The irritating sound of the dotmatrix printer is due to the fact that it is a monotonous screech. However, listening to one printing out a spreadsheet the other day, I could discern some rhythm to that noise.

So, arm the printer with a MIDI interface and use that data to control the frequency of the pins. A monophonic melody should be easy. You could have a queue of tunes lined up which would be downloaded to the printer together with the stuff to be printed.

So musical printers should make it back to the desktops of computer users soon, regaining the space against the invasion of silent jets and lasers. Just watch - and listen.
-- neelandan, Apr 01 2004

symphony for dot matrix printers http://www.sat.qc.c...atrix/en/intro.html
Old. [waugsqueke, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

You know... I don't see this as something I'd actualy Want... But it is something interesting to think about... Perhaps key it up for multiple user enviroments so that everyone has their own soundtrack.... "Oh, Bob must be finished with that report." "how can you tell?" "he likes the eagles"
-- photojunkie, Apr 01 2004



random, halfbakery