Serenity Synth
Olive Yu
Advisor: Simone Salvo
warm fragments. together; let go.
where did the time go?
listen closely. do you hear its whisper?

Abstract
Serenity Synth is a deep exploration of sound and music making through experimentation with the way we relate to our musical instruments. My thesis consists of a handmade digital synthesizer and touch capacitive midi controller. Taking a sculptural approach to the instruments, both are uniquely designed to incite play, exploration, and shared experiences.
The synth itself is always evolving with a degree of randomness coded into it that gives the synth ability to make slight variation on its own accord. Therefore, when creating music, you are in relationship and communing with your instrument, rather than using it as a tool.
Inspired by natural patterns and ecology, I reintegrated the ephemerality of nature into the hardware. One can not make the same sound twice on serenity synth. My hope is to offer a meditative and contemplative space for the player of the synth both through the sound of the instrument and the tactile experience through its hardware.

Technical Details
Coded in c++ with a Teensy 4.1, audio shield, and MIDI library. The serenity synth has a combination of 4 different waveform combinations of 8 oscillators with the ability to control overall frequency/pitch, filter, resonance, detune spread, attack, decay, filter attack, filter decay, delay, filter attenuation, and BPM. It has a drone mode and a sequencer mode that generates a random 64 step sequence reminiscent of an acid style bass line pattern. You can adjust the length of the sequence and density (how many times a note repeats or accents). Every time you refresh the mode a new sequence generates.
Serenity synth also has a memory or gesture record function. When the button is pressed it will play back your adjustments/motions on the knobs and play them back to you while you can make more adjustments to the sound. To clear the memory press the button again.
The synth takes 3.8V power through a micro usb cable that also charges the battery that powers the LED filaments. I added ⅛” aux MIDI In, MIDI Out, and MIDI Thru ports so that you can sync MIDI clocks with other hardware and connect the Serenity Synth to your hardware set up.
The outer shell is made from airbrushed clear resin - opaque in the light and glowing bright in the dark. The form started with a polymer clay sculpture that I 3D scanned. With guidance from LaGuardia studio, I designed the base of the synth using Fusion360 and 3D printed it in PLA.
The shells and rocks are sentimental items I’ve collected from several beach trips with loved ones. The MIDI Controller is made up of two capacitive touch sensors and a Teensy 4.1. The connections and pads on the rock are made with copper tape, lead-free solder, and soft silicone wire.

Research/Context
Grounded in my roots in DJing, DIY raves, dance music culture, and love for electronic music, I approached my learning and furthered my research and practice in physical computing, coding and hardware.
Aesthetically and in sound design, I was inspired by the organized chaos of nature, specifically a fascination with bugs.
Philosophically, I am deeply informed by the principles of Wabi Sabi, where imperfection, variation, and unpredictability are important and valuable. I also am informed by the importance of space for rest and restoration in the context of resistance and liberation.

Further Reading
Many thanks to everyone who has helped and encouraged me during this journey. The full thank you and reading list can be found on my website link here along with performance videos and other helpful resources.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlhNoCL6_g4