musical invention kit Meet Ototo Specications Before you get started Connecting objects Sounds Sensors MIDI Projects Not-So-Grand Piano Musical Doorbell Water Drums A Light Breakfast Pitch Balloon 4 6 8 12 14 20 22 24 26 28 30 Welcome to the world of Ototo!
With Ototo you can make music from anything, whether youre a musician creating new ways of interacting with sound, looking to use sensors to transform your next project or exploring music and electronics for the rst time. At Dentaku, weve spent years working in interaction design and electronic music, building interactive sound installations and inventions. We saw how dicult it was to create simple experiments and we wanted to create something that makes it easier for people to realise their musical interaction ideas. This guide introduces you to the Ototo board, and shows you the basics of making sounds and how to use the dierent sensors with your board. Theres some suggested projects from page 21, and while with Ototo you can get making sounds straight away, make sure to check out pages 6 and 7 to see what you can and cant do. Use Ototo to power your imagination, leave traditional sounds behind and create something completely unexpected. Lets make some noise!
Team Dentaku Meet Ototo 45Headphone VolumeSpeakerPower SwitchUp and Down ButtonsMicro usbTouch KeysSensor InputsHere is the Ototo board. It is a circuit board synthesiser that can be used to build your own musical instruments. Before you get started theres a few things to note:
Don't place Ototo on metal surfaces Ototo might not work with larger objects 6 Ototo is powered by 2 x aa batteries or a Micro usb cable Be careful not to get Ototo wet 7
Connect a conductive material to a touch key using one of the crocodile clips.
Press the Up and Down buttons at the same time so Ototo can detect that something new has been connected.
When you touch the material it will make a sound! Connect-
ing a dierent material doesnt change the type of sound that is made; each touch key is a trigger. 1 8 At the bottom of the board there is a touch sensor with a set of 12 touch keys. Each touch key represents a musical note when you touch Ototo it makes the sound of that note. Using the crocodile clips you can connect conductive materials and use them to trigger the notes. 2 3 9 The touch keys work by using a technology called capacitive sensing. This is similar to how many smartphone touch screens and laptop trackpads work. Ototo is measuring the capacitance on each of the touch keys. When touched by a human the capacitance on that touch key increases, we use this increase to trigger the sounds to play. It works with anything that is electrically conductive so it has to be a material that allows electricity to ow through it. Lots of everyday materials such as aluminium foil, metal objects, and even pencil leads work a treat. The material only has to be slightly conductive, so plants, fruit, vegetables and water can also work! There is a wide range of specialised conductive fabric, thread, paint, ink, tape and more which are great to use with Ototo, but you can start with the objects around you right now. 10 11 Ototo comes with a library of sounds which are called presets. You swap between these presets using the Up and Down buttons. Some presets you can play melodies on like a piano. Other presets are samples which play back a recorded sound, like a drum kit or science ction sound eects. Try out the dierent sounds for each thing you make, you may nd the type of sound changes how you play your instrument. Double press the Up or Down Buttons to change the pitch by an octave. 12 13 Sensors are add-on controllers which you can plug into Ototo. Each sensor changes the sound depending on how you interact with it. Rotation e r S li d Light Touch Strip Breath e c r o F If you change the sound as you play, you can be more expressive with the kind of music you want to make. 14 Joystick 15 Depending on which input the sensor is connected to, you can control the sound in a different way.
Now you can try interacting with the sensor!
Attach the sensor cable into one of the sensor inputs on Ototo.
Connect the other end of the cable to the sensor you want to use. 2 3 17 1 16 Each character represents a sensor input, heres what they do:
Modulations These change depending on which preset is selected. Pitch Change from a high pitched squeal to a low rumble. These sensor inputs alter the texture of the sound. Try out each one and see what happens. Amplitude As loud as a foghorn or as quiet as a mouse. 18 19 2021ProjectsOtoto can also be used as a midi controller, meaning you can control things on a computer or other midi-compatible devices using Ototo's sensors. You could play a dj set, play other synthesisers or control video and visual eects !Simply connect Ototo to the computer using a Micro usb cable. Most music software already works with midi look at its user manual or check out the Ototo website for help setting it up. Not-So-Grand Piano 1. Cut out your piano keys from aluminium foil into 5 x 7 cm and 12 x 7 cm strips. Attach crocodile clips to each of the strips, then connect the short strips to the black touch keys and the long strips to the white touch keys. 2. Stick the foil strips down using some masking tape so they dont move around while you are playing. Press the Up and Down buttons at the same time to detect what has been connected and your piano is ready to play!
22 23 Musical Doorbell 1. Cut out 3 strips of aluminium foil or another type of conductive material, about 20 cm long or enough to reach from the outside of the door to the inside. 2. Wrap these around the edge of the door and stick down with tape. 3. Connect the strips to Ototo using crocodile clips and press the Up and Down buttons together. 4. Now you can ask your visitors to play you a melody when they arrive!
24 25 Water Drums 1. Collect together as many dierent containers as you can and ll them with water. Choose containers that you think suit the sound of the drum such as a big one for a bass drum and long tall containers for hi-hats. 2. Connect the water in the containers to your Ototo. Using crocodile clips connect one end to a touch key and dangle the other in the water. Press the Up and Down buttons together, then touch the water to make a sound. 3. Select a drum preset using the buttons and rock out!
Dont let Ototo get wet, either place it away from the water or cover it in a waterproof box or material. 26 27 2829A Light Breakfast1. Find a box and make a door that can open and close by cutting around three sides of the front of the box.2. Along the edge of the box stick a strip of aluminium foil and connect it to Ototo using a crocodile clip then press the Up and Down buttons together.3. Connect a light sensor to one of the sensor inputs on Ototo, then place it inside the box securing it in place with some tape.4. When you open and close the lid while touching the foil it will make a dierent sound. Try out connecting dierent sensor inputs and see what sounds you can get. Balloon Pitch 1. Take one un-inated balloon and make a tiny cut in one end around 1-2mm long. Insert the breath sensor so it is inside the balloon. Once the balloon inates it will tighten around the sensor so the air wont leak out. 2. Attach the breath sensor to one of the sensor inputs on Ototo, blow up the balloon and tie it up. You dont have to inate the balloon too much, the less inated the balloon is the more sensitive it is. 3. Squeeze the balloon! Depending on which sensor input youve connected the sensor to youll get dierent sounds. Try using it to alter the pitch to make lots of weird noises. 30 31 Now its your turn!
Wed love to see and hear what you can come up with so please drop us a tweet or an email and tell us how youre using Ototo. Sharing your project with the world?
On Twitter use @Ototo to keep us informed!
For help and support or just thoughts and comments get in touch with us by emailing support@dentakulondon.com. Check out our website to keep up with all of our latest discoveries in the world of Ototo. www.ototo.fm Ototo was made possible thanks to 915 Kickstarter backers Illustration by Naomi Elliott Printed by Art Quarters Press Design and engineering by Dentaku, London Ototo is a registered trademark of Dentaku Ltd. Dentaku Ltd 2 - 4 Southgate Road London N1 3JJ Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver - Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver is connected
- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help