MiniDexed TX816

As soon as I started playing with MiniDexed and found out it supported 8 tone generators, I wondered if it would be possible to build an interface to it to make it look like a Yamaha TX816 tone module. This is the first in a series of posts looking at what a TX816 is and … Continue reading MiniDexed TX816 →

CD Rack Format Zynthian

Having build up one of my Zynthian IO Board PCBs my final aim is to get it behind a panel in my CD Rack synthesizer. This is how I built a panel for it. Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments. I am not responsible for any damage to expensive … Continue reading CD Rack Format Zynthian →

Zynthian Revisited – Part 4

This is the build guide for my Zynthian IO Board PCB. Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments. I am not responsible for any damage to expensive instruments! These are the key tutorials for the main concepts used in this project: Zynthian Revisited Zynthian Revisited - Part 2 Zynthian … Continue reading Zynthian Revisited – Part 4 →

Zynthian Revisited – Part 3

Following on from my prototype IO boards for my Zynthian, here is a PCB design that will hopefully work much better. Update: Find the Build Guide here: Zynthian Revisited – Part 4 Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments. I am not responsible for any damage to expensive instruments! … Continue reading Zynthian Revisited – Part 3 →

Arduino VS1053 General MIDI Synth

A while back I had a bit of a play with some VS1003 and VS1053 modules as MIDI modules, but I never really fully explained how to use them as a General MIDI sound module. This thought was prompted by Sheila (midi_in_out on Twitter) who posted one of her own compositions for use with her … Continue reading Arduino VS1053 General MIDI Synth →

Zynthian Revisited – Part 2

Having prototyped the idea of a hardware user interface with my Zynthian in Zynthian Revisited this posts develops a DIY IO board for use with a Raspberry Pi to make connecting everything a little neater. If I like it I might see if I can turn it into a custom PCB. Eventually I'd like a … Continue reading Zynthian Revisited – Part 2 →

Zynthian Revisited

After having a quick play with Zynthian just over a year ago, I've always had it in the back of my mind to make a "proper" Zynthian box with its own interface and controls. This is the first part of that project, hooking it up to a touchscreen and some rotary encoders. In Part 2 … Continue reading Zynthian Revisited →

“Bare Metal” Raspberry Pi MiniDexed DX7 – Part 2

This is a continuation of my exploration of MiniDexed. In part 1 I built a basic breadboard version. In this part, I've built a DIY "MiniDexed HAT" for a 40-way GPIO Raspberry Pi. Update: There is also now a custom PCB too: MiniDexed Raspberry Pi IO Board. https://youtu.be/7gKDfDWLHzw Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second … Continue reading “Bare Metal” Raspberry Pi MiniDexed DX7 – Part 2 →

“Bare Metal” Raspberry Pi MiniDexed DX7

One project I've had my eye on for some time is Dexed: "Dexed is a multi platform, multi format plugin synth that is closely modeled on the Yamaha DX7". More specifically I noticed there was a version for the Teensy called microDexed that I really wanted to try; that it is also one of the synth … Continue reading “Bare Metal” Raspberry Pi MiniDexed DX7 →

Universal Synthesizer Panel – Introduction

I have a number of "off the shelf" synthesizer programs and sketches kicking around that I wanted a way to actually be able to do some proper "musical" playing with them. Having them put together on breadboard and stripboard is all very well, but sometimes I want to be able just to load up the … Continue reading Universal Synthesizer Panel – Introduction →