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 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software » Musical Interfaces
Making your own Synthesizer
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RobinvK



Joined: Feb 24, 2012
Posts: 1
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:00 pm    Post subject: Making your own Synthesizer Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hello everyone! I'm currently working on a project for which I need to make my own synthesizer. I got some nice results from working with the arduino microcontroller, but because I am planning on making about 10 of these things I am going for the most cost effective solution.

I want to make something very similar to a simple electronic keyboard, like the ones they make as children's toys. Something that can play a variety of tones and sound effects. The device I want to make needs to be:
-able to synthesize different tones
-able to play sound files like songs and sound effects
-able to affect the sound files, the user needs to manually control the speed at which the sound files are played and when they need to be cut off.
-cost effective (the lower the price the better, as long as the quality loss isn't too big I'm okay with it.)
-to be somewhat small in size. if it could all fit in a 5x5x8cm box it would be ideal.


I bought a number of cheap electronic keyboard toys for children. I was hoping that I could learn more about how they work if I opened them up, but unfortunately their chips were covered in a black epoxy blob... So I tried the internet for help on making your own synthesizer. I have searched around a lot and I found a lot of interesting websites, but I ended up getting swamped in information on very complex or unfinished projects and I haven't quite found what I needed yet.

I was hoping that since you guys already have some experience with this that you could point me in the right direction. Are there perhaps any beginner tutorials for making your own synthesizer from scratch? I'm still quite new to synthesizers and my experience with electronics so far hasn't been too complex yet so I am hoping there is a tutorial out there that starts with the basics.

I would very much appreciate any help on this!
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RF



Joined: Mar 23, 2007
Posts: 1502
Location: Northern Minnesota, USA
Audio files: 28

PostPosted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hi - You are in the right place!
I'm not sure about playing files and such - but for an analog synth....
I started with MFOS - Music from Outer Space. http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/
Nothing with Arduino - but lots of good basic info on building a synth. Check out his Keyboard PCB along with the "Sound Lab Mini-Synth" or one of it's siblings....

Good Luck and enjoy!

bruce

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"I want to make these sounds that go wooo-wooo-ah-woo-woo.”
(Herb Deutsch to Bob Moog ~1963)
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