Beastie Boys Time to get Ill 3D printed
Andy Berlin, an engineer at Zcorp wrote a software tool that transforms soundwaves into an 3D printable file. The file can then be 3D printed on a Zcorp machine and the resulting 3D print actually can be heard on a record player. I think this is a wonderfully literal way to turn music into an object and adore it. 
Andy says, “the program created a monochrome .STL file. The outer edge of each groove is smooth, to provide a surface for the tracking needle to ride along. The inner edge contains peaks and valleys which correspond to the audio data.” He also had to hack a turntable to get it to work, “A pin replaced the needle to provide mechanical tracking, and an LED and optical sensor, …, provided the playback signal.” Very amazing stuff. I love the combination of old and new technology. And I also love that the song he chose to make this way was Time to get Ill by the Beastie Boys! More images on the Zcorp blog.
