A musical build can start with a pickup mount or extend to a network of synthesizer speakers. This collection distinguishes sound generation, control, and mechanical response. A MIDI controller does not produce audio by itself; a synth engine still needs an appropriate output path; a piezo pickup needs the right input circuit.
A small experiment in mechanical sound pickup.
A documented sequencer for controlling MIDI equipment.
Complete speaker assembly and software setup chapters.
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Brian Whitman, Shore Pine and contributors · MITResized without cropping and converted to WebP for the project card.
Aciduino is a MIDI step sequencer. MiniTeensy is a polyphonic synthesizer. Alles distributes synthesis across Wi-Fi-connected speakers, with separate assembly, flashing, and getting-started documentation. Choose according to the part of the signal path you actually want to build, not just the appearance of the finished enclosure.
The contact-microphone experiment compares reversible mounts and cable noise. Diapasonix demonstrates a touch fretboard, but its source is a prototype reference rather than a step-by-step assembly manual. Work through the schematic and firmware requirements before treating it as a kit. The original project descriptions retain those distinctions.
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JPL / California Institute of Technology and Open Source Rover contributors · Apache-2.0Resized without cropping and converted to WebP for the project card.
Choose a LEGO microscope, ESP32 oscilloscope, laboratory syringe pump, haptic dial, DIY e-reader, synthesizer, or JPL rover using complete credited source documentation.
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Brian Whitman, Shore Pine and contributors · MITResized without cropping and converted to WebP for the project card.
Brian Whitman's distributed synth, with the full README, speaker-shell assembly photographs, ESP32 flashing guide, Python tutorial, and original wiring and sound-programming examples.
Brian Whitman, Shore Pine and contributors
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Turi Scandurra · MITResized without cropping and converted to WebP for the project card.
Turi Scandurra's complete instrument README, with the original playing photograph, schematic, parts list, compilation instructions, controls, effects, and honest prototype limitations.
Turi Scandurra
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Nick Culbertson · MITResized without cropping and converted to WebP for the project card.
Nick Culbertson's full MiniTeensy README, original finished-instrument photograph, minimal and twenty-encoder wiring layouts, USB audio/MIDI setup, and testing sequence.
Nick Culbertson
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mattwach · Apache-2.0Resized without cropping and converted to WebP for the project card.
Compare a Wi-Fi weather station, an Arduino MIDI sequencer, a GPS e-paper clock, and CNC-milled PCBs, with complete writeups credited to their original creators.
The complete Aciduino V2 project README by midilab, with breadboard layouts, assembly photographs, supported boards, and the original firmware and manual links.
midilab
A piezo pickup experiment comparing temporary mounts before committing to an enclosure or gluing anything permanently.
Monique Evette's Koi-Tar combines a water-simulated resin body, lily-pad touch sensors, and a Raspberry Pi Pico in a playable runway instrument.
A passive receiver study focused on repeatable tuning adjustments and keeping antenna changes out of the comparison.