First look at Odytron Special Edition of the Atmegatron

Watch the first video demonstrating the new Odytron Special Edition Atmegatron here!

The Odytron software is a unique combination of analogue synth specification with 8-bit digital implementation. It is bundled with a programmer cable and 3 overlays (Atmegatron, Delayertron and Atmegadrum), so there are 4 synth engines available out of the box.

The Odytron Special Edition is strictly limited to 150 units and will retail at £225 (inc VAT).

Email the waiting list to reserve one today!

Update: Here's a playlist that will contain all the vids.

miniAtmegatron back on sale!

The perfect stocking filler for only £29 / $39 / €39 The miniAtmegatron is back in stock at the Soulsby Synths Webshop.  Again this is a limited run and exclusive to the webshop.  This 90 second video goes over what the miniAtmegatron is and what it can do. The miniAtmegatron is a synthesizer DIY kit for the Arduino Uno.  It can be bought with or without an Arduino Uno clone, preloaded with MIDI-hack and miniAtmegatron software. Some previous soldering experience is recommended and the build time is between 30 minutes to an hour.  There is also a tutorial video. Once the PCB is assembled and connected to the Uno, it becomes a powerful 8-bit synthesizer featuring: 16 waveforms, 15 patterns, 15 filters, 2 envelopes with 16 preset shapes, 1 lfo with 16 speeds and 16 shapes and portamento and wavecrusher effects.  You can't find value for money like this anywhere else!    ...and if you've already got one there will be an enclosure for sale later this month, created by our friends at Bastl.  It is a plastic panel kit with all the screws necessary to hold it all together.  The prototype is shown below - the final product will look slightly different. And don't forget it's big brother is still available at the Webshop.  The Complete Atmegatron is packed with extra features and most importantly it can be transformed into completely different synths, such as drum machines and delay effects machines.  This 90 second video covers everything.

Brooklyn Synth Expo 2015

If you're based in New York, I highly recommend visiting the Brooklyn Synth Expo this weekend.  There's Atmegatrons and miniAtmegatrons to try, as well as a whole host of other great synths.

Main Drag Music
330 Wythe Ave
Brooklyn 11211

Nov 7th & 8th 2015

OSX version of the Librarian software

I just thought I should provide a little update with the status of this.  The Librarian software is written in Java, which is generally great as a cross-platform environment.  However the Atmegatron uses SysEx to transfer messages to and from the Librarian and Java on OSX doesn't support SysEx (no idea why!).  Luckily this developer kindly provided a workaround for this and up until now the Librarian worked just fine under OSX.
However with the latest OSX/Java versions that workaround actually prevents the software from opening.  This is because it hangs when it tries to access the MIDI devices.  Full details of the bug can be found here.
So sadly for the moment my hands are tied.  Ultimately I think the solution is to port the Librarian to another cross-platform environment, possible something like JUCE and I'll post updates with the progress.
Please feel free to post questions about this issue on the forum and I'll do my best to help.

Some bits of news...

Sell out!

The miniAtmegatron has now sold out. I'm pleased to say that it will definitely be back though. It will take a couple of months to get a full production run setup, so please bare with me! I'll provide regular updates on this site.

Want to change channel?

If you were wondering how to change channel on your Atmegatron, here's a quick video showing how. I forgot to put it in the manual. Oops.

The pipeline

After an amazing synth convention at Incubate in Tilburg, I'm back to work! 

The Odytron will be the next software to be released and that should happen by the end of October.  There will also be an official overlay printed, available separately or with the Delayertron and Atmegadrum.

I will also be creating the miniAtmegatron official enclosure with help from Bastl. Will hopefully have some pics of the final prototype soon.

miniAtmegatron workshop @ Incubate

There will be a miniAtmegatron Workshop on Sat 19th Sept at 18:30, as part of the DIY synth convention at Incubate Festival.
Email me to reserve one, there's not many left!
Cost is €39....however a MIDI-hacked Arduino Uno will be thrown in FREE! This offer is only available at Incubate.

Also....There are also B-stock Atmegatrons available to buy at discount prices

DIY Synth Convention @ Incubate, Tilburg, NL

Soulsby Synthesizers will be at the DIY Synth Convention at Incubate Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands.
DIY Synth Convention
Pieter Vreedeplein 169, Tilburg
Thursday September 17th - Sunday September 20th 2015
Opening hours: 14:00 - 21:00h
Entrance Free
More details here: http://incubate.org/2015/215/diy-synth-convention
There will be Atmegatrons to play and buy, including some discounted B-stock. There will also be a limited number of miniAtmegatrons to buy and build at the workshops.
There's also many other top indy manufacturers there as well as talks and performances. Hope to see you there!

FTDI programmer cable

I've just realised that there are very few FTDI programmer cables available on eBay and Amazon at the moment and the few that are on there are really over priced.

I'm am looking into stocking these cables myself, but this may take a couple of weeks to arrange. The the meantime, I recommend using the following electronics suppliers:

Farnell
RS
Mouser

2 miniAtmegatron tutorials now up

There's now 2 miniAtmegatron tutorials on the Tutorials page. The first shows you how to assembly it and the second shows you how to MIDI-hack your Arduino Uno. If you bought a MIDI-hacked Arduino Uno with your miniAtmegatron, there is no need to watch the second one. The MIDI-hack vid is for Windows users only. A Mac one will be uploaded next week (it's a different process for Mac).

Relaunch update 2!

Good news! I have managed to ship all orders placed between Monday (24th) and Thursday (27th). I also have a fresh batch of Arduinos for the minis. Took a few late nights, but I'm pleased to say that normal service has resumed!

Relaunch Update

Just a quick note to say that the relaunch is going really well. I've been inundated with orders, which is great! The downside is that although I've started shipping, the most recent orders (from Weds/Thurs) may not ship until next week. Apologies for this.

This also means that I've fallen behind with making the video tutorials. Luckily Bent-tronics have already done an amazing assembly tutorial! I hope to do the tutorial for MIDI-hacking your Arduino Uno tomorrow (Friday), all being well.

Re/Launch Day at Soulsby Synthesizers!

Atmegatron

The Atmegatron relaunches today at the new price of £199 / €299 / $299. It is available from the webshop and distributors will have stock imminently.
There's also a new 90 second promo which covers all of the essentials.

News on the much-anticipated Odytron software soon!

miniAtmegatron

The miniAtmegatron launches today. It is a synthesizer shield kit for the Arduino Uno. The sound engine is based on the Atmegatron. They retail for £29 / €39 / $39. The kit contains the PCB, all components and instructions. It doesn't contain an Arduino Uno. By MIDI-hacking your Arduino Uno, the miniAtmegatron can be controlled via MIDI over USB. There will be a tutorial on how to do it this week.
This 90 second promo covers the essentials about the miniAtmegatron.

There is also a comparison table on the Products page.

Atmegatron (and MiniAtmegatron) Source Code v2.0 Beta

The new version of the Atmegatron source code is available here.

It's a complete rewrite, but fixes all sorts of nags and niggles including:

• Function knob is always responsive (doesn't slow down with complex patches)
• LFO and Arpeggiator completely tightly locked together
• User waves increased from 6 to 16 (used in conjunction with Librarian software)
• External MIDI clock + Arpeggiator no longer freezes at high divisions
• Slightly improved Phaser algorithm
• Setting for more natural sounding exponential envelopes (default on)
• Setting for internal BPM (default 120)
• Setting for note priority (default High)
• Setting for legato mode (default on)
• Easter Egg!

This a beta version. Once finalised it will ship with all the new Atmegatrons which will be available later this month.

The handful of people who have pre-release MiniAtmegatrons can also find new MiniAtmegatron source code with new features and tweaks

Noise Kitchen Synth Fest, 12-16th June, Brno

Soulsby Synths will be very involved at Noise Kitchen Synth Fest, held by Bastl Instruments. Come to Brno and say hi! Here's what we're doing:

• 12th June - Synth Meet​- 11:00-21:30 - meet the makers, try out and buy crazy instruments.(Kabinet Múz, Sukova 4, Brno)
• 13th June - Synth Workshops​- build synths ! 14:30 - ??:?? (Skleněná louka, Kounicova 23, Brno). If you would like to build a miniAtmegatron, sign up here: http://noise.kitchen/synthfest/synth-workshops/
• 14th June - Synth Workshops​-11:00 - (Skleněná louka, Kounicova 23, Brno)
• 13th June -Noise.Kitchen Party​- 20:00 - Soulsby(UK), Aeiou(CZ), Arsen(CZ), Tomash GHz(CY), BURNKIT2600(US), Nuuttipukki(SK), Hanz Tisch(ŽB), laserová instalace od BR Laser (AT) (Skleněná louka, Kounicova 23, Brno)

But there's also all these other fun things happening too!

• 12th June - Synth Party​- 21:30 - epic music ! dance inevitable ! KODEK(Lv), HRTL(Cz), PROJEKT DATALINE(Se), PETER KIRN DJ SET(Us/De), MASTER CLOCK sharing (Kabinet Múz, Sukova 4, Brno)
• 13th June - Synth Talk​- 12:00 - talk about the future of music with Peter Kirn of CDM (Kabinet Múz, Sukova 4, Brno)
• 13th June - Noise.kitchen grand opening​- 16:30 (Skleněná louka, Kounicova 23, Brno)
• 14th-16th June - Bastl synth workshops​-11:00 - (Skleněná louka, Kounicova 23, Brno)

Full details are here: ​ww.noise.kitchen/synthfest​

2 little software updates

Delayertron 1.2

• Fixed tuning issues
• Reduced aliasing, especially when sound is dry
• Couple of bug fixes

Polytron 0.2

• Now updated to Arduino 1.6.x 

All available from the downloads page. I promise to have the full Atpolytron version ready by end of June!

Currently the only place on the planet with stock....

I've had several people ask about buying Atmegatrons over the last week or so. Sadly I'm out of stock and so are nearly all the distibutors :(

The only place left with stock is Analogue Haven in the US. You can find their online store here.

The good news is that there will be more stock coming this summer (as well as new software including the much anticipated Odytron software!). Sadly I can't give any details about the new stock yet. I'll post another update as soon as I have more information.

Musikmesse 2015

It's all over for this year. It was a lot of fun and I met a lot of great people and played on a lot of cool synths. I hope to be back next year. You can see a really great interview by the amazing Cuckoo here and I also met up with the guys from MusicStore.

Musikmesse 2015

Come and see us at Musikmesse in Frankfurt! We're in Hall 5.1, stand C54. We've got 3 Atmegatrons on display for you to try, each loaded with different software versions.

We are part of the Schneiders Buero Superbooth, so there's loads of other fantastic independent synth manufacturers here too.

If you've been to visit me and are interested in finding out more about The Atmegatron, please join the mailing list. We'll soon have info about the release date of the new batch of Atmegatrons, prices and a major new software version.

Atmegatron master source code 1.4

Harder Better Faster Stronger

It's time for Lemongrab to go away now and for me to try and claw back my company's dignity. But as Lemongrab departs, some new software arrives!

Version 1.4 of the Atmegatron Master Source Code now runs on the latest Arduino software: 1.6.x. In fact all of the source code has now been updated to run on this. Please note that this isn't compatible with the older 1.0.x software.

The new version also totally revamps the code for reading knobs and buttons. The code is far more efficient which means it is more responsive and also the envelopes are snappier and the LFOs smoother. Apart from that, the sound of the synth is essentially the same.

You can download Arduino 1.6.x from here and the new source code from here.

For one day only WE'VE HAVE IT ALL!!

Happy Lemongrab-day

Restore your vital lemon essence with this new software version for your Atmegatron.

Hear a demonstration of the glorious Lemon-sounds in The Floor Show.

You can download the Lemongrab software on the downloads page. But be quick as it won't stay there for long!

2015 Musikmesse

In other news, Soulsby Synthesizers will be exhibting at Muskimesse this year.

We will be part of the Schneiders-Buero Superbooth which is in HALL 5.1 on stands C53 and C54. It looks set to be an action packed event!

Couple of updates

Arduino Day 2015

It's that time of year again!. This year I'll be exhibiting locally at the following event:
North London Arduino Day
Saturday 28th March
The Salisbury, 1 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, London N4 1JX
If you're local and interested in Arduino, synths or both, then pop in and say hi!

Live Atmegatron gig video

I played a secret gig with DREAMTRAK in Shoreditch last week. You can check it out here. We used 2 Atmegatrons, one loaded with Delayertron software and one with Atmegatron software. They were controlled via Ableton. Nearly all the other sounds from the Ableton session were made by Atmegatrons too. Fingers crossed I get to do something like this again soon!

Hello 2015!

The Atmegatron Complete is sold out again! There are a few distributors still with stock though. The list can be found at the bottom of the Buy page. If your local distributor has run out of stock, just drop me an email at the waiting list. There's plenty of news about the Atmegatron and new products coming soon. Watch this space!