This place is awesome! I spent a long weekend in Portland with my 10yo and we spent 3 days here testing out everything they have on display. All the employees were so knowledgeable and kind. They encouraged him to test out everything and enthusiastically shared their knowledge with us. Plus they have a couch so there's somewhere comfortable to hang out if your shopping buddy decides to spend hours here. read more

Great sales around the holidays. The 10% really helps! My favorite modular store in the US.

The first place I look when I need eurorack/audio gear. Knowledgeable friendly and straightforward. Competitive prices and usually free shipping. Thanks CV! read more

Love this place!! I have been shipping with them for years and always had amazing service, fast shipping and great pricing. I couldn't recommend them more! :) read more

Wow, this place is impressive! A wondrous collection of gadgets. It's going to take several trips to wrap my head around the possibilities. They also have basics like any cable you might need. read more

DO NOT buy anything from control voltage in Portland, Oregon. They sell used items as brand new. When I receive the package, the box it was shipped in was beat up and too small for the manufacturer box inside it. There was barely any bubble wrap on the inside, and the item was just thrown in the manufacturer module box. The module was completely dirty, dusty, and had scratch marks where the previous user screwed the module into their rack.. it also had scratch marks by the controller . Luckily, I video recorded the opening of the box to clearly show the horrible condition it was sent to me in. Control voltage is nothing but scammers, thieves, and liars. Be warned.! don't buy anything from them. read more

I had a great experience here the other day with the owner. I had gone in the day before and to be honest, the guy working wasn't too interested in helping me. I returned the next day and it was a whole different experience. The owner took the time (probably 45min) to help me with my issue and in the end I was able to buy the synth and use it for my purposes. Thx again! Cheers read more

Customer service from these guys is top tier. I received a defective product (Manufacture issue) and was a little concerned about the return process. Control Voltage's customer support went way way way out of their way to make sure I felt comfortable about the situation. They even reached out to me after hours and everything. It really helped ease my mind. I will be purchasing from this store again without question! Thank you for all the help, Jason. You rock!!! read more

Absolute heaven. For any of your synthesizer needs, analog or digital, this is the place. I highly recommend that you check it out for anyone who is into synths, EDM or music. I came in with the boyfriend, and we spent 2 hours in here looking at all of the instruments. They have analog and digital synthesizers, drum machines, theremins, controllers, sequencers, cables, soundmakers, software - everything for synths and electronic music. They also sell some t-shirts, local music, and have classes and events. We were greeted warmly and asked a few times while we were there if we were doing ok or had any questions. We overhead someone checking out some solar powered synths and had to check them out. For $400 each, they are made in Portland and have an oscillator. My boyfriend is a musical genius and has built analog synths and played music for four decades. He was having a music orgasm every five minutes while playing with the analog synths and learning about new items he hadn't seen before. Control Voltage is a beautiful store. We shall return. read more

See all

I have placed orders online for in store pickup several times and it's a super smooth experience. It's a fun place to go in person, of course! A great local resource for synth lovers! read more

Amazing store with a solid selection of various electronic music instruments and adjacent things as well as a friendly and knowledgable staff. They even had an on-point recommendation for my toddler's first synth - and let her demo it. If I was local, I'd be there at least once a month just to window shop and would gladly make it my go-to music supply store. Highly recommended. read more

You are either a physical musician or a virtual musician. The virtual musician works in Ableton, Logic, Reason or the like. Time line. But to control that software you may need a physical control surface, with buttons, a keyboard or even a drum pad; micen, Wii, maybe Kinect. The physical musician is hands on. If you were in band, you were doing this. Real time. Today it is maybe waving hands at a theremin, playing a keyboard, twiddling knobs or fingering a trackpad. We are not ready for mind control (yet!). Control voltage is Portland's only specialty store for both time line and real time. They have analog synths, theremins, control surfaces, keyboards, cables and accessories. Need a little touchpad synth for bus rides? They have it! They have Moog too. The store also hosts demonstrations and visiting artists, often free, and workshops. I know a little about gadgets, but I learned a lot from a brief conversation with the owner that I did not know. They are supporters of local synth builders, believe it or not, there are several. They have a large selection of Doepfer Eurorack modules you can play. And any store that has a soldering iron on the counter is A-OK by me too! There are some terms in this review that you might need to search to find. Forget that and just stop by this shop and experiment with some sound making instruments, including the hand held items at the counter. If you are a musician, and each and every one of us are, stop by Control Voltage and lay your hands on their music machines, all are equipped with headphones. Play, play, play! read more

Incredible shop run by great people, great website, great selection, and filled with amazing display setups. I placed an order to pick up in person and when there was a minor issue, the owner was proactive and reached out to me right away, eager to resolve it and make sure I had a good experience. When I arrived, the staff was welcoming, and encouraged playing around with any the gear they've got set up. The display rigs are well thought out, well organized, and very functional. Even Apple stores aren't this comprehensive in having so much gear out and ready to get hands on with. I had a question about a module and two employees sprung into action providing in depth knowledge about it, the differences from others like it, interactions with other modules, and in a few seconds patched up sounds such that I couldn't leave without it. Before I left, they also made sure to show me a few cool patches on the display model of what I had already initially purchased, which I had hours of fun with replicating back at home. Great experience with this business from before my purchase to well after. read more

Wish there was something like this in LA! LIterally the coolest music gear/ synth shop that I've ever seen. Boyfriend spent over 2 hours checking out the cool stuff in here. Wish I could come back sooner! Super awesome that they have workshops here too. read more

See all

Stepping into the Disneyland of synthesizers , I have yet to experience such complete collection of modern shelf instruments. If you love synthesizers as much as we do you owe it to yourself to walk into this place. This place has available eurorack modules and all the major. Everything is available for display and to try it out. Furthermore, they seem to have most things on stock which seems to be an issue with Synthesizer community. My only criticism of this place is the current employee/owner? Who in many cases came out sounding condescending. I am sure he gets a lot of beginners walking into the store. I am hardly a beginner. I am sure other customers will pick up on his demeanor. I recommend him to be more patient and open minded. read more

Control Voltage - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I find the two dudes that are always there helpful. Selection is great, you can purchase online and pick up immediately. Looking forward to them opening back up to walk in's. read more

Just walked out. I have about 3000hp of eurorack gear (six figures easy), showed them a picture to try to start a conversation, told them I traveled 2000 mi to see their store on my vacation and they couldn't have cared less. I teach people modular, I run a modular group, and no one in our community is so pretentious. All the salesperson would do is bs with his friend about how Thom Yorke came in. So in short, even if you have the $ don't go here unless you're double platinum. read more

My husband, who is into modular and has collected extensively since 2007, and I, the supportive wife made a special trip to this shop on our visit from H-Town. The guys working were total jerks. He patched something up, we were on vacation to spend $$, but the employees were too ate up with their encounter with a washed up Thom Yorke who had visited the shop was all the could care about. I went to Twisted yarn store in comparison and the women were almost hugging a fellow knitter with a love or local yarn. This store is masterbatory nonsense. Don't waste your time. read more

Love this shop. Bought a Grandmother and Sub 37 here and hopefully more in future. Great service and follow up, they love what they do! Cheers from Seattle read more

My friends and I came to check out the local synth store while we were in town. Lots of cool gear but one of the employees was unnecessarily rude to us. We were filming with a DSLR and totally understand not wanting us to film. All good, but there's no need to be a jerk and call your customers names. Just ask them to stop politely next time. I would have loved to buy something from a boutique store in tax free Portland...but not from that guy. read more

I was just in town visiting friends and decided to visit CV. Great selection of gear and accessories and the staff was friendly and most of all helpful. They are also not pushy and let you explore on your own. I ended coming back the following day and bought some thing I played with the day before. Also, no sales tax. //Update// Ever since that first visit I continue to buy from CV. Their customer service and patience has been amazing. They recently went out of their way to send me a product and I really appreciate it. Thanks Jason! read more

Jason is the man. It took me a year to find somebody to do a repair job on a 90's digital synth (which Jason will tell you is not his area of expertise!) that I had already half-started, but needed someone else to finish for lack of proper equipment. Btw: This is where most techs will stop you and say "NOPE". He said he is always open to the possibility of "collaboration" and will at least hear anyone out regarding a job. He agreed to do the repair, and I gave him all the parts and an online "instructable" and he told me it will be ready in a couple of weeks. He called me the next day to say it was ready, and he charged me about half what I'd expect a technician would charge. The shop is set up so that you can play with EVERYTHING before you buy. This is a most important service for this kind of equipment! It's not every day you get to test drive a rare 70's analog before committing to purchase. After finally getting to play with a synth that I've lusted after for years, I decided it actually wasn't for me! But then I played with three more that are! This place is an amazing resource. Jason will take the time to talk with you and answer all your questions. Give CV your business so they stick around! Update: In the two years I've been coming here, Jason has always been great. I bought an Ableton Push controller from him and he gave me a SICK free Ableton laptop bag for FREE. He had gotten a stash from them and wanted to pass along the swag. I also bought my Moog Sub-37 here, specifically to give him (deserved) business. When there was a firmware update and it turned my Moog into a useless brick for a couple of days, he reached out to help. He is really good to his customers. Don't ever be afraid to ask him anything, he'll do the best he can. Much love! read more

They have such a great assortment of gear, I felt like a kid in a candy store in here. And yet, I have never felt less welcome in a shop. It's almost as if the staff are trying to make you leave; pure disdain. It reminded me of that Jeffrey's Clothing Store SNL skit from the early 2000s. Not too surprised to read that this has been the experience of a lot of other people coming in here. read more

I came in to see what sort of toys this place has to offer and Jason has great taste in his selections. I picked up a korg monotron and a buddha sound player. Immediately, I went to the studio and made some music. Great store with a nice selection of new and used gear for the synth enthusiasts. read more

Fuck yea! Only rivaled by Analogue Haven on the West Coast that I know of. Friendly staff, great gear, great location, just YEA! read more

When I first moved to Portland from Los Angeles, this was one of the first places I went to. Being a synth nerd myself, this was like being a kid in a candy store! An absolute great collection of synths, both fixed and modular, all displayed nicely with a very aesthetically clean layout to the store, and everything can be demoed as there are headphones setup at each synth station. The owner, Jason, is very knowledgable and helpful. Definitely a breath of fresh air from the big chain music stores I'm use to in Los Angeles (e.g. Guitar Center, Sam Ash) If I had a choice, and was allowed... I would live at Control Voltage! read more

It's amazing a place like this exists in a relatively small city. I'm giving 5 stars even though Jason, who knows his stuff, said he would only be interested in consigning 8 out of 13 synthesizers I was trying to sell at the time. Jason knows his market and his customers. And the harsh reality for myself is that 5 of my synths probably would not sell there. He knew that, and with some reality I knew that too. That is honesty. This isn't the "keyboard department" of Guitar Center. None of the sales people will proclaim how "bitchen" the new Roland Gaia is. If I had a complaint it's that this whole community is full of hipsters and me in my Levi 501 non-skinny jeans...well I feel like a minority. read more

After several years, I decided to give this shop another try... unfortunately it's the same ol' rude, and pretentious vibe, that kept me away in the first place. What a shame... read more

I don't know why everyone is saying CV staff is rude. I've been a regular customer for years and all those people have been nothing but cool every time I've been there. Don't believe the hype Control Voltage rules, as does it's staff. read more

It's such a shame such an incredible shop has such a rude staff. I can't speak for all the employees but the man that was in there the day I visited was the WORST. I was just filming some of the synths while my friend played one of them for an instagram story and the staff member went off on me and my friends. This place truly has great products and an AMAZING visual display but if you can't respectfully tell a customer "hey just so you guys no, no filming" and instead make an entire store feel like pieces of shit going on and on about "homeboys" and "James bond" because I tried to capture a 15 second video... I'm not returning. read more

I purchased a module yesterday. I was just passing in town, and I'm a muffwiggler fan, so heard plenty about ControlVoltage for a while. The +: - lots and lots and lots of stuff to check out and play with: the amount of available Eurorack modules and keyboards (OB6 to the more recent Korg Prologue, as of writing) is massive. And best of all, you can stop at one of the many desks and start patching (assuming there are cables around). Compared to 'my' store in SF (namely, RobotSpeak) that's fresh. - assuming the staff is available, these guys are really helpful. I asked for a demo yesterday and comparable modules for a specific SFX: really helpful showing one of them and telling me about the state of the market. - there are actually workshops here! One thing I love at RobotSpeak is the monthly showcasing of rigs by Eurorack aficionados. The owner planned to do workshops (this info is actually still displayed on the website) but that never took off: too bad, because that would have made me become a loyal visitor there. The fact that ControlVoltage offers workshops not only makes sense (because that's what noobs want, and noobs are the customer base with supposedly the highest budget - in volume), it adds extra soul to an otherwise classic brick and mortar shopping experience. The -: - lots and lots and lots of stuff... we've all seen on YouTube and elsewhere. While it makes sense commercially (you see it on YouTube = you buy it at your local store or online), there's no surprise 'candy charm in the box'. In other words, it's just more of the same, and it's a bit boring. Eurorack is by definition (and until very recently) the world of circuit bending. If you're into MI, Intellijel and MN ie the big factory players, they'll have what you're looking for. But what about that prototype module or a low volume manufacturer? What about vintage modules? Not so much. - the staff is knowledgeable - but I still felt that the bottomline is about making money. I know, it's a business! but still, when I walk into one of the nichest shops around (not just in Portland, but around the US), I'd like to feel I'm surrounded by 'friends', not shopkeepers. - the buying experience: I think this is the biggest problem in the industry at the moment. While the market has exploded with the rise of demos posted on YouTube, the purchase model is still the same as it was in the heydays of analogue synthesis: it's a walk-in and buy-in, pay per unit, business model. Agreed, it doesn't depend on a sole storefront to make the rules. However, if I compare the prices with those online (say, DetroitModular for instance), DM wins. I'm probably never going to go by the Michigan area, but that's not really the point. DM wins not because their base is more loyal compared to ControlVoltage's, but because they buy tens of the same modules compared to shops with much less volume purchase / stocking power. With this said, would it be that complicated to have a buy-back model either per brand or per shop? Even if it meant available for local buyers only? The industry needs to inspire from models in the videogames industry and elsewhere, otherwise there's no question the days of ControlVoltage, and all the others, will darken the moment the likes of DivKidVideo stop posting videos on YouTube. It's all the more disappointing because CV is supposedly a flagship Eurorack store in the US, to not being proposed something innovative by them in terms of purchase experience. I might return, but probably not to buy again. read more

Cool store, bro. Half hacker-space, half music store, this is well-off white dude heaven. I don't know if there's any way around a modular synth store feeling pretentious and inaccessible, but it doesn't feel super comfortable to me. The good is that Control Voltage has lots of neat synths (keyboards, drum pads, etc), modules, and toys...and plenty of floor models to try out (with headphones)! read more

I purchased a used Roland Integra 7 from Control Voltage. Over the phone, they described it as looking like it was never used. Shipped fast to NYC, and excellent packaging (original box within another box, bubble wrap all over the place). Unit was indeed unmarked in any way - the directions hadn't even been opened. Super experience all around. Thank you! read more

Great selection of eurorack modules that are appropriately priced. If you are looking for Eurorack models or musical gear in the Portland area, or even an online order, this is your place. On top of that they have honest, friendly and patient service (Jason) that was willing to work on a complicated and confusing order. read more

FINALLY! Portland has a synth shop to call its very own. Jason the owner is very helpful and knowledgable. Need a patch cable for your modular? DONE! How about a vintage Korg MonoPoly? YUP! Some advice on your next sonic journey? YESSIR! Do yourself a favor, and spend a couple hours twiddling knobs, chatting, and getting to know PDX's synth scene in general. read more

Way cool - can't believe we have a shop like this in Portland. Lot's of opportunity for hands on experience with the machines. Go there.

I have to pinch myself every time I walk into this place. It's that great. If you are into creating electronic music, or even just curious what all the "buzz" is about, you have to stop by and check out this store! Also, do not be intimidated by all the gear. Everything, including the keyboards, are set up with a pair of headphones so you can play/experiment at your leisure. Jason is also extremely helpful if you have any questions about a specific piece of gear. CV also offer classes that are a way to introduce someone into the world of electronic music production (without having to spend a ton of money on gear). I even built my first Eurorack case there. How cool is that?! read more

Get ready to go from Noob to Pro. CV has tons in stock, tons of knowledge. If you're in Oregon, it's worth visiting.

I called Control Voltage to ask if I could bring my synth in for some help ( I needed to buy some accessories). The store worker immediately said no and that they were too busy. I thought it was quite weird so I decided to just take it into the shop instead. When I got there, no one was in the store and the two workers were rude and didn't want to help. I bought an accessory and asked about the Control Voltage sticker. The shop worker said it was $18 for me... read more

Bar none, the coolest music store I have ever visited. Where else are you going to have a chance to demo a theremin? This place is unparalleled in their selection, and the staff is friendly and helpful. They also have a corner devoted to selling some local music which is awesome. Highly recommend. read more