The goal of this practical project was to design and make a hardware device that could play numerous sound effects by pressing buttons and tweaking knobs and dials. Taking inspiration from old cartoons of the 1930s in particular – the sound effects would be in the form of mostly conventional musical instruments that were often used to create sound effects in this period of animation history.
The intention of creating this device was to bring the performance and hands-on element back into producing cartoon sound effects, but using modern technology.
Most of the sound effects were initially recorded using a Rode NT2-A microphone. These sounds were then cut up using Pro Tools and placed into organised folders. These folders were then copied onto a Raspberry Pi computer, which was connected to a breadboard prototype with rotary switches and push buttons. With some help from a programmer - some python scripting was necessary to link between the Pi and the breadboard. This meant that when a push button was pressed, a particular sound effect would be heard. A toggle switch and rotary switch were added to select different sound banks - with 100 sound effects in total.
The breadboard prototype was then transferred and soldered onto a new circuit board and this was housed in a home built 'cartoony' typewriter – with it's shape being inspired by an early Looney Tunes short, titled 'Hold Anything' (1930).