Kickstarter

Dear Friends, Synth Fans and True Believers,

We are in the final week of the Molecule Synth Kickstarter Campaign, and I am hoping things will keep busy on this page -- I've got a few things in store, so stay tuned and please pass the word along and share the link with more friends!   If things go well, we might end the Kickstarter with enough resources to start production for more of the Table of Elements... that would be ideal!! :-)

First, I want to add a special thanks to those who wrote with suggestions and ideas this past week (the Kickstarter experience has been incredible for this -- I have worked so closely to this project for so long it really is great to hear impressions from people who are just encountering it!).  I was inspired to make the Molecule Synth a little better, and to that end I developed a voltage controlled filter (VCF) that will be added to the Analog Sound Generator hex.  This filter is AWESOME -- it creates a wavy organic feel with the audio output, and I hope you'll agree that the filter adds some verrry nice sounds.  I will include a full bypass switch in case you prefer the hex's simpler, unfiltered waveforms -- as much as possible, I intend this device to allow you to design your own sound!   See the sounds and photos below.  The first sound sample begins with a S-L-O-W controlling (CV) sine wave that creates a swell in the volume, and then the pitch is changed as the control (CV) speeds up;  the second begins with a nice warbly (CV) sine wave, but that is switched to a pulsing (CV) square wave which is used to the end.   

Second, there is now a new Reward:  MOLECULE LAB BOOKS - for $10 you can choose one of five cover designs for a Molecule Science Mini-Notebook (3"X5", 32pp dot grid) mailed direct to you.  These are super cool, they fit in your back pocket, have a smart looking dot grid for accurate sketches and notes, they are made with high quality paper and on vegetable inks here in Portland, and, last but not least, they are silk-screened by me!  See below for the five covers available. 

I started the weekend working on a Molecule Synth Activity Book, but that will take some time...  I will do the designs myself (many are already done), and I ultimately want to have the book tie in to a set of videos on Moleculesynth.com that will include different people -- and especially kids -- playing with the instrument and discovering some of the fundamentals of modular synthesis, electronic music, and electronics.  ("What is Control Voltage?" "What is a Filter?" "What is an Amplifier?" "What is a Sine Wave?" and so on.)  If you are interested in this idea, please stay tuned -- I will have news about it for you soon!    

Cheers,

Travis