TR-808: The Pillow, Plus Other Soft Synths
Mike Payne sends this our way, from a blog post he just wrote: it’s a pillow rendition of the legendary Roland TR-808, courtesy Gwendolin Taegert of Berlin. (Being Berlin, I could imagine them soon having their own IKEA-style furniture store, exclusively for synth and music geeks.)
Now 808 fans have something on which to cry themselves to sleep each night after losing an eBay bidding war / realizing Roland still won’t reissue the original 808. (Roland? Please?)
Full post, and other pillow creations, on Stylecrave:
Softmachines: the Icons of Music Making Get Cuddly
Now, I’ve seen some synth-themed pillows before, including Francis Preve’s own DX7 pillow. Any others to add? (This one looks especially nice, and the 3D knob is certainly a bonus!)
Etsy.com, for their part, come through with this lovely keyboard zipper pouch. It’s not a rendition of a real design, but who cares – I love the layout on this keyboard even more. The heart is a lovely touch. (and is that a heart button, too?)
As we saw in CDM Winter 08, sometimes imaginary is better than real. Take that long winter’s nap and dream of synths.
Keyboard Zipper Pouch w/Detachable Ring- Pink, by TooToo [Etsy.com]
25 Comments
Leave a CommentKassen
Finally! I always felt the waltz was under-appreciated.
December 12, 2008 @ 5:10 pm
Peter Kirn
Fred, you sound angry. Thought of punching something? Perhaps, um … a pillow? (A laptop would be more appropriate to the site, true, but I wouldn’t suggest punching it.)
December 12, 2008 @ 10:08 pm
Safester
Freddyboy, you do realize that with every technologysite, there’s a core of nerds following it, and those just might appreciate such christmasgiftideas as these :)
Don’t hide your inner nerd man!
December 13, 2008 @ 6:16 am
humblesound
Yeah, CDM, come on!
If there’s anything I want from you it’s LESS content!
GOSH.
December 13, 2008 @ 11:56 am
Peter Kirn
Okay, fair enough. The TR-808 was invented in 1980. If you can invent something now — indeed, if anything introduced at NAMM next month — that has such a cultural impact and inspires such strong feelings people are making pillows out of the thing nearly three decades later, let me know.
Among the “content” we supposedly haven’t been producing (the 40-page free PDF magazine I did on top of the three sites I run) is a brief text by Dan McPharlin, the fellow who made those cardboard synths. If you actually read it, he has some great thoughts on what makes technology endure (and not coincidentally mentions the 808).
I’m not going to feed the trolls here but I think the random and silly stuff is every bit as relevant, and I know quite a lot of people agree. You’re entitled to your opinion, of course; it’s just not going to change the content lineup here, sorry.
December 13, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
Nomis
Hey people, if you’re so pissed of make your own fucking music tech news website! Peter doesn’t owe you a thing. I don’t remember paying for this site.
December 13, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
jorsh
OMG ITS MY SUBCULTURE, BUT PRINTED ON A PILLOW!!!! NO WAY
DUDE AHVE YOU SEEN THIS OTHER SUBCULTURE, 8BIT???
THIS ONE DUDE PAINTED REGULAR PICTURES OF IT!!!
EVEN THO ITS VIDJA GAMES!!!
ITS AMAZING OMG PLZ POST MORE VIDEJO GAME AND STYNTHEZIER!!!!!!!
December 13, 2008 @ 5:20 pm
Damon
“TR-808: The Pillow, Plus Other Soft Synths”
Sometimes puns are worth the potential backlash. I wish I could think of one and not say it right now.
Blessings,
Damon
Ps.
And a sudden flash of inspiration. I am probably not the only createdigitalmusic.com readers who would enjoy a good caption contest. The quirkiness of this site and stories and photos would perfectly lend itself to that.
December 13, 2008 @ 10:13 pm
mr ecklie
“…someone who was actually a serious musician blah blah blahh”
Who says music making, or this website is only for “serious musicians”? What the fuck does that mean anyway?
“make your own fucking music tech news website!”
Exactly!
December 14, 2008 @ 6:03 am
4lefts
@ freddie. did you just threaten to assault someone over a pillow on a blog? erm, cough, m’kay.
yo ho ho, merry christmas.
December 14, 2008 @ 9:55 am
plurgid
what’s with all the hate?
good god!
it’s just a handmade synth-themed pillow.
you can pick those up for a dime a dozen a wal-mart right?
jeez.
December 14, 2008 @ 10:44 am
The Kraftmaker
>>they still have nothing to do w/ CREATING DIGITAL MUSIC.>>
Why silly, don’t you realize you are completely incorrect? This site has EVERYTHING to do with creating digital music (pillows)!
Peter, maybe you can find someone who has converted their 2600 into an ottoman and post it here. I for one would love to see more holiday gift ideas- as would Fred “Johnson”. :)
December 14, 2008 @ 11:45 am
Downpressor
Wow someone really served up a big ol batch of hateraide over the weekend!
Peter Kirn I thank you for this post and I for one think its a very cool pillow that I’d be happy to rest my tired head upon. If anyone wants to give me one of these for Hanukkah, I’d be super happy!
December 14, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
Peter Kirn
Yes, I sort of tend to come back to – it’s just a blog post. ;)
December 14, 2008 @ 11:51 pm
Create Digital Music » MOTU Traveler Mk3: More I/O, Features Hit Mobile FireWire Audio Interface
[...] this would look fantastic as a pillow, too. GA_googleFillSlot(“CDMu_interpost300″); Exclusive: Free Ableton Live Slicing [...]
December 15, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
splaat!
So if fred is a “serious musicians” as he claims, then i hate those guys. Man, how angry can you get for s post like this? Seriously. You should get an appointment with a shrink or something.
By the way, i find it really interesting that they post stuff like this in this site. Makes it less monotonous.
December 15, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
lilith
well I want one!
actually I want to make a plush TB-303 or SH-101 (in different colors!) or maybe even a MC-202
Plush Toughbook running Ableton.
December 15, 2008 @ 9:23 pm
4lefts
1) yeah, i probably did prefer home ec to school music lessons. you obviously didn’t go to my school.
2) no, i’m not defending a pillow. i’m defending peter kirn’s right to put up a post about a pillow, just as i’m criticising you for attacking his right to post a pillow. not the pillow itself. and not that he needs my defence.
3) “…what does that make you? un-serious, i guess…” yes it does. thank fuck. oscar wilde: “dullness is the coming-of-age of seriousness”.
@ peter kirn. keep ‘em coming! more handicrafts!
December 16, 2008 @ 3:36 am
splaat!
Whatever man, you are loco in the coco. Get an appointment with shrink ASAP.
December 16, 2008 @ 7:19 am
humblesound
[Oh, and peter- I was being sarcastic towards the Fred fella. I thought it was absurd for someone to comment on your publication actually wishing you to produce LESS content.
I welcome as much output as you have- pillow related or not!]
December 16, 2008 @ 9:29 am
Grant
amazing looking pillows now all you need is a nice hand drawn shirt
December 18, 2008 @ 12:38 am
A-Trak : Fat-free since 1982! » Blog Archive » 808 pillow!
[...] (Via CK via SC via CDM) [...]
December 20, 2008 @ 5:07 pm
Torley
These are cute and wonderful. Whimsy never goes out of style.
December 23, 2008 @ 9:52 pm
Create Digital Music » More Fuzzy Vintage Synths on Etsy; Now We Just Need Sound
[...] TR-808: The Pillow, Plus Other Soft Synths GA_googleFillSlot(“CDMu_interpost300″); Sequencing with Smart Interactive Blocks: [...]
February 17, 2009 @ 11:58 am
cj
Hey Peter,
Just wanna say keep up the great work and yes we need random bits of silliness! Some of us geek out hardcore 24/7 and to see some lightheartness (that um, some of us could use out there!) is refreshing. I often get irritated by how seriously some people take themselves in this subculture, so the comic relief is much appreciated from this fellow nerd.
March 4, 2009 @ 6:51 pm
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