synthesizer on technabob...

I always thought analog synthesizers were inherently retro. Just not quite this retro.

This unbelievable steampunk modular synthesizer features tons of dials and intricate brass etching throughout. All of the buttons and knobs were hand lathed, and the synth includes a number of antique parts as well.

With all those wires, buttons and knobs, the whole thing reminds me of some…

When I think of old school analog synthesizers, I think of hard plastic, wood and metal cases, and plenty of knobs, switches and wires. Not so says this crafter, who’s made up this batch of awesomely soft synthesizers.

Brisbane Australia textile artist pulsewidth has created these miniature versions of classic synthesizers from throughout the ages. Each tiny fabric synth is…

Remember when controllers had corners and not curves? When speakers were bigger than a house? When storage was limited but personal? and rectangular? Remember when synths… Nevermind. Synthesizers still look the same. Oh wait. Remember when synths had no USB connection? Because there was no USB in the 80s?
If you can remember those days it’s because you ain’t drunk!…

This wild looking analog synthesizer gets its body from a classic Atari 400 computer – but none of its brains.

Created by Paul Rothman’s Fridgebuzzz Electronics (yes, that’s supposed to have 3 “z’s”), the simply named Atari Synth has more buttons and knobs than you can shake a stick at.

The Atari Synth is a polyphonic 12-oscillator, 3 modulator square…

Feeling musically inclined, but haven’t the time or knowledge to write sheet music? Now you can produce your own sonic creations simply by doodling on a piece of paper.

Designed by Adafruit (in collaboration with Jay Silver), Drawdio is an analog synthesizer circuit that straps to any soft-leaded pencil, and lets you crank out electronic sounds while you sketch. The…

The Gakken SX-150 is a little analog synthesizer kit that came packaged in a recent issue of a Japanese DIY science magazine. Now, these funky mini synths have started to show up around the globe, leaving all sorts of interesting beeps, blips and squeals in their wake.

Originally included in an issue of Otonanokagaku (Science for Adults), the compact synth…

With the recent launch of the iTunes App Store, we’re just starting to see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Here’s one I’m really looking forward to playing with when it hits the App Store later this month.

Amidio’s Noise.io is a full-featured sound synthesizer, capable of producing all kinds…

When I think of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it usually conjures up imagery of HAL 9000’s glowing red light, the strains of Also Sprach Zarathrustra, and dead astronauts launched silently into space.

But the guys over at Studio Electronics used the film as inspiration for the design of their new Omega Orion synthesizer. From its sleek white and black case…

The venerable Commodore 64 is well known among the electronic music community as a synthesizer modder’s dream machine thanks to its robust SID audio chipset. But most of the mods I’ve seen end up looking just like an old C64 and all the cool stuff is going on under the hood. So when I came across this mod, all those…

If you thought that the 312-key Chromatone synthesizer had a few more keys than your everyday piano, just wait ’til you get a load of the Tonal Plexus and its even more plentiful keyboard design.

The Tonal Plexus series of keyboards is a micro-tonal input device featuring rows and rows of buttons which generate tones with far more precision than…

This unconventional design tool provides a unique way to create new typefaces. Working somewhat like an analog music synthesizer, knobs and button pushes influence the shape of your font characters.

Designed by Rob Meek and Frank Müller, the Meek FM Typographic Synthesizer uses a custom controller device along with special software to allow manipulation of typography as you adjust the…

One of the most popular computers from the 1980s, the Commodore 64, is having a minor renaissance as an electronic musical instrument. The C64’s audio chip is famous for producing an array of warm, familiar 8-bit beats and blips.
As a result, the trusty C64 has become a popular platform for “circuit bending”, which is hardware hackers’ terminology for taking…

If that 312-key keyboard I told you about recently was a little too complex for you to wrap your head around, here’s another electronic musical instrument that I came across, and this one only has 114 buttons. It’s called the Thummer, and its a portable synthesizer that’s capable of creating some really dynamic sounds, thanks to its unique input scheme.…

Everyone remembers Atari for their famous video game consoles, arcade games and even home computers. Being a child of 1970s and 80s technology, I’m surprised that I don’t ever remember seeing this oddity.

The Atari Video Music was released in 1976 and was an analog video synthesizer that could generate a kaleidoscopic light show on your TV screen when hooked…

Here’s an interesting tidbit of recent history for any electronic musicians out there. A couple of years back, a strange little company called Chromatone thought it was time for an overhaul of the traditional 88 keys on pianos (or less on many synthesizers.)

The Chromatone CT-312 keyboard has literally hundreds of individual, unlabeled keys. The “312″ in the name is…