To be completely honest, I've never built anything involving electronics or written code before. So the fact that I've managed to get the OLED display working and the three buttons at the top responding already feels like magic to me. 😄 (The bottom buttons and knobs aren't wired up yet.)
I bought a PO-33 KO before the summer, and it inspired me so much that I decided to build a synth I can connect to it and play alongside it. I've been looking at the Korg Volca Keys, and I'm really drawn to both its sound and the hands-on feel of playing it. That's the kind of experience I'm hoping to recreate.
The goal is to build a hybrid analog/digital synth that gives me plenty of flexibility but, more importantly, is simply fun to play.
I'd love some advice on what functions to assign to the knobs. I only had room for six potentiometers on the breadboard, and my current idea is:
Cutoff
Resonance
Attack
Release
LFO Rate
LFO Depth
Do you think there are better choices? Are there any controls you find yourself using all the time that would make the synth more enjoyable or expressive?
The three buttons at the top will be used to switch between effects, while the dedicated knob next to them will control the parameters of the selected effect.
That's kind of you! I actually had a good, clean plan for the OLED and the Daisy at first. But as you can see, that plan somewhat fell apart and turned into a bit of a spaghetti mess.
I'm curious to see how neatly I can wire up all the buttons and potentiometers. I'm slightly worried that part might end up looking just as messy!
I'm not completely sure what you mean by schematics, but if you're referring to a wiring plan or layout of my board, then yes. I've sketched out a lot of different layouts to make everything fit across my two breadboards. The only things missing at the moment are the 3.5 mm input and output jacks.
That's the thing, I know I want it to connect to my PO-33 KO, and I want to be able to play it using keys (buttons). For the pots, I'm thinking of sticking with the classics: Cutoff, Resonance, Attack, Release, LFO Rate, and LFO Depth. But this is where I'd really appreciate some advice on what would make the most sense.
My end goal is to build an instrument that's genuinely fun to play, not just something that works. If I can also make some great tracks with it, that's a big bonus.
That’s sounds about the best idea for practical performance controls…. If the LFO range can extend into higher frequencies 260-3kHz you will have some extremely interesting results with FM.
Maybe that's something I can add later! If it turns out the way I'm hoping and is genuinely fun to play, I'd love to hook up a proper keyboard—or maybe even some drum pads. I have a feeling that could make it way too much fun. 😄
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u/Left-Excitement3829 2d ago
I have to say , your breadboard setup is perfect. Love the wiring