Monophonic Hybrid Analog/Digital Synthesizer

Who is SYNTHIA?

A synth, short for synthesizer, is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals and allows the user to shape and manipulate them to create various sounds and musical textures. Synthesizers can produce a wide range of sounds, from realistic imitations of traditional instruments to complex, futuristic sounds that are unique to electronic music.

SYNTHIA is a monophonic analog subtractive synthesizer controlled via MIDI.

Analog synthesizers create sound by manipulating voltage levels across each module. Its sound is generated by an oscillator producing several waveshapes (saw, square, triangle) for different sounds. The initial control voltage corresponding to the note/pitch of the oscillator is produced by the MIDI to CV converter — allowing you to play via keyboard or MIDI notes.

How synthesizers work

In analog subtractive synthesis, a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) generates a raw waveform that is routed through a Voltage-Controlled Filter (VCF) to shape the frequency response, a Voltage-Controlled Amplifier (VCA) to control the volume, and an Envelope Generator (EG) to shape the amplitude envelope over time. The VCO and VCF circuits produce an oscillating signal with a specific frequency and shape, while the VCA circuit adjusts the amplitude based on a control voltage. The EG applies a control voltage that varies over time, allowing the sound to be shaped in various ways. Adjusting the parameters of these modules allows for a wide range of sounds to be created using subtractive synthesis.

Below is an overview of our synthesizer

So while our analog synths use real circuits to create these sounds, we also wanted to modernize this experience by allowing a user to play and manipulate digital music too! We did this by creating a MIDI-to-CV converter.