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A crash course on synth design and development using the Simple Synth DIY kit. Learn how to synthesize, design and program your first synthesizer and continue developing your instrument long after the workshop with video courses and community support!
The Simple kit has 80 footprints for knobs, switches and sockets. You can design and build your own unique layout within a couple of hours. And, we're using the Daisy Seed microcontroller, which allows lots of sound design flexibility. It's so immediate, you'll have a sounding instrument in the first workshop day!
This package includes our complete Simple Synth DIY kit and access to our beginners video course - Introduction to Synth Programming on the Daisy Seed. If you want to build your own instruments, this is the perfect place to start. The course will take you through, from scratch, all the way to programming your own MiniMoog style subtractive synthesizer!
The Simple Synth DIY kit is a package full of components and two electronic boards, designed specifically for synthesizers.
The small board (Simple Fix) allows you to quickly get started and program your first synth. The large one allows you to design your very own standalone (or Eurorack) instrument. The boards are modular, so you can choose where to put knobs, faders, switches and jacks. Make it your own, and learn synthesis, programming and design skills along the way!
Simple is 21cm wide (42HP in Eurorack terms) and 11cm tall (3HP in Eurorack terms). It's a perfect size for a standalone instruments. but can also be used as a monstrous 42HP Eurorack module.
The Simple board has 80 modular sockets (footprints) where you can stick potentiometers, switches, jacks and even faders. You can connect various microcontrollers on it Daisy Seed (included), Teensy and Arduino Nano.
Included in the kit is the Simple Fix is a tiny electronic board, designed for the Daisy Seed, Teensy and Arduino Nano microcontrollers. Perfect for programming quick sketches and playing in small setups.
On the left of the board you'll find 4 modular sockets (footprints) that can hold potentiometers, trimmers, switches and jacks. On the right you'll find two additional footprints. These are normally used for audio in and out, but they can also be used for controls like the ones on the right. At the bottom right there is a small prototyping board for connecting additional circuits if needed (for example, a touch sensor (also included in this kit).
The video course - Introduction to Synth Programming on the Daisy Seed, is the perfect place for artists and musicians to get started with synth design and programming. Below is one of the lessons in the course, to give you an indication to the content and quality.
Check out the Simple Synth Manual to learn about synth design, soldering, synthesis techniques and more. This document is constantly being updated with more resources for you to learn from.
This is not just a soldering workshop. Yes, you will do some soldering, but you'll quickly learn that the fun and creative possibilities lay in the design process. We'll take you through the process based on your individual skill level. Have a look at the detailed program below to learn more.
We will start off with designing the synthesizer and its functionality. Bouncing between the physical interface and the computer. Drawing diagrams and laying the controls out to find a good balance between functionality, playability and performance. We'll also work with VCVRack (free) to emulate the synth sound and evaluate the controls.
Learning goals
Activities
Time
12:00 - 13:00
Now that we have the interface figured out we can start programming it. We will go through the code (provided) to understand what each line is doing. We'll experiment with mapping parameters, changing knob ranges and modifying our instrument functionality.
Learning goals
Activities
Time
13:00 - 15:00
This workshop is just the beginning! Now that you know the basics , and you can actually program your own controls, there's a whole world that's open for you to explore. We'll continue the learning on our Discord server. Meet other synth makers, share your work, ask for feedback and find solutions to technical issues.
Join Discord
Roey Tsemah is a cross-disciplinary designer, musician, and teacher. Roey is the founder of Synthux Academy, where he runs educational programs on electronic instrument design, sound synthesis, and programming. He is the host of the Synth Design Podcast and the International Synth Design Hackathon and a teacher in the digital focus module at Design Academy Eindhoven. His interactive design programs are used in dozens of academies worldwide.
In 2022 Roey launched the Simple Synth platform, which allows artists and musicians to build their own instruments, and learn programming and design skills using video courses, DIY kits, and community events both online and locally in various cities around the world.
We will be using the synth DIY kits below during the workshop. These are not mandatory, but they make your life easier. They also allow you to build more instruments and follow other workshops in the future.
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