Sampling keyboards
Did your school have a little keyboard in the music room which you could record into, then play your recording back at various pitches, depending on which key you pressed?

Ours did. It used to drive Mrs Vaughn the music tacher to distraction.

Until the keyboard was finely disposed of after one memorable parents evening. A suitably cute first year had been stationed by the keyboards to demonstrate our school's dedication to the creative arts.

It was unfortunate, then, when one of the visiting parents said "ooh hello! what are you doing then?", and pressed one of the lower keys to hear, in a drawn-out deep voice, the words "Mrs...Vaughns...a....sluuuuut".
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 14:25, 12 replies)

Casio SK-1
FTW!
(Son of Sam-i-am We're all as mad as hatters here, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 14:32, closed)

I want this
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310120364600&category=38071&_trksid=p4340.m212&_trkparms=algo%3DSI%252BSI%26its%3DI%252BC%252BS%252BIA%26itu%3DPSS%252BCRS%252BUCC%252BUCI%252BIT%252BUA%252BSI%252BUS-BWR%252BUCI%252BIT%252BUA%252BSI%252BUS-BWR%26otn%3D4%26ps%3D56

so much
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 14:37, closed)

One of my SK-1s is circuit bent
Although not quite as much as that...!

They're a really good introduction to circuit bending, if you want to have a go. Lots of guides on the web and lots of space for extra knobs etc. Should be able to pick up an unmodded one for less than £20, although they're a bit more expensive than they were a few years ago.

One of mine was 50p from a car boot sale although it didn't work, the other one was a fiver.

It was I believe the first sampler to be sold into the consumer market!

/synth & sampler geek
(Son of Sam-i-am We're all as mad as hatters here, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 14:56, closed)

.
DO you have a circuit bent speak'n'spell?
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 15:15, closed)

Sadly not :(
I've been after a reasonably priced unmodded Speak n Spell for quite a while, they're getting like hen's teeth now...

I do have a circuit bent Gameboy though :D
(Son of Sam-i-am We're all as mad as hatters here, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 15:48, closed)

Yesss!
I had one of those!

It was a bugger finding a power adaptor for it.
( laminasni isn't., Thu 5 Feb 2009, 14:43, closed)

That takes me back !!!
After many weeks of experimenting I discovered the best swear word to maximise the effect was a very loud and hearty TWAT !!!

Marvellous!!! *click*
( SpankyHanky, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 14:40, closed)

:o)
Aah, Buffy's swearing keyboard...
How great thou art!

Our school could never afford anything electronical like a sampler. We had to make do with them piss poor teeny tiny plastic keyboards with a tube out the side which you had to blow in to make any sound come out.

wouldn't be allowed today... health & safety ah tell thee...
(Roger_Irrelevant he's completely hatstand, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 15:01, closed)

Not piss poor
That's a melodica. Great instrument!

Check out this man to see what can be done with one...
(Son of Sam-i-am We're all as mad as hatters here, Thu 5 Feb 2009, 15:04, closed)

Reminds me of my trusty Commodore Amiga
It had a sound sampler plugged into the back of it. A friend and I composed a little ditty to honour a classmate of ours.

It was quite amusing hearing a desktop computer sing "Mossy smells of shi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ite!" along to a five second looped drumbeat sample from S-Express.

Eurovision could have been ours that year.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Thu 5 Feb 2009, 14:47, closed)

Just from that description...

It sounds way too good for Eurovision.

But if mid-track you whipped off your skirt to show a shorter one underneath...THEN we'd be in business!
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Thu 5 Feb 2009, 14:51, closed)

I nearly sprayed beer over my keyboard.

( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Thu 5 Feb 2009, 19:52, closed)