…and welcome to Build A Synth, a website about the design and construction of analog synthesizers.  I’m just getting started, and things are a little sparse right now. I will, however, be adding information about every aspect of building a synthesizer, from choosing tools, to basic electronic components and how they are used, to complete schematics,...

If you are just getting started with building an analog synthesizer, there are a few basic tools/supplies you should get.  These are in addition to tools found in a standard tool box (screwdrivers, long nose pliers, hammer, etc…).  You do not need anything particularly fancy to start, just get something basic.  After you have actually built a few things,...

Before getting into building analog synthesizer modules, let’s look at some basic electronic components, and some of the basic circuits that use these components. These articles will be short introductions to the components.  They will not be a thorough introduction to electronics. Hopefully it will be just enough to get started.  If you would like...

Using resistors (which we discussed last time) we can build a very basic audio mixer. The schematic looks like this: Basic Audio Mixer Schematic All resistors should be the same value. You can generally use any value from 1k to 5k. Theoretically this mixer can be extended to as many channels as you would like by adding additional inputs and resistors....

This time we will build a two channel mixer based on the design presented in the last article. Components 2 – 100k 5% resistors 3 – 2-conductor 1/4 jacks (you could also use RCA) printed circuit board Hook up wire Bus wire (any small gauge bare wire will work) Mixer Components To keep this simple, I am using a printed circuit board from Radio Shack...

The op-amp is one of the most useful, common and versatile linear integrated circuits you will use in building an analog synthesizer. So, What Is An Op-Amp? This might seem a little technical so just bear with me; it will make sense…eventually. An op-amp is essentially an difference amplifier with two inputs, inverting (+) and non-inverting (-), and...