Synthia 2.0 is a working electronic music device that you build yourself. It combines four things in one box: a synthesiser for creating sound, a drum machine for rhythms, a sequencer for patterns and songs, and a sampler for recording and manipulating audio.

Assembling Synthia covers both electronics and music technology. You put the components together and see how they interact within a circuit, then work with sound waves and digital audio to understand how a synthesiser generates and shapes what you hear through signal processing. Once it is built, you can also code it.

Ages 11 and up. It is a challenging build but an accessible one, and adults with an interest in DIY electronics and sound creation get as much out of it as teenagers do.

No prior experience is needed. The kit includes everything required for the build, and the instructions take each step in turn.

Typically around an hour and a half.

You have a self-contained electronic music setup. Create sounds with the synthesiser, build patterns with the drum machine, arrange them into songs with the sequencer, and record your own samples through the built-in microphone to drop into what you are making.