Serinette
"Serinettes" were obscure mechanical musical instruments from the 18th century. During this time, french aristocrats used these devices to teach captive canaries to sing different melodies (how decadent is that?) The instrument consisted in a small wooden box, containing a cylinder with metal inlays and coded melodies, rotated through a crank. Now, YOU can finally feel like an aristocrat with these new electronic Serinettes, generating sequences of variable amount of notes in which you can control the speed, tone and envelope of the sound. Multiple Serinettes can even be connected to the same clock circuit to play several voices at the same tempo. On your face, Louis XVI!
These new electronic Serinettes are a revision of the ancient french instruments, renewing the sound but keeping the artisanal approach. Constructed in 2020, the main circuit is based on an 8 step sequencer with the possibility to control the envelope of the sound, speed, volume and each one of the steps independently. It was made with traditional woodcrafting techniques, and handcrafted using autochthonous wood like Chestnut (Castanea sativa) or Oak (Quercus robur). The knobs are lathed one by one with Olive (Olea europaea) with brass for all inlays and ornaments. Controllers:
- 8 independent potentiometer to controll the pitch of the notes, thus creating sequences
- 8 toggle switches to turn the steps on or off
- Volume, controls the output amplitude
- Speed, controls the speed of the sequence
- Reset connector clip
- Attack, controls the beginning of the envelope for each note
- Release, controls the end of the envelope for each note
- 8 brass connectors, to reset the number of steps per sequence
Mateo Mena
: Electronic luthier
Hi! My name is Mateo Mena and I make:
🌳⚡️Artisanal electronic instruments
📼 Animated videos
🤘🏻 A/V Shows
👨🏻🏫 Workshops
As a passionate person since my childhood in electricity and sound, I have been investigating for the last decade in ways and materials to create new electronic instruments.
After graduating with a degree in Electronic Engineering and Musical Composition, I continued my academic training studying artisanal construction of musical instruments and goldsmithing, in an attempt to reduce my working materials to those sustainable ones such as wood, metals or glass.
I've presented to the Maker Music Festival two of my designs, the "Hypercubes" and the "Serinette". I think this will be a really good opportunity to contact with other inventors and makers around the world, and make interesting connections! Feel free to check my other works too and, if you feel like to, drop me a line through my IG account www.instagram.com/_mateomena/
See you!
🌳⚡️Artisanal electronic instruments
📼 Animated videos
🤘🏻 A/V Shows
👨🏻🏫 Workshops
As a passionate person since my childhood in electricity and sound, I have been investigating for the last decade in ways and materials to create new electronic instruments.
After graduating with a degree in Electronic Engineering and Musical Composition, I continued my academic training studying artisanal construction of musical instruments and goldsmithing, in an attempt to reduce my working materials to those sustainable ones such as wood, metals or glass.
I've presented to the Maker Music Festival two of my designs, the "Hypercubes" and the "Serinette". I think this will be a really good opportunity to contact with other inventors and makers around the world, and make interesting connections! Feel free to check my other works too and, if you feel like to, drop me a line through my IG account www.instagram.com/_mateomena/
See you!
Connect with Mateo Mena
How I can help you:
I provide workshops of electronic instrument making around Europe when I'm on tour (oh, those good pre pandemic years...) But hey! I hope to resume touring this summer, so if you have any interesting proposals for shows or workshops just drop me a line!
I provide workshops of electronic instrument making around Europe when I'm on tour (oh, those good pre pandemic years...) But hey! I hope to resume touring this summer, so if you have any interesting proposals for shows or workshops just drop me a line!
How you can help me:
Send more money $$$
Send more money $$$