Axehole

Tony Amendolare, of ElectroKraft.com, has announced his latest alternate-reality musical instrument, the Space*Synth.

ElectroKraft is building a reputation for coming up with freaky custom-made gear. Their AxeSynth is a guitar synth that is part theremin and part 60’s sci-fi. Amendolare’s latest creation, the Space*Synth, takes the very rare video game sound chip that produced the sounds of many video games of the 1980’s, and uses it to create an analog synth module.

Space Invaders in a Synthesizer Sound Chip
“I have recently discovered a marvelous synthesizer chip that was developed in the late 70’s and used in the video arcade games of the 1980’s, such as Space Invaders. These are sounds I remember as a kid and they’re the sounds electronic musicians are seeking to incorporate into new music. People are currently using old Atari video game consoles, Commodore 64’s and Game Boy’s to create a new form of music using vintage video game sounds.”
“The sound generator chip I’m using in the Space*Synth is wired so that you can recreate all of the sounds of “Space Invaders” and other video games of the 1980’s such as “Pong”, “Donkey Kong” and “Asteroids”. In addition to these video game sounds you can also easily create a host of other “alien” sounds and effects.”
Instrument Input & VCO Input
You can use the Space*Synth as a stand alone space synthesizer or plug in a guitar, bass, vocals or any other electronic musical instrument and have the Space*Synth process the signal. There is also a VCO input jack where you can plug in another synthesizer or oscillator to create a ring modulation effect.

The Space*Synth lists for $189 and is available via the ElectroKraft site.