What is a Basic Synth Voice? (Modular Synth 101 | Part 6)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!! To celebrate the holiday, I explain how to make a basic synth voice using just 4 modules (5 if you count the sequencer). Most of synthesizers on the market use this basic signal path to produce musical tones."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

What is Modulation? (Modular Synth 101 | Part 9)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"For the next episode in this introduction to modular synth, I take a closer look at modulation. Everyone always talks about it, but what is it? Modulation is simply using a signal to control another signal. It's a simple concept but it puts the fun in modular synthesis."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

A Quick Studio Tour (2023) w/ Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"The move is more or less complete and the studio is really coming together. I just wanted to share this video and give everyone a quick tour. There's still some work to do but I really like the way it's shaping up."

Jamming with the Landscape HC-TT

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"I posted a few videos about the HC-TT from Landscape and now I decided to do a jam with it. Instead of using glitchy synths and the like, I decided to try it with "traditional" instruments. I'm pretty happy with the way this came out."

Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Landscape posts

Getting Started with Eurorack (Modular Synth 101 | Part 10)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"This is the final episode in this 101 series. This one focuses on getting started in Eurorack. If you want to start experimenting with modular, follow these 6 easy steps...

Intro - 0:00
1) Get a Semi-modular Synths - 0:24
2) Understand Cases & Power - 1:11
3) Use Modulargrid.net - 3:00
4) Build Your System - 3:57
5) Avoid 1U Modules - 4:55
6) Have Fun - 5:46"

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

What are Gate & Pitch Signals? (Modular Synth 101 | Part 8)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"This is episode 8 of the Modular Synth 101 series I've been posting on Mondays. This episode explores what gate and pitch signals do within the synthesizer. I demonstrate them with a keyboard and also with a sequencer."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

What Does a LFO Do? (Modular Synth 101 | Part 7)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"This is episode 7 of the Modular Synth 101 series. Today, I take a closer look at Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs). This is the component that is most often used to modulate other parameters in the synthesizer."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

What Does a VCA Do? (Modular Synth 101 | Part 2)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"Continuing with this series on modular synthesizers, I take a look at the VCA (Voltage Controlled Attenuator). It is said to be one of the most valuable parts of a synthesizer and I use a simple example to illustrate what a VCA does."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

What Does a Passive Multiple Do? (Eurorack Modular Synth 101 - 1)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"I've been asked this question several times, so I decided to do a video explaining what a multiple does. It's pretty self-explanatory but hopefully this video is helpful to someone. The mult I use is made by Rakit."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

What Does an Oscillator Do? (Modular Synth 101 | Part 3)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"Continuing with this series on modular synthesizers, I take a look at the VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator). It is the primary sound generator in most synthesizer and I demonstrate both analog and digital variants."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

What Does an Envelope Generator Do? (Modular Synth 101 | Part 5)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"We're up to episode 5 in this series. Today, I take a closer look at Envelope Generators. This is the component that makes a synthesizer sound more natural. Instead of just on/off, it produces a rising and falling voltage."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

What Does a Filter Do? (Modular Synth 101 | Part 4)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"For the next episode in this series, I take a closer look at voltage controlled filters or VCFs. Filters are one of the most important sound shaping components within a synthesizer."

Additional posts in the series: Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios) Modular Synth 101

How to Make a Light-up Patch Cable (simple DIY project)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"I recently discovered these flexible filament LEDs and decided to see if I could make a light-up patch cable with them. It's actually a very simple project that just requires some basic soldering skills.

Parts Needed:
2 x 1/8" Mono Plugs
2 x 300mm Filament LEDs
1 x 1k Ω Resistor
1 x Piece of Wire (about 12")
1 x Piece of 1/4" Heat Shrink Tubing (about 12")

See more of my Musical DIY Projects here:"

Calculus Chronicle #1 | self-playing modular synth patch | unquantized generative soundscape

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"I created this patch before going to bed. I wasn't crazy about it at the time. When I woke up the next morning, I made a small tweak and all of a sudden... the patch came to life. Literally. It sounds almost like a living thing. The musical notes are unquantized and the rhythm is a result of evolving voltages. However, all the oscillators are tuned to a reference pitch so it sounds dissonant yet harmonious."

Fidget Spinner Box Meets Modular Synth (DIY Instrument/CV source)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"I recently built this funky fidget spinner instrument and decided to see if it would work as a CV source for the modular synthesizer. To my surprise, it worked really well.

Check out the build video here:"

I Made a DIY Fidget Spinner Instrument Thingy (Fun Musical Project)


This is a very simple project. It's just 2 spinners mounted to a cigar box using 5/16" carriage bolts. I used a bass pickup and 1/4" mono jack to amplify the sound.

Build Process - 0:00
Sound Demos - 5:01"

Rubber Band Guitar Meets Modular Synth (DIY instrument)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"Earlier this week I posted a video of this rubber band instrument I made. In this video, I plug it into my modular synthesizer. It can not only be used to make audio, but also control voltages.

Intro - 0:00
Patch 1 - 0:51
Patch 2 - 1:18
Patch 3 - 2:30
Patch 4 - 4:08

See the build video here:"

I Made a... Wacky Rubber Band Guitar Thingy (DIY musical instrument)

"Well... I don't know if this type of thing has a name but it sure was fun to build. I'm sure I'm not the first person to come up with this idea but it was certainly fun to figure it out. It's an electric rubber band instrument.

Idea - 0:00
Build Process - 0:36
Sound Demo - 4:42"

Rakit Drum Synth: Build & Demo

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"The folks at Rakit sent me this really cool kit to build and review. The Drum Synth is more than just a drum synthesizer. Thanks to the trigger and pitch inputs... it can be used for a lot of different musical applications.

You can buy these kits from Rakit's online store: https://www.rakits.co.uk/product-cate...

Intro - 0:00
Overview & Build - 0:43
Knobs & Switches (w/sounds) - 2:28
Interfacing w/Other Synths - 6:38
Final Thoughts - 8:32"

Update: also see Hidden Feature on the Rakit Drum Synth

Ghosts of Spring (bioelectric composition #6)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"Last fall, I made a bioelectric composition as these lilies were withering. Now that spring has arrived and they've broken through the ground, I thought it would be fun to do another one with the same plants. Both setups use the Garden Listener from Clatters Machines to interface the synth with the lilies.

See the first video here"

Landscape DIY HC-TT: Build & Demo

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

Part 2 here

"I decided to build one of the Human Controlled Tape Transport (HC-TT) kits from Landscape. It's exactly what it sounds like, a tape machine powered by you. I fist saw one of these at Knobcon circa 2017 and I've wanted one ever since. I am looking forward to using this in some of my recordings. It's really cool."

Intro - 0:00
Build - 0:56
Clean Demo - 1:40
Demo w/Effects - 3:06
Final Thoughts - 4:19

Building a DIY Touchplate Controller (it's easier than you think)

video upload by Musical Miscellany (Poorness Studios)

"I've been really interested in touchplate controllers lately. I found a @SynthDiyGuy tutorial from 2017 and followed it. To my surprise... it's a remarkably simple circuit... but it works great.

See the video tutorial here: [posted here]

Intro & Components - 0:00
Creating the Touchplate Pattern- 1:41
Etching the Board - 2:35
Circuit Design - 3:26
Building the Circuit - 4:11
Attaching the Touchplate - 5:15
Test with Modular Synthesizer - 5:57"