' action. Weird how these things become obsessions.