Kraftwerk issued their own pocket calculator synthesizer (2019) | Hacker News Reader

Kraftwerk issued their own pocket calculator synthesizer (2019)

openculture.com

222 pointslayer849 comments

When I was in high school in the late 70s, I had a Casio music calculator somewhat bigger than the one in the article, layed out horizontally instead of vertically, but probably had similar musical capabilities.

I found that by entering a number, I think it was 951, and taking the square root, it would play a melody that ended on an up note, and taking the square root again ended on a resolution note. So I could press on a special key to play a little melody! (further square roots were random and less musical)

I knew about Kraftwerk at that point (Autobahn and Radio Activity), but this was a couple years before Computer World came out. Now I wish I still had that thing!

in the same timeframe, there was a bug in the DEC VT-100 terminal (maybe related to autorepeat?) where hitting the right key combinations would put it into a mode where pressing keys would play an incomplete variety of low notes, but sufficient for Ride of the Valkyries

Almost certainly the legendary Casio VL-1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casio_VL-1. Featured in a quite a few famous and not-so-famous songs.

It wasn't that, I'm pretty certain it was this: Casio Melody 80

https://suburbanrelics.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&...

What I had was definitely a calculator that produced musical notes, not a keyboard that also had a calculator. But I'm sure that one had its impact too!

Yaaaas, my dad had one of these and through some magazine I had learned it could produce music… I had limited success but I was able to master enough annoying compositions to be forbidden from messing with it. I forgot entirely about this until your photo. Wow.

And I had no clue who Kraftwerk were until the 90s when I could comprehend and appreciate anything. I had no clue about the connection.

I had that calculator! I remember it fondly. I annoyed the heck out of so many people with it.

I have seen them live here in Kiev, Ukraine. One of then-oligarch invited them to play at a closed party of about 2k or 3k people and I did everything I could to get a ticket.

Living legends. The light and stage are minimalistic to the point of disappearing and the sound is nothing but perfect.

I saw them in the Albert Hall a couple of years ago in London. Mesmerizing. Would recommend to anyone.

There is an amazing video of an early Kraftwerk gig somewhere on YouTube - basically, the audience, dressed like latter-day European hippie-wannabes, haven't got the first idea what hits them, then a few rather hesitantly begin to dance and gradually win the crowd over.

Incredible. I was blown away by Kraftwerk both times I have seen them live, and I very much knew what I was in for; I can't even begin to imagine what it must have felt like to be caught unawares...

I kind of envy that crowd.

I believe it’s this 1970 gig? https://youtu.be/hWUiLJnEYJI

Very cool. If you like the idea of a pocket synth but want something more powerful, the dirtywave m8 is a fantastic full featured tracker, with multiple synthesis models, stereo sampling, I/O and ability to send audio over usb.

Later, Teenage Engineering would make a series of tiny exposed PCB synthesizers called the "pocket operator" in a direct reference to same.

https://teenage.engineering/products/po

And a little performance with 9 of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF2NsGFqJ_Q

They look incredibly cool. Not being a musician, are they actually useful or just fun little novelty gadgets?

Very useful for fun. I have a few of them. My favorite is the sampler, PO-33

No suprise that th success of this line of naked toy synths spawned more than just a cottage industry in cases for same. https://pocketoperations.com/pocket-operator-cases.html#case...

They're overpriced novelty, relatively few musicians would use them in an actual gig or a production.

They're fun though, so many musicians play / jam with them just for that.

I think part of the sell is that the constraints breed creativity, kind of like the op-1. Whether or not you agree is a personal value kind of thing.

The sampler is the most useful. The others have a limited set of sounds that are fun, but get exhausted pretty quickly.

funny little novelty gadgets, which are useful if you don't know any better and have too much money – the definition of hipster.

Get a cheap editor with free plugins, there are enough around. Or get a Volca if you must.

I always thought they were for chiptune enthusiasts

https://www.linusakesson.net/music/po-2x/

Most of the chiptune people are using gameboys with LSDJ or a Dirtwave m8. The latter seems to have really taken off.

What's the best place to find chiptune compositions made with LSDJ or Dirtywave M8?

For lsdj, start with bit shifter and you can find related artists on 8bit peoples, though not all of them use lsdj.

Thank you! Exactly the starting point I was looking for.

The article says: "they parodied the stiff, precision-obsessed German stereotype to perfection".

I never had the sense of Kraftwerk as parody, or even as ironic. In fact the opposite. Did I miss something?

Ever listen to "Boing Boom Chuck?"

It is respectable parody, also ironic in that it is also trope, not trope. Self referential too.

Great tune!

It's called Boing Boom Tschak (not Chuck) and I never heard anyone refer to it as a parody.

Are you saying Germans have no sense of humor?? chuckle

Yes, I have slipped on the title before. Oops.

Being highly self referential comes with some degree of parody, IMHO. I always took the tune that way.

Off-topic plug for another german institute that parodies, Henning Wehn, the the German Comedy Ambassador. If you are in the UK see him if you can but beware he can really rip into Brits (it can be brutal but it's never mean. He doesn't spare Germans either). From wikipedia

Of his decision to stay in the UK, Wehn later wrote:[5]

    I initially planned to stay in the UK for only 12 months to improve my English, but the good weather, the tasty food and the classy women made me stay. In order to blend in with the locals, I decided to get extremely lazy, spend money I don't have and, most importantly, to unjustifiably bang on about my great sense of humour

He is a very, very good night out. (Edit: his 2011 tour was entitled My Struggle)

Yes, absolutely. They were very knowingly taking the stereotype to the extreme. They didn’t wink at you while doing it because that would have been totally opposed to the angle.

Obligatory direct link to Kraftwerk's Pocket Calculator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSBybJGZoCU

as an excuse to sideload a link to the Balanescu Quartet's cover of Kraftwerk's The Robots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRBPZl-Fmqk

Which gives an excuse for the amazing original video (English):

https://youtube.com/watch?v=D_8Pma1vHmw

German performance:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHaZ3UL2oHk

Insanely influential and ahead of their time.

Japanese version (fitting for Casio): https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZbmFeXTN7GA

I have had the privilege of seeing Kraftwerk live three times - easily some of the best concerts, I have attended. Even if there is not much left of the original axe, I can still recommend the experience. They have a reputation for perfection, and that is most certainly reflected in their live performance.

I also had the good fortune of attending Balanescu Quartet in concert during their Kraftwerk era. The only time, I’ve ever attempted (and succeeded!) to get backstage to meet the band.

Ich bin der Musikant mit Taschenrechner in der Hand

Who needs a calculator, when you have an Arduino!

https://hackaday.com/2020/11/27/hes-the-operator-of-his-pock...

"I'm adding. And subtracting".

Can't argue with those lyrics.

By pressing down a special key

It plays a little melody

So cozy.

I am the operator. With my pocket calculator

I am adding

And subtracting

I'm controlling

And composing

by pressing down a special key

it plays a little melody

Kraftwerk’s 2017 album “3-D the Catalogue” is one of the best examples of spatial audio I’ve heard on iOS.

Reason number 379 why I love HN.

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