Hi! My name is Matthew and I am a electronics and software engineer, recording musician, and proprietor of Extralife Instruments. I enjoy all things D.I.Y. and have lived in San Francisco since 2011. On this website I share some of my projects. You can find some of my hardware, software, music, and videos below.
My new Studiologic keyboard is a great compact stage piano and synth, but it’s missing 1 key feature: fixed filter frequency control! I performed a quick circuit bend to make the joystick/modwheel mounted filter input more fine-adjustable with a simple rotary control.
I created a eurorack analog guitar synthesizer patch loosely based on the Moog Moogerfooger MF-107. It uses an envelope follower, a VCO with sync input, and a custom-made comparator fuzz designed in the 1970’s.
I finally got hold of a pre-war Disston backsaw to do some proper woodworking joinery. First, I had to do some old-school wood and metalwork to restore it to cutting condition.
In this video I built a super-simple all-wood eurorack synth case using only hand tools and reclaimed materials like pallet wood. I think it came out pretty well but the dimensions could’ve been improved!