Rockin' Old School Printer!

99Rock Music News:  Hear Foo Fighters’ ‘Everlong’ Played By an Old Dot Matrix Printer

By Shannon Carlin

Ever wonder what the Foo Fighters’ 1997 hit “Everlong” would sound like played on an old dot matrix printer? Well you’re not alone. Someone has actually figured it out. Someone with a lot of time on their hands.

Last year, MIDIdesaster uploaded a clip featuring their old modified printer planning a version of the song that sounded like it was straight out of an 8-bit videogame.

Dan Carroll, the mastermind behind this nifty trick, explained on his Vimeo page that the old 24-pin dot matrix printer has been converted into a MIDI compatible sound generator. It can play up to 21 notes at the same time and features up to 16 MIDI channels, each with their own individual volume and pitch.

But this printer doesn’t just play old Foo Fighters’ hits, it’s been trained to play Green Day’s “Having a Blast,” The Benny Hill theme song and Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.”

Watch this very talented printer play “Everlong” below.

 

 
And, as a bonus, here’s “Hysteria” by Muse.