Luisa Pinzon
SynthoPhonics
SynthoPhonics is a versatile digital synthesizer developed as a bachelor graduation project exploring new sonic possibilities through sound synthesis. The instrument combines additive synthesis, FM synthesis, and a rhythm module, all programmed in Pure Data to provide extensive sound design capabilities for electronic music production. The project encompasses both software and hardware components, demonstrating how sound synthesis techniques can be implemented across different platforms to create complex timbres and expand the artist’s creative possibilities in contemporary electronic music.
The synthesizer was developed in Pure Data, an open-source visual programming language specialized in sound creation and processing. The software features three main modules: YeagerA1 (additive synthesis module with polyphonic and monophonic sections supporting up to 10 simultaneous notes), YeagerF1 (FM synthesis module using both carrier and modulator frequencies), and YeagerR1 (rhythm module with five percussion sound sections). A sequencer unifies all modules for music composition. The hardware implementation uses an Arduino Mega 2560 as the control interface, with analog inputs managing potentiometers and digital inputs controlling buttons and LED indicators. The workflow connects Pure Data to ProTools via IAC Driver for MIDI communication and SoundFlower for audio routing. Four musical pieces demonstrate the synthesizer’s versatility across genres—three pieces (Bell X1, Glennie, and Mach) created using primarily synthesizer sounds, and one (Dos punto cuarenta y cuatro) based on integral serialism techniques from 20th-century compositional practices. All tracks were mixed and mastered in ProTools.
Co-created with Ana María Reyes Archila. Project advisors: Juan Daniel Hernández Vega and Juan José Salazar. Hardware design and electronics implementation by Luisa Fernanda Pinzón and Ana María Reyes Archila. Video narrator: David Amezquita. Motion graphics and video editing by Sergio Andrés Ribero. Presented as a bachelor thesis project at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Facultad de Artes, Carrera de Estudios Musicales (Emphasis in Sound Engineering), 2016.