I designed a PCB MIDI saxophone
The Circuit Sax is a saxophone MIDI controller. It lets you play any software instrument you’d like using saxophone fingerings, allowing you to practice without disturbing others, create music in any DAW, and even perform with it. It’s designed to feel as close to a regular saxophone as possible so that it won’t feel unfamiliar to the player.
I designed a PCB MIDI saxophone launched on October 23, 2024 with 12 votes, #1,072 of 5,185 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 1 year on.
In plain words
The Circuit Sax is a PCB-based MIDI controller designed for saxophone players. It uses traditional saxophone fingerings to trigger software instruments in any DAW, enabling silent practice and performance without a physical instrument. The controller mimics a real saxophone's feel and layout, making it intuitive for experienced players to learn and use while creating music across different genres and settings.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Teensy-powered electronic saxophone. Contribute to Whackalenso/CircuitSax development by creating an account on GitHub.
The Circuit Sax is a mini electronic saxophone. Made with mechanical switches, custom 3D printed keycaps, and breath input, it’s designed to feel as close to a regular saxophone as possible. Almost anything you can play on a real saxophone, you can translate to the Circuit Sax. Circuit Sax is in its second version. See Circuit Sax v1 for the original set of features. youtube video After originally making a prototype out of breadboards (shown above), I wanted to make a new version using a PCB as the body, mechanical switches for buttons, and 3D prints for the mouthpiece, thumb rest, and keys. However, I wasn't sure what I would do about the side keys. After finding this project by Javier…from github.com
Does a similar job
all alternatives →
Haxophone2022 · github.com · ▲526I built this during Covid. When I released it, some of the parts went out of stock or skyrocketed in price, no longer making this an economic DIY project. Now that things are getting back to almost normal, I thought I'd share it here and request feedback. This is a very niche project for people who like the same things I do: saxophones, Rust, mechanical keyboards and the Raspberry Pi.
Ear training using midi.js2015 · tonedear.com · ▲230
- MAMusikcube, a terminal-based music player, library, and streaming server2017 · musikcube.com · ▲340
PlayThatSheet2022 · playthatsheet.com · ▲56Enjoy your sax on real tracks without knowing music theory!
Draw.Audio – A musical sketchpad using the Web Audio API2024 · draw.audio · ▲249Draw.Audio is a free online music maker. Draw notes on a grid and hear them play back instantly — a browser-based synthesizer, sequencer, and visual instrument.
More life & fun this month
the category →
A free city-building game in your browser. You are the mayor. You know what the city needs. Now get it past the zoning board, the neighbors, the appeals court and the next election.
Life & fun · 2d ago · permit.petercai.com
- IV
Life & fun · 14d ago · tanzaniaeducationproject.org
Turn a phone, tablet or TV into a sign. Type a message and it fills the screen: welcome signs, timers, Wi-Fi passwords and more. No app, no account, free.
Life & fun · 15d ago · bigwords.page
Play a free virtual guitar online with your keyboard or by touch. Slow songs down and see every chord, string and strum. Acoustic, classic, electric and bass.
Life & fun · 9d ago · guitoro.com
Carrier settings from iPhone, Pixel and Galaxy firmware, decoded and compared: APNs, VoLTE, 5G and Wi-Fi Calling per carrier, and what each build changed.
Life & fun · 13d ago · carrierexplode.com
Life & fun · 23d ago · space.bl2.net
Source: Show HN post ↗
Launched alongside, October 2024
the whole month →
bolt.new▲1,230Build and scale high-performing websites & apps using your words. Join millions and start building today.
AI · 2024 · bolt.new
Softr for Notion▲923Turn Notion databases into portals & apps with no code
Dev tools · 2024 · softr.io
One inbox for all your work discussions
Work · 2024 · generalcollaboration.com