A patchable solar-powered synth with a speaker; birds, hot dogs, and more

What a strange and wonderful bird this is: the Forever Grouse from MONAD comes with its own loudspeaker, banana plugs for patching, and solar panels for power. But maybe you’d rather watch a film about a heron. Or music with some hot dogs. Or set fire to electronics under an interstate overpass. Come along.

A $5 modular drum circuit, a free online course, and how it grows into more

No need to brave the Arizona heat: Glitch’n is a course in electronics that even absolute beginners can enjoy, assembling oscillators, generative beats, filters, and noise on breadboard circuits. But it also helps young people to learn crucial skills that can lead to teaching others and getting jobs. And, for that matter, it could do the same for you. Let’s have a look.

Peter Kirn - August 21, 2026

Moon from Landscape, Mystic Circuits: a bonkers 4-channel drum machine

In case you missed Noon, the first collaboration was a brain-bending, organic, and exquisitely unpredictable analog drum machine. Its 4-channel sibling Moon has opened to preorders, and in this new compact descendant, it’s even more apparent that this is like a breathing, squawking lifeform of a device.

Peter Kirn - November 3, 2025

Roland’s Tadeo Kikumoto on 808, part by part: the ukiyo-e drum machine

Peter Kirn - August 8, 2025

Lisbon this week will be a haven for DIY sound, video synthesis, and AV

Peter Kirn - September 2, 2024

Don’t just crossfade, scan: Vostok and DivKid Trace for Eurorack

Peter Kirn - August 22, 2024

Erica Synths made a perfect Eurorack-ready breadboard DIY playground

Peter Kirn - June 14, 2024

Inside Vostok’s Atlas, the quad filter module inspired by 80s Roland

Peter Kirn - February 1, 2024

Georgian-made Ambient audio is bringing home-grown modular to the Caucasus

Peter Kirn - March 22, 2023