Bivalvia Synthesis is the wooden music box you always wanted

By Ben Rogerson
published

Take a look at Love Hultén’s latest creation

Bivalvia Synthesis - YouTube
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Bivalvia Synthesis is the latest design from Swedish designer Love Hultén. Based on the Axoloti open source hardware synth that was created by Johannes Taelman, this toy-like handmade instrument has a wooden case and a clamshell design.

Flip the lid and you’ll find six dial/fader controllers and 15 Cheery MX keys. These enable you to play 12 MIDI notes in a chromatic scale, and there are also buttons for octave up/down and patch shifting. There’s a stereo output and also a 15W speaker.

You can create sounds and effects using the Axoloti Patcher software, and patches can be transferred via USB to a built-in SD card.

Find out more about Bivalvia on the Love Hultén website.

Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.