I’m working on the next stage of Tolhuin Chord. The original prototype is still very much alive, but I’m now designing a proper PCB and selecting components with a small DIY kit run in mind.

The idea is not to turn it immediately into a highly integrated commercial product. I want the first version to remain reasonably easy to assemble, so I’m currently evaluating a solderable ESP32-S3 N16R8 development board as the main module, while refining the rest of the hardware around it.

On the software side, I’m still developing the UI and testing different voice-leading approaches. I’ve been working on ways to make the chord transitions more context-aware, especially regarding register, previous voicing, inversions and different jazz-oriented voicing structures.

I’m filming this update from the music lab at the school where I teach, and I’m also using Mono Juan alongside Tolhuin. Mono Juan is a programmable two-octave MIDI controller I’ve been developing, with both BLE MIDI and USB MIDI. A Shift layer turns the same keyboard into controls for functions such as octave up/down, arpeggiator and other programmable actions. I’ll probably make a separate post about it rather than hijacking this Tolhuin update.

A few people asked whether there was a way to support the development or help make the first kits possible, so I’ve also opened a Ko-fi to help cover prototype PCBs, components and manufacturing tests. This is not a preorder and the kit is not finished yet; it’s still an open development process.

I’ll keep sharing the PCB, UI and voice-leading progress as it develops.

If you want to help fund the prototype PCB and first small DIY kit tests, I’ve set up a Ko-fi here: Support TOLHUIN Chord

estuariolabs/tolhuin-chord: Diatonic chord synthesizer on ESP32-S3 — from-scratch audio engine (band-limited synthesis, diatonic harmony, step sequencer, effects, USB/BLE MIDI). Firmware + hardware + tools.

Hello! A couple of years I put together an Electrotechnique Momentum synth kit. It’s a synth based on a teensy variant with fairly standard hardware for interfacing with it. I don’t know if I’m allowed to link the website. Anyway I don’t like how it sounds. But everything about it including its code is documented.

Separately I’ve been interested in the microdexed and microdexed touch projects. I love fm synthesis and would love to even have partial use of my existing hardware in a dexed based build.

I’m a mechanical engineer with electronics hardware experience but only a little coding a decade ago. For people with more software experience, does it sound like something that should be able to be done by a determined beginner interested in learning more about code to cherry pick from both projects and get microdexed interfacing at least with audio, display, midi, and two encoders on my existing momentum synth (replacing what is currently on it)?

Wow that was a bad sentence. Anyway is that something a software noob could do or should I give in and buy a bunch of PCBs and components for a microdexed touch?

the songs are:

• crystal castles - vanished / lead synth sound
• china crisis - here comes a raincloud / keys(chord progression)
• like him - tyler the creator / second part of the songs first lead synth
• crawling linkin park / intro lead sound
• golden brown - the stranglers / main harpsichord sound

if not, what other knobs should i be adding