Love Hultén's MDLR-37 Packs a Lot of Synthesizer Into a Custom-Built Folding Wooden Luggable
Packing four pieces into a single foldable chassis is an impressive achievement, and the MDLR-37 certainly delivers on its core concept.
Audiovisual artist Love Hultén has shown off another example of his impressive craftsmanship: the MDLR-37 four-piece modular synthesizer, which has to be seen in action to be believed.
Hultén's no stranger to building devices to make music, although the VOC-25 with its chattering teeth instruments was perhaps a little left of mainstream. Hultén also has experience with folding electronics, from the Game Burger Advance to the R-KAID-D SK-4 — but a previous project to combine the two fields and build a folding synthesizer topped out at a single hinge point.
Not so the MDLR-37. This four-piece portable synth folds open from a luggable design into a curved desktop behemoth with patch panels and knobs for days — as well as a few less-common accessories. As with Hultén's previous projects, it's all formed out of wood — with a supporting frame at the back to prevent the whole unit from toppling backwards in use.
Within Hultén's custom wooden chassis are a selection of off-the-shelf musical devices: The Korg Minilogue and Microkey 37, Meris ENZO, T-Rex Replicator, and the Doepfer A-199 all combine to give the MDLR-37 its capabilities.
A video showcasing the project is up on Hultén's YouTube channel, while more pictures are available on his website.