What Is the “DIY” – Do It Yourself Culture?
- Vaemi
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
“Do It Yourself,” or DIY for short, is not only a method of production but also an attitude. This concept has spread worldwide as an approach born from punk, fanzine culture, and independent artists. In the music world, it appears especially with the term SDIY (Synth DIY), meaning “Build Your Own Synthesizer.” This culture is particularly strong in the field of modular and analog synthesizers.
As VAEMI, besides being Turkey’s first analog synthesizer designers and manufacturers, we have been working for a long time to help this culture take root in Turkey. Since 2020, and especially since 2023, we have been continuously organizing workshops in schools and in our own laboratory on various subjects such as DIY synthesizer building-design or synthesizer programming. Over the years, we have grown both as a community and in production, and we continue to grow.
Doing DIY in electronic music actually happens on several levels. For some, it starts simply by soldering a kit — you receive a PCB, a front panel, a few components, and you discover the magic of soldering. This is the simplest yet the most instructive stage. One step further, you start building your own circuit on a breadboard: you make your own oscillator, filter, or noise circuit using op-amps and ICs. Then you transfer this circuit onto a copper board, onto your own etched PCB. In the next stage, you once again start building your circuit on a breadboard: with op-amps and ICs, you create your own oscillator, filter, and noise circuit, then transfer it onto a copper board, onto your own etched PCB. And one day comes when you build your own instrument completely from scratch — from its panel to the PCB layout, from the case to the power design, everything belongs to you. At this point, you are no longer just a user; you have become a designer, builder, and sound designer at the same time. Of course, discovering a new synthesis technique is not that easy :)
Why Are People So Interested in the DIY (Do It Yourself) Culture?
The first reason is the feeling of freedom and control. You don’t want to be limited by a device designed by a brand. Whatever the menu gives you, that’s it; but in your own circuit, you can set the envelope time as you wish, push the LFO up to audio rate, and drive the filter into areas that are considered “wrong.” You define the boundaries of sound.
A second reason is the search for a personal sound. The feeling of “I can get this sound only from my own equipment”… Hundreds of thousands of people use a mass-produced instrument. Even though each completely handmade analog device sounds slightly different from the others, when you create your own circuit combinations—with all their unique behaviors, even their imperfections—along with your own mods and your own panel flow, you end up with a truly personal instrument. This can be seen as the electronic version of a musician’s effort to “find their own sound.”
The third, and actually one of the most important reasons, is the desire to learn, to be curious, to acquire a craft, and to deepen one’s understanding of the subject. This field is generally a very “nerdy” area where people who are already highly specialized in two major disciplines — music/musicianship and sound engineering — begin to learn a third discipline: electrical and electronic engineering. It is the world of those who say, “I don’t just want to consume; I want to understand how it works.”
You also need to develop yourself in areas such as soldering, reading electronic schematics, using an oscilloscope, and studying datasheets. It should not be seen merely as making a device; at the very least, you form a much clearer and more accurate understanding in your mind of how signal flow or electricity is processed to reach a result. Naturally, all these things you learn later come back to you in a positive way — in your mixing, your sound design, or even in the way you use music software.
The fourth reason is economy and accessibility. The modular synthesizer world is very niche and expensive. Some manufacturers have waiting times of over a year after an order is placed; some designs are produced in only 5–10 units. This is where DIY comes into play: you can find synth kits in the 20–50 dollar range, and even build special projects that would otherwise cost over 5000 dollars. Raspberry Pi and Arduino-based projects, along with open-source designs, have made this field even more accessible. Today, many people around the world are able to bring their own synthesizers to life, even with a limited budget.
And finally, there is a philosophical dimension to it. For punk, noise, hardcore, and experimental communities, DIY has always been a statement. In the 1990s, many artists continued this tradition by creating their own labels, their own pedals, and their own synths. This creative spirit still lives vibrantly within the SDIY communities.
From the 1960s to Today: From the Laboratory to a Global “Synth Builders Community”
In the 1960s, the idea of the modular synthesizer was just being born. From Harald Bode’s experimental circuits to the large systems of Robert Moog and Don Buchla, synthesizers during this period could only be found in a few academic studios. They were very expensive, massive systems. At that time, there was no such thing as a “DIY” culture; only a few engineers were building their own modules in laboratories.
In the 1970s, however, the idea of “modular for the people” emerged. Serge Tcherepnin began producing affordable modular systems at CalArts that students could also purchase. The first units were built on the school’s balcony; later, these systems evolved into the “panel + PCB + kit” format. Around the same time, companies like PAiA began selling affordable synth kits by mail. This was the first major wave of the SDIY culture we know today.
Published in 1972, Electronotes magazine contained synth circuits, theories, and schematics. With contributions from figures like Moog and Buchla, this publication symbolized the era when “circuit knowledge reached the hands of the people.”
In the 1980s and 1990s, digital synthesizers took over the market. FM synthesizers, workstations, and polyphonic keyboards came to the forefront, and modular manufacturers almost disappeared. However, some enthusiasts continued to build modulars, drum synths, and noise boxes at home. Synth-DIY mailing lists, fanzines, and photocopied schematics circulated hand to hand. Small “underground communities” that archived and shared this knowledge kept the culture alive during this period.
With the 2000s, the internet opened this underground knowledge to the entire world. Forums like Electro-Music and Muffwiggler (now ModWiggler) were established. Open-source projects such as Music From Outer Space, CGS, and Yusynth were published. Now everyone could find PCBs, panels, and build guides. The SDIY community suddenly turned into a global movement.
By the 2010s, the Eurorack format, pioneered by Doepfer, exploded in popularity. Combined with the maker culture, this movement evolved into workshop events where people gathered to “solder and make sound.” Many shops and stores began selling half or fully assembled kits. Soldering was no longer just a craft—it had become a part of making music itself.
In the 2020s, thanks to platforms like Raspberry Pi and Arduino, analog, digital, and hybrid synthesizers began to merge into the same realm. Through open-source projects, communities, and YouTube channels, people from all around the world are joining this culture. Today, with only basic equipment and a bit of curiosity, it is possible to build your own synthesizer.
Music Composed at the Soldering Point
The culture that was confined to a few laboratories in the 1960s has now transformed into a “synth builders community” formed by people all around the world. What draws people into this world is not merely a hobby; it is the combination of freedom, the search for a personal sound, curiosity, accessibility, and an anti-institutional spirit.
Soldering is no longer just a form of craftsmanship; it is the composition of music at its very foundation. Every connection you make with your hands turns into a decision you hear with your ears. You begin to compose music not only with notes but also at the circuit level — at the soldering point.
As VAEMI, while we live within this culture, we have always existed with our own unique designs and distinctive approach to synthesis techniques. Even in our DIY kits, we maintain our original perspective, reinterpreting classic projects through a modern understanding. Alongside keeping legendary projects such as the Atari Punk Console and Crackle Box alive and sharing them with people, we also offer completely original designs like OSI-OP, XFMR VCA, and VoltRatio.
For us at VAEMI, one of the most important goals is the development of this culture in Turkey and its reach to more people. Through our own designs, we continue to uphold an approach that both respects the past and opens new horizons with today’s technology.
🎛️ Everyone can be a part of this culture — by joining VAEMI workshops to build their own synthesizer or by purchasing DIY kits to experience this process independently.
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