acrosynthetics, homebuilt serge synthesizer  (2024)

During May and December of 2024, I built a two panel serge analog syntesizer focused particularly on cybernetics and patch programability. I prioritized modules with multiple functions, deliberately prescinding from dedicated oscillators and mostly


many thanks to: hans w. koch, Willi Sauter, Holger Heckeroth.

first panel:

* Dual Universal Slope Generator
* Smooth/Stepped generator
* Random Source
* Pulse Divider
* Mixer
* %NCOM
* Peak & Through
* Variable Slope VCF
* Wave Multipliers
* Resonant Equalizer

second panel:

* Dual Universal Slope Generator
* Variable Q VCF
* Triple Waveshaper
* Phaser
* Dual Processor
* Analog Shift Register
* Gate
* Ring
* Dual Procesor

Acrosynthetics (2025)

Acros comes from the greek ἄκρος and it’s used as a prefix or an adjective meaning edge, extreme, beggining or end: outermost. It’s also used as pointed, highest or topmost. We can find it in the word acrobatics, which means walking on tip-toes and it’s used to encompass a group of disciplines that involve balance, agility and motor coordination. Athletes jumping in trapeze, balancing on long thin wires.
I like to see the patching technique I’ve developed on the Serge modular synthesizer as some sort of acrosynthetics because it relies on the great flexibility of the system architecture.
To illustrate this I made a map of a patch that was made on a single Serge Boat that has given me enough playability and variety of sounds for almost two weeks now and shows nicely how this “multicore” approach works by relying on the flexibility provided by the famous “patch programmability”.


The patch started as a single panel design, focusing on one main demonic synthesis¹ cell build around a feedback entanglement between the Wave Multiplier and the Resonant Equalizer modules, and grew bigger and bigger. Instead of making a full representation of the patch, that would be as chaotic as the cables in my synthesizer, I decided to break the patch in parts organized by cells and specific functions.

¹: _{More on this on the text of my diploma, info here}

Debut concert:

photo credits: Luise Jakobi