Sunday Synth Jam: Here’s a sampling synth jam, via Aaron Apter, that uses only a ‘broken weight plate’ as a sound source.

Here’s what he has to say about it:

During a Labor Day group workout my gym, someone dropped a bar and accidentally broke in half a well-worn 25lb plate. Half-jokingly, I asked if I could take home the remains and attempt to put them to musical use.

While permission was granted, I definitely got the vibe that others thought I either was up to my antics or a fool to think I could make music out of such a dull and lifeless looking/sounding piece of rubber. That perceived slight was both the motivation and boundaries I had been desperately seeking!

Technical details below:

Using only a broken weight plate as a sound source, I created a short jam with the assistance of several iPad apps: Werkbench, Voicesynth, and VJAY. Shot on a single Zoom Q3HD and imported directly into an iPad for editing.

For a more detailed explanation, see Apter’s site.