A maker from Sound Workshop converted an Otamatone — a cheap Japanese toy instrument — into a functional Trautonium-style synthesizer. The hack routes the Otamatone's audio through a low-pass filter with volume controlled by hall-effect sensors tracking a flexing metal plate, replicating the Trautonium's signature one-hand pitch-and-volume control. The build uses only op-amps and passive components — no microcontrollers. The video also covers the history of early synthesizers including the Trautonium, invented in 1930.
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