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Classically trained musician, inventor, and one-man-orchestra Leonard Solomon has a mind like no other. Starting with the Majestic Bellowphone in 1983, he’s been delighting audiences on the street, in acclaimed concert halls, and on national television with his extraordinary machines (check out this WIRED feature for more of his story). Through this sample library, we hope to preserve his legacy and share the charm and whimsy of his creations with fellow musicians.

These machines have all been hand-built from materials that were found, salvaged, or purchased from hardware stores and then ingeniously combined into something never before heard. Every instrument is one-of-a-kind, with its own character and color.

Leonard Solomon’s Extraordinary Machines is the perfect solution for producers looking for unique, unusual, and found sounds that require no extra effort to blend. We’ve worked to capture Leonard Solomon’s unique character, both in his ideas and his instruments, and we hope you find them as creatively inspiring as we do!

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From the masterfully crafted Bellowphone to the mind-bending Oomphalapopatronium, Leonard Solomon’s unique musical instruments create sounds to fascinate audiences, inspire creators and challenge the status quo. To help you understand this eclectic collection of odd creations a bit better, we’ve put together a brief description of each instrument.

 

Extraordinary Machines

Bellowphone: Constructed in Len’s basement woodshop, the Bellowphone is a multi-instrument composed of many individual wind and percussion instruments activated by a foot pump (the eponymous bellow). The Bellowphone is chiefly made out of found and salvaged materials, including metal pipes, cardboard tubes, springs, coat-hanger wire, sheet-metal from a toaster, vacuum-cleaner pieces, tin cans, and plumbing parts. The rest of the Bellowphone’s components — playground balls, funnels, screws, kazoo, and nose-flute! — were purchased from local hardware and sports equipment stores.

Bottle Organ: Hand-made latex ball bellows connected to a series of pitched bottles suspended in a custom wood frame make up this one-of-a-kind creation. The Bottle Organ boasts soft, round organ tones reminiscent of carnival games and world fair music.

Oomphalapompatronium: A crown jewel in the Leonard Solomon collection of oddities, the Oomphalapompatronium (pronounced “Oom-Fah-Lah-Pom-Pah-Troh-Nee-Um”) is made from a wheel, pottery, tin cans, and water bottles. In place of a keyboard, this incredible invention features a button board. A radial ball pump is used to automatically fill the air reservoir, which in turn powers a robust horn section that delivers a wonderful cacophony of extraordinary musical tones.

Callioforte: Two and a half octaves of chromatic pipe whistle tones that drip medieval and airy high tones; the perfect instrument for soft melodies, and whimsical hooks.

 

Other Inspiring Sounds

Miscellaneous: Leonard Solomon’s house is a veritable museum of hand-made musical instruments and sound making creations. Our Miscellaneous patch includes a small suite of found-sounds pulled straight from the walls, shelves and cabinets of Leonard’s extraordinary home: Pneumatic Cymbal, Cuckoo Machine, Small Horn, Laughing Horn, Warbler Whistle.

Tonal Horns: A set of horn blasts and phrases from four of Len’s unique horns: Big Horn, Lurch Horn, Hunting Horn, and Drone Horn.

Kazoo: The kazoo is a core piece of the Leonard Solomon sound. We made sure to capture Len’s favorite as a solo instrument to provide the most versatility and usability for producers in need of quirky melodic beds and melodies. In this digital age, it also works wonders when highly processed and used as a sound design source.

Sound Design Atonal: A large suite of designed atonal soundbeds, effects, oddities and noises to add texture, depth and ear candy onto your tracks. This patch is the glue that fills in spaces and takes ordinary musical compositions to the next level of unique and compelling.

Sound Design Tonal: A collection of found sounds and single-capture tones from Len’s massive collection of noise makers, heavily processed and sound designed for use as effects, sound beds, and musical textures. Sound sources include Baritone Bottle, Brain Razor, Cup Flute, Oompha Synth, Gargantuan Kazoo and Clown Nose Chord.

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Leonard Solomon studied guitar and early music at Antioch College, spent time as a guitarist in a country-rock band, and then worked for a decade as a professional cabinet maker. All these experiences influenced his career constructing and performing on one-of-a-kind instruments for audiences of all sizes.

Leonard has been featured performing with his unusual creations in PBS’ Lonesome Pine Specials’ One-Man Band Extravaganza; in the nationally broadcasted “A Taste of Passover” and “A Taste of Chanukah” at Jordan Hall, Boston; at festivals in both Singapore and Japan; and at King Richard’s Faire in Massachusetts, among other performances.