Make: Volume 91

molecules and eventually transmit the sound

to your ear. Electronic instruments, however,

jiggle around electrons. Only at the last step do

those electrons push and pull a speaker, which

creates the pressure wave in the air. It’s far

easier to control how an electron moves than

an air molecule. This means in order to change

the sound itself, all we have to do is slightly

change the pattern the electrons wiggle in. By

abstracting a wave of air pressure into a wave

of changing voltage, we can sculpt with audio.

The process is nothing short of fascinating, and

somewhat profound. When you’re playing with

electric charges, it’s not hard to make a ...