Binders Full of Jammin’ — Ultra Portable Music Systems

After years of hauling music equipment to jams — and ages hooking it up — synthesizer guru Mark Vail and I found a solution: We prewired small, battery-powered synths to effects processors and packed it all into briefcases. Now we could simply flip open the lids, plug into the P.A., and play; with headphones we could even jam in cafés without raising a ruckus. But for an airplane trip, I wanted something even smaller.

BinderBlip

That’s when I built BinderBlip. Basically, I drilled out the clips from a three-ring binder and velcroed on a QuNexus MIDI keyboard controller, Midiplus MiniEngine sound module, and Gecho Loopsynth effects processor/recorder. The MiniEngine is unusual in that it’s both a USB MIDI host and a battery, which means it can power a keyboard while responding to notes over USB. Its output feeds the Loopsynth (with the orange buttons), which adds echo and records the result to a microSD card. A small USB power bank powers the Loopsynth. For fun, I glued a color-changing LED in a chunk of acrylic ice and lit it with the QuNexus’s control voltage (CV) output.

ZipperBlip

BinderBlip’s 128 General MIDI (GM) sounds were fine for noodling, but I wanted deeper sonic options. So I built my second case around an Audiothingies MicroMonsta 2, a fantastically rich and expressive synth. It’s joined by an upscale version of the MiniEngine called the PianoEngine that adds better sounds and a drum machine. Through a hack that converts one of the QuNexus USB ports to a MIDI Out, I can play both instruments at once. A Pokket mixer lets me crossfade between them, DJ style. A zippered orange binder holds it all together, adding a lovely glow to the LED fairy lights.

PlastiBlip

For my next case, I simplified. There’s just one sound source, an ancient iPad Mini 2. But even that model can run a wealth of soft synths and music apps. And unlike newer iPads, it has an analog audio output. I added a Lightning-to-USB adapter so the iPad can power and communicate with my ESI/Artesia Pro Xjam. The Xjam is a wonderful-feeling controller with polyphonic pressure, meaning each pad can swell a different note in a chord. It also has a standard MIDI output, which I tapped to light two jumbo blue LEDs that I poked through the binder.

SquishBlip

Speaking of pressure-sensitive pads, no one does it like Roli. Playing their rubbery Seaboard Block feels like typing on a wetsuit, but can be incredibly expressive with practice. The keys sense five dimensions of interaction: initial velocity, release velocity, pressure, front-to-back position, and side-to-side position. I found the Seaboard (named after the wave-like contour of the keys) was a perfect fit for a three-ring binder box. The companion Lightpad Block M connects magnetically to the Seaboard and sends MIDI data from both over Bluetooth. Adding my iPhone created a compact, expressive music system with just one cable, the Lightning-to-audio adapter.

ZipperBlip Deluxe

A wise musician once said, “The more you bring, the less you play.” For a recent plane trip, I got greedy and packed an unholy mess of gear in a briefcase. It again took ages to set up, and was too complex for comfort. Even worse, the TSA took an unwelcome interest, making me rip the system apart at the airport.

For my next gig, at Knobcon 2024, I returned to a three-ring binder system I call ZipperBlip Deluxe. ZBD’s faux leather cover holds a Korg Kaossilator Pro (a fantastic jamming instrument), a 1010music Lemondrop (a sumptuous sounding granular synth), and all the batteries I need. To that, I added a Korg NTS-1 MkII effects processor, a Donner DMK-25 Pro keyboard, and a mic. The photo shows a test jam in the park with Mark.

The journey is just beginning. I hope you too have fun making your own “three-ring circuits.”

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This article appeared in Make: Vol 92.