New sounds can be created by moving and spinning the beads.

Student designer Elias Jarzombek has created a new synth inspired by an abacus, dubbed ‘Abacusynth’, DJ Mag reports.

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Formed of a wooden base unit with four lines above it, moving and spinning the beads adjusts the sounds produced by the synth.

Jarzombek designed the synth as a way of making visualising synthesis easier, as well as making the idea of working with synths less intimidating to beginners.

“The Abacusynth interface organises the timbral building blocks – oscillator waveforms, harmonics, filters, and time-based modulations (or LFOs) – in a visual and spatial interface that prioritizes interaction and invites experimentation,” he explains.

Demonstrating the synths working capabilities, Jarzombek also shared a compilation on Bandcamp of tracks made with the Abacusynth.