The Prism Is Part Laser Synth, Part Guitar, Pure Fun

By Adrian Covert Posted 07.15.2009 at 2:15 pm 2 Comments

Pitch Control: A range finder was installed on the Prism's neck to provide a Theramin-like effect of pitch bending. Instructables

Building your own guitar or synthesizer is impressive enough. But when you decide to smash the two music makers together -- and throw some lasers in for kicks -- the end result is the jaw-droppingly awesome "Prism."

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This synth-guitar uses the lasers as "strings," allowing the player to select octaves, and a fretboard equipped with infrared rangefinders, to electronically detect your fingers' positions and modify the pitch of the instrument.

Unlike a DIY Guitar Hero Controller, it requires no special software, and plugs into any amp, making setup a breeze.

Aside from the lasers, the heart of the beast consists of a voltage-controlled oscillator, a low-frequency oscillator, and three selectable synth waves (sine, square, and triangle). And for something that's been Frankensteined together, it doesn't look too shabby either.

[via Instructables via Make]

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2 Comments

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seatellite

07/15/09 at 3:03 pm

Know who is gonna buy this Technology? The two guys from Daft Punk.

But seriously, this could be the beginning (REALLY beginning) stages of a new generation of musical instrument. Imagine if you could finely tune each laser, create a more powerful sensor range on the neck for precise notes, change the colors of the lasers for even more twisted sign waves, the possibilities are really limitless on this project.

Awesome!

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bdhoro87

from coral gables, fl

07/15/09 at 5:31 pm

I think its pretty sweet except that the whole guitar thing is holding the instrument back I feel. It would be so much easier to play if it were just a synth on a keyboard, with knobs and sliders, so you can adjust the settings and play at the same time. It just seems like a gimmick putting this on a guitar instead of where it naturally belongs on a keyboard with knobs, so you can sustain a note and then play with the effects. I guess building one of those guitars is easier than building a whole synth with keys and knobs and sliders and such, but I think it would be more convenient for playing