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The ATtiny MIDI Plug Synth is a one-off MIDI sound-generator experiment built into a MIDI connector—not a commercial instrument. Mitxela’s “Polyphonic Synth Cable,” completed and published on 17 November 2015, uses an ATtiny2313 to turn incoming MIDI notes into square-wave audio, with compact packaging and limited resources shaping its sound and performance. Mitxela’s project account documents the build; Hackaday’s 30 March 2016 coverage calls it the ATtiny MIDI Plug Synth.
What the ATtiny MIDI Plug Synth is
It is a small polyphonic synthesizer circuit housed inside a MIDI connector. The ATtiny2313 reads MIDI input and produces square-wave audio; the unusual achievement is fitting the circuit into the connector housing, not creating a polished general-purpose instrument. Mitxela described the project as a working one-off and also said mass production would be impractical.
This build is distinct from Mitxela’s earlier ATtiny85 project, which used power from the MIDI signal and a piezo buzzer. That predecessor is documented separately at Mitxela’s project page; it should not be confused with the ATtiny2313 polyphonic cable.
How it makes sound from MIDI
The ATtiny2313 toggles several digital output pins to generate square waves, then combines those signals in analog circuitry. Mitxela summarized the approach: “It’s quite a simple idea really – generate square waves by toggling the digital outputs on many pins, and sum them in analogue.” Hackaday describes this version as having eight-channel polyphony, with eight digital pins summed through resistors. The eight-channel figure is Hackaday’s summary, rather than a measurement reported by Mitxela.
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Mitxela chose the ATtiny2313 over the smaller ATtiny85 because the 2313 has a hardware UART and more pins, even though it has less memory. The UART simplifies interpreting MIDI in real time, while the available pins support the multi-voice output approach.
The timing compromise: pitch bend versus high notes
The build uses a 20 MHz crystal. Mitxela initially ran an interrupt at about 500 kHz, then slowed the sampling rate to gain roughly five-bit pitch-bend resolution. That trade-off limited the highest in-tune note to about three octaves above middle C. These are figures for this specific 2015 build, not universal ATtiny2313 limits.
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The project account does not claim that modulation was implemented in this version. Its documented compromise is between pitch-bend detail and the top of the in-tune range, rather than a broad set of performance features.
Fitting the circuit into a MIDI connector
The assembly includes a surface-mount ATtiny2313, 20 MHz crystal, load capacitors, resistors, a data-line filter capacitor, a reservoir capacitor, and wiring. Mitxela modified the connector physically to reduce how far it protruded and make room for the components. The project page suggests that the filter capacitor might not be necessary because the hardware UART provides digital low-pass filtering, but presents that as a possibility, not a confirmed design rule.
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The first resistor values caused excessive current when the circuit was powered from MIDI, making it sputter and skip instructions. Mitxela dismantled the assembly and replaced them with 4.7 kΩ resistors; he reports that the build then worked properly. That correction describes this particular circuit and should not be treated as a resistor prescription for other MIDI-powered projects.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the project demonstrates—and what it does not
The cable shows how a microcontroller’s pins, hardware peripherals, timing, and physical constraints can be combined to make a tiny MIDI-controlled sound source. Its square-wave output and quantized pitch control also make its limitations clear: Hackaday characterizes the audio as limited, and the assembly as fiddly. It is best understood as a clever constrained build, not evidence of a broadly useful instrument or a mass-market design.
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The documented design provides useful axes for comparison with other compact MIDI synth experiments: available microcontroller resources and peripherals, simultaneous voices, waveform and output method, pitch-bend resolution, playable frequency range, power constraints, and physical size. Hackaday mentions the ATtiny85 predecessor and Jan Ostman’s DSP-G1 as other compact approaches, but does not present them as a controlled product comparison.
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Sources and dates
- Mitxela’s “Polyphonic Synth Cable” project page, published 17 November 2015, documents the ATtiny2313 build and its implementation details.
- Hackaday’s “The ATtiny MIDI Plug Synth” coverage, published 30 March 2016, summarizes the eight-channel design and comments on its assembly and sound.
- Mitxela’s project page also distinguishes the earlier ATtiny85 MIDI-powered piezo project, published 5 August 2015, from the later polyphonic cable.
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