YAMAHA PSS-170

I started this project soon after finishing up the NT01 set. after feeling a bit overwhelmed by the idea of trying to compete with other novelty-synth producers that seem to be popping up all over, i thought it might be a good idea to fall back on my strengths. rather than trying to develop some new and original device that is completely "from scratch", i wanted to get back to modifying obsolete things. this is not to say that there wont be more NT models in the future, but i needed a break from brainstorming. i had a yamaha PSS-170 laying around, so i figured i would just have some fun with that. the initial plan was to keep it simple. an echo circuit, a filter, a sequencer, and so on. i figured this would be a quick little project that i could crank out in a couple of weeks, but it ended up taking about a month to finish.

NT 01

 

   

This project started at the beginning of April. the main motivation for building these noise boxes was to create a product that could be sold easily to try and recoup some of my losses from going a month over my deadline with the Ivan synth. it seems like everywhere i go, people are selling Atari-Punk-Consoles, and other simple square-wave drone synths. the one thing that most of them are lacking is any kind of design aesthetic, so i figured i might be at an advantage there. i got to work designing a wood console for them using my google sketchup demo.

IVAN

This commission started near the beginning of January of 2014. it took approximately three months to design and build. it was only supposed to take two months, but was realistically impossible for a project of this scale. in the past, projects of this caliber have taken between six and twelve months to complete, so i guess i don't really have much to complain about. i have been playing catch-up ever since though. i haven't had much time to post the details on it until now. i will have to make this one short.

EAT MY SHORTS!

 

This project has been long overdue. the motivation behind it was to create an easy to use, easy to build, and easy to sell drum-synth. the drum synth would be based around my coveted collection of radioshack "elephant keyboards". over the past several years i have been snatching up these keyboards off ebay when ever i see the chance. i have been known to spend $60+ on them. it's kind of funny too because the people who sell them can't understand why i am offering so much money for a child's toy. the reason is that inside the elephant keyboard is a pretty decent monophonic toy-organ chip, as well as an amazing little two-voice rhythm chip. the toy organ chip is similar to the ek001in that it has an envelope I/O,

DUNK TALS WEDBOX

CIRCUIT BENT KEYBOARD REVISED

FUNKY GLITCH BUDDY

NOISE!

UPDATE 9-30-2014

DANANA BOX

EK001 MOD

 I started this project some time ago. it has probably taken a good six months to complete. there was really no rush to finish it as it was intended only as a prototype for what was supposed to be a short production of ten or so of the same design. unfortunately though this will likely be the only one i make in this size and arrangement. although i was able to create some highly stable and unique circuit ideas for this synth, the hardware is just too small(and expensive). i just wasn't happy with the feel of the interface once it was finished. i would have much rather used big heavy panel-mount hardware but