StylophoneStylosette - Touch Keyboard x Cassette - The Mini Analog Synthesizer Keyboard | Synth Musical Instrument | Touch-Sensitive Keys, Built-in Speaker

Very fun to add to any music or noise, fun to play with the accessories and connect circuits. Plays with two AAA batteries and plugs in any mixer

Super fun instrument

Fun little synth with a few neat tricks up it's sleeve. First to address the controversy, yes, this is remarkably similar to the micro kits cassette synth but, I think improves on the micro kits design. For one, it has an included delay circuit based presumably on the pt2399 delay chip. This means you have a dirty delay that can self oscillate and create it's own noise as well as add some selay depth to the synth sound. The Stylosette Keys has a patch bay to connect it to conductive items to ise them as a keyboard; bananas, plants, anything conductive can be used as a "key" to play a note. The micro kits version does the same...however... The patch bay on the Stylosette Keys also has patch points for LFO in and out, CV in and out, and 2 ground patches. The octave up and vibrato also have patch slots. This means you can manipulate the sounds of the Stylosette Keys with another synth via LFO or a CV sequencer which, vastly expands upon this otherwise basic synth. You can also use the patch bay to create a drone note which allows you to make sounds without having to ise the keyboard at all (the keyboard also has an "off" switch on the PCB). One side note: I saw a YouTube video that says that the little screw between the delay controls does something to the delay, it doesn't...it'a the master intonation and is best left alone (I actually broke the little SMD potentiometer on mine and basically rendered it impossible to intonate...so I bought a second one 😂). Anyway, fun, definitely limited, but interesting enough that I bought it again when I broke it. Also, was ultimately cheaper than the "original" from micro kits.

The cassette tape theme is cute, but not the best choice for storage / portability. The wires, clips, etc. aren't easily placed back into the cassette case, making the "carrying case" sort of irrelevant. Operation takes getting used to but could probably be designed better.I'd think of this as more of a fun, science fair project than a serious music creation tool.On the plus side, it uses 2 AAA batteries (included) - that are easy to find when it comes time to replace the power source.At about $40, it's fairly priced for what it is. But it may be best to go with the original this seems to be a knock-off of.

I own lots of Debruq instruments. This is a great addition to my collection, I especially love the Stylosette, patching ability. You can carry it in your pocket and play it anywhere. It's very easy to play. Setting up connectivity circuits is fun, I can even play it through my cat. :) The reverb and delay makes some cool gritty and cat inspired growling tones. It sounds great when connected to my amps and played through effects pedals. I plan on experimenting with the patch ports to see what can happen with equipment like my Moog Mavis and Verkstat. The Stylosette is more than a desktop toy, it is small sound engine with a lot of potential. For the price it is a must have for anyone who likes to experiment with sound.

This little thing is so much fun and is loaded with great features. The one negative I have is that the minimum volume is unfortunately not capable of going to 0db, so even at the quietest, it’s still got quite a bit of voice to it. Otherwise, it sounds great and has some cool options for connecting it to conductive items around your house, and even to other effects such as LFO. Great value for the price as well. Definitely recommend!

It is the coolest! I had another miniature synthesizer but this one is way better. I plan to use it with my xylophone.

I'm not really sure I get what the vision was here.- It's packaged in two cassette cases, which is neat, but all the tiny components fall right out of the accessory container and are hard to get back inside, needing to hold them in place so you can close it. Because, well, the case was designed for a completely different type of object.The rest of the product has nothing to do with cassettes so I'm not sure why they chose this route for the case and the name of the product.- The main stylophone PCB board is cool. It has a built in speaker and gets pretty loud. The waveform they went with sounds pretty harsh and the capacitive pads are a bit hard to activate, though. I found myself wanting to stop playing with it because my ears hurt.- The delay is fun. I wish there was a way to route other sounds through it. The vibrato is also fun but you need a screwdriver to adjust the settings of it, for some reason.- It's a bit awkward to use in general. It feels like you need 3 hands and a screwdriver to really play around with it.- I wanted to love the "science" angle of the product but it kind of fell flat for me. The way you use the expansion port is pretty unclear and requires you to keep the manual around (which needs to be awkwardly unfolded and refolded since it is also the slip label of the cassette case).The port you use to complete the circuit for external modulation sources should have been marked somehow, since you'll always need it and you have to count out which one it is in the middle of a tiny row of holes.Mostly, I was also hoping for some more possibilities and opportunity to get weird and creative with it.- This is apparently a blatant ripoff of another product by a small company- The price is not great at $50. I'm not sure anyone is going to get more than 30 minutes of entertainment out of it.