“China has a model called technological leapfrogging, where they tend to lag behind in one technological development so they can innovate on the next”: The revolutionary history of Chinese synths

ASM Leviasynth.

SYNTH WEEK 2026: Despite a reputation as an electronics manufacturing powerhouse and a history with synthesizers going back to the 1970s, it was only recently that China produced its first mass-market synth.

Think of synthesizer-producing nations, and you’re likely to imagine America and Japan first, followed by European countries like the UK, Germany and Italy next, with many smaller polities popping up when you start including Eurorack manufacturers.