A RASPBERRY PI KIT BECOMES A SYNTH WORKSTATION WITH HUNDREDS OF INSTRUMENTS
A Raspberry Pi kit that becomes a hardware synth with hundreds of instruments, four knobs, and real MIDI jacks.
AudioOpen-hardware
Built withRaspberry Pi
- difficulty
- ●●●○○
- time
- a weekend
- license
- GPL-3.0
- repo
- repo ACTIVE215 stars
●●●○○ · a weekend · GPL-3.0 · 215 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
Zynthian turns a Raspberry Pi into a standalone hardware synthesiser with a proper interface: four rotary encoders, a touchscreen, MIDI in/out/thru, and balanced audio jacks. It runs hundreds of software instruments — open-source synths, samplers, drum machines, guitar amp sims — and switches between them without a computer. The project has been actively developed for years and the forums are full of people gigging with these boxes. The official kit arrives with everything matched and tested, including its own audio board; self-sourcing saves money but you will spend a weekend hunting down a compatible audio HAT (HiFiBerry is the usual choice) and printing or cutting a case. The software image is straightforward — flash an SD card, boot, done — but for heavy live patches expect an afternoon tuning buffer sizes. One thing to know: Pianoteq, one of the best-sounding engines, ships only as a trial and needs a paid licence. If you want a hardware synth you can open up and actually understand, this is the one. If you just want to plug in a MIDI keyboard this weekend and play, buy the kit.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —GPL-3.0 licence permits commercial use.
- —Multiple repositories: zynthian-ui (UI), zynthian-sys (system), plus zynthian-data and zynthian-webconf, all actively maintained.
- —The official V5.1 kit from shop.zynthian.org is 395 euros before VAT and shipping and includes the case, display, encoders and Zynthian's own audio board; the Raspberry Pi is extra. Self-sourcing is possible with a supported sound card such as ZynADAC or HiFiBerry.
- —Software image is pre-built; you flash an SD card. Building the OS from scratch is documented but not required.
- —CAD files for 3D-printed cases and laser-cut panels available in zynthian-case repo.
- —Hundreds of synth engines supported (ZynAddSubFX, FluidSynth, LinuxSampler, Pianoteq, others) but some are commercial plugins requiring separate purchase.
Parts to buy
11 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
- Official V5.1 kit: aluminium caseFind
- Zynthian main board with built-in audio (balanced in/out)Find
- 5-inch capacitive touchscreenFind
- Four rotary encoders and 20 buttonsFind
- DIN MIDI in/out/thruFind
- Self-sourced: PiFind
- Supported sound card (e.gFind
- HiFiBerry)Find
- DisplayFind
- EncodersFind
- SD card 16GB minimumFind
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Videos
Zynthian V5 overview and walkthrough by Floyd Steinberg.
More builds like this
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the official kit page or wiki hardware requirements (Decide official kit or self-sourced; wiki lists confirmed-working audio boards if you go DIY.)
- 2.Download the latest SD card image (Flash to 16GB+ SD card. First boot takes 5-10 minutes to expand filesystem.)
- 3.Assemble hardware and connect MIDI keyboard(Official kit has illustrated assembly guide. Self-sourced: check wiki for GPIO pinout and audio HAT jumpers.)
- 4.Boot, configure audio latency and MIDI routing in webconf(Accessed at zynthian.local from a browser. If you want live performance, disable WiFi and set 128-sample buffer.)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- Buying the wrong audio HAT: not every Raspberry Pi sound card works. HiFiBerry DAC+ ADC Pro and AudioInjector Stereo/Octo are documented; cheaper clones often lack Linux drivers or have unusable latency.
- Assuming all instruments are free: the open-source engines (ZynAddSubFX, FluidSynth, others) are included, but Pianoteq ships only as a trial and needs a paid licence for full use.
- Skipping the audio tuning step: if you push many layers and effects, adjust buffer size and sample rate in webconf; on the V5.1 hardware the project quotes around 6 ms latency at 96 kHz.
- Using a Raspberry Pi 3: technically supported but CPU-limited. Complex patches (multiple synth layers, reverb) will crackle. Pi 4 2GB is the practical minimum; Pi 5 is better.
- Not checking case compatibility if self-sourcing: the official case is sized for specific boards. If you 3D-print from the repo, verify your audio HAT matches the template or you will need to remix it.
Can I use this live, or is latency a problem?
People gig with Zynthians. On the V5.1 hardware with a Raspberry Pi 5 the project quotes around 6 ms latency at 96 kHz; older Pis and heavy patches may need a larger buffer. The forum is the place to ask about low-latency setups.
Do I need to buy the official kit, or can I source parts cheaper?
Self-sourcing can save money, especially if you already have a Pi 4 or 5, but adds a weekend of work. The biggest variable is the audio board: use one the project supports (ZynADAC, HiFiBerry and others listed in the README and wiki); cheaper clones are a gamble. If you are starting from zero, the kit is faster.
What instruments are actually included?
Open-source engines ship with the image: ZynAddSubFX (subtractive synth), FluidSynth (SoundFont player), setBfree (Hammond organ clone), Dexed (DX7 emulator), LinuxSampler, Sfizz, Aeolus and more. Pianoteq ships as a trial; for the full version you buy a licence separately.
Can I add my own samples or SoundFonts?
Yes. Upload via the webconf file manager or SCP to /zynthian/zynthian-my-data. FluidSynth loads any SF2/SF3 file; LinuxSampler takes GIG and SFZ. The forums have a thread with free orchestra libraries that work well.
Does it work with a DAW, or is it standalone only?
Both. Standalone is the main use case, but you can connect it to a computer over MIDI (DIN or USB) and sync via MIDI clock, and record its balanced audio outputs into your audio interface. Check the wiki for what the USB device port supports on your version before relying on it for audio.
Community builds
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
Zynthian ships a long list of engines, almost all of them free software, with Pianoteq as the notable non-free one included as a trial. Which would you actually use first: ZynAddSubFX, a SoundFont player loaded with your own samples, or something else?
Zynthian Team
Zynthian started in 2015 as a one-person project to put open-source synth engines into a hardware box. It grew into a small team maintaining the software and selling kits to fund development. The project is GPL-3.0; hardware schematics and case files are open.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM2mo agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the official shop is at shop.zynthian.org and is linked from the main repository README, along with the wiki, blog and forum. Many of the videos shared about Raspberry Pi synths are community-made and some cover other projects, so use the wiki as your main guide. The current official kit (V5.1) uses Zynthian's own audio board, a 5-inch capacitive display and an aluminium case on a Raspberry Pi 5; if you self-source, the README names supported sound cards such as ZynADAC and HiFiBerry, and printable case designs live in the separate zynthian-case repository. One pleasant surprise is the web configuration tool, which lets you set up the box from a browser on your network instead of working over SSH. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.