Glitchman

a modified Sony CD player with CV input.

A circuit bending project which became part of the final thesis of my studies at the University of Art and Design Linz.

The reason why I decided to use a portable CD player as an object lies in the fact that, as a digital device, it emits different sounds in the event of malfunctions than an analog one. With analog devices, a medium is read, the continuous audio signal is amplified and output. A CD as a digital data carrier does not contain a continuous signal but only information consisting of 1 and 0. These are sampled at a certain frequency and sent to a digital-to-analog converter which outputs an audio signal. In the event of interference, choppy sound artifacts and short snippets (samples) of the music content can become audible. The challenge lies in creating and evoking these glitches in a targeted manner.

In manipulated instruments, sound artifacts and malfunctions are created by connecting dots on the circuit board. In practice, this is achieved by operating switches and buttons.
Since I started working with circuit bending, I have been trying to think about the playability of the instruments. The aim is to connect modified instruments with modular synthesizers in order to be able to control them rhythmically.

Hardware / Electronic

Glitchman Manual EN

Glitchman Paper-PCB

Glitchman Template