Synth East 2026 Final Update

video upload by Molten Music Technology

"Synth East is this weekend! Saturday is all sold out, both the daytime Expo and the evening Gig. If you have spare tickets, please get in touch as I have a list of people who would love to buy them off you!

Still room on Friday:
https://norwichartscentre.co.uk/event...

And a couple of seats left in our DIY workshop on Sunday:
https://norwichartscentre.co.uk/event..."

GreyScale-KOSMOS #raspberrypi #pico #rp2040 #midi #sequencer #algorithmic #generative #kosmos

video upload by plantssystem

Follow-up to this post.

"KOSMOS – A Compact Generative Sequencer Driving the Prophet‑5

This short clip features KOSMOS, my standalone generative MIDI sequencer, controlling a Sequential Prophet‑5. KOSMOS creates evolving melodic patterns and rhythmic variations in real time, while the Prophet‑5 provides its unmistakable analog warmth and depth.

The performance is completely autonomous — no DAW, no external processing — just KOSMOS generating the sequence and the Prophet‑5 responding with its classic tone.
It’s a small glimpse into how KOSMOS interacts with hardware synths and how expressive the pairing can be."

An eyebrow-raising MIDI controller for $35

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Mediapipe + OpenCV caused a big stir some 4 years ago, but I never got around trying it myself. Until today, and of course I'm sharing my results with you. This Open Source software can detect gestures, poses and facial expressions and transform them to so called landmarks that can easily be used for all kinds of shenanigans (in this example: controlling your synths).

00:00 introduction: what's this?
00:38 demo 01: playing chords + bass + controlling filters
01:32 hardware needed
02:12 installation
02:56 what are OpenCV and Mediapipe?
03:55 this example explained: reading landmarks, converting to MIDI
06:35 demo 02: controlling an arpeggiator
07:37 demo 03: controlling filter cutoff frequency and pitch bend with my eyebrows
09:21 demo 04: playing pads on Akai MPC Live 3 with backing track
10:10 conclusion / do the YouTube thing!"

Where to get the stuff: [affiliate links]
Mini camera: Amazon DE | Amazon US
RasPi Zero 2: Amazon DE | Amazon US
SD card: Amazon DE | Amazon US

Installation instructions

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
pip install mediapipe opencv-python --break-system-packages
git clone https://github.com/mrfloydst/eyebrowr...

then python3 ./hand.py or python3 ./eyebrow.py

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

Fooling around with the Haxophone for the first time

video upload by MIDI IN

"This is a little music that I recorded as part of my vlog about building the Haxophone, a series that's on my second channel:"

Building a Haxophone : Part two - a working Haxophone!

video upload by shieladixon

"In part one of this vlog I had ordered and received the pcbs, 3d printed parts and most of the components. In this part I finish the first one and try it out."

Part 1 of this series:

CLICK FOR MORE »

GreyScale – A Standalone MIDI Sequencer KOSMOS Powered by Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040)

This one is in via GreyScale aka plantssystem whose videos you have likely seen on the site.

"GreyScale is a compact, self‑contained MIDI sequencer built entirely around the Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040).

Its minimal hardware footprint hides a surprisingly deep generative engine, combining Euclidean rhythm generation, step sequencing, probability control, and evolving melodic behavior.

The clean GreyScale UI provides immediate visual feedback — step activity, Euclid parameters, probability states — all rendered on a crisp LCD. A joystick and four dedicated buttons offer fast, tactile control, keeping the workflow musical and instrument‑like rather than menu‑driven.

GreyScale runs completely standalone with standard MIDI output, making it an ideal partner for hardware synths, desktop modules, or DAW setups.

Designed for spontaneity and long‑form generative performance, it encourages exploration and rewards experimentation. A small instrument with a refined feel, GreyScale blends DIY charm with a polished, modern sequencing experience."

Update: demo here.

CLICK FOR MORE »

X1L3 - ALLEYKAT - DEV - ALL SYSTEMS OK - 8580sid - 3 voice test demo

video upload by X1L3

"ALL SYSTEMS OK ! ! ! !

The last one until it's a module.

Everything is in place. It's time to draw up the boards for it and submit it to fab for a test run 🔥🔥🔥

No denying that it's quite capable of recreating the sound of the C64........

CLICK FOR MORE »

Yuyo cmos synth - First try Attiny85 dco with analog cmos shaping and twin t filter

video upload by JIANT

"everything is from the synth to the zoom recorder, twin t drums, xor snare, pt2399, and cmos stuff.

attiny85 reseting the phase of 40106 oscilators, the digital control accepts 1voct from keysetp and go to the 40106 inputs through resistors, a little rc for filtering the pwm, and for this reason when you change the oscillator frequency you can get intervals and crazy stuff. is not orthodox but suits my need for Rich timbres. the dco goes to 40106 buffers , and then 4040 dividers, twin t filters, one for each of the two voices, one goes to env, vca, filter, delay, and the other one to clock divider and filter, to get the sub osc.

firmware super simple only for checking the conversion from filtered frecuency of the attiny85 to my 40106 non exponencial vcos.
currently is tracking 10 octaves really good, the trick is put a voltage divider in the cv in of the attiny because keystep has 0 to 10v and the attiny accepts 0 to 5v tehn the tracking inside the attiny converts o.5v oct to 1 volt oct. i dont know anything about coding but i made it with chat gpt and my design . source code will be in the coments ."

Previous videos:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Building music. Cable by cable. | Ģirts Ozoliņš | TEDxRiga

video upload by TEDx Talks

Spotted this one searching the TEDx Talks channel for the recently taken down Sounds of Tomorrow video. I'm not finding this one with Ģirts of Erica Synths on the site, so up it goes. Note it's from 2019 and an interesting look back on the time.

Video description:
"Instruments can open a world of opportunity for creative expression. And when that instrument is a synthesizer, that opportunity becomes nearly limitless. What does it take to open the floodgates of creative exploration? In the mind of Girts Ozolins, it takes making musical instruments more accessible to the masses. Girts' interest in electronics, electronic music and synthesizers developed when he was only twelve years old. Now he is a founder of Erica Synths, a successful company that develops, manufactures, and exports electronic music instruments. They are used by thousands of people around the world — some worth mentioning include Martin Gore from the English electronic band Depeche Mode and the famous German composer Hans Zimmer.
Erica Synths' main export products are modular synthesizers — they're played in every corner of the world, covering every continent except Antarctica.
Girts strongly believes that electronic music technologies are the best combination of creativity and engineering. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx"

The Sounds of Tomorrow: China's Electronic Instrument Renaissance | Yukes 玉刻 | TEDxZizhu Park

video upload by TEDx Talks

Update: looks like TEDx Talks removed the video for now. I'll leave this post up in case it comes back and also for the info below.

Modular Commune gets a shout out at the end. You can find a playlist of Modular Commune performances here.

"Yukes 玉刻 uses an electronic organ to play 'the sound of the future.' He расскаnts how synthesizers have found new life within Chinese culture—moving from imitating the sounds of traditional instruments to creating entirely new auditory languages.

As he puts it: 'Technology shouldn’t replace tradition; it should become an extension of it.' In his eyes, every synthesized waveform is a rebirth of culture.

Today, Chinese musicians are using technology to reshape a 'sonic ethnography,' allowing tradition and the future to move forward side by side through electronic resonance. Yukes is a commercial video producer, multi-instrumentalist, and expert in electronic music equipment. Active at the intersection of traditional Chinese instruments and contemporary electronic music equipment, they have been instrumental in the development of 'Chinawave' and the growth of the electronic music production equipment industry in mainland China. With a background in commercial documentary video production, Yukes has expanded their practice into the exploration of audiovisual ethnomusicology. They regularly perform across China and are currently pursuing a master's degree in Market and Retail Science at NYU Shanghai. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx"

1985 Analog Synthesizer Circuits Book 800pgs

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this eBay listing

"Scarce. Despite the title, one of the most comprehensive books on modular analog (and digital) synthesizer design.

Apart from a little cover wear, the book is in very good condition. Hardcover, 802 pages. Copyright 1985."

CLICK FOR MORE »

1975 Electronic Music Circuits - Modular Analog Synthesizer Design Book

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this eBay listing

"1975 Electronic Music Circuits Guidebook, 1st ed/1st printing by Bruce Ward

Scarce title. A complete guide to designing analog music synthesizers and sequencers from scratch, with tons of schematics.

Ex-library with the usual markings, some age-toning, and fading of the spine. Apart from a little reading wear, the book is in very good condition. Hardcover. This item ships WORLDWIDE."

CLICK FOR MORE »

X1L3 - ALLEYKAT - DEV - GOATED - 8580sid - all parameters brought to the front

video upload by X1L3

"Quick control voltage+gate read / register write test before moving on. And a quick look at the module front panel...

Apart from ring/sync on voice A, which i have no room for on the module design, all parameters of the 3 voices of the chip are now broken out to the user interface.

Voice A juggles the tune and drum work. Voice B is hard synced to voice 1 for the gnarly 'pro1' sound. Noise is strobed over pwm on voice 1 for the 'snare' hits.

ALL SYSTEMS GO - As 80s Williams arcade games would have said 🔥🔥🔥

There are likely a few minor bugs in the code that i'll spot as the module comes to life. But all that remains to be coded is the hooking up of some shift registers to get control of the 28 leds.

Given that this is technically a single voice demo. I'm fairly confident this machine will be capable of sounding quite authentic to the Commodore 64 and the world that moved on when it's complete and has some nice compositions made for it 🙂

GOATED ! ! !

⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⣋⣉⣁⣀⣀⣀⡉⠙⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿ ⣿ ⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⡀⠀⠹⣯⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣀⣀⣹⣆⣙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿ ⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠛⠛⠛⠛⠿⣯⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⢿⡿⠿⠿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣤⣄⡀⠀⢹⡆⢀⣄⡀⠀⠀⠈⣷⣀⣤⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿ ⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠛⠋⠁⠈⠛⠶⠟⠁⠈⠙⠃⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠤⣄⡘⠧⢈⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⠶⣤⣀⠈⠙⠳⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿ ⣿
⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⠟⣧⣿⣿⡆⠀⠉⠉⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⡅⠀⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣄⢠⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿"

X1L3 - ALLEYKAT - DEV - GOATED - 8580sid - oscilloscope view

video upload by X1L3

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...."