News: Hack Your Slash: Musical Knife Gives New Meaning to "Synth Stab"

What do you get when you take a run-of-the-mill kitchen knife and add a simple synthesizer circuit? Behold, the Syntheslicer!

Creator Jonathan M. Guberman writes:

The Drawdio is a toy that attaches to a pencil and uses the conductive properties of graphite to make noise from what you draw. It's easy to assemble, fun, and perfect for beginners.

Unfortunately, I was missing a crucial piece: a thumbtack to attach the circuit to the pencil. Of course, the circuit doesn't have to travel through a pencil, so I attached it to something else instead.

It's very simple to build, once you've made the circuit: find a knife with a non-metallic grip (wood, plastic, or rubber should all work). Attach the Drawdio to the handle -- I used a zip-tie. Using copper tape connect one end of the circuit board to the blade, and the other end to the handle so that your hand will be touching copper when you hold the knife. That's it! To use it, hold the Syntheslicer in one hand and a fork with a metallic handle in the other, and start playing with your food!