As digital hardware synthesizers become more widespread, there is a growing interest for musicians and sonic explorers to modify algorithms, or create new programs altogether from scratch, in order to customize the device to fit their specific style and needs. Dubby by Componental is an open musical hardware platform that allows such customization! This exciting new device was recently launched on Kickstarter and reached its funding goal within the first 24 hours of the campaign.
Dubby
Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Componental is a 9-member team consisting of musicians, engineers, and tech enthusiasts. With a shared expertise on electronic music and sound design, they set out to invent a powerful and flexible musical toolkit.
Meet the team!
Dubby features 4 audio ins/outs, OLED display, and plenty of tactile components, such as a joystick, for controlling sounds.
Because it is powered by Daisy, users can program new algorithms or modify existing firmware. From chaotic dub delay effects to drum machines, one can load a program that fits their needs on stage or in the studio. Firmwares can be found at the Dubby Studio.
The enclosure itself can also be altered. Change the enclosure color, or swap the interchangeable control side panels according to your preference. For example, you can swap the button side panel with a fader side panel.
Swappable side panels
The name Dubby is in reference to a style of electronic music called dub. Originating in Jamaica during the 1960s, artists such as King Tubby and Lee Scratch Perry extensively used audio effects, notably delay, echo and reverb, to manipulate existing recordings. This technique inspired many musicians and engineers from all types of genres to turn the studio into an instrument and explore new sounds and compositions.
The spirit of sonic experimentation lives on in Dubby. With Daisy at its core, musicians can take sound exploration even further by programming their very own audio effects. Daisy allows the Dubby to be programmed with C++ as well as with programming languages that may be more approachable such as MaxMSP (gen~) and Pure Data.
Having a programmable musical device gives musicians the power to create and explore with novel effects that do not exist anywhere else!
Interview
We had the chance to chat with Rasmus Kjærbo (CEO & Co-Founder) from Componental to learn more about the development of the Dubby and discuss the importance of an open platform:
ES - We wanted to kick things off by getting to know you more and learn about your background in music and instrument development.
RK - I’ve always been fascinated by how things work. As a kid, I would take apart every toy I had, curious to see what was inside—though I rarely managed to put them back together. I broke most of my toys before I figured out how they operated! Later, I picked up traditional instruments like accordion, guitar, and drums, but the real turning point came when I was 12. At my first ‘kids club’ party, I saw a DJ in action for the first time, and I was blown away. I walked right up to the person—a teenager of 15 or 16, much older from my 12-year-old perspective—and asked, “WHAT IS THIS YOU’RE DOING?! And how can I be part of it?” Kenneth smiled and invited me to their weekly DJ crew meetings, and from that moment, I was hooked (thanks, Kenneth!). DJing became my way of connecting with music on a whole new level.
From there, my journey took me deep into the world of music and technology. I struggled to learn music production on my own, but soon enough, I found my path: I completed a bachelor’s degree in biomedicine, then moved to New York to study music production, electronic music history, audio engineering, and mixing at Dubspot. I also ran a club night in Manhattan (Katra Bass) during that time. When I returned to Copenhagen in 2012, I got certified by Ableton and later founded Rumkraft, Scandinavia’s first Ableton Certified Training Centre / electronic music school. The school allowed me to help thousands of musicians and creatives explore their craft through music and technology and open up doors to teach at the conservatories and universities in Denmark and Scandinavia.
Along the way, I co-founded Kopenhagen Laptop Orchestra (KLO, the brainchild of Andreas Wetterberg) with close friends, touring Europe and performing. I also performed with my duo, Ombience, combining improvised electronic music and vocals for sound journeys and yoga. I pursued a deep interest in the science of music, studying cognitive neuroscience at Goldsmiths in London, releasing meditation music with Sony Music, and hosting a radio show on music and the brain. I then completed a master’s in Sound and Music Computing, which gave me the foundation to experiment with music technology. During this time, I created my first version of the Daisy Dub Delay in a cardboard box—a proof of concept that would eventually evolve into Dubby.
All of these experiences—exploring, experimenting, teaching, and creating—ultimately led me to co-found Componental with Leo Fogadic. My background in music production and engineering naturally grew into experimenting at the intersection of hardware and software, inspiring Dubby. Dubby is more than just an instrument; it’s a tool that gives musicians the freedom and flexibility to define their own creative paths without limits.
ES - Dubby is a musical hardware that allows the user to program the software and customize the enclosure according to their needs. When you decided to make this device an open platform, what do you envision the community will be like?
RS - The vision for Dubby is to cultivate a community where musicians, tinkerers, and developers connect and create without barriers. My experience with Rumkraft, which is as much a community as it is a music school, has shown me the incredible inspiration, drive, and friendships that emerge when people come together around music. I’m forever grateful for the relationships and shared knowledge Rumkraft has brought into my life. I’ve often thought about how to scale this special gem, but since I wasn’t interested in moving into online education, I needed another way to build on that community. To me, Dubby embodies everything Rumkraft stands for—good vibes, raw creativity, curiosity, and punk energy—all beautifully contained in a universe of creativity that’s ready to be held, explored, and molded by users at any level, with or without prior knowledge of music technology.
So, to me, Dubby represents much more than an instrument; it’s a platform for sharing ideas and creativity, a space for everyone from beginners to experienced DSP artists. Many creators with libraries of Max and Gen patches have lacked a proper way to share their work—until now. With Dubby, if you craft a DSP idea, synth, effect, or tool, you can share it with thousands of other users who will be able to experience it within the same hardware environment. This makes it possible for artists to share creations in a new way, and although every user’s outcome may be completely unique, the foundation of the experience remains the same.
This collaborative potential fascinates me, and it’s inspired me to dive deeper into audio programming and online community building. My hope is that Dubby will not only spark new ideas but also foster a thriving ecosystem that keeps the instrument evolving and makes it a platform for boundless creativity.
ES - For people getting started with audio programming, it can seem daunting! Is Dubby intended to be an open platform for programming as much as a musical device? And, do you have any plans for education initiatives, Dubby programming tutorials, example programs, and the like?
RS - Absolutely! Dubby is designed to be approachable for beginners while offering depth for advanced users. We’re developing programming tutorials, example patches, and a library of starter effects, as well as step-by-step guides and hands-on workshops to make learning the programming side of Dubby engaging and accessible. We have a growing YouTube channel with some algorithm walkthroughs, audio demos, and some random stuff. Our goal is for users to start creating immediately and explore programming as they build confidence.
We’ve already hosted workshops at Aalborg University in Copenhagen and shared our research and experience at conferences like DAFx (Digital Audio Effects), the Sound and Music Computing Conference in Stockholm, and NIME (New Interfaces for Music Expression) in Mexico City. This winter, we’ll also be touring conservatories, art schools, and music schools, as well as hosting monthly programming sessions and hackathons at Rumkraft, where Componental is based.
We’ve recently made our first DubbyGen programming Git repository public. It’s small but growing, and we’re excited to add more tools, example patches, and documentation. We invite anyone interested in DSP development to join the repo and connect with us on our Discord and the Electro Smith Daisy Discord. Let’s stay in touch and see what we can create together.
Additionally, we’re working on the Dubby Visual Builder, a browser-based, Max Gen-like visual programming environment for Dubby. It’s reactive, beginner-friendly, and integrates fully with Dubby’s hardware and expansions. This setup minimises programming errors while maximising creative exploration, making it ideal for anyone eager to start programming with hardware.
ES - We loved your Daisy Dub Delay video where you demonstrated a delay effects unit that you built out of cardboard. We would love to know what you learned through the process of putting together that proof of concept.
RS - That delay unit was a fun experiment to show how hardware doesn’t need to be flashy to be powerful! We have it on display at our office, along with the evolution of the Dubby prototypes. It taught me a lot about simplifying a concept to its core elements. With the right platform, like Daisy, you can create professional-grade effects even from basic materials. It was a proof of concept not just for the device, but for the spirit behind Dubby—that creativity shouldn’t be limited by what’s standard, status quo, or industry - but rather with what’s readily available.
I’ve explored a lot of platforms over the years, from Teensy and Arduino to purely analogue devices like home-made dub sirens and modular DIY kits. I’ve spent countless hours creating Lemur templates and custom Ableton Live Instrument and Effect Racks, and I’ve dabbled with Cycling ‘74’s Mira (rest in pieces). I’ve even backed several Kickstarter projects trying to solve the same problem we address with Dubby, only to see those companies disappear a year or two later—rest in pieces, BlackBoxEFX and the other one I’ve now forgotten. I once tried Organelle—and really liked it—but it didn’t fully persuade me because I needed something more connected to my workflow, which revolves around Ableton Live and Max.
My “aha” moment came when my good friend Archelaos Vasileiou, who runs Blue FX Devices, showed me a project he was working on. He casually mentioned Daisy—a platform capable of running Gen patches on an embedded device at 24-bit, 96kHz audio quality. I couldn’t believe it! This was the device we’d been dreaming of for years at the Kopenhagen Laptop Orchestra and, for me, it was the missing piece to finally bring my ideas to life. My brain exploded at the possibilities.
That moment inspired the Daisy Dub Delay and set the foundation for Dubby. It proved that with the right platform, the only limit is your creativity.
ES - What drew you to the Daisy platform for developing a musical device that a user can customize both its software and hardware? Were you already working with Daisy prior to Dubby, or was Daisy the found solution to make Dubby a tangible reality?
RS - Daisy was instrumental in making Dubby possible. As I mentioned earlier, my discovery of Daisy felt like finding the missing piece I’d been searching for for a very long time.
I was drawn to Daisy’s open development capabilities and its alignment with my philosophy of user-defined creativity. Its power and flexibility meant we could offer musicians a device that’s as programmable as it is playable, with one of the fastest iteration cycles out there—compiling Gen patches takes less than a second and flashing them to Daisy just a few seconds more. Daisy enables Dubby to be both a robust musical instrument and an accessible platform for creating and sharing DSP ideas.
With the right hardware, Daisy opens the door to a new way of sharing these DSP creations. A challenge for Max and Gen developers is that their incredible patches often remain isolated—tied to specific MIDI controllers, routing setups, plugins, and even operating systems. Sharing these ideas becomes difficult and often inaccessible to others.
Dubby’s open-platform design breaks down these barriers. By standardising the hardware environment while keeping the platform flexible and programmable, Dubby becomes a universal way to share DSP creations. Developers can upload their patches, confident that other users will experience them consistently and reliably—without worrying about compatibility issues or custom setups. It’s a game-changer for collaboration and innovation in the music tech community.
With Daisy, we finally had the foundation to build a device that bridges hardware and software for real-time audio. It’s designed to empower everyone—from beginners exploring sound design for the first time to seasoned “uber-nerds” pushing the limits of DSP. Daisy made Dubby possible, and its potential continues to inspire what we create.
ES - What advice do you have for developers who are interested in creating a commercial device like the Dubby?
RS -
“Don’t do hardware!”
Just kidding—though it’s the advice you’ll often hear from seasoned boutique hardware manufacturers. And honestly, I get it. When you’re new to making commercial hardware—and possibly new to starting or running a business—there are a thousand things you don’t know, and some of them hit hard. But for me, that’s the exciting part.
Having started my first business—Rumkraft, the electronic music school—over a decade ago, I learned how to navigate challenges while freelancing to sustain myself. That experience gave me the confidence to take on this new adventure. I love learning new things, especially tackling challenges like this as a team. So, let me reframe that advice:
Start with what excites you 💜
You don’t need a fully clear vision from day one—just enough to get you started. Focus on what inspires you and build from there. Once you decide your idea could become more than a personal project, dive into user testing and interviews.
For example, before building Daisy Dub Delay, I made a bunch of sketches derived from casually asking and interviewing my music producer, DJ, and performer friends what they loved about software audio delays, hardware pedals, and physical controls. I asked which pedals blew their minds and which were too complex to use—all while drawing and taking notes. These conversations helped fine-tune my design and sparked inspiring discussions about audio, music-making, and creativity.
Luckily, my academic background includes rigorous training in usability testing and scientific methods, and those skills stuck with me. Testing early and often gives you critical insights, helps you refine your ideas, and strengthens your path forward.
Don’t be afraid to share your passion and ideas.
You’ll encounter naysayers, but you’ll also find people who offer constructive feedback and support. Brush off the haters, listen to critics to sharpen your course, and hold onto positive feedback—it will keep you grounded and motivated on rainy days.
Keep the user experience at the forefront.
Build your device with scalability in mind, but stay adaptable—you’ll learn a lot as you go. Choose platforms that align with your goals. For us, Daisy was perfect—it saved us time, expanded Dubby’s capabilities, and aligned with our philosophy of openness and customisation.
Stay lean and agile.
And I don’t just mean in the software DevOps sense. Be ready to pivot when needed, and don’t lock yourself—or your business—into vendors, systems, or software that could restrict flexibility. Use freelancers for para trooping missions, i.e. single fixes holding you back in your development. Wait to expand your team with full-time employees until you can afford (to keep) them.
Find your network and mentors—and go fundraising early!
A huge part of starting Componental and creating Dubby came from the professional network of audio technology companies and startups at the Danish Sound Cluster and the Sound Tech Incubator Programme at Sound Hub Denmark. The latter, based in the legendary Bang & Olufsen labs in Struer, provided incredible facilities and support. Both were instrumental in accelerating our journey, and we would never have secured €250,000 in soft funding or developed Dubby at this speed without them. Big kisses to Jens, Peter, Rie, Tinne, and Dirk. Visit them and visit Struer - the City of Sound.
Invest in prototyping tools early.
Start small but adequate. For us, it began with essential electronics gear—soldering tools, components, organisers—and eventually a Prusa MK4 3D printer, which was a game-changer. With that, we could prototype most parts in-house. Later, we added better soldering gear, an oscilloscope, a power supply, a function generator, and a Gweike laser cutter, enabling us to produce small production batches in-house.
Most importantly, build your community early.
Your users are your greatest resource for innovation, feedback, and collaboration. Engage them, listen to them, and let them help shape the future of your device. A strong community transforms a great idea into an even greater product. Sharing is caring.
ES - Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! We’re excited to see Daisy being used to develop an open platform musical device!!
RS - Thanks for your time, and best of luck with whatever you have your hands on.
Outro
Community is one of the most important aspects of open platform music technology. An open platform encourages a thriving community where members can share their custom firmware and hardware modifications with others and these shared creations can further be remixed. As community members teach each other and explore ideas together, many cutting edge projects can come to life.
As the Dubby is released to the world, we are looking forward to the community and exciting sounds that will arise!
