The fevered excitement last week around the news that Nintendo would be releasing a mini NES showed the appetite we have for cool retro gear, and the new OM-1 taps right into this. It’s a rather unique synthesizer that works by jacking right into an old ‘80s cassette player.
Brought to our attention by FACT Magazine , the OM-1 is described by its maker as an “analog musical instrument.” It features two different components, including the synthesizer itself, as well as the cassette player that the device hacks directly into.
According to the Onde Magnétique —the one-man company run by Scott Campbell ,who handcrafts each item—the OM-1 is “built around the concept that when a continuous tone/note is recorded to tape, its pitch will change as the tape's playback speed is increased or decreased.”
“Individual notes are playable via the 8 buttons (keys), each with a tuning knob directly above it. The volume of the notes can be articulated by using the pressure-sensitive volume control—the harder it’s pressed, the louder the note.”
Find out more about the OM-1 Cassette Synth in the demonstration video below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWQV_XTZvZk]
