Steim Cracklebox
The Cracklebox was probably the first commercialy available portable selfpowered alternative 'keyboard' analog audio synthesizer with inbuilt loudspeaker :) Nowadays many people refer to the The Cracklebox as the archetype of 'glitch' or 'circuit bending'. The old Cracklebox has become a collectors item.
Looking to buy the Steim Cracklebox? Check for availability.
User Reviews of the Steim Cracklebox
- Submitted by Howard from Brighton, MA (132 points) on Sep 23, 2008
- Although Michel Waisvisz, the designer of the Cracklebox, passed away this summer, STEIM still has a number of them available. After waiting impatiently for it to arrive in the mail, my friends and I have spent a while playing it. No one has been disappointed. As advertised, everyone produces a unique sound because each person completes the circuit differently. So far, the tones have varied between soft static, high squealing, low gurgles, and something close to a toy laser. Slight movements produce pitch shifts or sometimes stop the sound completely. Since it only has a built in speaker and no audio outs, I'll be using a mic to record it, but the lack of an audio out is more than outweighed by its playability and portability.
- Good Points: -a totally portable noisemaker -unique sounds for each player -intuitive controls -can only make sounds by experimenting
- Bad Points:
- Price Paid: US$80.00
- Purchased At: steim.org
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by tapesss from Brooksville, FL (344 points) on Aug 25, 2007
- a wonderful instrument, extremely easy and intuitive to play, lots of factors affect the sound: pressure, exact location of the fingers on the pads, moisture, even heart rate, etc. within the pads you can get all sorts ofstrange sounds, squeaks, clicks,pulsing, stuttering, agonizing modem sounds, etc. As the battery dies the sound changes as well, so you will never actually get the same sounds twice. the wooden case is a nice aesthetic touch.
- Good Points: so many sounds available, relatively inexpensive, sturdy, and looks nice.
- Bad Points: due to the design, lack of a power supply is necessary so you arent shocked.
- Price Paid: US$80.00
- Purchased At: Steim
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by Ed from Bowling Green, OH (82 points) on Dec 2, 2006
- Basically, if you've heard that Wolf Eyes song "Urine Burn", or if you've ever heard anything by Insect With Tits, then you've got the idea. Very cool device. Smaller than you would think. The picture makes it look even bigger than it really is. Due to the built-in speaker, the small size, and the battery power, it's very portable. Mostly makes crackles (go figure) and static gouges, but it is capable of other sounds. Very unpredictable. The moistness level of your fingers will affect how it sounds as well.
- Good Points: Unique sound device Very playable and interactive, feels like a real instrument Small and portable Attractive wooden casing incredibly versatile
- Bad Points: No outputs, although from my limited knowledge of electricity, this thing would be dangerous if it had outputs Not a terribly consistent instrument, takes some practice.
- Price Paid: US$0.00
- Purchased At: friend has it, got toplay withit
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by Michael from Audubon, NJ (10 points) on Apr 12, 2006
- I've had this little thing for awhile now, still like come back to it frequently. All kinds of squeals, burps, crackles, and squiggles come out of this thing. Can remember laying in bed with it at night keeping me awake! Totally worth the price for this unique little sound toy. Fun as hell.
- Good Points: Tiny, self contaned noise maker goes anywhere Speaker is loud for the size Well constructed, quality wood. FUN!
- Bad Points: None, although at times would like the audio out, but this would kinda defeat the concept.
- Price Paid: US$79.00
- Purchased At: Steim Website
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by SPIKE from Houston, TX (116 points) on Mar 24, 2006
- the ultimate noiz toy for the ultimate noizician. it's about the size of a Kalimba but instead of tapping little metal tongues you connect PCB leads. it's like a noiz Kalimba i guess. by touching the leads you complete the circuit so you become part of the noiz toy as well. certain combinations of the leads create different "things". i say "things" because it's not always going to consistently give you tones. more like sprites of static and of course crackle, hence the name. after working with it for two days now i can get a low growl, a high screech, and an excruciatingly HIGH scream out of it. and i mean fracken high. but i really like all the glitchy thingies that it sputters out. it has all sorts of dynamics to it and is fun to take with you whenever you need some noiz. i will be using a contact mic to manipulate the noiz through the rest of my toys. and a note to the rest of you noiz toy generator makers...double check the price of this thing and what you price your toy at. this thing is VERY affoardable and i am so tired of having to pay prices to those a little too PROUD of their gear. it's good to be proud but damn...some of us can't affoard the price of admission.
- Good Points: hand made and VERY affoardable.(the price i paid was for tax title and license delivered to the states!!) the enclosure is a nice little wooden box and the PCB is very thick and sturdy. the "aan" switch is durable and solid as well. (i love that..."aan" switch heh!) the speaker is PLENTY loud.
- Bad Points: well i guess i could only say that it doesn't have rubber feet. i know that's a lame bad point but it really doesn't have one unless....well....i would REALLY like a DC connect as well as an audio out! what's that you say? NO AUDIO OUT??? argh!! well... before you dog the thing here is some info from their very short FAQ: Q1: Does the Cracklebox come with a power supply? A1: No. The principle of the Cracklebox is that it is standalone, so it is battery operated (it comes with a 9V battery). Secondly, when you play it you become part of the circuitry, so it might also be dangerous to connect it to higher voltage sources. That is the reason why we advise strongly against attempting to build in a power supply into a Cracklebox. Q2: Does the Cracklebox come with an audio output connection? A2: No. Again, the principle of the Cracklebox is its independency of any other hardware, its potential to generate sound with touch, without any expensive or elaborate audio system. And again, by connecting the Cracklebox to a device (i.e. a mixer) that is connected to the power grid is potentially dangerous.
- Price Paid: US$76.00
- Purchased At: http://www.crackle.org/
-
Was this review helpful to you?