Rare drum machine: Amtroncraft UK 262

video upload by Lennart Regebro

"A quick demo of the extremely rare Amtroncraft drum machine."

This appears to be the first one to be featured on the site. If anyone knows more about it, feel free to comment.

Quick jam with MicroRack and Beat Friend

video upload by Many Small Functions

"My Kickstarter MicroRack modular synthesizer arrived yesterday and I’m still learning how it works, but I got a nice little jam going with the ‪@audio.computer‬ Beat Friend and ‪@microrack-modular-synth‬ synth. The MicroRack filter is surprisingly gnarly! The MIDI sync stuff is reasonably flexible, the little 4-step sequencers are fun (and I need like 4 more to chain together...) and overall MicroRack stuff is cool and very powerful for how tiny it is. This is a REALLY basic synced groove with some filter and oscillator tweaking to show what it can do.

One drawback with trying to film something like this is that the devices are SUPER tiny and autofocus likes my hands. Hope you enjoy these lovely closeups of my wrists.

#microrack
#audiocomputer #beatfriend
#modular #synth"

See the Audio.Computer label below for more.

8 Track MIDI Sequencer on Adafruit PyGamer

video upload by ugufru

"This is a short demo of an eight track MIDI sequencer that I created on the Adafruit PyGamer."

via Adafruit

"What fits in your pocket, is fully Open Source, and can run CircuitPython, MakeCode Arcade or Arduino games you write yourself? That's right, it's the Adafruit PyGamer! We wanted to make an entry-level gaming handheld for DIY gaming, and maybe a little retro-emulation. It's not the fastest and best of everything but it is an all-in-one dev board with a lot of possibilities!

The PyGamer is powered by our favorite chip, the ATSAMD51, with 512KB of flash and 192KB of RAM. We add 8 MB of QSPI flash for file storage, handy for images, fonts, sounds, or game assets."

Building a Minimoog Model D From Parts

video upload by synthpro

"Hey Guys,

In this video, I bring you along the adventure of building a really nice Minimoog from parts I have had over the years.

Michael heard this unit on a little Instagram post I made when I first started testing to see if I could get a working unit from the parts and immediately sent me a down payment. It took me about 2 years to source everything needed but Minimoog SN: 5250 now lives a healthy life once more.

Thanks for watching!

Sincerely,
Jareth"

Bizarre Love Triangle/New Order (Circuit Tracks & MiniDEXED version)

video upload by Guinan

"‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ from 1986 is first off the rank for my ‘New Order February’ recreations.

I love this perfect slice of dance-synth-pop and I was keen to get the DX7 bass intro as close as I could. Earlier this week I’ve been showing the tiny $75 Raspberry Pi synth, MiniDEXED, that I built to add this vital ingredient. If you are interested check out the video showing more details, • I made a synth for $75* ! (*excluding tar... [posted here]

A couple of very clever folk identified what I was cooking up!

The MiniDEXED was sequenced from the MIDI tracks on the Circuit Tracks and routed into the audio in to add effects from the Tracks. All that you hear was programmed into the single Circuit Tracks and no further additional synths or processing were done to the sound – it’s straight audio out recorded direct into a Zoom L6.

The arrangement was taken from several versions posted on Musescore and compressed into the 4 melodic tracks and rhythm. Thanks to everyone who posts their transcriptions there.

I hope you enjoy the track as much as I did making it. Stay tuned for more New Order recreations and reworkings for the rest of this month.

(Ableton Move version coming in just a couple of days...I'll post a link here when it's live).

CLICK FOR MORE »

Repair Report: BOSS DR-55 Dr. Rhythm Foot Switch Restoration

This one is in via supporting member GreyScale aka plantssystem who had the following to say:

Restoring a Classic: BOSS DR-55 Foot Switch Jack Replacement

"The BOSS DR-55 is a staple of early 80s minimal wave and synth-pop, but its plastic jacks are often a point of failure after four decades."

The Issue

The unit arrived with a missing original foot switch jack, rendering remote Start/Stop operations impossible. To ensure a rugged and reliable fix, I decided to upgrade the component rather than searching for a rare vintage plastic replacement.

The Solution: Switchcraft 12A

I opted for a Switchcraft 12A 1/4" Mono Jack (Shorting/Tip-Shunt). This is a classic choice for vintage gear due to its high-quality metal construction and reliability.

* Fit: The Switchcraft 12A fits the DR-55 chassis, though it requires careful grounding to the metal frame/PCB common.

* Wiring: Wired specifically to handle the DR-55's Start/Stop trigger logic.

Results

The repair was a total success. The unit now responds perfectly to a standard momentary foot switch.

* Start: Functional.

* Stop: Functional.

* Reliability: The metal Switchcraft jack provides a much more secure connection than the original plastic housing.

This DR-55 is now back in the studio, ready for another 40 years of 16-step sequences.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Making ANOTHER $75 synth! (MT32-pi)

video upload by Guinan

Follow-up to this post.

"I made ANOTHER Raspberry Pi-based $75* synth to pair with my Circuit Tracks.

(*approx price depending on a whole bunch of local factors...)

The commentary is long and unscripted (full of ums & errs!) so if you want to jump to a particular section the sections are as follows,

00:04 Intro
00:21 MicroDEXED synth
01:00 MT32-pi
01:52 Why emulate the Roland MT-32?
02:55 General MIDI vs. MT-32
04:03 Soundfonts (.SF2)
05:21 MT32-pi bootup
05:55 JV-1010 emulation soundfont demo
08:23 Using the Circuit Tracks Mixer and Effects on the MT32-pi
09:55 Selecting presets from the Tracks
12:00 Conclusions

This time I've used open-source hardware and software designed around the MT32-pi project. See link here,
https://github.com/dwhinham/mt32-pi

There's a very excellent detailed build and demo video from ‪@mr_floydst‬ here, • MT32-Pi DIY synthesizer: bare metal 80s no... [below]

Oddly the hardware worked out cheaper (despite a bigger display) as this is a commoner target build.

This excellent project uses any Pi from the Pi Zero 2W upwards to recreate a multi-timbral emulation of the Roland MT-32 synth and also act as a player for soundfonts in the .SF2 format.

Roland MT-32,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_...

Editing software and library of downloadable soundfonts,
https://www.polyphone.io/en/soundfonts

I used a pre-assembled hardware kit from Ebay with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W (with header). The assmbled complete hardware can also be bought from sites such as Etsy etc."

MT32-Pi DIY synthesizer: bare metal 80s nostalgia

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"This week, let's build and take a look at the #MT32 PI, another "bare metal" synthesizer running on #RaspberryPi. This is an emulator for the late #80s Roland MT-32 sound module, which was used by a lot of games for their sound track. The MT-32 PI can also load soundfonts, so you can use it as a ROMpler in your setup. Table of contents:

00:00 introduction
00:36 hello
01:28 hardware needed
02:34 breadboard explained
03:09 building the UI
03:28 wiring
03:55 LCD setup
04:32 software installation, ROMs and soundfonts
05:04 config file setup
05:31 using the device, soundfont editing
06:31 important considerations
06:48 demo 1 (MT-32 emulation)
08:43 demo 2 (soundfonts)
09:45 bye-bye

HÄLP ZIS CHANNEL
https://www.patreon.com/floyd_steinberg
https://floydsteinberg.gumroad.com/
https://floydsteinberg.bandcamp.com/"

He Made a synth for $75* ! (*excluding tariffs/postage...)

video upload by Guinan

"I made an open-source Raspberry Pi based DX-emulation synth for around $75 and hooked it up to my Novation Circuit Tracks.

MiniDEXED is the open source DX emulation project,
https://github.com/probonopd/MiniDexe...

I used the following open source hardware Raspberry Pi HAT which delivers a DAC and DIN MIDI in and out, https://github.com/tebl/BulkyMIDI-32

Build is also here, https://www.pcbway.com/project/sharep...

I ordered mine pre-built from Ebay - but that's just a reflection on my soldering skill!

To run the software it also needs a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 (buy one with a 'GPIO header' as then it's just plug and play once you have loaded the software from the above link). Make sure it's a 'Zero 2' as the older model is much slower.

Much more detail and slicker presentation here....
• MINIDEXED - honey, I shrunk my DX7 collection [posted here]

All of the above work was inspired by the very excellent and similar MT32-pi project by Dale Winham which emulates the Roland MT-32 synth and others. I've got a 2nd Pi Zero 2 and some parts in the wings for a further video...."

Afrorack live at SUPERBOOTH25

video upload by Superbooth Berlin

"Afrarock (Brian Bamanya) performs live at the SB25.

AFRORACK
https://www.instagram.com/afrorack/?h..."

Also see Afrorack's SUPERBOOTH25 walkthrough video.

Roland Jupiter 8 from 2x JP-08's

video upload by Craig Barnes

"This is the latest iteration of my Jupiter 8 style synth from two JP-08 boutique synths.

If anyone is interested then here is the code repository with schematics.

https://github.com/craigyjp/Jupiter-8..."

Reminds me of the various custom controlers from Synth-Project.

Jeannie Polyphonic DIY Synthesizer - TouchOsc Midi Controller

video upload by Rolf Degen

"Jeannie Polyphonic DIY Synthesizer - TouchOsc Midi Controller

DIY blog: https://www.sequencer.de/synthesizer/..."

Bringing a vintage Italian polysynth Siel LX61 back to life and looking at the insides

video upload by Ted murena

This appears to be the first post to feature the Siel LX61.

New Filter Design Experiment!

video upload by gotharman

"ONLY AUDIO IN LEFT CHANNEL!
When I discontinued Urano for the first time, I was stupid and selling my own Urano. Last weekend I managed to finish a new Urano for myself :)
After playing with it for a week, I realized how much I love its dual filter with drive, and I decided to try to engineer this design a bit further.

This test design has lot of character and LPF, BPF and allpass modes.
I hope that you will enjoy :)"

www.gotharman.dk

Prism Circuits TKB | Interview

video upload by Under the Big Tree

"Prism Circuits has released their take on the classic touch keyboard/sequencer, the TKB. Available in pre-built or DIY versions, the TKB is a 16x4 capacitive touch plate keyboard and sequencer. This unit brings expressivity and control to Serge, Buchla, and even Eurorack systems.

www.prismcircuits.net

Under the Big Tree is Nicolas Peck's YouTube channel, focused on esoteric electronic music, modular and vintage synthesizers, sound design equipment and techniques, and the composition, production and performance of music.

http://www.underthebigtree.com"

Oberheim DX MIDI Upgrade

video upload by jakeschrock

"Installing the Electrongate DX MIDI kit upgrade"

Figuring out the circuitry of old DIY drum synth

video upload by organfairy

"I play it manually at 3:23 and run it with a step sequencer at 4:17.

This is another un-documented one from the vaults - one that I, for some inexplicable reason, have not made any written information about.
So in this video I go through it and find out how it is made.

The music is 'No Hollywood movie', originally recorded by Lesley Hamilton, that was a hit in Germany in 1978. Same year it was recorded in Danish by Gitte Hænning as 'Hollywood drømme' and in German as 'Von Hollywwod Träumen'. I play it on my Yamaha HE-8 organ with Korg Rhythm 55 drum machine - but I probably didn't do a very good job since YT couldn't recognise it..."

Jamuary 18th 2026 - Prototype Pretense

video upload by Captain Credible

"This sequencer has been in the prototype stage for as long as I can remember. Does it need more features? Definately yes. Is it intuitive for new users? No. Will I ever finish it? ehm...
#motherbrain #rolandP6 #rolandS1 #tonic"

Jamuary 17th 2026 - Collateral Clankers

video upload by Captain Credible

"Today I held a workshop at the Oslo library and these kids built me some glorious remote controlled clankerbots. Then they jammed with me with wonderfully clanky style. Absolute legends!
#microbitorchestra #motherbrain #diy #clankers #jamuary2026"

Ecodynamics: generative music from ecological processes (2 patches)

video upload by Electrum Modular

"Introducing 'Ecodynamics' – a Lua script for Disting NT, coded with Claude. This project grew out of my interest in minimalist processes, “controlled probability,” and “biomodelling” (using modular synthesis to mimic natural processes).

0:00 Introduction
0:10 Patch I: entropic
3:28 Patch II: ecologic

Ecodynamics (Lua script, for use on Disting NT):
https://github.com/expertsleepersltd/..."

ELEKTRON Model Samples - ENCODER REPAIR!

video upload by ST Modular (Stefan)

"My Elektron Model:Samples encoder started to move slowly and skip values.😵‍💫

So I reached out to Elektron, and they were incredibly supportive and sent me two replacement encoders 🙌

After the repair, everything works perfectly again! It honestly feels like a brand-new machine! ✨

#Elektron #ModelSamples #SynthRepair #GearFix #ElectronicMusic #DIYRepair"