You can run Doom on a modular synth – who knew?

Do you really need a next-gen console to play video games? Apparently not, as this producer has made iconic first-person shooter Doom work perfectly well on a modular synthesizer…

Released in 1993 by id Software, Doom was initially available on MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System), and sees the player as a Space Marine fighting waves of hellish demons. It’s credited with popularising the first-person shooter video game genre, and inspiring countless FPS titles in the decades since its release.

The game has since turned into a massively successful franchise, shifting millions upon millions of copies and raking in hundreds of millions in revenue. 

Now, we’re not saying a modular synth could handle some of the series’ latest titles like Eternal and The Dark Ages (the latter is only available on next-gen consoles), but the 1993 original? Apparently it can.

Don’t let the laptop screen in the video above fool you, it’s simply displaying video output from the synthesizer. But how exactly has engineer Chicoe done it? 

Via his website Incomputable.io, he’s built a piece of software that can speak to the Workshop Computer module by Music Thing Modular. The site includes a panel for controls on the left hand side, with all the knobs, switches and CV inputs having an effect on your character within Doom. You simply need to connect the Workshop Computer module via USB-C and press Connect, then you’re good to go.

Understandably, synth nuts are going crazy for the makeshift Doom console, with one writing “This is amazing,” and another asking, “Where can I get this?”

Check out the programme for yourself at ws-doom.incomputable.io.

Sam is the Associate News Editor for Guitar.com and MusicTech. Thoroughly immersed in music culture for the majority of his life, Sam has played guitar for 20 years, studied music technology and production at university, and also written for the likes of MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Metal Hammer.