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'1-Bit Symphony' Blends Chiptunes and Electronics in a Tidy Little Jewel Case

by Matthew Zuras on June 14, 2010 at 02:20 PM

tristan perich's '1-bit symphony'
With the prevalence of digital music, we've stepped so far away from the physical realm that audio entertainment often seems like an abstraction (Perhaps why so many indie/hipster folk have tried to revive the vinyl LP). In light of that, programmer and artist Tristan Perich decided to bring back the physical -- well, sort of physical -- components of music-making with his "album" '1-bit Symphony.'

Housed in a clear CD jewel case, '1-Bit Symphony' is a collection of electronics rather than any audio standard. A watch battery, on-off switch, microchip, skip button, amplifier and headphone jack round out the hardware. The user plugs into the headphone jack, and the microchip begins to synthesize electrical pulses generated from pre-programmed assembly code. "With 1-bit Symphony, I wanted to revisit the idea that an album of music could be more than just a recording. More than just an audio CD," Perich tells Wired. "And that when you listen to an album, that you could be experiencing first-hand the production of the audio itself."

Available for pre-order now for about $30 (£20), '1-Bit Symphony' relies on simple audio waveforms to create, in Perich's words, "a long-form rich composition with 1-bit audio." Chiptunes and circuit bending are, of course, nothing new -- but we're not sure if we've ever seen those techno-geek fixings neatly packaged in a self-enclosed system for sale. We haven't had a chance to give '1-Bit Symphony' a listen for ourselves, but we have to imagine that it might sound something like this. [From: Wired]

Tags: 1-bit, 1-bitSymphony, art, audio, chiptune, chiptunes, CircuitBending, ElectronicMusic, experimental, music, top, TristanPerich

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