From Tucumán, Argentina, Los Aparatos are constructing handmade synths and electronics education and DIY projects. And now you can ship their experimental synthesizer, Auduina MK2, internationally. Plus, those pink controls and creative projects are just irresistible. Let’s take a look.
There’s just something about resistive circuits and sensing, all the way back to the original Theremin. Makey Makey and the Drawdio in the US, and Playtronica’s TOUCHME in Europe, have each popularized sensor-to-sound arrangements, as has the Arduino. (Long before that, John Simonton made circuits for PAiA Electronics, including a business card version I shared here; I need to update that project. RIP Scott Lee, who passed away earlier this year.)
Artist and inventor Mateo Carabajal has integrated analog I/O into all of his creations, adding whimsical and imaginative housings, and allowing you to freely plug his take on the Drawdio pen (or other fun analog inputs).
It’s vital that these are made in Argentina, as it makes these concepts accessible to a market where importing can be punishing — and includes Spanish-language documentation. But they do also ship worldwide if you like what you see, fellow world citizens.
Auduina MK2 is an adorable little desktop synth packed with sensors — an optical sensor, touch (with cable), and CV input. You can use these to drive “experimental” granular synthesis. (See also Bastl’s open-source Arduino library, though that’s a sample granulator.)
This is really lo-fi granular synthesis, as in a stream of grains that almost sounds like virtual analog synthesis once it’s going:
And like the PAiA circuit, the idea here is you can draw patterns and use them with the touch sensor! (We had fun with kids in NYC drawing with this kind of arrangement, which prompted another educator to pick up the same idea.)
I also love this CoyuyoC drone synth, with elegant twisting wings and a 555 timer chip driving its heart, plus still more patchable connections and a light sensor. Turning the wings turns the oscillators.
And drawing is as fun as ever.
Plus check the extensive collection of Spanish-language tutorials — ideal for teaching native speakers, or brushing up on the language for everybody else. Atari Punk Console forever! (Other fun stuff in there, as well.)
https://losaparatos.com.ar/academia
Full shop, including the finished projects:
https://losaparatos.com.ar/store
And here’s a clever idea I don’t think I’ve seen before. There’s a free Web-based secuenciador de luz — so, like literally you edit steps and the Web app flashes the screen, for use with optical-sensing devices!
https://losaparatos.com.ar/secuenciador-de-luz