Synth-DIY or SDIY is people creating or making their own electronic musical equipment, and not limited to only synthesizers. Usually but not always involves some soldering. The most popular format is modular synthesizers
History[]
SDIY developed from the electronic hobbyist scene. In the 1950s Bob Moog sold Theremin kits. The SDIY scene really took off in the 1970s with the advent of semiconductor technology, with companies like PAiA selling synthesizer kits and many designs being published in books and magazines. In the 1980s the electronic hobbyist scene became more focused on home and personal computers, until in the 1990s interest picked up again.
Notable people in electronic music DIY[]
Anyone whose name might come up in conversation about SDIY. Includes some whose relevance to synth DIY is only peripheral, others because their answers seem respected on forums etc.
- Aaron Lanterman - Aaron Lanterman’s Home Page
- Alan R. Pearlman - early Electronotes contributor, ARP Instruments founder - Wikipedia:Alan R. Pearlman
- Allen Strange - early Electronotes contributor - Wikipedia:Allen Strange
- Andrew F - NLC - www.nonlinearcircuits.com
- Barry Klein - author of Electronic Music Circuits
- Bernard Sumner - Joy Division / New Order, built ETI Transcendent 2000 (Synth Britannia 26:42), Wikipedia:Bernard Sumner
- Bebe Barron
- Bernie Hutchins - Author and editor of Electronotes
- Bill Bernardi - Inventor of the Lyricon - Wikipedia:Lyricon
- Bill Hemsath - early Electronotes contributor - Wikipedia:Minimoog
- Bob Moog - early Electronotes contributor
- Bob Pease - Wikipedia:Bob Pease
- Brice Ward - author of Electronic music circuit guidebook
- Charles Blakey - Digisound 80
- Chris Carter - Wikipedia:Chris Carter (British musician), (Synth Britannia 33:33),
- Chris Huggett - Wikipedia:Chris Huggett
- Craig Anderton - PAiA, Electronic Projects For Musicians, Electronic Projects for Guitar, early Electronotes contributor, www.craiganderton.com
- Cyril Chapman - Elektor Formant Music Synthesizer
- Dale Wills - early Electronotes contributor
- Dan Parks - founder of SSM - Five Questions: Dan Parks
- Daphne Oram - Wikipedia:Daphne Oram
- Dave Bradley - aka Stooge Moe - www.hotrodmotm.com
- Dave Jones
- Dave Rossum - early Electronotes contributor - Wikipedia:E-mu Systems, www.rossum-electro.com
- Dave Smith - Dave Smith Instruments, Wikipedia:Dave Smith (engineer)
- David Cockerell - interview
- David Friend - Renaissance Music Man: An interview with ARP co-founder David Friend, KVR, 31 Jul 2017
- David Greaves - Digipoly (WW 1985, Sep. p. 37, Oct. p. 73)
- David Ingebretson - resurrected the Steiner Synthasystem
- David Luce - former president of Moog Music Inc and the designer of the Polymoog
- David Tudor - Wikipedia:David Tudor
- David Van Kovering - David Van Koevering Biography
- Delia Derbyshire - Wikipedia:Delia Derbyshire
- Dick Parker - Steiner-Parker, The Electronic Valve Instrument
- Dieter Doepfer - Wikipedia:Doepfer, Doepfer Musikelektronik
- Don Buchla - early Electronotes contributor
- Don Lancaster - early Electronotes contributor, Wikipedia:Don Lancaster
- Don Tillman
- Doug Curtis - early Electronotes contributor
- Doug Slocum - early Electronotes contributor
- Eric Barbour
- Forrest Mims - Wikipedia:Forrest Mims
- Fred Judd - Wikipedia:Fred Judd
- Gene Stopp - ASM1 synthesizer
- Gordon Mumma - Wikipedia:Gordon Mumma, Electronic and Experimental Music by Thom Holmes, 5th edition, Routledge, Nov 2015, ISBN 113879273X, The Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music p. 123
- Graham Hinton - early Electronotes contributor
- Grant Richter - early Electronotes contributor
- Hal Alles - Bell Labs
- Hal Chamberlin - early Electronotes contributor
- Harald Bode
- Harry Chamberlin - actual inventor of the Mellotron
- Harold Rhodes - Wikipedia:Harold Rhodes (inventor)
- Harry Bissell
- Harry Mendell - Wikipedia:Harry Mendell
- Harry Olsen - co-designer of the RCA Synthesizer
- Helmuth Tünker - mid 1970s Germany, how to DIY a synthesizer
- Herb Deutsch
- Herbert Belar - co-designer of the RCA Synthesizer
- Howard Moskovitz - early Electronotes contributor
- Hugh Davies - BBC Radiophonic Workshop
- Hugh Le Caine
- Ian Fritz
- Ikutaro Kakehashi - Founder of Roland - Wikipedia:Ikutaro Kakehashi
- James Husted
- Jan Hall - early Electronotes contributor
- Jim Cooper - worked for Tom Oberheim
- Jim Patchell - wrote in Synapse magazine
- John Blacet - Blacet Research
- John Burgoon - one of the SSM founders
- John Chowning
- John Marshall - early Electronotes contributor
- John Simonton
- Julius Smith - early Electronotes contributor
- Jörgen Bergfors - aka Ninni Bergfors
- Jürgen Haible
- Ken Stone
- Laetitia Sonami
- Larry Hendry - aka stooge Larry, RIP
- Laurens Hammond
- Leo Fender - Fender Music
- Leon Theremin
- Les Paul - Wikipedia:Les Paul
- Lester Ludwig - early Electronotes contributor
- Limor Fried - Adafruit - Wikipedia:Limor Fried, x0xb0x
- Louis Barron - Wikipedia:Bebe and Louis Barron
- Magnus Danielson
- Marc Bareille - Papareil Synth Labs
- Mark Verbos
- Martin Hurni - early Electronotes contributor
- Marvin Jones - editor of Polyphony, early Electronotes contributor
- Matthias Herrmann - Fonitronik
- Max Mathews - Bell Labs
- Miller Puckette - Max/MSP, Pure Data, IRCAM
- Motohiko Takeda
- Neil Johnson
- Nicolas Collins - Handmade Electronic Music - Wikipedia:Nicolas Collins
- Nyle Steiner - Steiner-Parker - early Electronotes contributor, The Electronic Valve Instrument
- Olivier Gillet - Mutable Instruments
- Osamu Hoshuyama
- Paul Schreiber - early Electronotes contributor, designer of the Moog MG-1, Synthesis Technology, pioneer of the modern modular-synth revival.
- Paula Maddox
- Pauline Oliveros
- Peter Baumann
- Peter Lutz - early Electronotes contributor
- Peter Zinovieff - Wikipedia:Peter Zinovieff
- Philip Dodds
- Quincas Moreira - Synth DIY Guy, YouTube
- R. A. Penfold
- Ralph Burhans - early Electronotes contributor
- Ray Marston
- Ray Wilson
- Raymond Scott
- Reed Ghazala - Circuit Bending: Build Your Own Alien Instruments
- René Schmitz
- Rick Coupland - inventor of the Coupland Digital Music Synthesiser
- Rick Jansen
- Rob Hordijk
- Robert Ashley - Wikipedia:Robert Ashley, Electronic and Experimental Music by Thom Holmes, 5th edition, Routledge, Nov 2015, ISBN 113879273X, The Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music p. 123
- Robert Iodice - early Electronotes contributor
- Roger Arrick - Synthezers.com, pioneer of the modern modular synth revival
- Roger Linn - Wikipedia:Roger Linn
- Roman Sowa - www.sowa.synth.net, www.midi-hardware.com
- Ron Dow
- Sam Battle - Look Mum no Computer, YouTube
- Scott Bernardi - OGEE
- Scott Juskiw - Tellun, e.g. Neural Agonizer
- Scott Rider - aka Old Crow, www.cs80.com
- Scott Stites
- Scott Wedge
- Serge Tcherepnin
- Steve Ciarcia
- Terry Michaels - early Electronotes contributor, provided the most advanced VCO and VCF designs in existence.
- Terry Shultz
- Thomas Henry
- Thorsten Klose - MIDIbox: SEQ, SID, FM, etc.
- Tim Orr
- Tim Stinchcombe
- Tom Bugs
- Tom Gambles
- Tom Oberheim - early Electronotes contributor - Wikipedia:Tom Oberheim
- Tom Wiltshire
- Tony Allgood
- Trevor Marshall - ETI/Maplin synths from 1973
- William Hartman - early Electronotes contributor
- Wolfgang Palm
- Yves Usson - YuSynth
External links[]
- Synth DIY wiki
- Where are they now?, Muff Wiggler forum
- [sdiy] Way OT - Who's the oldest?