Nicolas Collins is a very prolific artist and beyond his many accomplishments which you can get a taste of in this Wikipedia entry:
Nicolas Collins was “a pioneer in the use of microcomputers in live performance, and has made extensive use of ‘home-made’ electronic circuitry, radio, found sound material, and transformed musical instruments.”[3] He has presented over 300 concerts and installations in Europe, Japan, and the United States as a solo artist and as a member of various ensembles.[4][5] He is a member of The Impossible Music Group with David Weinstein, David Shea, Ted Greenwald, and Tim Spelios.
Collins is a prominent curator of performance and installation art, and has been a curator, policy adviser, and board member for numerous cultural organizations.[6] For example, in the early 1990s he was both artistic Co-Director at STEIM (Studio for Electro Instrumental Music), located in Amsterdam and a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) composer-in-residence in Berlin.[7] Collins is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Leonardo Music Journal, a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the MIT Press.[8] He is also the chair of the sound department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[9][10][11]
In 2006 Collins’ book Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking was published by Routledge. An expanded, updated edition was published in 2009.[12]
he has also influenced countless other artists with his workshops and books that open up the wealth of possibilities afforded by hacking, DIY strategies and handmade electronic music. his book is a terrific resource.
His website is also full of excellent tutorials related to hacking and DIY electronics and noisemakers.
Be sure to browse through the video tutorials.
His website