Attach Partは、本格的な性能と、つないですぐ使える手軽さを両立するモジュラー・シンセサイザーを開発する、少数精鋭の電子楽器メーカーです。2024年にJacksonとJordanが設立しました。設計・開発・販売促進は自社で行い、製造はOEM、物流は3PLと提携する少人数体制で運営しています。
Attach Partは、MPEキーボード・ベースステーションのBartlebyと、サブトラクティブ・シンセサイザー・カートリッジのCandideで展開を始めます。このベースステーションとカートリッジの仕組みが、すぐに演奏できる手軽さと、奥深い音作りの両方を実現します。
Attach Part is a boutique electronic music instrument company developing modular synthesizer systems that bridge professional capability with plug-and-play simplicity. The company was founded by Jackson and Jordan in 2024. We operate on a lean model with in-house design, development, and promotion while partnering with OEMs for manufacturing and 3PL providers for fulfillment.
Attach Part is launching with Bartleby, an MPE keyboard basestation, and Candide, a subtractive synthesizer cartridge. This basestation and cartridge architecture enables instant play while also providing deep customization.
I’m back in Tokyo to receive and assemble. AP Console is massively improved and now has some stand alone instruments you can play with at apc.attachpart.com. I am on my third plastic vendor now, I have a good feeling about this one, results in a week. Play tests coming soon.
This month I finalized Release Candidate 2. PCBs Ordered, FSR ordered, Silicone Ordered, Plastics Ordered. The development of AP Console and our website is reaching a level I am happy with. It will be fantastic to collect all the parts in Tokyo in February, build, and share.
New USB hardware, new silicon hardware, new FSR hardware, new enclosures. Ive essentially rebuilt the entire project. Like last year, things move slowly then quickly, this month is all about finalizing specs and files for order
So how do you make a patch for Candide? Where do you edit the pressure curves for Bartleby? AP Console. It’s a web based configurator for all things Attach Part. You can hook up your AP carts and basestations to it and get the sound and feel just right. No install required.
With Bartleby and Candide rewritten in C++ I decided to update their connection to be standard USB, this way they can talk to other devices and each other using UMP in a very normal way. The USB hardware is much more complex but the benefit is outstanding.
Back at the lab I started with two issues, speed and bend. Too much lag and slow pairing time has led me to validate a C++ migration, it works, this is the way. Per key pitch bend required a fundamental pressure switch layout change on the PCB, I took this time to design 4 different switch pads and stagger the switches so the bend fulcrum is under the middle of each key. Designed and PCB ordered
I went to a meetup and had several people play with Bartleby and Candide. Over the past few months I’ve been taking notes and now have a strong list of updates for an update and Release Candidate. Lots of work left to do including a power button, C++ migration, USB, MIDI2, and a shoulder strap. Plenty to do before I come back.
This month has been excellent. The sound is tight and Bartleby and Candide are working great together. People like it on instagram and I sold a prototype (I am forever grateful). I spent some time making both hardware and software edits including a more reliable UART connection between the controller and synth.
Bangkok was the start of my synth journey. The music scene is amazing and I met many enthusiastic people when I passed through last year who all encouraged me to build. So I returned and showed them what I made. I split my time between shows, meeting musicians, and software development.
My engineering validation PCBs arrived, in Tokyo. I should probably go get them and build Bartleby and Candide so I can show everyone. Gotta print some knobs first, I hope they aren’t stringy. So I went to Tokyo, collected all the parts and attached them.
I never printed a Benchy or whatever that boat is called. I just printed my models every which way I could figure, every support configuration, all PETG. Finally I’ve got some prints that have utility, look good enough, and all fit together. This month I also designed a spring for order. I had to build a spring tester, good thing I have a 3d printer. I went with 2 color ways: light mode and dark mode.
I bought a big 3d printer. It is big. So aside from some PCB layout my entire month has been wrestling the printer into reliability. I hope it is time well spent.
Up until now this has been a process of growth and exploration, the messy side of the Newman design process. This month started with Bartleby’s built in speakers, and ended with a completely different enclosure design. The guts changed so the box changed. Candide is sounding nice if a bit laggy. I should probably buy a big 3d printer.
Desktop Validation is a balancing act between reliability and agility. If it’s been a while since I touched some jumper wires I take some time to solder up a version for stability.
This project has branched into industrial design, mechanical design, electro-mechanical design, and software design. Initial hunches lead to some early wins, and I’m now continuing to learn and refine. This is all to say I had to design a new spring for the keys because of reliability.
I decided to separate the synth from the controller here. Bartleby and Candide as separate entities are borne. So I made some paper boxes to choose a good cartridge size, made a simple UART protocol for two RPI Picos to talk to each other, and got the per key pitch bend “working”.
I ordered my first Attach Part PCB and rigged up a clickity clackity beep machine. It worked! The absolute M of the MVP was desktop verified. Im almost done right?
So let’s say I want 50 analog switches for 25 keys, 16 pots for synth CC, 4 rotary encoders, and a bird in a fruit tree, to all talk to one computer. That means multiplexing, a whole new thing. Thoroughly yes-and mode.
So if you put carbon dust in goo you get kinda conductive material that becomes more conductive when deformed as it presses the carbon dust closer together. Pressure sensitivity. Thats fun. I used a conductive ink pen to lay down some traces and made a paper craft pressure pad that detects both Z and X pressure. I made an instagram and called it Attach Part.
Let’s make something beautiful and learn something new. Using my brother’s 3d printer I made some keys and learned some circuit python.