m.m.a

Analog modular synthesizer.

Built 2012-2013

The circuits for the different modules is an assortment of diy modules soldered and wired by me.

There's some circuits i made and others from schematics from the internet as well as self-etched PCBs and some from makers such as Barton, 4ms, MFOS...

Arpegiator, multi-noise module, VCF, VCA, LFO, VCO...

Panels made from aluminum plate drilled using a drill press.

Home made recycled wood cabinet with inside wooden railings to attach the modules to.

Hand painted panels.

Close up of Noise Module

Panel made of aluminum plate, drilled

Detail of the home etched board wired and mounted on bracket

Hand painted

Drilled and freshly painted panels

Detail of process of making the panels hand drilled and painted in cosmic abstract theme

Drilled and freshly painted panels

Detail of process of making the panels hand drilled and painted in cosmic abstract theme

Drilled and freshly painted panels

Detail of process of making the panels hand drilled and painted in cosmic abstract theme

Home Etched boards

Home made and firescape etched PCB boards with the method of toner transfer using a Brother Printer, a clothing iron and acid.

Dual LFO

Close up of a finished module of an LFO based on a circuit from MFOS.

Soldered and wired.

Panel made of aluminum plate, drilled on drill press.

Hand painted

Voltage Controlled Echo

Close up of finished and mounted module of a Voltage Controlled Echo.

Soldered and wired.

Panel made of cut and drilled aluminum plate.

Hand painted

Labels made with label maker.

Wave Animator + VC Echo

Finished and mounted module of a Wave animator and an delay module.

Soldered and wired.

Panel made of cut and drilled aluminum plate,

Hand painted

Labels make with label maker.

Multiple Noise module

Close up of finished and mounted module of a multiple noise source which includes pink, white, random.

Soldered and wired.

Panel made of cut and drilled aluminum plate,

Hand painted

Labels make with label maker.

Close up of Noise Module

Panel made of aluminum plate, drilled

Detail of the home etched board wired and mounted on bracket

Hand painted

Analog Modular Synthesizer

Another assortment of modules built around 2013 and put together into this synth.

Home made wooden enclosure from repurposed wood found on the street.

Some self-made PCBs, online schematics as well as others from makers such as music thing modular, befaco, erica synths, MFOS, barton, CGS..

Panels made from drilled aluminum plate, hand painted.

Robotic Glockenspiel

I automated this old glockenspiel to be able to be programmed using midi

A small solenoid hammer is been placed by each key and can be actuated through the program board with any DAW music software.

I made a wooden stand so that each hammer can be placed in front of the key, one of the challenges of putting it together was the stand as it needed to allow the solenoids to get back into position while also having a good response.

CMOS Musical Machines - Panel making

I started building these around 2009 after taking a computer architecture course that dealt with digital and binary logic and circuits. A series of 1's and 0's is generated based on a 400106 chip as seen in Nicholas Collins book handmade electronic music and then CMOS4000 chips are used to create musical patterns based on digital logic circuits such as shift registers, logic gates, counters, flip-flops, etc.. The panel is made of aluminum that i drilled and painted and banana jacks. Bellow are some of the schematics and notes:

CMOS Musical Machines - Panel making

As I was starting to build these and researching on the internet, i discovered the work of inventor Stanley Lunetta and his Moosack Machines and circuits became a big source of inspiration. Bellow are some of my schematics and notes for this synth:

CMOS Musical Machines

This one was a continuation of my previous CMOS musical machines. It was built as the final project for my independent project class in Computer Science at college. I used it to show the principles of computer architecture in a musical way. It had LED lights on each output so as to show a visual representation of the patterns. Bellow are some of the schematics and notes:

Contact Microphone Boxes

I started building these around 2004. I had been playing with contact microphones for a while to record and home made percussion instruments and I saw a performance of a musician that used them to play along to a butoh film at anthology film archives.

The closeness and intimate sense of space that it created and possibilities of making a variety of sounds from very small objects mesmerized me.

I also built sets of tools and mallets to play them using small hardware parts, found objects and dremel bits which allowed me to play trills and different effects on small percussion objects.

Contact Found Materials Boxes #1

Continuation of my earlier contact microphone boxes and also inspired by Harry Partch microtonal percussion

i built these instruments with found materials in Slovenia in the summer of 2019.

here's an excerpt from some sounds i recorded with it, the vocal excerpt is a field recording of a choir i saw performing slovenian folk tunes:

Contact Found Materials Boxes #2

Continuation of my earlier contact microphone boxes and also inspired by Harry Partch microtonal percussion as well as traditional african instruments and my rubber band experiments. i love using rubber bands they are cheap and come in many lengths and widths and you can create so many surprising weird tunings easily.

i built these instruments with found materials in Slovenia in the summer of 2019.

I also did a performance in the area using the instruments built as well as other common objects i was using during my stay, like a metallic coffee cup.