Colin Cunningham at MakeZine has posted this great video on literally cooking up a contact microphone (rochelle salt crystals) from baking soda and cream of tartar.
Piezoelectric materials are about as close to magic as you can get. They turn physical pressure into electricity and can even turn electricity into physical pressure – an amazing sort of bidirectional converter for mechanical and electrical energies. Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that you can easily ‘grow’ your own piezoelectric crystals overnight using just a couple of common ingredients – awesome.
Ever since I made my first contact microphone, I’ve been amazed by piezos and their unique abilities. I was more than psyched to learn I could make my own piezoelectric crystals after finding recipesonline.
Leafcutter John has posted a recording of a music box with these home grown crystals on his awesome website,:
[soundcloud url=”http://soundcloud.com/leafcutterjohn/first-recording-using-rochelle”]
First Recording Using Rochelle
His article on building a hydrophone is also worth reading here.
/via Create Digital Music
