Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Isn'tses brilliantly combines creative sound generation with electronic arts and design for its series of Experimental Mini Art Synthesisers
Key Points
Isn’tses (Lisa McKendrick and Tim Drage) showed four themed Experimental Mini Art Synthesisers at the Birmingham Noise Maker Market Show: Chernobylizer, Mars Roveriser, Dark Harvestator and For Processor.
All four are sold assembled or as kits via the Isn’tses Etsy Store and blog. As of 2026-07-13, the price was £149.57 for Chernobylizer assembled, kit £106.20 (+£10 base + P&P). As of 2026-07-13, the price was £149.75 for Mars Roveriser assembled, kit £106.20 (+£10 base + P&P). As of 2026-07-13, the price was £109.20 for Dark Harvestator assembled, kit £84.20 (+£10 base + P&P). As of 2026-07-13, the price was £109.20 for For Processor assembled, kit £84.20 (+£10 base + P&P).
Chernobylizer: radiation-fallout noises, filter, power-starve, 6 power-starve touch pads. Mars Roveriser: granular crackle/echo percussion, crackle controls and verb. Dark Harvestator: Gruinard/anthrax-themed noisy textures, warfare/anthrax frequencies. For Processor: festival workshop synth with twin-T, chops, oscillators, 8 touch-pads.
Perspex base recommended to prevent shorting. The reviewer plans to collect and review each synth monthly, starting with Chernobylizer and then Mars Roveriser; a Lego Rover platform and ToyPro parts were mentioned.
At the recent inaugural Birmingham Noise Maker Market Show, one of the highlights for me was London-based Isn’tses - namely duo Lisa McKendrick and Tim Drage - who perform highly stylised experimental electronic music with colourful visuals and costumes to match - including Mexican Lucha Libre animal masks.
They make their own instruments too - including this superbly themed quartet / quadfecta of mini noise-maker Art-Synths featured here. Each of those has a highly evocative theme and a killer narrative / origin story.
The one I picked up after the show - the Chernobylizer - is obviously based on and inspired by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power station meltdown and fallout disaster - and delivers esoteric and imagined radiation fallout and associated sounds, as detailed below.
The newest - the Mars Roverizer - is based on the celebrated NASA Mars Rover - and delivers suitably planetary sci-fi and spacey noises.
The Dark Harvestator is based on the Scottish Island Gruinard - which came to be known as Anthrax Island after several MOD Bio-Weapons tests in the 40’s - which left it contaminated with Anthrax Spores - and only decontaminated in 1990. The shape of the synth exactly matches the outline of the island!
The earliest one I believe - the Fort Processor - was specially made for a Workshop event at the 2019 Fort Processor Festival. This one and the Chernobylizer both have gold touch-pads which you use to manipulate and warp the output of each circuit - where all 4 circuits contain a number of Mini Potentiometers and Toggle-switches to impact on and shape the output.
Each of these Mini Art-Synths is essentially an open circuitboard design - inspired by the topology of each event - albeit largely somewhat impressionistic overall - but usually with some self-evident structural markers - via the strategic placement of some of the core components.
I was hugely impressed by these at the show - they are interesting noise generators / manipulators and beautiful electronic art projects - objets d'art even. I recommend you get yours with the perspex base option - as that protects the circuits from shorting out - in case you inadvertently place your Isn'tses synth on top of a conductive metal element / surface.
I have made a commitment to acquire all of these 4, and to do features / reviews on each - circa one per month. Where the first one landed is the Cherobylizer, and the second for sure will be the Mars Roveriser - where I will get the Lego Technic model of the Rover - and try to mount the synth on top of the Rover in some fashion. Lisa and Tim had built their own Rover Lego Platform - and I encouraged them to get sets in from ToyPro in the Netherlands - which are the quickest and most efficient source for Lego parts - such that people can order in those kits too and make their own. If that's ready in time I may do that instead of the official Lego Technic NASA Mars Rover Perseverance Edition [42158]!
All 4 Art Synths are available in Kit and fully assembled formats from the Isn'tses Etsy Store.
You can also read up more on each on the Isnt'ses Website Blog.
Further details on each Art Synth below :
Chernobylizer Nuclear Fallout Radiation Noise Synth - Assembled @ £149.57, Kit @ £106.20 + £10 for base + P&P
Controls - Filter Frequency, Filter Resonance, Wet-Dry Cross-Fade, Power-Bend, Power-Starve, 6 x Power-Starve Touch Pads with 3 Contacts per Pad - combine to warp output, 3 x Bleed and Modulate Chaos Touch Pads.
Inspired by the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station Meltdown Disaster and Fallout. The Chernobylizer is a psychogeographic and esoteric synth, containing a world of unique aggressive sounds, including throbbing multi-oscillator pulsewaves, crunchy glitches, bass rumble, harsh noise, 8-bit-esque bleeps, geiger-counter clicks, birdlike tweets and a unique motor-like power-draining effect.
This is the first one to enter my reference collection - and there will be a full review of this synth coming up real soon. I aim to take on one of these each month or so - until I have the full set of 4!
Mars Roveriser Planetary Space-Noise Synth - Assembled @ £149.75, Kit @ £106.20 + £10 for base + P&P
Controls - Crackle Gain, Crackle Length, Crackle Rate, Manual Trigger Button, Verb Pitch, Hi/Low Verb Resolution, Wet-Dry Mix, Feedback.
Based in part on and extrapolated from NASA sound recordings - the Mars Roveriser is an experimental granular crackle noise / echo percussion synth inspired by the Mars Rover Robots - Spirit and Opportunity.
Dark Harvestator Bio-Weapon Contamination Noise Synth - Assembled @ £109.20, Kit @ £84.20 + £10 for base + P&P
Controls - Gruinard EQ Shape, Soil Button Chip Reset, Sheep Master Volume, LFO/Noise Bio Knob, Warfare Frequency / Noise 1, Antrhax Frequency / Noise 2, 3-Way Mode Toggle : Up & Down are continuous, Centre is Sporadic and Chaotic.
Based on Scotland's Gruinard Island - that was contaminated with Anthrax in the 40's from a series of MOD Bio-Weapons trials. The Dark Harvestator is a standalone PCB-art synth circuit which can create a wide range of textural noise, tones and chaotic bleeps. Overall the sound is very noisy, harsh andbrutal, evoking crackly wartime sounds, radio interference, the rage of the sea and the Bacillus Anthracis.
Note that the above demo makes use of an EQD Sea Machine Super Chorus also - which brilliantly elevates the output of the Dark Harvestator!
For Processor Experimental Noise Synth - Assembled @ £109.20, Kit @ £84.20 + £10 for base + P&P
Controls - Twin-T Pitch A, Twin-T Decay, Chop Speed, Twin-T Pitch B, Output Touch Pad, Input Touch Pad, Chop Touch Pad, Light Touch Pad + Light Sensor, Ground Touch Pad, Octave Touch Pad, Oscillator Touch Pad A, Oscillator Touch Pad B.
Developed for a workshop at the 2019 Fort Processor Festival - as part of a hosted DIY Build session I believe - interesting noise synth - which includes elements of distortion, oscillators, octaves and choppers - and 4 variable knobs + 8 touch-pads to warp and change the output! The topology of the circuit is based largely on the Festival site.
