Someone’s worked out how to play Daft Punk songs on calculators, and it all adds up

We’ve seen musical instruments that look like calculators - step forward Teenage Engineering’s Pocket Operators - but what about a calculator that can be played like a musical instrument?

It turns out that such a thing exists: with a couple of button presses, the AR778 can be turned into a playable (albeit primitive) synth.

Seizing his chance for viral video glory, a Korean YouTuber known as Chaco has got hold of a bunch of AR778s, and is using them to reimagine a variety of classic tracks. Alongside various video game themes, he’s managed to use his calculators to play a couple of Daft Punk classics - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (see above) and Get Lucky.

Appropriately enough, Ariana Grande’s 34+35 has also been given the treatment as has - of course - Radiohead’s 2 + 2 = 5.

We’re not sure what’s coming next, but may we suggest Feist’s 1234.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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