What is Open? This guy's opinion

This blog is really hard to start.  For the most part, people who know what "open" means are already "in the know" regarding trends and movement within the field itself.  Most people who DON'T know what it is really need an "open 101" course before they can get into the spirit and really get their feet wet.  I want to address that latter category of people today.  So, if that describes you, then keep reading.

Open Stomp-Box Designs

In starting this post, I realized that guitar effects are a point of serious music-snob contention for me.  Most people (including myself, for a good portion of the time I've been playing guitar) find the use of switchable effects to be somewhat indispensable when playing on stage--even if you can afford studio-grade effects and time them properly, why let someone else control your tone?  The innumerable combinations of distortion, chorus, compression, delay, and wah effects give each guitarist the ability to tailor their own tone with a finite number of pedals.  Good news, right?


I want so badly to just say yes! But, the amp builder in me says, "GET YOUR TONE FROM YOUR AMP!" because this is the simplest and purest way to distill your sound. Each added bit of circuitry has the potential to suck tonality and life from your playing. And yet, who gives a s***? Music is about playing, performing, creating, and finding your OWN sound. So, even though they're not always my cup o' tea, stomp boxes have a wonderful place in the world and are a joy to build.

Quick Hit: Definition of Open Source Hardware

Slashdot reports that Open Source Hardware has been "defined" by a group of open-source hardware gurus.  Right now it is in draft form, but they desire to have it finalized by Maker Faire NYC in September (which anyone interested in free hardware should definitely try to attend!).

The draft of the document can be found here.

Starting this off with Arduino

It's tempting to begin with a plug for my business, which is really just a commercialized manifestation of my interest in open hardware, but I think that in the name of promoting an even and balanced approach to free culture, I will start with something I am not personally involved with.

The Arduino  is one of the most versatile little microcontrollers I've seen, and it's entirely open-source!  Check out their Hardware page if you're interested in building your own chip from scratch, although that requires some seriously specialized equipment.   If you'd rather, you can purchase an already-made board with a good amount of I/O at the main website, or at MakerShed, which you can access through the MakeZine link on the left of the blog.