I built a synth for my daughter
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HN · launched Nov 12, 2025 · 1278 upvotes (top 1%) · 1 view
Niche: open-source hardware and maker electronics · 180 launches, 3 in the last 7 days ▼ -73% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Media & entertainment
- Hardware & robotics
- B2C
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 180 launches in open-source hardware and maker electronics →
Could you build this?
No This is a physical hardware project involving electronic schematic design, microcontroller programming, custom PCB fabrication, and 3D CAD modeling.
What it would actually take: Building a custom hardware synth requires CAD design for 3D printed enclosures, custom PCB schematic and layout design in KiCad, component sourcing, surface-mount soldering, and embedded C/C++ firmware to read analog potentiometers and drive a SAM2695 synthesis chip and I2C/SPI OLED display.
Discussion
20 comments analyzed.
Competitors mentioned: Teenage Engineering PO series (PO12, PO14, PO16, PO24, PO28, PO32, PO33, PO35), Garageband
Concerns raised: Interface is confusing and difficult to use despite good visual design, Fixed clicks don't work with variable scale intervals (major, minor, chromatic, pentatonic), Unclear if plastic materials are safe for children, Soft tooling lacks flexibility for design changes and breaks frequently
Feature requests: Open-source/DIY build option with 3D printer files and component list, Community Discord for builders and parents working on electronics projects
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 165 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #1 of 166 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 9 days after the earliest competitor.
- A Playable Architectural Facade Synth · hn · 2026-10-13 · 7 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- V-Synth-Studio · github · 2026-10-05 · 19 upvotes · similarity 0.51
- High-quality duck audio synthesizer · hn · 2026-10-17 · 178 upvotes · similarity 0.49
- I made a memory game to teach you to play piano by ear · hn · 2026-01-09 · 565 upvotes · similarity 0.47
- duck-pond · github · 2026-10-17 · 21 upvotes · similarity 0.47
- xc-soundfont-synth · github · 2026-10-24 · 260 upvotes · similarity 0.44
- ca-72 · github · 2026-10-03 · 41 upvotes · similarity 0.44
- Tapechild UDS-16 · ph · 2026-09-15 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.43
The niche, labels, vibe code rating and competitor comparison on this page are analysis by Nicheloom. If you use them, please credit nicheloom.com. How you may use our data.