I’ll be premiering this and other synthesizer sculpture devices at:

Earthquaker Day, on August 3rd, 2024

EarthQuaker Devices HQ 350 W Bowery St, Akron, OH 44307

Where to park: 

  • Free street parking on W Bowery St, Akron, OH 44307

  • AMHA Parking Lot - 100 W Cedar St, Akron, OH 44307

  • L1 Canal Place, 500 S Main St, Akron, OH 44307

More info @ https://www.earthquakerday.com/

In the spring of 2024, I was fortunate enough to take a big European family cruise vacation. Before the trip, I scoured the internet for a compact synthesizer to take with me. I landed on the Elektron Syntakt and fell in love. The Syntakt is an amazing synthesizer/drum computer and I think it’s what I’ve been looking for in terms of sound and functionality. When I got home from vacation I HAD to make a stand for her. Oddly enough, during my trip, the Elektron Digitakt ll was released which got me drooling over another device with insane sampling capabilities, and my stand suddenly turned into a two-tier monstrosity.

The stand was all created in Zbrush and 3D printed on two printers using a variety do different nylon like resins for toughness and durability.

I had to do something with all that negative space to hold the synths when the Elekton devices were not in the stand. To do this I made some very intricate recessed details from images of other sculptures I created in traditional clay and Zbrush.

The back of the stand is intended to face an audience and I wanted to put something bazaar with a skull in it. I experimented with a few looks but untimely landed on a sculpture I did in 2018 called “Spiritus Vigillum”. I love that H.R. Giger piece and have three around my home lingering on walls. For a while I was obsessed with making that sculpture into a portable synthesizer, but failed to do so because it was just too small and thin. Not to mention electrical engineering is not my forte. With a little adjustment, she adapted well to the two-tier two format holding the famous Elektron boxes.

Of course, I had to build in some lights to animate and react to the music it plays! It also has a compartment to hold a 6500 watt battery to run the lights and one of the Elektron boxes.

This was a very fun challenge to create in Zbrush. I even allowed enough space to put the Elektron clear plastic covers to fit nicely on top. These images are of the first prototype and I got lucky this time, there are only a couple of slight adjustments I might make in the future if I make more. She is ready for performance!

I made the music for this promo video on the Syntakt in the middle of the ocean. It was a blast getting to know that synth.