unique art synths by isn'tses
We make "psychogeographic" art synths inspired by the dark histories of specific locations. Our instruments translate historical trauma and atmospheric data into noisy sonic textures, bleeps and random chaos, sometimes even musical.
A review of our synths on Guitar Pedal X
MARS ROVERISER
Explore vast planetary textures through granular sounds via particle crackle generator and fragment synthesis. Mars Roveriser is an experimental granular crackle noise / echo percussion synth inspired by the mars rover robots Spirit and Opportunity. The sound evokes the dust and chaos of the red planet and the interplanetary transmission of data conjuring resonance through micro textures.
Mars Roveriser is an experimental granular crackle noise / echo percussion synth inspired by the mars rover robots Spirit and Opportunity. The sound evokes the dust and chaos of the red planet and the interplanetary transmission of data conjuring resonance through micro textures.
The heart of the synth is an Arduino Nano microcontroller, pre-programmed with custom Isn’tses code which generates PWM audio which is then analog filtered and amplified to line level. The synth is controlled by six knobs, two switches and a pushbutton.
The sound is created from particle generator crackle noise which can be triggered by an internal clock, manually with a pushbutton, and also from external triggers. There are two base noise modes; white noise and a lower-frequency bitcrushed noise. These granular sounds go through a glitchy lo-fi ‘reverb’ to create a range of metallic pings and strums, didgeridoo sounds and loud overflowing feedback. These controls allow for sonic range including continuous digital echo noise, radio crackle textures, intermittent micro-clicks, rhythmic percussion hits and pulsating drones.
Visit Our Store: isntses.etsy.com
Read our blog post about development of the synth and hidden messages:
MARS ROVERISER
Explore vast planetary textures through granular sounds via particle crackle generator and fragment synthesis. Mars Roveriser is an experimental granular crackle noise / echo percussion synth inspired by the mars rover robots Spirit and Opportunity. The sound evokes the dust and chaos of the red planet and the interplanetary transmission of data conjuring resonance through micro textures.
Mars Roveriser is an experimental granular crackle noise / echo percussion synth inspired by the mars rover robots Spirit and Opportunity. The sound evokes the dust and chaos of the red planet and the interplanetary transmission of data conjuring resonance through micro textures.
The heart of the synth is an Arduino Nano microcontroller, pre-programmed with custom Isn’tses code which generates PWM audio which is then analog filtered and amplified to line level. The synth is controlled by six knobs, two switches and a pushbutton.
The sound is created from particle generator crackle noise which can be triggered by an internal clock, manually with a pushbutton, and also from external triggers. There are two base noise modes; white noise and a lower-frequency bitcrushed noise. These granular sounds go through a glitchy lo-fi ‘reverb’ to create a range of metallic pings and strums, didgeridoo sounds and loud overflowing feedback. These controls allow for sonic range including continuous digital echo noise, radio crackle textures, intermittent micro-clicks, rhythmic percussion hits and pulsating drones.
Visit Our Store: isntses.etsy.com
Read our blog post about development of the synth and hidden messages:
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I/O:
There are two output; one audio output to your amp/mixer/recorder/effects, and one for DC trigger pulses so you can trigger or synchronise other synths, sequencers, drum machines, eurorack modules etc.
There is also one trigger input, to sequence the Mars Roveriser’s crackles using external gear. This input will accept either a short trigger pulse (e.g. from sequencer, drum machine) or a squarewave/gate signal (e.g. square or pulse wave synths, LFO or gate signals from eurorack). Please note that due to the limitations of the Arduino hardware and the circuit, the trigger input may not track perfectly at extremely high frequencies.
The inputs and outputs are all mono 3.5mm jacks, so it's best to use a mono cable such as a eurorack patch lead. (If you use a stereo aux cable it will work, but audio will only be heard in the left channel).
Controls:
Gain knob: Volume of the crackle particles.
Length knob: Duration of each crackle, from tiny clicks to longer noise bursts.
Speed knob: Internal clock speed, from separate triggers right up into continuous audio frequencies. If turned fully anticlockwise, no sounds will be triggered except by the manual trigger button and/or the trigger input jack.
Space knob: A dry/wet control for the reverb.
Pitch knob: Controls the pitch of the reverb.
Feedback knob: Bipolar control of the reverb feedback amount. Anticlockwise is negative feedback, clockwise is positive feedback. If the knob is centred there’s no feedback and if it’s at either extreme it goes into full self-oscillation feedback drones/noise. In between you can dial in more conventional metallic reverb or echo sounds.
Chaos/Order switch: Selects between randomised or regular internal trigger clock modes.
Hi Rez/Lo Rez switch: Selects between two different pitch/resolution ranges for the reverb sound.
Pushbutton - trigger or mode-change: Triggers a single crackle texture manually when tapped. If held down for about a second, it toggles the source sound between white noise and a warmer-sounding bitcrushed noise.
Power:
The synth requires a centre-negative 9v DC power supply, i.e. standard Boss-style guitar-pedal PSU. Check the voltage and polarity of your power supply is correct to avoid damage. See our blog for links to suitable power units.
You can also power it with a centre-negative 9v battery adaptor for portable use.
Please note that, even though the on-board Arduino has a USB socket, the synth can NOT be powered from USB!
If you connect the arduino to USB, the power LED will still light up, but the amplifer and filter circuits will NOT be powered! So the audio will be very quiet and sound wrong, and you will be very confused.
There are two output; one audio output to your amp/mixer/recorder/effects, and one for DC trigger pulses so you can trigger or synchronise other synths, sequencers, drum machines, eurorack modules etc.
There is also one trigger input, to sequence the Mars Roveriser’s crackles using external gear. This input will accept either a short trigger pulse (e.g. from sequencer, drum machine) or a squarewave/gate signal (e.g. square or pulse wave synths, LFO or gate signals from eurorack). Please note that due to the limitations of the Arduino hardware and the circuit, the trigger input may not track perfectly at extremely high frequencies.
The inputs and outputs are all mono 3.5mm jacks, so it's best to use a mono cable such as a eurorack patch lead. (If you use a stereo aux cable it will work, but audio will only be heard in the left channel).
Controls:
Gain knob: Volume of the crackle particles.
Length knob: Duration of each crackle, from tiny clicks to longer noise bursts.
Speed knob: Internal clock speed, from separate triggers right up into continuous audio frequencies. If turned fully anticlockwise, no sounds will be triggered except by the manual trigger button and/or the trigger input jack.
Space knob: A dry/wet control for the reverb.
Pitch knob: Controls the pitch of the reverb.
Feedback knob: Bipolar control of the reverb feedback amount. Anticlockwise is negative feedback, clockwise is positive feedback. If the knob is centred there’s no feedback and if it’s at either extreme it goes into full self-oscillation feedback drones/noise. In between you can dial in more conventional metallic reverb or echo sounds.
Chaos/Order switch: Selects between randomised or regular internal trigger clock modes.
Hi Rez/Lo Rez switch: Selects between two different pitch/resolution ranges for the reverb sound.
Pushbutton - trigger or mode-change: Triggers a single crackle texture manually when tapped. If held down for about a second, it toggles the source sound between white noise and a warmer-sounding bitcrushed noise.
Power:
The synth requires a centre-negative 9v DC power supply, i.e. standard Boss-style guitar-pedal PSU. Check the voltage and polarity of your power supply is correct to avoid damage. See our blog for links to suitable power units.
You can also power it with a centre-negative 9v battery adaptor for portable use.
Please note that, even though the on-board Arduino has a USB socket, the synth can NOT be powered from USB!
If you connect the arduino to USB, the power LED will still light up, but the amplifer and filter circuits will NOT be powered! So the audio will be very quiet and sound wrong, and you will be very confused.
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Mars Roveriser is also available as a kit. Includes all components including Arduino NANO (pre-programmed), which you can solder onto the board, BOM and instructions. The Mars Roveriser is a new space-noise synth from Isn'tses (Tim Drage & Lisa McKendrick). |
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Click here for info about workshops
We ship to United Kingdom, USA and worldwide. Visit our Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/Isntses
We ship to United Kingdom, USA and worldwide. Visit our Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/Isntses
We will be at Noise Maker Marktet, Birmingham this year doing a stall with our synths which you can try out.
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dark harvestator - new synth 2025
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Dark Harvestator is a new psychogeographic noise synth from Isn'tses (Tim Drage & Lisa McKendrick). Inspired by the disturbing history of the "Anthrax Island" Gruinard in Scotland and the mysterious group Dark Harvest who protested against the contamination of the island. It is a standalone PCB-art synth circuit which can create a wide range of textural noise, tones and chaotic bleeps.
Find it in our Etsy shop.
Find it in our Etsy shop.
eurorack blind panel designs 2025
Hand drawn original artwork by Lisa McKendrick brought to you by Isn'tses. These new designs for 2025 are available in our Etsy shop.
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Chernobyletta
Our Eurorack module Chernobyletta is based on the Chernobylizer but it is a little different. The Chernobyletta is the modular sister or twin of this synth but it does some things differently. Rather than being a standalone synth it is designed to fit into a modular system. With a variety of CV, ins and outs there are a great number of possibilities for making noise/music/drones/sounds/fx and it's a great basis for further manipulating, filtering and modulating with other modules. What we intended here was to make something that evolved from the Chernobylizer, they are still two very different beasts.
Find out more about Chernobylizer Eurorack module sister synth of the Chernobylizer on our blog
Chernobyletta is now available in our Etsy Shop
on Bandcamp
or as a kit from Thonk
Chernobyletta is now available in our Etsy Shop
on Bandcamp
or as a kit from Thonk
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Our synths won an award of merit at Maker Music Festival www.makermusicfestival.com/projectstandalone/psycho-geographical-experimental-synths-by-isntses/#section2 "Noise synthesizers tend to lean on a brutalist visual aesthetic, but these experimental synths have a visual elegance that gives them a highly artistic character. Musical instruments are hardly ever created only for the sound they make, but also for the eye that sees them. These instruments can make a nasty and mysterious sound but their looks tell a story and add to the mystery behind them." - Lauri Wuolio |
Chernobylizer
By isn'tses
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The Chernobylizer is a psychogeographic noise synth, designed by Isn'tses (Tim Drage and Lisa McKendrick) in 2020
It is available from our Etsy shop as a DIY soldering kit or a complete premade synth, with an optional laser-cut perspex base,
We also have bundle deals if you buy both our synths.
Isn'tses etsy store: isntses.etsy.com
Read more about the development of the Chernobylizer on our blog:
https://isntses.weebly.com/blog
It is available from our Etsy shop as a DIY soldering kit or a complete premade synth, with an optional laser-cut perspex base,
We also have bundle deals if you buy both our synths.
Isn'tses etsy store: isntses.etsy.com
Read more about the development of the Chernobylizer on our blog:
https://isntses.weebly.com/blog
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FORT PROCESSOR
BY ISN'TSES
The Fort Processor is a psychogeographic noise synth and sound-mangler, designed by Isn'tses (Tim Drage and Lisa McKendrick) in 2018
It is available from our Etsy shop as a DIY soldering kit or a complete premade synth, with an optional laser-cut perspex base,
We also have bundle deals if you buy both our synths.
Isn'tses etsy store: isntses.etsy.com
Read more on our Blog about the development of the Fort Processor.
https://isntses.weebly.com/blog
It is available from our Etsy shop as a DIY soldering kit or a complete premade synth, with an optional laser-cut perspex base,
We also have bundle deals if you buy both our synths.
Isn'tses etsy store: isntses.etsy.com
Read more on our Blog about the development of the Fort Processor.
https://isntses.weebly.com/blog
Eurorack Blind Panels
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Isn'tses Eurorack blank panels with black and gold artwork by Lisa McKendrick. Available in a range of HP sizes from 2HP to 14HP from isntses.etsy.com
Clothing
We have T-shirts, Hoodies and caps in a few different designs.
Etsy Shop
Etsy Shop
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Chernobylizer Sample Pack
We have a sample pack available with 144 samples for your sampler or music software.
We have a sample pack available with 144 samples for your sampler or music software.
