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How to Circuit Bend a Casio SK1 or Toy Synth: In-Depth Tutorial!
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Күн бұрынMy content is ad-free. If you would like to support my channel, here are some options:
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Recording gear used in this video:
Sony cybershot rx100 _ amzn.to/2GpoRer
Zoom H6 _ amzn.to/2S3tJal
Microphone tripod _ amzn.to/2WWfI1M
Photography light set _ amzn.to/2TRfK9s
Track index:
00:12 Hello / My dumb face
00:38 Intro/ Parts
04:00 Parts list
05:00 Tools needed
06:09 Finding glitch points
12:41 Tinning your wires
18:12 Preparing and drilling holes
27:26 Schematic for pitch control
31:22 Building the pitch control
52:00 Soldering the patch bay
55:00 Play and test!
01:08:00 Final thoughts/ Post mortem
Click here to subscribe: goo.gl/8PW6N3
Notes and warnings first:
1. Circuit bend at your own risk. If you damage your device, I'm not responsible.
2. Never circuit bend live electronics unless they are battery powered only. DO NOT CIRCUIT BEND WALL POWERED DEVICES!
3. Always wear safety goggles when working with solder and power tools. I'm the victim of eye trauma, so please believe that it can happen to you.
4. Solder in a well ventilated area.
I've tried to be as thorough as possible with this tutorial. In total it came in at about 2 hours and 40 min, which I thought was way too long. Therefore I cut it down to just over an hour.
Many of the topics that I cut were covered in my previous tutorial on circuit bending the Tascam Porta 02. Please check that out if you have any questions regarding soldering and basic electronics.
as always, you can ask questions in the comments below, or message me at user.173
• DIY pitch control IN-D...
Feel free to get as creative as you want and build something you'll be proud of: you can just use my tutorial and the links below as a suggestion of things to try.
In the end I cut out my exact bend locations because I want to encourage you to explore and stay curious. There are a lot of bend possibilities and no one person has mapped them all. Please feel free to find glitches and bends that excite you, after all, you're the artist!
Reference links (everything you need to know about circuit bending the SK1):
The father of all circuit bending is known as Reed Ghazala. He has a book (I've not seen it yet) but I've heard that it is the bible of circuit bending. Check out his website here:
• papernoise concertodro...
Papernoise/ Concertdrone is a guy who provides a PDF documenting his SK1 build. It can be useful to read over, but unfortunately it's not very helpful:
www.papernoise...
• papernoise concertodro...
So this guy "Greightbit" has done a tutorial on his circuit bend of the SK1, however like most demos I can find, it's not as complete as I would have liked. Make no mistake though, I did find some useful tips and his video is well worth a watch.
• moog circuit bending c...
Greightbit has also provided an instructable, but it's about as useful as a bottle of milk for circuit bending :( (sorry greightbit) I'll try to upload a more useful instructable soon.
www.instructab...
If you search around the internet, you'll find some very cool builds of the SK1, and this one in particular is really neat. Have a look!
www.deadtribe.c...
// Let's connect
Instagram: / user.173
Twitter: / user173000
Patreon: / user173
// Recording gear used in this video:
Sony cybershot rx100 _ amzn.to/2GpoRer
Zoom H6 _ amzn.to/2S3tJal
Microphone tripod _ amzn.to/2WWfI1M
Photography light set _ amzn.to/2TRfK9s
@ouijapcb Ай бұрын
27:30 it was so hard to find this information on the internet. Thanks genius. I mean, I saw the diagram on the circuit bending wiki, but it was labeled like they were trying to make a case against using mspaint for demonstrations like this.
@Reverend11dMEOW Ай бұрын
and that is the same folks they catalog to teach today's AI SCAM.
@ouijapcb Ай бұрын
@@Reverend11dMEOW what?
@mikelreborn3254 11 күн бұрын
About 2008, 2010, somewhere in there, I messed with circuit bending on one of these but with alligator clips only flipped over just like you have. I just bought a Yamaha PSS-130. It has a way smaller board and I'm actually going to bend the sucker... first thing I'm going to add to it is the audio jack. Even though I'm doing it on a different keyboard, this video has been very helpful so thank you. With technique basically.
@RetroPlus Жыл бұрын
This is awesome, you should try circuit bending one of the older fully analogue casio models. They can get pretty gnarly when bent
@kfrncs 3 жыл бұрын
great, in-depth & well-produced video. thanks. especially loving the no-ads
@ZirkusRose 4 ай бұрын
Just get an ad blocker
@aretard7995 4 жыл бұрын
"My content is ad-free" Respect!
@by.daekeryyy 4 жыл бұрын
Hey, i have a doubt, in your casio u used a 8k resistor. I have a casio mt 240, in my situation, do i need to use that exactly resistor? or...
@gorillaau 4 жыл бұрын
Yes, always ensure you have a coffee handy.
@radiomorph 4 жыл бұрын
I gotta learn more about this stuff! Thanks for the info and inspiration!
@cmd_f5 4 жыл бұрын
Awesome. I love the power of electronics. Bending stuff has always been pretty fascinating. Cheers and subbed
@achmedabadoba5478 2 жыл бұрын
I just saw the title of this video; got me subscribed instantly
@michaelrowe5118 4 жыл бұрын
You have the exact same cheap solder kit as me - it's done the job so far though :) I just picked up an old Casio MT-140 that I'll be trying my first 'bend' on. Thanks for the tutorial!
@RemyTerjanian 3 жыл бұрын
Awesome video! I love these longer videos that show the whole process. Definitely subbing!!
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the sub!
@lastnamefirstname6035 3 жыл бұрын
Ugh the shout out to Nakey Jakey got to me and my SK1 sitting next to me right now
@thelabofdrsynthinstein5684 4 жыл бұрын
Very helpful thank you
@carlosdelrio8309 5 жыл бұрын
This is great, as I've said before, your still images make a really useful addition to these guides modding gear. Thanks mate. I hope your video on defeating the erase head on a portastudio is still on the plans ;) All the best!
@User173 5 жыл бұрын
Hey there, thank you so much, it is defintely on the books, I've just been in the middle of moving to a new city. I have all the parts, I just need to shoot the dang video. Hoping to have it within a month or two :D
@carlosdelrio8309 5 жыл бұрын
Great to know ;) I've a SK1 I bought some time ago for bending it, sadly, getting the LTC here is impossible, so I'm waiting for a friend that maybe can find one for me while he's traveling... did you find a "hold" bend point in yours? because I once watched a video of a bent SK1 and it had a mod that will freeze/loop small bits or phrases, similar to a hold button in some old delay racks and pedals (like a DD3) I have. I'm not that much into harsh sounding bendings, just want to add the pitch one (it's lovely) and a few more melodic and controlable ones, and the hold one would be super useful for me. All the best mate.
@User173 5 жыл бұрын
@@carlosdelrio8309 hey there, yes I found a hold spot, but I didn't wire it up. After testing mine more now, I think I'm going to open it up and change a few bends. There are some that aren't working as well as I'd like. I"ll def try to add the hold bend. Maybe I can do an update video. btw, why can't you get the LTC in your area?
@carlosdelrio8309 5 жыл бұрын
@@User173 Hey, great, I'll be checking out in case you make the update video. I live in a small city, I asked in all the electronics stores here and wrote to a few in other places with no luck. No LTC here :( Importing electronics is usually tricky (because of customs) and can take months... I've had mixed experiences, some friends as well, sometimes packages "get lost", show up opened with missing stuff, or giving explanations of why you would import some minor components to a cutoms officer can become a headache, plus all the bureaucracy and unnecesary paperwork required, so usually if somebody brings stuff to you is way easier, faster, and more direct/reliable than buying online.
@prescribedburn Жыл бұрын
I made the same mistake with all the heavy wire and hot glue, so I thought "let's see how this guy did it". Live and learn - when I get around to it I'm wanting to put it in a custom case with patch bay in the back.
@stanton343 4 жыл бұрын
Nice, dude. Solid tutorial.
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
Thanks m'man!
@charlie_exe5265 4 жыл бұрын
Nice Radiohead reference. Greatly appreciated
@Reverend11dMEOW Ай бұрын
a buddy used one of these for recordding his, "You're a pustule on the buttocks of humynity" song.
@Sonikbytes Жыл бұрын
The lofi sounds on this synth (even the piano) can sound good in a lofi kind of way when run through an FX unit. I would hesitate to CB mine unless there were some good mods for it.
@sumoslap1973 3 жыл бұрын
Saint. Fucking saint here
@davidvanscouten7972 4 жыл бұрын
I could bite my butt! I had the SK1 in the 90s and gave it away! as an electronics and synthesizer fan I would have known that beforehand ...! thanks for this deep video!
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
no worries, you can still find them for about 50-60 bucks. upwards of 100-120 if you want it mint and you don't mind paying.
@davidvanscouten7972 4 жыл бұрын
@@User173 thanks pal! :)
@corticallarvae 2 жыл бұрын
Great vid
@grandaffair1446 4 жыл бұрын
Boss level!
@SpiderofPnyx 5 жыл бұрын
As i said on insta, i didnt know i would like a circuit bended casio this much. The patch bay looks amazing too
@User173 5 жыл бұрын
ahh man, thank you so much. It can definitely get really glitchy and all noisy like you normally hear, but I'm stoked I found some bends that are more subtle and still retain some musical quality. The pitch bend circuit is key here. it really changes the whole game on this thing.
@SpiderofPnyx 5 жыл бұрын
User 173 plus its unique AF!
@User173 5 жыл бұрын
@@SpiderofPnyx Thank you so much, seriously.
@BuickGeek24 4 жыл бұрын
What is your instagram username?
@SpiderofPnyx 4 жыл бұрын
@@BuickGeek24 @spiderofpnyx
@LuisDiazDrums 4 жыл бұрын
man i have this keys since i was like 12 or something, currently missing a key and not making any sound but it turns on, hope i can get it to work and then glitch it dat would be very very CHINGÓN
@cuentos.narrados 3 жыл бұрын
si estuvo guardado mucho tiempo y no da sonido lo mas probable es que el potenciómetro de volumen se haya oxidado y no permita que pase la señal, ya lo solucionaste?
@LuisDiazDrums 3 жыл бұрын
@@cuentos.narrados no, sigue sin sonar mi sk1 =( probare limpiarlo con alcohol isopropilico
@cuentos.narrados 3 жыл бұрын
@@LuisDiazDrums debería funcionar, también asegúrate de que el switch de encendido este limpio, a veces prende la luz pero no suena y es el switch de encendido, es raro pero pasa. Saludos desde Argentina.
@LuisDiazDrums 3 жыл бұрын
@@cuentos.narrados gracias por tus consejos, de hecho si tiene un problema con el switch de encendido desde hace muchos años pero aun así sonaba, ahora se quedó totalmente mudo, también lo revisaré gracias
@toxiclolita 4 жыл бұрын
1:02:28 It sounds like music from the video game Earthbound.
@novasys9119 4 жыл бұрын
hahaha yeah!
@sidneiribeiro7666 2 жыл бұрын
Great !
@user-lm3mw4wy1f 3 жыл бұрын
👍Amazing!👍
@prelesio 4 жыл бұрын
really cool!
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
tyvm!
@zackhartmann 4 жыл бұрын
this is gr8. i'm about to pick up an original by spunky toofer, cant wait
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
haha, what is spunky toofer? I need to look this DIY'er up apparently!
@zackhartmann 4 жыл бұрын
@@User173 yeah some old skool bender guy, you can find some of his stuff lurking around the web. he called his version of the bent sk1 the "anthithesizer"
@zackhartmann 4 жыл бұрын
@@User173 one question - I know you mention not tinkering around while on mains power, but do you know if operating the bent keyboard once it's all sealed up is safe with a power adapter? or would you still use batteries regardless
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
@@zackhartmann I'm not an electrical engineer, and I don't know what kind of bends are being used in your setup, but I think that once it's fully sealed, that there shouldn't be a problem, however I would just recommend you use batteries. it's just more fun and portable! that being said, I honestly cannot answer your question fully because as I mentioned I'm not aware of the mods done to your unit.
@NathanJayMusic 2 жыл бұрын
The piano sounds so much better a few octaves lower
@theotherson 4 жыл бұрын
I've also been working on one of these bends! I never worked out why some folks say to use the 8k resistor on the pitch switch. I've had the best luck with a 500 ohm resistor as that seems to bring the "off" setting back to regular pitch. I'm currently experimenting with a push-pull pot for the pitch mod as I'm also building a 4-VCF phat philter so need to save some space. I also love that you did a drum kill/boost - where are the contacts for that on the board??
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
very cool intel! thanks. I will try to replace the 8k with a 500 and see if I get a similar result. Will you be showing your process on the 4-vcf filter? I'd be super interested in adding one myself. And for your last question, go to 37:42 and pause the video. See my black ground wire running across the middle of the board? See how it's running in between two vertical rows of solder points? there are three solder points on each side of the black wire (dead center on the board). That is the area for the drum kill and drum boost! Let me know if you have any questions or if my description doesn't make sense.
@theotherson 4 жыл бұрын
User 173 I think I see what you’re referring too - I’ll try it out in a bit! In terms of the phat philter i’ve just been following a guide I found online (partly thanks to papernoise’s guide which has been super useful as a sort of template). I’m not planning on doing a video or whatever but I’ll hit you up on Instagram and I’m happy to chat!
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
@@theotherson awesome! nice to talk to other benders :D
@macdooper6981 3 жыл бұрын
@@User173p
@quinnsoto4501 3 жыл бұрын
I'm new to this and know remarkably little about electrical engineering. Any good ideas of where I can start to gather pertinent info to ensure I can bend my instruments in ways I want?
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
well, yeah, but that would defeat the purpose of exploring! that is the whole fun of circuit bending. finding your own control points.
@tylercolton6891 Жыл бұрын
How are the switches on the side hooked up? Specifically the "Safety Switch" one, that one sounds especially useful!
@anniesthesia 5 жыл бұрын
Ha, I have the same solder kit!
@User173 5 жыл бұрын
good ol' amazon! cheapest one!
@anniesthesia 5 жыл бұрын
@@User173 you should check out these drill bits. They work like a charm. Put some gaffers tape at the size you want and drill until you hit it. smile.amazon.com/Neiko-10193A-Titanium-Drill-3-Piece/dp/B001OEPYWK/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=drill+bits+taper&qid=1568145197&s=gateway&sr=8-9
@unrulysoldier2140 Жыл бұрын
Hi. Great video love it. Do you have any suggestions for returning the caps on a Fostex G16 midi half inch tape machine ? Planning to buy a desoldering station and change all the caps. Thre are apparently 500 or so. After itll need some sort of head demag and calibration tape I think. Cheers.
@ZenMountain Жыл бұрын
Excellent video, thanks. Looks nasty though, is that intentional? Great work.
@j3ffn4v4rr0 3 жыл бұрын
For the LTC1799....at 32:42 it says "on/on 3 pole switch"..........do you really mean SPDT switch? (single pole, double throw)
@marcuscane1087 2 жыл бұрын
Please do mine.wow what an ear gasm.
@ianratcliffe6249 6 ай бұрын
I have an older version of this that someone brought in for repair. I got it to work but the LED wont shut off. Any ideas?
@User173 2 ай бұрын
I mean... no. I'd have to actually see a video or picture of your problem.
@SCWood 2 жыл бұрын
How do you do the glitching without completely killing the circuit? Are there any contact bridges you shouldn't touch? An SK-1 goes for around 150 ish dollars, so you can see why I'd be reluctant lol
@thedescendedchild6059 11 ай бұрын
what's that into atmosphere sound that's hard i wanna use that 🔥
@User173 2 ай бұрын
do it!
@zooltekindustries1197 3 жыл бұрын
I understand the concept of connecting various points to alter the sound. And i get that you can use switches to open/close these connections. But what is the difference between the switches on the right hand and the "patch cable" section on the left?
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
not much of a difference except that I wanted to have some dedicated switches for things like reset. makes it easier to have some functions broken out into switches. Next time I'm just going to make a build with only switches :D
@phaselockstudio6085 4 жыл бұрын
Love the intro! Is it hand-drawn?
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
yes, I am an artist for my day job.
@isellcrack3537 2 жыл бұрын
Where can I find info on other CASIO keyboards? I just found a CT 310 and CT 400 both selling very cheap but I just want to make sure there is info available on how to do circuit bend one or the other. Best case scenario - both!
@ZenMountain Жыл бұрын
The INTERNET maybe?
@forevershampoo 2 жыл бұрын
I just got a pt-100 ha
@by.daekeryyy 4 жыл бұрын
Your LTC1799 has pins? or is the normal version i found on etsy. com the LTC pcb module and the LTC pcb module with pins, what do you recommend me?
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
Hey there. yes the chip has pins. I soldered it on to a little board and used the contact points to solder it. you should be able to buy them prebuilt and I just used the kind with contact points.
@CrybabyArtist 3 жыл бұрын
Closer together?,,,,, yeah... and wander from side to side... you kicked in my OCD I had to take medicine
@mariandiegomejia5366 4 жыл бұрын
Excelente,, si tan solo pudiera ver en subtitulado,, lo mas que quiero saber, ¿donde se consigue los circuitos o que debo pedir, quiero agregarle efectos a mi teclado? ,, esta muy cool tu video me encanta , no entiendo por qué esta en ingles
@ZenMountain Жыл бұрын
What??
@user-ky8or6hf6j 3 жыл бұрын
After ive bent the circut, can i use the instrument plugged in to electricity or do i have to use the batteries? Thanks!
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
You can use batteries or plug the unit in to the wall. just don't plug it in while you're working on it.
@by.daekeryyy 4 жыл бұрын
hi, i have a casio mt 240 but ive been looking for the circuit bending of this keyboard on many videos, with knobs, buttons, two-step toggle switches / toggle switch, etc to modify the sound to an experimental sound, like your video. But i have a doubt, when i modify my keyboard with this circuit bending (like videos on YT) its posible to go back to the original keyboard sound if I turn off all my switches and other things that i added to the circuit bending? basically, if i do a circuit bending, its posible go back to the original sound with all modifications turn off? or once the change is made there is no going back?
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
yes, absolutely. The bends need to be connected to switches or buttons in order to keep the circuit normal, but only temporarily glitch it out. if you watch my video, you'll see how you can test out bends with alligator clips and that when you remove the clip, just like if you turned off a switch, the circuit should play as normal. sometimes you will cause glitches that can crash your synth, but usually you just restart it.
@by.daekeryyy 4 жыл бұрын
@@User173 so, if my casio crash, i only need to turn off then turn on and thats it? this is what you mean when you said "restart"? And finally, is there any risk doing this? i mean, if i do a perfect circuit bending to my keyboard like your video, is there any risk that when i use the bends the keyboard explode, crash definately and it doesn't work anymore?
@macdooper6981 3 жыл бұрын
@@by.daekeryyy Q
@samlim8925 4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for all the great content. Are you familiar with the Casio Mt-18? I'm having trouble finding the time crystal, however, I'm assuming it's one of the trimpots. My question is, I bought this particular LTC1799: www.ebay.com/itm/1KHz-to-33MHz-Adjustable-Oscillator-Module-LTC1799-/400292172818 and was wondering where I can solder my Linear Pot to. Apologies for the noob question :(.
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
yes!
@spirithost_ 3 жыл бұрын
do you have to take out the pitch coil/ceramic thing? i have the same wiring as you but 10k resistor and its acting all glitchy/wont turn off
@spirithost_ 3 жыл бұрын
im guessing i fried my ltc1799 somehow so i ordered more, thoughts???
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
yeah you likely fried it. or wired something wrong. have you fixed it since with the new one?
@cheapnoise9014 3 жыл бұрын
I am blind and have an SK-1. I would love to circuit bend it but I can't use soldering. What can I use?
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
Hey there. Sorry to hear that you'll be unable to solder it. Your best bet is to have someone solder it for you. I'd be willing to talk with you about doing it if you want some help. message me back if you want that help! sorry for the late reply. life happens :D
@cheapnoise9014 3 жыл бұрын
@@User173 Thank you so much! How much would it cost? I don't have a lot of money since I am not old anough to work but I could go up to 150 or so.
@by.daekeryyy 4 жыл бұрын
Hi, what did you do to the wires of the speaker. the white and red wires. I mean, u cut the speaker. but what happen with that wires, what u did u do with that wires?
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
I'm not using those wires, but you could wire them up to a 1/4 inch jack so you could plug in headphones!
@by.daekeryyy 4 жыл бұрын
@@User173 THANKS, so if im not gonna use them, i only need to cut the speaker and leave the wires right there without having contact with anything?
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
@@by.daekeryyy right. I would wrap them in some electrical tape so they don't short out on anything, but yes, wrap each tip individually in tape and you can leave them alone. I wouldn't even cut them, I desoldered mine.
@rnbw7750 4 жыл бұрын
how to circuit bent a speak and spell please, nice job
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
aight, I'l find one and do it! but honestly, it's the same process. just battery power it, grab some alligator clips and start finding bends!
@scottbrownNZ 4 жыл бұрын
Did you do the "poly" bend with the 500k pot? I'm bending one at the moment and the poly bend doesnt seem to do anything.
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
did you use the little circuit that I show in here? you definitely need the little circuit to do the bend. I did a pitch bend. I'm not sure what the poly bend is.
@scottbrownNZ 4 жыл бұрын
@@User173 yeah I will be doing the LTC1799 bend soon. The "poly" bend is one of Reed Gahazala original bends. Hopefully it makes more sense when the project is complete.
@User173 4 жыл бұрын
@@scottbrownNZ dope! I can't wait to see it. I didn't follow Reed's book or bends, I literally just poked around with alligator clips and made some shit up. I plan on buying two more of these and trying out some different functions and make it a bit more coherent. Mine is great, and I like the results, but it's a bit unpredictable. haha. I hope you get it done and can share it when finished. I'd love to see it!
@cheapnoise9014 3 жыл бұрын
Do amyone of you know of someone that can do this in exchange for money?
@paradoxlust 3 жыл бұрын
instagram @mrfuckindibbs you gotta catch him once one is finished but they are bad and he does it often, plus he is a world famous turntablist so it doesn't hurt having him make you one
@Casious_Productions 3 жыл бұрын
The real challenge would be to make a second panel with the patch bay and switches on..so you don't have to butcher the casing itself....makes me wanna cry..a simple out port on the back..to the panel with all the necessary cables. Over here..Sweden..those things aren't cheap..that machine is an icon....and all you tweakers butcher them :-(
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
hehe, I totally thought about that. I weighed the pros and cons, and ultimately I have a second one that is in mint condition and I'll never touch it in that way. so I was ok butchering this one.
@Synthematix 6 ай бұрын
Why ruin a classic? i would just make an external box with a connector
@User173 2 ай бұрын
because i wanted to make this my own. Besides I have a pristine one with no circuit bending :D
@ToneSherpa 3 жыл бұрын
We don't have any real friends.. oh no don't do it dude! hipsters are paying like $200 for these now! seriously pisses me off. these used to be like $15
@pcaetano7527 2 жыл бұрын
a big NO! to doing this to one of those , it really did not make anything interesting , like when a Speak and Spell gets bent . the SK1 is already fun with it's built in sampler .
@jonnyhead Жыл бұрын
Well that was almost worth it.... "Super cool" 😒
@MacintoshT.Reznor Жыл бұрын
Fucking awesome.👍👍👍👍🎹
@user89076 3 жыл бұрын
I have a question. Instead of using alligator clips to connect the rca ports, could I instead use 3.5mm audio jacks and connect them with audio patch cables. It just seems more stable to me, but I don't wanna order the parts unless I know it'll work. Would you recommend this?
@User173 3 жыл бұрын
yes you could do that!
@user89076 3 жыл бұрын
@@User173 I'll try it out, just ordered the parts. Thanks for responding :)