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INTRODUCTION
The Macchiato Mini-Synth is an 8-bit digital synthesizer you can build yourself from scratch, or order
complete and ready-to-play. Fun and easy enough for children; versatile enough for use in performance
or in the studio.
HISTORY
Synthesizers have been around since the 1960’s when they started as an experiment in exploring
the musicality of electronic circuits. The first of these instruments were all analog synthesizers. While
they sound great, synthesizers built with analog components are large, heavy and expensive. In the
early days they were only available to the very wealthy or the very nerdy – nerds capable of hacking
together their own do-it-yourself electronics.
The late 1970’s and early 1980’s saw the development of several different digital music technologies.
As digital technologies developed they became more affordable with further reaching feature sets.
Prices for digital synths have steadily fallen, but analog synthesizers remain bulky, heavy and expensive
by comparison.
Today, the Macchiato Mini-Synth combines the best of low-cost microcontroller technology, the Arduino
development environment, and the Mozzi Synthesis Library (developed and curated by Tim Barass).
The Macchiato emulates many of the best features and sounds of the original beloved analog synths in
a tiny, low-cost, lightweight package.
What started out as a bulky and brainy musical experiment in electronics is now available to everyone
as a one-evening project with years of musical enjoyment to follow -- and you don’t even have to be
a nerd!
DESCRIPTION
The Macchiato Mini-Synth is a versatile 8-bit digital synthesizer capable of creating a vast array of
unique sounds. The Macchiato is great at creating rich and complex soundscapes, yet it is easy enough
to use that kids can start creating music instantly! Capable of 2-note polyphony, the Macchiato is great
for textured pads or beautiful flowing dyadic harmonies. It is perfect for bass synth lines, rhythmic and
glitchy pulses, or smooth lead synth parts. The Macchiato has a built-in one-octave capacitive touch
keyboard (with 4-octave shift), but also has a MIDI IN port for expanded controllability. The 1/8”
(3.5mm) line-out jack is suitable for headphones, powered speakers, or recording directly to your
computer’s line-in jack. There are 9 knobs on top of the instrument which give the user a wide spectrum
of control.
The Macchiato Mini-Synth is perfect for:
• electronic musicians and enthusiasts • lo-fi geeks • recording studio producers
• circuit bending fanatics • electronic DIY nerds • music educators • chip music / 8-bit artists
• computer music fans • bass synth lovers • kids...
…Basically anyone wanting to have fun making music! Offered as a DIY kit or fully assembled and
ready to play, it’s the perfect gift for any music fan!
