Kicking It into Overdrive with Honda's Drivemixer Project

Dec. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Innovation takes many forms and one of the reasons why Honda has remained a strong competitor throughout the years is because they take the time to understand drivers and what their interests are. In an effort to better connect with younger Brazilian drivers, Honda recently launched the Drivemixer project (http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682094/how-honda-turned-a-car-into-a-mixing-deck#1) to unveil the new Fit Twist. Brazilian DJ Zegon and the performer N.A.S.A., aka Sam Spiegel, hacked one of these new models turning all of its functions and features into musical outputs. In essence, it turned this vehicle into a fully functioning DJ mixer.

Marketing experts met with tech wizards, musicians, sound engineers, and producers to brainstorm how to make this dream a reality. A specialized microcontroller board customized to convert the car's signals into MIDI notes turned these electrical pulses into musical forms.

Speigel and Zegon designed an initial track and then wired into the car's computer and internal electrical systems. The vehicle's built-in on/off switches were used as MIDI switches and when they patched into the program, Ableton Live, and used a sampler, they were able to utilize the switches as triggers for their sounds.

The final element was to add a turntable. Instead of plugging a traditional one into their setup, engineers built one of the largest turntables ever seen, so the Fit Twist could drive on top of it, allowing the drive system to be another sound input.

Once all the construction was completed and the vehicle was wired directly into their recording equipment, Speigel and Zegon tackled the challenge of playing their motorized instrument. Using elements like the turn signal arm or the high-beam headlight controller, they blipped samples over their beats to finish their composition.

Staying true to their remix theme, Honda released the final track called "Overdrive" to the top 10 Brazilian entertainment and music blogs and invited them to remix this product. All the remixes were collected and audiences were asked to vote for their favorite. The music blog My Cool was named the winner and were awarded professional DJ equipment.

Dedicated to staying ahead of the trends, Headquarter Honda brings the best selection of new and pre-owned Honda vehicles to drivers in the Orlando area. Visit their showroom at 17700 State Road 50 in Clermont, FL to see the new Fit (http://www.headquarterhonda.com/searchnew.aspx) and other forward-thinking models today.