We Will…. uh… rock you?

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On Fridays when I don’t feel like working, I end up looking down some truly odd corridors on YouTube. Friends, watch this short video and let’s talk. There’s a lot to unpack.

So, what we have here is someone who has enough time on their hands to:

  1. Envision a scenario where typewriters, hygiene products, and a credit card machine could be used to make music.
  2. Accumulate (after, I am sure, a long period of testing) the exact right parts to do this job including some typewriters from the 1980s.
  3. Create a custom programming interface that will allow all these mostly non-programmable objects to be programmed
  4. Hand code the sheet music from one of the most recognizable rock anthems of our generation into this whole mess.
  5. Research the proper methods for recording it so that you actually get the sound you want.
  6. Do multiple takes to make sure that the camera can get all the images you need.

Also, the person gets extra credit if they knew what an “epilator” was before starting all of this, because personally I did not. (Look it up, and … ouch.)

This is what our culture has come to.

I was entertained for about 2 minutes and now I’m writing this article, which is another thing that I can vaguely call productivity. But I am just blown away by this video. It’s not that it’s earth-shattering, but the amount of effort it took proportionate to the final result is just absurd.

If you watched this video you might have been served TWO ads at the beginning (as I was) and I have to hope that having both of those ads run was enough to help monetize this venture at least somewhat. With two million views, at least this person is hopefully getting a return on investment. Even old tech isn’t usually free and all those wires and chips had to cost something.

I tip my hat to you, “Device Orchestra.” This apparently isn’t the only video they’ve done, and if you still haven’t gotten enough of the Mario Bros. theme from last week… well then this one is a must-watch:

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.