Mix engineer and synthesist Claudio Passavanti, aka Doctor Mix, shared this overview of his custom Commodore 64 8-bit synthesizer.

The unique synth, which was seven years in the making, is a collaboration between Passavanti, David Murray (The 8-bit Guy) and Sam Battle (Look Mum No Computer).

Topics covered:

0:00 Seven years, one unfinished synth
1:34 Giving Sam’s panel a proper enclosure
3:16 Cutting, gluing and clamping
8:45 Mounting the control panel — sparks fly
11:28 Oil finish, a base for the C64, and one big mistake
14:00 Finished. The beauty shot
15:14 SID chip one was completely dead — so I repaired it
16:11 TRUE stereo: two vintage SID chips, left and right
17:16 Down the electronics rabbit hole — scope, MIDI tester, AI
19:04 The firmware now says DOCTOR MIX
22:44 Play my C64 synth FREE in your browser
26:38 First look: the NEW Commodore 64 Ultra

Check out the video, and share your thoughts on Commodore 64 synthesis in the comments!