Arduino

Molecule Synth

19 August 2012

It’s funny to see the increasing number experimental projects appearing on Kickstarter for some crowdfunding love, the best platform to try new POC and demonstrate new ideas’ feasibility. Even more interesting to see the increasing number of DIY kits that pass the filter these days. Molecule Synth is one of the latest projects already having covered its goal within the first week.

Molecule Synth Kit
Molecule Synth Kit

Portland-based English teacher Travis Fieldman has decided to leave his literature teaching life (and put his book on stand-by) for something  much closer to his personal passion: create electronic musical instruments.

Molecule Synth should become what he describes as the addition of Lego + Synths and Physical Electronic… a “wild” synth experience that should enrich if not overpass whichever sounds that come out of  traditional keyboards.

I wanted an instrument that was more interesting than just pushing buttons, but I also wanted to get away from the “black box” pre-fab technologies that makes us all passive “consumers” using someone else’s designs — to paraphrase William Blake, you must Create a System or be enslaved to someone else’s. 

Molecule Timer (all images via Molecule Synth)
Molecule Timer (all images via Molecule Synth)

Like Makey Makey or many other DIY kits MS proposes you a list of some basic components ( speaker & amp, a sound generator, and a pitch controller..) presented as hexagonal pieces with their own color-code that you can arrange and configure to create your personal MS… but then… you can expand, as the list of upcoming modules is pretty big…

Table of elements MS
Table of elements MS 
Molecule boards
Molecule boards

The project is still being funded… but this little toy doesn’t come cheap… for the most-basic kit you’ll need $250  to receive the eight-piece version.. and you can go up to the Molecule Bundle version (we’ll let you discover what’s behind). Whether you end up backing the project ..or not, it’s up to you.. but we celebrate ex-romantics crossing the road to the inventor’s side. More info on the project page.

  share news item