This week's discovery is the Zachteman . It's a modified tape player turned compact synth, one that takes the Mellotron concept and shrinks it into the form of a portable music player.
For those that need a refresher, the Mellotron is one of the world's first samplers, famously used by The Beatles, The Moody Blues, and many others. It's a keyboard instrument that, instead of strings or tines, can play back long pieces of tape, each containing recorded sounds like choral vocals, flutes, or brass. But, cool as it is, a Mellotron is also large, expensive, and probably impractical for most music makers today.
That's where the Zachteman comes in. The creation of instrument builder Gijs Gieskes, the Zachteman is a monophonic synth circuit that regulates playback speed and is housed in a portable cassette player. You can record whatever sounds you want on a separate tape loop or regular cassette, then alter the pitch with the keyboard and tuning pots.
For a little extra character, it includes a vibrato control that adds to the tape warble when a note is played, as well as a vibrato speed control that works as an LFO. All in all, you can create somewhat comparable tape-based sounds and play them back at your leisure for a fraction of what a Mellotron would normally cost.
This device is nearly one-of-a-kind, as only about 20 have been produced. As is the case with many other unique electronic instruments, Hainbach has a video where he showcases it (which you should really watch in full above).
Visit the full listing to learn more or buy this Zachteman now.