Okay, we’ve had pirates and Star Wars and cute houses and such. It’s about time synth lovers got the LEGO set they deserve.
Andy Grobengieser is a music pro and LEGO enthusiast out of New York, and he’s got one heck of a Minimoog set designed. (Thanks for telling us about this on Twitter, Andy.) You can even help make it a for-sale set from LEGO – hopefully the first of a whole synth line, if we’re lucky.
There’s terrific attention to detail:
The control panels are not intended to be a one-to-one reproduction of the control panels of these instruments, which would be practically impossible at this scale. Instead, I chose to simply suggest the knobs and switches and panel prints with simple elements. The design of the side panels closely resembles that of the original models: metallic on the Model D and wood-grain on the Voyager Old School. Both synths sit on simple Lego recreations of an X-style keyboard stand.
Another detail of note is the accurate representation of the keyboard. Many piano and organ builds do not accurately reflect the pattern of black keys in alternating groupings of 2 and 3, but I found a way to achieve this with a combination of a couple hinge elements oriented in different directions. These all reside atop white grille tiles, but utilizing hidden jumper tiles to achieve the most correct proportion possible.
The key detail I think is especially clever. Other synth makes are possible, too. And Andy even shares an in-progress design he’s got for a vintage-style Moog modular, awaiting a few more parts for completion. (We’ll post that when it’s ready.)
He’s also got a super-sweet Dark Side of the Moon album cover. Erm, I mean, uh, realistic depiction of light moving out of a prism. (Sorry, we’re supposed to be learning about physics, not Pink Floyd. Something about another brick in the … prism. Never mind.)
Anyway, you can help make this work, by registering for a free account on LEGO Ideas:
https://ideas.lego.com/howitworks
I know Ableton are big fans of LEGO, too, so maybe we need a Push-and-laptop set for Ableton fans. Gerhard, if you’re reading this, we’re having LEGO play-time this weekend at Loop, right?
Vote here, tell your friends, and fingers crossed young girls and boys will soon be playing with synths. Or getting to work out what happens when the analog synth meetup has to defend itself from a harrowing attack by pirates led my Darth Vader! Crap, NAMM just got way more exciting.
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/120340
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I’m not going to lie… I’d buy all three in a heartbeat. Especially the modular, hot damn. Just don’t skip on the patch cables, Andy!
I’m not going to lie… I’d buy all three in a heartbeat. Especially the modular, hot damn. Just don’t skip on the patch cables, Andy!
I’m not going to lie… I’d buy all three in a heartbeat. Especially the modular, hot damn. Just don’t skip on the patch cables, Andy!
Spent many, many hours playing with Legos… Spent many hours playing with synths…
When worlds collide!
Spent many, many hours playing with Legos… Spent many hours playing with synths…
When worlds collide!
Spent many, many hours playing with Legos… Spent many hours playing with synths…
When worlds collide!
Hahaha, really peter – who but immature man-babies would think this is
at all interesting? Oh, excuse me, I’m not being ‘PC’. I meant to say
construction set enthusiasts. It’s at best mildly interesting that
someone has put this together (if a little sad). But laughable that
anyone would think it a worthwhile official kit. Time is better spent
making music, or discussing things that actually make sound methinks.
The music you make sucks. But you already know that; it’s why you’re such a dick.
Prepare your humble abode under the bridge for the flood of downvotes.
Ha, for once, I think most people even decided this was a troll not feeding.
Expressing a contrary opinion isn’t trolling. But I agree, there should be room on CDM for whimsy.
calling people “man-babies” is 😉
I dunno, Zacker, being called “sad” and “immature” and a “man-baby” and “laughable” certainly didn’t make me feel very good. To me, that’s textbook trolling.
No, you’re right, I suspect only people with an appreciation for fun or a childlike sense of wonder or an affection for actual children who do sometimes play with blocks would think this was a good idea. Anyone else, not so much.
You might like to know that I do spend most of my days and nights making music. And getting paid for it. And having fun doing it. And bringing it to thousands of people every week both as a Broadway conductor and keyboardist. And making music in my home studio. And transcribing, doing copywork, demos, transpositions. And working in music education. So I take a few hours every week relieving stress by making miniatures that I think look cool. Do you have any hobbies? Or do only immature man-babies have hobbies?
Ableton Push was genuinely prototyped (early on) in LEGO – meaning these toys are even tools. It wasn’t the first such hardware product, either.
I’m tempted to post studio pics, where my monitor stands are surrounded in Lego minifigs as well as rayguns that go “pew” and a stuffed manta ray and a winged unicorn and Groot, and where I’m finishing work on my 16th album.
Hahaha, really peter – who but immature man-babies would think this is
at all interesting? Oh, excuse me, I’m not being ‘PC’. I meant to say
construction set enthusiasts. It’s at best mildly interesting that
someone has put this together (if a little sad). But laughable that
anyone would think it a worthwhile official kit. Time is better spent
making music, or discussing things that actually make sound methinks.
Prepare your humble abode under the bridge for the flood of downvotes.
Ha, for once, I think most people even decided this was a troll not feeding.
Expressing a contrary opinion isn’t trolling. But I agree, there should be room on CDM for whimsy.
calling people “man-babies” is 😉
I dunno, Zacker, being called “sad” and “immature” and a “man-baby” and “laughable” certainly didn’t make me feel very good. To me, that’s textbook trolling.
No, you’re right, I suspect only people with an appreciation for fun or a childlike sense of wonder or an affection for actual children who do sometimes play with blocks would think this was a good idea. Anyone else, not so much.
You might like to know that I do spend most of my days and nights making music. And getting paid for it. And having fun doing it. And bringing it to thousands of people every week both as a Broadway conductor and keyboardist. And making music in my home studio. And transcribing, doing copywork, demos, transpositions. And working in music education. So I take a few hours every week relieving stress by making miniatures that I think look cool. Do you have any hobbies? Or do only immature man-babies have hobbies?
Ableton Push was genuinely prototyped (early on) in LEGO – meaning these toys are even tools. It wasn’t the first such hardware product, either.
I’m tempted to post studio pics, where my monitor stands are surrounded in Lego minifigs as well as rayguns that go “pew” and a stuffed manta ray and a winged unicorn and Groot, and where I’m finishing work on my 16th album.
Hahaha, really peter – who but immature man-babies would think this is
at all interesting? Oh, excuse me, I’m not being ‘PC’. I meant to say
construction set enthusiasts. It’s at best mildly interesting that
someone has put this together (if a little sad). But laughable that
anyone would think it a worthwhile official kit. Time is better spent
making music, or discussing things that actually make sound methinks.
Prepare your humble abode under the bridge for the flood of downvotes.
Ha, for once, I think most people even decided this was a troll not feeding.
Expressing a contrary opinion isn’t trolling. But I agree, there should be room on CDM for whimsy.
calling people “man-babies” is 😉
I dunno, Zacker, being called “sad” and “immature” and a “man-baby” and “laughable” certainly didn’t make me feel very good. To me, that’s textbook trolling.
No, you’re right, I suspect only people with an appreciation for fun or a childlike sense of wonder or an affection for actual children who do sometimes play with blocks would think this was a good idea. Anyone else, not so much.
You might like to know that I do spend most of my days and nights making music. And getting paid for it. And having fun doing it. And bringing it to thousands of people every week both as a Broadway conductor and keyboardist. And making music in my home studio. And transcribing, doing copywork, demos, transpositions. And working in music education. So I take a few hours every week relieving stress by making miniatures that I think look cool. Do you have any hobbies? Or do only immature man-babies have hobbies?
Ableton Push was genuinely prototyped (early on) in LEGO – meaning these toys are even tools. It wasn’t the first such hardware product, either.
I’m tempted to post studio pics, where my monitor stands are surrounded in Lego minifigs as well as rayguns that go “pew” and a stuffed manta ray and a winged unicorn and Groot, and where I’m finishing work on my 16th album.
Nanoblocks Synthesizer Keyboard is available, though not based on the Minimoog. They also have other instruments in their series.
Nanoblocks Synthesizer Keyboard is available, though not based on the Minimoog. They also have other instruments in their series.
Nanoblocks Synthesizer Keyboard is available, though not based on the Minimoog. They also have other instruments in their series.