MusicFlow & Microwavik
Hey Microwavik, I’m thinking of building a tiny, low‑budget synth that still packs a punch—any tips on keeping it super minimal while staying loud?
Sure thing. Start with a cheap op‑amp board and keep the filter section simple—just one 12‑pole ladder or a couple of cascaded 4‑pole ones if you can manage it. Use a 12‑bit DAC; it’s enough for a punchy envelope and you save on power. Keep the envelope generator to an ADSR with a short decay and a sustain that’s still high. For power, a single 9‑V battery and a low‑drop regulator will cut cable clutter. Use a 5‑pole resonant filter to get that gritty, loud sound without extra components. Finally, put a decent 12‑V transformer‑based preamp in front of the amp to get volume without messing with the synth’s internals. Simple, minimal, loud.