The creator of the Linux operating system, Linus Torvalds, has released a new open source hobby project, AudioNoise, a digital guitar effects pedal.
Torvalds started making effects pedals from kits recently as a holiday project, and as a way to learn analog electronics. He describes building effects pedals as, “LEGO for grown-ups with a soldering iron.”
Here’s what he has to say about AudioNoise:
“These are — like the analog circuits that started my journey — toy effects that you shouldn’t take seriously. The main design goal has been to learn about digital audio processing basics. Exactly like the guitar pedal was about learning about the hardware side.”
What has surprised many is that Torvalds says that he used vibe coding in developing the pedal.
‘Vibe coding’ is a new approach to coding that essentially delegates programming details to AI. It’s done using large language model (LLM) systems, which generate a result to match the user’s prompt. The idea is that the developer can focus on the ‘vibe’ of a project – the high-level vision and requirements – and AI acts as a dedicated junior developer.
Torvalds does not tout his project as a great effect, but more as a fun way to learn about coding and digital signal processing. The project may be less significant on its own than as a sign of where things are heading with AI-augmented development.
You can get a sense of the project from the video embedded above, by SavvyNik, and check out Torvalds’ repo at Github.
Velocity Press has announced a new book – Ukrainian Field Notes: Sound, Music & Voices From Ukraine After the Full-Scale Invasion.
Author Gianmarco Del Re explores the impact of the war on musicians. based on over 300 interviews.
Here’s what they have to say about Ukrainian Field Notes:
“Since the full-scale invasion, music-making in Ukraine has adapted in remarkable ways: composing on mobile phones, streaming performances from bomb shelters, and organising festivals within curfew limits. Clubs became centres of volunteering and fundraising before regaining their cultural role once reopened. Meanwhile, the diaspora reshaped the musical landscape, severing old ties while creating new global networks of collaboration.
Ukrainian Field Notes: Sound, Music & Voices From Ukraine After the Full-Scale Invasion offers a 360-degree perspective on how sound has shaped musicians’ wartime lives and influenced evolving notions of identity – personal, collective, and postcolonial.”
Ukrainian Field Notes is available to order now for £9.99, with shipping planned to start March 6th, 2026.
