Gesundheit - or how I start(ed) learning the APC...

Recently I finally started out building my own sound devices. I'm very much a novice in electronics, but there's a lot of helpful information on the web (some links will follow in a future post) and a buzzing diy scene, so there's a lot of easy projects to start out with.
My first attempts were/are all based around the 555** chip and the (in)famous Atari Punk Console.
There's even kits out there, so it's not too difficult. Nonetheless I didn't make use of a kit but just got me the parts myself and started out on a breadboard:
Since I don't feel Atari enough to punk it properly, I decided to call my models the "Gesundheit* APC".
Before setting out on my first APC I did a test-circuit on a breadboard and made a quick and dirty (literally, as I used cardboard and pencil) ribbon controller.

The Gesundheit* 2000 and Ave Maria Ribbon Controller in prototype version. here's how it sounds:
I then also fashioned a ribbon controller - very makeshift - with pencil and copper-wire... there's definitely some R&D still awaiting, but you can make cool sounds just from the above.

-- *As I was experimenting my good friend (and the great designer of the Some "Stars not yet Black Holes" cover) DFKT came over for a jam and christened the whole thing "Gesundheit". Since then I'm growing increasingly impatient since I am waiting for a lot of parts I ordered, but as the first few are coming in I started building the first models...
 ** shown on the photos below is, of course, a circuit using a 556 chip - aka two 555ers in one.


Here you can see the progress from testing the assembled board, doing test recording and building a nice box...

and here is how it sounds:
- next time round: the StashVerb69 MK1, The Gesundheit Modular story and more!

(edited 14.05.12 - minor typo corrections, and the thing about the second chip being a 556. ah yeah, and of course the quick and dirty pencilribbon part.)