Older news

March 31st, 2023

The Bergfotron Modular has now left the building and moved to a new home.

The Bergfotron Modular received a couple of new modules before moving to a new home.

February 14, 2020

The MiniStorm is now fully functional. You can read a detailed technical overview and on the MiniStorm page.

January 15, 2020

I suppose you're wondering what happened with the MiniStorm project and why there has been no updates on the site for a long time. The answer is that the project has progressed slowly because I have given priority to making music. After all, making music is what this is all about. If you want to hear some of my music, you're welcome to visit my page at Soundcloud.

August 9, 2019

This week I received the NuEVI plus I had ordered from Berglund Instruments in Skellefteå (Sweden). It's the latest incarnation of the electronic valve instrument (EVI), invented by Nyle Steiner in the 70's. They hand-build them to order and this new version has analog CV outputs for pitch and breath pressure. This is going to be used by the MiniStorm and enable completely analog playing.

July 25, 2019

The layout for the MiniStorm main board done. Board etched today.

Drilling of the MiniStorm main board.

July 9, 2019

You might have been wondering about the long period without any updates on this site. The main reason is that the work on the Transister project took more time than expected. When it turned out that one of the envelope shapers didn't perform acceptably, I decided to take a break from the project and start on a new music project I've been wanting to do instead. After all, music is what we make the synths for. There is no sense in spending all the time building synths, so that you have no time left for making music. So there we are.
But a while ago, I got some very promising ideas for a small, specialized synthesizer. This has resulted in a new project called the Bergfotron MiniStorm. The current plan is to finish the MiniStorm before the Transister. In the meantime, you can listen to some of my new tracks. I have uploaded a few to Soundcloud and more are coming.

November 8, 2018.

Forty years of synth DIY

This year it has been forty years since I began my synth DIY hobby. To celebrate this, I have written an article with all the important steps and pitfalls of these forty years. You'll find it under the history section. This marks the official inauguration of the new site.

July 14, 2018.

For several years, I have been thinking of making a smaller, more portble synth than the Bergfotron modular. Several designs have been made, only to be replaced by another. The main issue was deciding on the right balance between functions and size.
By combining several ideas I was finally able to design a fairly powerful synth with an acceptable size. And last but not least, I decided on a name for it: The Transister.
The synth is still under construction but the specification is finalized. Here, in the first installment, you can read about the design philosophy and details regarding design choices I made. I plan to add new installments in due course, detailing all aspects of the synth, including schematics, board layouts etc.

January 19th, 2018.

The new Dual VCO and Minimoog clone VCF + VCA give you a good sounding synth voice in very little space

Here they are, the first new modules since the site moved here. Actually, they are the first new modules in over four years.
The two new modules are the Dual VCO and a new, more compact version of the Minimoog clone VCF + VCA. Together these small boards can form the basis for a classic monosynth or used together with other modules in a larger system. Despite the small board size, these modules use no custom ICs or surface mount technology.

January 11th, 2018.

The Bergfotron synth DIY site has moved here! Still relevant material from the old site has been transferred.
The old site is still available here, but will not be updated with new material.