Synth in a Month

About | Specifications | Construction | Media | Journal

General Construction Info Though I built this synth from the ground up, none of the circuit designs or board layouts were mine. Most of them came from Ray Wilson's musicfromouterspace.com (for more info see "specifications"). It was built in one month, from January 2006-February 2006. It was built using the standard 5U high panel size, inside of a cabinet that is based on the DIY cabinet guide from synthesizers.com but is a bit of my own version because of the rack rails and all. The journal section shows, in detail, how this synth was made from beginning to end. Regrets I wish I had gotten wider shelves for the top and bottom-if done correctly, I still could have prevented any cut edges from showing, and I wouldn't have to route the inserts and use modules with no components near the edge (see the journal for more info.) Ordering panels from synthtech.com was a bad idea. I think MOTM sells these panels from the point of view that they are just kind of fun spare parts for people to have, not the basis of the synth. Eight days after I placed the order, I had to call in to get them to ship, then pay more to get them to ship overnight just so I could have them in time. I would recommend making your own for much less ($218 is a lot), even though it is a pain. My panel ordering is a bit off-the LPF should be closer in. Fortunately, I can change this. I should have used an AC socket. It would allow me to use any length of chord and prevent any yanking of the PSU that might happen. Even though it would be a pain to drill... I ordered one of Ken Stone's Pedal->Module and one of Ken Stone's Module->Pedal without realizing that they can be used interchangeably and the difference is that the Module->pedal just contains a power supply so that you can put it all in one box. I should have built and audio mixer. If I had waited longer, I could have used more modules that have PCBs for sale from Ray Wilson's site because there are now new ones, but there's not much I can do about that... Tips This synth is living proof that the Ray Wilson modules I used will run on +/-15v. I changed C6 in the VCO to .01uf to make the range lower, and added a 47k resistor to R2P1 to limit the upper range. I also added a 10k resistor to R39 to prevent the pulse width from going too far and nulling the signal. I also added a second Linear CV in by connecting, to the same point as the other lin CV in, a jack with a 100k resitor to ground and a 1m resistor in line. I would highly receommend this cabinet construction technique, with the rack rails and all. However, like stated above, I would make sure that it was wide enough. You can get PowerOne supplies for cheap on eBay (or at least, you could!) Yes, you CAN build a synth in a month! Price List Below is a price list that states, for the most part, how much I spent on each part of the synth, from the electronic components to the cabinets. It also shows where I got them and the "possible price", which is my opinion on what the best possible price you could have gotten for that particular part of the synth. Description Price Possible Price Source TOTAL PRICE 785.15 325 -- Electronic Parts (total) 250.52 150 99% Mouser.com, also various sources for harder to find parts 2x VCO Parts 73 -- -- Dual VCA Parts 13 -- -- Dual LFO Parts 18 -- -- 2x ADSR Parts 30 -- -- VC SVF Parts 10 -- -- S+H Parts 15 -- -- Dual Mixer Parts 11 -- -- 3x Guitar Interface Parts 20 -- -- Other/Spare Parts 40 -- -- Circuit Boards 168.32 40 Music from Outer Space, Ken Stone, Adam Romero 2x VCO board and VCA Board 62 -- Musicfromouterspace.com (Ray Wilson) Guitar Interface Boards 16.32 -- cgs.synth.net (Ken Stone) All Other Boards 90 -- Adam Romero Cabinet 366.31 135 -- Rack Rails and Mounting Hardware 45.3 40 eBay Seller dblittlea Blank Panels 218 20 synthtech.com Power Supply 18.61 15 eBay Seller ctrsurplus.com Knobs 24.4 10 Mouser.com Cabinet Wood, etc 60 50 Home Depot, Local hardware store