A compact desktop noise instrument with a raw, hand-built personality, the Chernobylizer Synth turns touch and control into unstable drones, glitches, and crackling pulse tones. Designed by Isn’tses in 2020, it sits in the sweet spot between experimental synth and playable sound sculpture.
It uses five knobs and nine touch-pads to shape a dense engine of six power-starvable oscillators plus three fixed “phantom” oscillators, with a resonant pseudo-filter and a power-starving section that push it from throbbing pulsewaves into harsh noise, bass rumble, 8-bit-style bleeps, geiger-counter clicks, and birdlike tweets. The circuit board artwork is printed on both sides, reinforcing its custom-built, DIY character.
The Chernobylizer has two outputs, including one unfiltered DC-coupled output that can also act as a gate or trigger signal, making it useful with compatible Eurorack and other CV-capable gear. It is powered by a standard BOSS-style 9V centre-negative supply and was released as a DIY kit or a fully built synth.
