sound installation at Life on a Leaf

sound installation by Malte Steiner with a generative patch on DIY modular synthesizer for open house Konstrundan event 6. September 2026 at Life on a Leaf in Turku. (FI)

We put the modular to bed, something you don’t see everyday

pictures from block 4 dialogues I event Helsinki part 2/2

Here is the second round of the fantastic photos by Roman Odjinud of the block 4 dialogues I event Friday the 13. at Äänen Lumo in Helsinki from the soloconcert Petri Kuljuntausta and the impro trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

 

Petri Kuljuntausta

Petri Kuljuntausta

trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

trio Kuljuntausta - Madsen - Steiner

 

demo of b4Modular synthesizer

Demonstration of the b4Modular synthesizer Series 7 by Malte Steiner. The system features 2 analog Oscillators / LFO, one digital oscillator with 6 different modes, oscillator bank with 6 square waves, triple clock module, 3 slew limiters, a lowpass filter, tone control filter, wave folder, one ring mod / wave folder thingy, 5 VCAs, crossfader, mixer, 2 pressure sensors, a trigger button, unity and gates mixer.

"My diy modular synthesizer in a suitcase which I developed between 2024 and 2025. The goal was to develop a cheap modular system mainly for live concerts which is repairable and can go into Checkin Luggage without much worries (I would never do that with my Eurorack). So far I used that system for several concerts of my projects Elektronengehirn and Notstandskomitee in Berlin and Helsinki, and local Jam sessions here in Aalborg. It is build in a Nanuk 923 case which can remove the lid, the rails are made of wood and wood screws, the front plates are 3D printed. Everything works fine and the concerts were great, but learnings so far:

- the frame is rigidly attached to the case so any shock impacts directly the system. So far one of my 3D printed brackets broke which didn't hinder a concert. I redesigned it to be more sturdy and it never happened since. But the rigid design is a bit questionable and I rethink the approach.

- the PCBs have been fixed to the frontplates with common metal screws and nuts. From the travel one nut unscrewed itself because of the vibration. I replaced it with nylon screws and nuts which have more grip. It remembers of a story from a Berlin company which created custom modular synths for Tangerine Dream back then. They tested the sturdiness against vibration by dragging those flight cases over a copplestone street at night until police stopped them asking what the hell they were doing.

- I hit a limit with my power supply design with a self made voltage splitter and an additional 7805 on the positive rail. It can't handle many microcontroller based modules before it collapses. In future systems I use another approach for the power supply which is much more stabile."

Pictures from Elektronengehirn Berlin concert

The Elektronengehirn concert 19. April 2025 at Noiseberg, Berlin (DE). Pictures by Orange 'Ear.

Equipment was Linux computer with custom Pure Data patch for sound, custom software created with the Godot game engine for visuals, a digital synthesizer Malte Steiner developed 2 years ago and the new modular synthesizer he developed in the last couple of months.

Microwave XT knob replacements

From the desk of Malte Steiner:

"Had to replace the knob caps of my beloved Waldorf Microwave XT synthesizer . The original ones started to disintegrate a while ago which is well known. Using knobs with indicators on endless rotary encoders is a bit silly (which didn’t stopped Kodamo on their Essence FM synth), but I am happy with the look. Good that I don’t have children, the old knobs look like sugar coated drops, dangerous."

b4DigiMatrix synthesizer

pictured here between the French Kodamo Essence FM synthesizer and the DBX compressor, is the digital synthesizer b4DigiMatrix in white which Malte Steiner built 2023. It is based on a STM32 Arm Microcontroller and has three wavetable oscillators going in a multimode filter with several configurations. The routing inclusive the 2 function generators are all done digitally with toggle switches. It mainly lives in the studio but for local concerts or jam sessions Steiner dragged it out the rack.
Firmware is open sourced: https://github.com/HerrSteiner/b4DigiMatrix

synth in a suitcase

 From the desk of Malte Steiner:

"The current state of my DIY electronics modular synthesizer I developed in the past months, my take on a portable instrument in a suitcase for concerts and jam sessions. Before I develop a Midi interface I first revise the Clockworks gate module with a more flexible second version with variable gate lengths and random mode, based on Arduino. Second half of March I will be in Helsinki and I am open for concerts of my projects Elektronengehirn or Notstandskomitee, or jam sessions."

b4 modular synthesizer

The last months Malte Steiner expanded his knowledge of analog electronics, researched and build a modular synthesizer system. The idea is to create a cheap, repairable system which one would check in during a flight and drag onto stage. The most expensive is actually the suitcase, the whole system is around 500.-€ instead of the 2000.- to 3000.- € a comparable Eurorack suitcase would cost.

research & development

recording

    

Notstandskomitee concert video from 27.May 2023

Notstandskomitee live concert at the soundnight at XM3 in Aalborg (DK) 27. May 2023. The last 2 tracks just have been released on the new album The Doomsday Layout https://notstandskomitee.bandcamp.com...On the 27. May within the exhibition by Tina Mariane Krogh Madsen at XM3 she organised a soundnight with a solo concert performance, a concert of TMS and then Notstandskomitee. Malte Steiner used a PD patch running on a Linux computer for the main audio, controlled via a touchscreen and keyboard, and additionally the custom semi modular synthesizer b4DigiMatrix the first time on stage. The tracks from the album are Expertensyteme and Big Dreams In Small Cities.

https://youtu.be/XziYvhwWztg

b4 DigiDrone

After the successful debut of the b4 DigiDrone synthesizer (pictured below) on two concerts in Helsinki, I am now developing a bigger version for the studio, based on a more powerful microcontroller as the brave Seeed Xiao Samd21 used here.

The source code for the b4 DigiDrone is available on GitHub:

https://github.com/HerrSteiner/SAMD-Synthesizer

concert 'piece for modular synthesizer and real estate data' Helsinki 24.March

On tomorrows Friday, the 24. March 2023, Malte Steiner aka Elektronengehirn performs the 'piece for modular synthesizer and real estate data' at Oksasenkatu 11 in Helsinki, start of the event is 18:00

https://oksasenkatu11.fi/of-sound-performance-evening-i

rehearsing in a flat in Helsinki

Gravel at Code&Share Aarhus

On tomorrows Saturday Malte Steiner will present his new open source live coding system Gravel at Code&Share in Aarhus DK, 13:00-17:00 10.December 2022. An alpha version for Linux, Mac and Windows is to be expected soon...

Programmable Audio Workshop Grame, France

https://paw.grame.fr

I was always interested to get into FPGA development but one reason holding me back is the convoluted situation with the necessary toolchains. Proprietary, often Windows only and complicated licensing, for some you need to take a course to learn how to pay for them. Hopefully it changes towards a more open and welcoming experience and this conference tomorrow is quite interesting about FPGA and audio, and can be attended via stream.

concert piece for modular synthesizer and real estate data Zagreb

I perform as my project Elektronengehirn the 'piece for modular synthesizer and real estate data' on the 7. October in Zagreb at the week long Fubar 2k22 Festival, which already started. The piece is part of my art project 'The Big Crash'.

RIP Dave Smith

RIP Dave Smith, founder of Sequential Circuits and DSI, synthesizer pioneer and one of the creators of the MIDI standard.

A Sequential Circuits Six-Trak was the core of the sound of Notstandskomitee at its beginning 1991, including the song 'Gebärmutter'. The synthesis was rather basic but it was 6 times multitimbral, means it provided 6 different midi controllable analog sounds at the same time, like 6 monophonic synths. Multitracking and overdubbing was not in my reach in that time due to the lack of money. Multitracking was in the composition and sequencing, all audio was mixed down in one go and recorded on stereo. In that time the Six-Trak, originally from 1984, could be bought cheaply second hand, and it was Claus of PNE who suggested it to me.

The Six-Trak is now in storage,but these days in the block 4 studio there is a DSI Tempest drumsynthesizer and the Smith/Oberheim collaboration OB6 synthesizer, which is one giant sweetspot synth.

The block4 Social Distancing Concerts part 3: Notstandskomitee 2

In the third installment of the block4 Social Distancing Concerts Notstandskomitee plays another concert, this time on our big modular synthesizer. Streaming from our studios gives us the possibility to work with equipment we are not able to take with us to a regular concert setting, hence it gives you also a unique experience. The patch is the set.

It will be streamed today 17:00 center euopean time from youtube from this link

and like the other concerts archived for later consumption

The block4 Social Distancing Concerts part 2: Elektronengehirn

the first one of the block4 Social Distancing concerts went well. It is archived and can be rewatched at the Youtube link in the post below. Next up is the electro acoustic project Elektronengehirn performing on Saturday 17:00 on the modular at studio A, also an exclusive set.

Elektronengehirn Aarhus concert video is online

The complete Elektronengehirn concert Piece For Modular Synthesizer And Real Estate Data 28.2.2020 at PERFORMANCErum Aarhus, part of The Big Crash.

recording of the Elektronengehirn concert 18.September Berlin

Elektronengehirn concert 18. September 2019 at Experimentik Berlin, Germany, performing piece for modular synthesizer and real estate data. It is part of the art project The Big Crash. For the soundpiece Malte Steiner created a software which harvest real estate websites for their ads to gather pictures and prices. The pictures are analyzed with Machine Learning software performing an image segmentation and object recognition. The resulting fragments are used in further artpieces of The Big Crash but also serve here as controldata for additive synthesis. The prices and squaremeters of the advertised Berlin flats are used to control an analog modular synthesizer.
Recording and picture by Seiji Morimoto

http://thebigcrash.net
http://www.elektronengehirn.de
https://www.block4.com

TMS concert online

Here is the recording of our TMS concert, performing our piece 5-HT_five levels to zero at Loophole Berlin, 23. August 2018