37. Machine gun Aztec

3 channels, 10 steps per channel. External clock goes through opto-isolator that is connected to a big TO-3 canned transistor. The transistor feeds a solenoid that pulls the sequencer gear forward. Can be adapted to high-powered applications, if enough current goes through a channel sparks form at contact points. One subjective downside of the sequencer is the noise it emanates.

36. Phone Tapping Sequencer

Two channels of (up to) 64 steps tap sequencer, in the picture above it is triggering toy organ drum sounds. The device is built of two 4557 variable lenght shift registers and a switchable AND for both channels to separate consequent steps.



Played by tapping on tempo, this device is part of an interconnected/synced costume system (provides both clock and power) that Koelse has used in live concert.

35. Radio/Sequencer

Three channels of 16 steps of pulse, one CV channel. Can be used as a radio or a sequencer, depending how you route the power supply. Incidentally playing cassettes is no longer possible:( Sequencing (if needed more than radio entertainment) can be timed with an external or internal clock controlling a binary counter connected to a 4067, etc. Contains approximately half a kilo of switches. Never again.

34. Seqlunker

This contraption consists of AC motor-driven camshaft pressing a row of switches, and, if memory serves me, a 4532 with its inputs fed with an external clock that is wired through the aforementioned switches. Three outputs of the 4532 can be used to create different levels of pseudo-randomness when/where pseudo-randomness is desired. The machine sounds a bit like a bunch of huge insects tap dancing.

33. Eko uber jno R

4017 timed by a built-in or external clock, 3 channels, 3-10 steps/channel of pulse output. Keys can be used to play drum sounds.

This drum machine/sequencer started life (maybe in the 70's) as an Italian electric organ, Eko Super Junior R. At some point the organ sounds had stopped working, but the drum sounds still worked so it seemed appropriate to make a sort of a drum machine out of it. Eko was adjusted to a proper drum machine shape with a saw, and excess keys were archived to Koelse dungeon. Scars of the surgery were covered with fake fur.

The sequencer can trigger drum&noise sounds from the original Eko pcb, and also external devices like the toy organ in the topmost picture.

32. Dream Machine

For producing simple rhythmic patterns with long pauses in between.

Based on binary counter and multiplexer, Dream Machine has 8 outputs and a combined output. At any time, exactly one output is active unless that output has been turned off with buttons in the front. Switching of outputs is controlled by external clock. There is also an auxiliary pulse input which can be turned on or off. When off, the whole sequence in controlled by the primary clock input. When on, control of one of the three bits that select output is transferred to the the auxiliary input.

A rotary switch on the panel allows for changing the sequence pattern. In basic mode, all outputs are cycled periodically, whereas other three modes give more complex pattern with various total lengths. With the rotary switch, different styles can be used select the total length of the pattern. Then the active outputs can be selected to fine-tune the pattern. If unpredictable or very long patterns are desired, the auxiliary input can be connected to complex output of some other sequencer.

31. Ericsson

An example of higher-order recycling, this instrument re-recycles casing and some parts from an older disassembled Koelse instrument. Probably whoever invented the word recycling was thinking of something like this when he put the 'cycle' in there.

Ericsson is a sequenced bank of four voltage controlled oscillators. Each oscillator has its own CV in channel. Sequencing the oscillators is controlled either by external clock input or internal voltage controlled clock. There are outputs for each oscillator separately and a combined output.

Due to serendipitous accident in circuit design, this sequencer is able to power itself from CV inputs. Irregularity of this kind of power supply also causes all kinds of interesting glitches, extending Ericsson's musical possibilities.

One important feature still in the to-do list is a pulse input for muting output. Until it is added, Ericsson is a bit too dominant to be used as a lead instrument, but works very well for generating low volume background soundscapes.

30. Jazz trash robot

Jazz trash robot is old concept, originally we developed it as a proposal for Artbots competition back in 2008. We wanted to challenge the robot concept, as something hightech and intelligent,  and push lo-tech low tech elektromechanic model throught..

They did not choose Jazz trash robot to the artbots, but it did appear in several of our own exhibitions and events.

 Jaz trash robot at Artlab Gallery 2008

 Original robot had massive amount of mechanical sequencers, some timers, oscillator, 24 in/24 out patchay and a keyboard that it was hardwired to play.

 Old description text I found says: "We designed this project originally to help us synchronize the koelse.org equipment. Our aim was to get one step towards the discomusic from the complitely uncontrolled noise we usyally play. Well now that we started actually making this, it seems obvious that this device will make everything rather more complicated and less controllable, but if we are lucky it will play us some discomusic. Basically it is not an actual sequencer, but more like a mechanical signalcutting device. It has 24 inputs and 24 outputs. When you patch an instrument throught the device it will be cut in the sequenses determined by the mechanical sequencers. Our aim is also to build some kind of a robot, a system tha is complex enought to produce surpricing and rich soundscape. Connected with the rest of our experimental instruments it is supposed to form a selfsustaining soundproduction enviroment. "






Vaasankatu center of contemporary art 2008


So Jazz Trash Robot was an important step towards more seqenced, and organized form of producing sounds, even thought it did not help much in practice since it was rather chaotic and complicated machine.

Eventually it broke down and since it was a 230v device we had to rebuild it for for our exhibition in Pori.


Now Jazz Trash Robot has external sync, so it can be synchronized with other equipment.

29. channel distributor

4052 seq. 4 in 1 out or 1 in 4 out

28. Bazzo

Two 4014 8-bit shift registers used as two loadable sequencers. Two 4046 vcos, 4069 filters, simple diode vcas and a mixer made of some opamp found on the floor.

27. MFS<3

My First Sequencer, shortly MFS<3, is a 40106 osc, 4040 divider and 4051 multiplexer. It has a portable cassette player (with carcontroller as motor slowerer) as sound source, two mics for a proper rap battle and six steps. Aight.

26. Hal 0.7

a A old strobe controller and a big pile of logic doing some automated variable sequences. Plenty of outputs with different sequences.

25. Vocalist

4040 and 4051 sequencer just triggering the buttons of a weird educational toy.

24. Juicy box

4015 shift register controlling two 4069 based bandpass filters.

23. Microscopecamerasequencer

Microscope camera with a synced RGB Lights.

22. Eyeballer

I don’t even remember all that’s in here at least a 4522 divider and some other logic chips. LDR´s, leds etc. controlling oscs. Insane device, which sometimes seems to have a life of its own.

21. Happy Chicken

Used to be called "Jazz Drummer" but it broke. Then re-built with same type of function but different toys to produce the sounds (McDonalds Chipmunks drumpads) A 4052 selecting the sounds controlled by 40106 osc with ldrs, external triggers. 

20. Spacesoundguitar

4052 seq and 4520 divider.

19. Police

2011-11-04-_MG_9217.CR2, a photo by anttia on Flickr.

Frequency divider, four outputs with divisors 64, 256, 512 and 1024. Option for using internal clock. Super-stylish look with black fake leather and POLICE written on it.

18. rough logix

4014 shift register, 4051 multiplexer, 4520 divider, 4522 down counter, 4052 multiplexer, spacesound kit, 4069 filter, two eg:s , 4046 osc all wrapped together 

17. wp-20

4017 8step sequencer with pulse and cv output. Very basic: goes from 1 to 8 and output pulses are AND-gated with the clock signal.

16. Master clock

4520 divider with 4 outputs and 4 230v outputs

15. TV-Divider

4522 divider with 2 combinable outputs.
TV-divider was build for our mobile gig unit. MGU is a scaled down setupoptimised for low power consumption. The idea is to have all we need to play on wheels, so we can just pull it where we want to play.