Budding Projects: Canary

Searching for your first hardware synthesizer, though rewarding, can feel like a daunting task. Many synths are prohibitively costly for anyone just getting started, especially kids, teens, and college students. And these synthesizers, while offering endless sonic possibilities, often have user interfaces that are aimed more towards experienced synthesists. On the other hand, more affordable synths may have limited features, which can hinder fulfilling sound exploration. Two college students noticed this trend in the synthesizer market and created Canary, an affordable and intuitive hardware synthesizer, as a response.

Neha Das (Left) & Claire Choi (Right)

Neha Das and Claire Choi, EE students at the Tandon School of Engineering at NYU, set out to develop a hardware synthesizer that is accessible to anyone who wants to begin their electronic music journey. The development objective was to design a synth that was affordable without compromising on functionality. It features an oscillator with variable waveforms (sawtooth, triangle, square, and sine), echo, arpeggiator, drum synthesis, LFO, and more. Emphasizing hands-on exploration, Canary has an onboard capacitive-touch keyboards and drum pads, knobs, and switches. With an intuitive interface, beginning synthesists can start experiencing the joy of sculpting sounds right away.

With Canary, aspiring musicians who may have previously been discouraged by the cost and steep learning curve of commercial synthesizers now have the opportunity to express themselves through electronic sounds.

Interview

We spoke with Neha and Claire to learn more about their experiences, Canary's development, and their plans with the synth.

ES - We greatly appreciate your taking the time to chat with us! We would love to start off by learning about your musical backgrounds.

N&C - Both of us have been playing instruments since we were young. Neha began playing piano, singing, and experimenting with guitar and home music production at age six. Claire had a classical music upbringing and played violin and piano for years, playing in the orchestra throughout middle and high school. At the same time, we were both drawn to STEM and pursued engineering degrees. Initially, it felt very procedural and mathematical—but as we progressed, we realized that music and sound are also grounded in those same principles. When we got to digital signal processing (DSP), everything clicked. We saw how our technical training could be a tool to understand and even create music, and that made the field feel truly personal and exciting.

ES - Can you share your background in engineering and what you studied at NYU, and how that connects with your musical interests?

N&C - We’re both studying Electrical Engineering at NYU, which gave us deep insight into the hardware and systems behind modern electronics. One area that stood out was Digital Signal Processing. Through DSP, we learned how audio signals are generated, filtered, and transformed using code and mathematical models. It felt like a bridge between our technical and creative worlds. We could use algorithms to alter waveforms, create filters, and generate effects—and then hear the results. Sound became something we could engineer. Playing around with different shapes, frequencies, and amplitudes in Python felt like composing music in a new language.

ES - What was your first encounter with a synthesizer like, and how was the experience?

N&C - One of our classmates worked at the Clive Davis Institute at NYU and introduced us to a basic synthesizer during the time we were taking Signals and Systems. He connected the synth to an oscilloscope so we could visualize the output: square waves, sawtooth waves, pure sine waves. It was like the textbook came to life. We could hear the waveforms we’d been graphing in class—and not just hear them, but mix and manipulate them in real time. That moment was eye-opening. We realized that if we could understand the math, we could build something of our own. It felt powerful and playful at the same time. After this experience, Claire started working at the Clive Davis Institute as a Production Assistant and would regularly talk to students and professors about synths, gaining insights on what people actually want to see in a synth.

ES - We’re curious about Canary’s developmental journey, from the idea and name to the hardware that’s in front of you.

N&C - The idea was simple: could we make a compact, intuitive synth that combined DSP and audio hardware into something accessible? We wanted something we could use ourselves—and as it turns out, so did a lot of others. We started by generating classic 80s synth-style waveforms. As we kept experimenting, we added layers: octaves, echo, arpeggiators, drums, and a low-frequency oscillator (LFO). Suddenly, we had the ability to compose songs, recreate popular tracks, and design new sounds entirely from scratch with a learning curve that was much more fair then most synthesizers and a cost that was much lower than other synthesizers.  

The name “Canary” actually came from a happy accident. While developing the LFO, we cranked up the frequency and resonance, and out came this perfect bird-like chirp. It sounded just like the birds we’d hear as kids in the morning. That moment, when artificial signals mimicked nature so closely, was delightful. It felt like a full-circle moment, and we named the synth after the singing bird: the Canary.

Canary Prototype

ES - Intuitiveness is a key feature of Canary. What design decisions did you make that showcase this?

N&C - While we appreciate complex synths with patch bays and endless knobs, we found that when we sat in front of one, we’d often spend hours trying to make a single interesting sound. We wanted something that sparked curiosity and rewarded experimentation right away, especially for people just starting out, but that still had enough depth for seasoned musicians.

The first design decision that emphasized intuitiveness was the functionality we chose to focus on. We used to write songs growing up, and knew the basics needed: chords, beats, reverb, and a pleasing tone. We designed Canary around those essentials. Each switch directly controls a specific element which is immediately apparent in the output. Moreover, we condensed a lot of complex functions into what we deemed to be the most necessary, making the interface less daunting but complex enough to not get bored. You can flip a switch and instantly hear what it does. That kind of feedback makes it easy and fun to learn.

ES - Synthesizers typically have a keyboard interface where the player presses down on keys or buttons to play notes. What inspired you to decide on a capacitive-touch keyboard interface for Canary?

N&C - The first time we used an iPhone, it felt like magic in a way that using a Blackberry didn’t. The touchscreen made it feel like our gestures were directly shaping what happened—it blurred the line between user and device. That’s what we wanted with Canary. A capacitive-touch interface brings the music-making process closer to the user’s fingertips. It’s intuitive, clean, and removes unnecessary bulk. You’re not pressing down on keys—you’re touching sound.

We also wanted our encasing to be as small and compact as possible, and using strips of copper beat out making mechanical keys. Looking into the future, we want to integrate a PCB enclosure panel to simplify and improve our design from our current laser cut wood prototype.

ES - How did you discover Daisy, and what drew you to it for the development of Canary?

N&C - Daisy was the only microcontroller we found that offered the depth of Digital Signal Processing we needed, without compromising on size or power. It allowed us to experiment freely with real-time audio processing and gave us the flexibility to code our own algorithms. Also, we were fans of how seamlessly it expanded on our studies in hardware and embedded systems. The ability to use object-oriented programming in C++ to create our algorithm was invaluable to the development of Canary. It was also extremely easy to incorporate external electronics. For example, it was easy to add sensors with different communication protocols like I2C and SPI that would in turn manipulate the audio output signal with little to no latency. That flexibility and ability to interface with all sorts of hardware cannot be found anywhere else. From waveform generation to effects like reverb and delay, Daisy supported all of it. Not only that, but the
open-source code and libraries were right in line with our mission of intuitive and accessible design. We did not get bogged down by confusing documentation or obscure code. It was easy to learn and did not limit any of the DSP we wanted to do. It was an obvious fit.

ES - It’s awesome to hear that one of the major goals of Canary is for the synth to be integrated into curriculums at schools and universities. We would love to learn more about how students could use Canary in the classroom.

N&C - We believe Canary can be a perfect educational tool. In electrical engineering and music technology programs, it gives students a hands-on way to explore topics like waveform generation, filtering, Fourier transforms, and more. During testing, we would always hook up Canary to an oscilloscope, and in the future we might include a port for just that purpose. In music classes, it can help students understand sound design and composition without needing access to expensive software or gear. Because it’s so compact and user-friendly, Canary can also be used in high school classrooms to introduce students to STEM through sound. It creates a real “aha” moment—just like we had when we first saw sine waves on an oscilloscope.

ES - There is a large market for musicians looking to create fundamental synth sounds on a budget. How is Canary catering to the budding musician looking to expand their sonic palette?

N&C - Canary was made with accessibility in mind. We wanted to give musicians a way to explore rich, foundational synth sounds without needing to invest thousands of dollars. It’s compact, intuitive, and customizable. Whether someone is a beginner or an experienced producer, they can get started right away—making beats, writing melodies, and experimenting with sound design. The features we included—LFOs, delay, arpeggiators, drums—are the same ones you’d find on pro synths, just presented in a more streamlined way. It’s a powerful tool, not just a toy.

ES - What are the next steps for Canary and the team? We absolutely love where the project is at, and we can’t wait to see where you both take it in the future!

N&C - We’re excited about what’s next too. One thing we are working on is supporting documentation. We hope to make a small “book” surrounding a canary character. She would go on adventures and learn about different sound concepts and music theory. In the story, the reader would learn about the functionality of our product and basic sound design techniques. This is to help us with our educational goals and branding, which we are super excited about. We are working on refining the user interface, providing supporting documentation, and producing a small batch of units to test in classrooms and music programs. We're also exploring how to make the product open-source so that students and developers can build on our design. Longer-term, we’d love to collaborate with educators and artists to expand Canary’s reach. Whether it’s through workshops, maker fairs, or online communities, our goal is to make music and sound design more accessible to everyone.

Conclusion

Because of their background in music from an early age, Neha and Claire experienced unique epiphanies as they learned engineering. They experienced many moments that were filled with excitement as they made connections between DSP and music. This joy and wonder that they felt are reflected in Canary's design and mission. By developing a hardware synthesizer that is affordable, they hope that many more musicians and students will experience the similar "aha" moments that they experienced.

You can learn more about Canary and see the prototype in action on their website.

Discover the Tandon School of Engineering at NYU

Take a look at the Signals and Systems course syllabus