Korg littleBits

Korg & electronic gadget kit company LittleBits have announced a modular synth kit that’s designed to let you do music DIY using prebuilt modules.

Here’s what they have to say about it (Googlish):

A set of twleve modules, Synth Kit allows you to assemble an analog modular synthesizer by connecting a small magnet to each module. In addition, It was developed based on a circuit that was used in the famous analog synthesizers Korg part of the module.

The type of module of Synth Kit, there are (× 2), filter, envelope, delay, keyboard, micro-sequencer, mix, split, random, synth speaker power (power supply module), oscillator.

You will be able to build up a modular synthesizer that can be modified any number of times. Moreover, there is a scalable littleBits system, building a synthesizer more powerful by combining Synth Kit can include multiple. Also, the system making it by incorporating littleBits other modules, using the mechanical light or is freedom. Of course, cumbersome wiring and soldering, programming is not required at all.
Project booklet that describes the procedure of circuit assembly.


The kit offers a variety of synth modules:

Power
Oscillator × 2.
Random
Keyboard
Micro Sequencer
Envelope
Filter (MS-20 style)
Delay
Mix
Split
Synth Speaker

It’s expected to be released in mid-December 2013, with a Korg online shop price ¥ 16,000. No official announcement has been made regarding pricing and availability worldwide.

littleBits makes an opensource library of electronic modules that snap together with tiny magnets for prototyping, learning, and fun.

littleBits (spelled lower case L, upper case B, all one word) consists of tiny circuit-boards with specific functions engineered to snap together with magnets. No soldering, no wiring, no programming, just snap together for prototyping, learning and fun. Each bit has a specific function (light, sound, sensors, buttons, thresholds, pulse, motors, etc), and modules snap to make larger circuits. Just as LEGO™ allows you to create complex structures with very little engineering knowledge, littleBits are small, simple, intuitive, blocks that make creating with sophisticated electronics a matter of snapping small magnets together.

psr wrote:Cool stuff but damn... Korg will make synths smaller and smaller until you need a microscope and a stethoscope to rock em

Ill-Green wrote:This is cool, but they should have made them with some soldering involved.

SimonInAustralia wrote:

psr wrote:Cool stuff but damn... Korg will make synths smaller and smaller until you need a microscope and a stethoscope to rock em

I'm hoping their current interest in analogue extends to a new full size mono-synth, a poly, in both keyboard and rack versions, and a drum machine.

electric dragon wrote:I disagree; I view littlebits as the equivalent of a scripting language for programmers. It's not quite the level of detail or control as Assembly, but much easier for someone new to pick up and make something interesting with. And there's always the chance that when the barrier to entry is lowered, it'll inspire people to learn more.

An even better analogy is Reaktor itself. There's never a need to do more than grab an oscillator and hook it up to a filter and some inputs and outputs and start building something. Drilling down into the code level inside a module is like actually designing the circuit itself. Having to design a module from scratch, at the code level, every time you wanted to mess around with an idea, would be tedious. Sometime a little abstraction goes a long way.