Slashdot Mirror

If you want a tube amp kit, you don't have to wait for Heathkit to get around to it. Check out Paia's web site (no, I do not have any association with the company...other than lusting after the FatMan analog synth and a few other kits).

http://www.paia.com/

Good + Affordable multimeters, too.

How about building analog synthesizer modules? Paia and Blacet Research sell complete analog synthesizer module kits with comprehensive instructions, including theory of operation. Paia sells a couple of techno-ambient ready synthesizers with MIDI, as well as a theremin and other audio processing kits. John Blacet has a fine line of compact analog modules that have been well-used for music production and audio processing. It's a good learning experience soldering and assembling their kits, but even greater charge when you get that fine analog sound out of your handiwork . Techno ambient from my Blacet tower can be heard on the Eurock Live! Podcast.

If you're into audio, there are TONS of kits out there.
Check out the paia kits http://www.paia.com/index.asp, and the best audio electronics forum:
http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/

Don't know about the Curtis chips, but PAiA still has kit analog beasties.

Yeah, I sometimes regret selling my Moog Liberation and my Oberheim OB-8, but really, they were a pain to keep in tune...

LOL,When my continental pissed me off for the LAST time by not properly dividing c 2 oct below middle c,it got two paia fatman kits in its belly.
I kind of think of it as the vox that tuned in,turned on and dropped out.
http://www.paia.com/ to find analog synth kits for the D.I.Y. hAxOr of instruments also theremin and vocoder and mods and hacks galore.free downloads of schematics.
hope someone mods this potentially informative post up from its usual -1 troll automod.

Speaking of obsolete analog in a digital world, these guys still make DIY analog synth kits (and other stuff). They've been around since the late 60s, early 70s.

or better yet, build your own! I built a Theremax from a kit a couple years ago and have enjoyed experimenting with it. I just used an old box for the case (wood lecturn not required).

Wonder if anyone remembers the theremin - this was invented by a Soviet scientist Leon Theremin in 1918, it had no strings, no pipes or keys.

Absolutely! If you want to build your own, check out the PAiA Theremax or Bob Moog's own Big Briar Etherwave. I've built several of both, and recommend the Big Briar as being a better quality instrument as well as more professional kit. The PAiA has a real geek factor to it though, probably good for Slackware fans ;)

If you're interested in a cheap but fun project, search the net (or lots of the good circuit bending links in this story comments thread) for a "light theremin". Instead of using heterodyne principles, it gets a similar sound/action by modulating a simple oscilator using infrared light sensors that you can still play with your hands.

If you're really interested...there's a huge Synth DIY community on the net, from people that build giant modulars from scratch, to simple kits from the above mentioned PAiA all the way to the completely badassed and never-ending MOTM (MOTher of all Modulars, Module Of The Month).

I once bought a kit from Paia for their Fatman synth. It was great and I almost had it working (it made bleepy noises, but not quite the right ones) but then it sort of never quite got finished. Oh well! But it was a lot of fun and a good cheap starter if you're interested in those things.

I once bought a kit from Paia for their Fatman synth. It was great and I almost had it working (it made bleepy noises, but not quite the right ones) but then it sort of never quite got finished. Oh well! But it was a lot of fun and a good cheap starter if you're interested in those things.

Thank you PAIA ... thank you all the other synth hackers out there ...

Tons of great stuff going on in the audio world.

Now, the equalisation curve was specified by our good friends, the RIAA... all amplifiers that have a "Phono" input use an RIAA EQ curve in the pre-amp stage to boost/reduce the frequencies to get back to a flat response that should sound like the studio mix off the (pre vinyl mastering) master tape.

Often these days all mastering is done at a flat EQ curve, because CDs can handle this, and then mastering happens *again* for the vinyl stage. It used to be the other way round, so early CDs were replaced with "digitally remastered" cuts - Brothers in Arms, Pink Floyd catalogue, that sort of stuff - and had a sound that was more faithful to the original, pristine LPs without sounding "tinny" like the first released CDs.

Digital to Analogue converters and preamps are so good these days that there is little difference between vinyl and CD. A lot of the "warmth" that supposed audiophiles go on about is probably "rumble" anyway (that is, the 50 or 60Hz drone that comes from the platter's electric motor and is passed to the needle, and other artifacts created by the rotation of the record in slightly less than perfect circles, etc).

What I like about LPs is the bigger artwork, the physical effort required to play a recording, and the soothing 33 and one third RPM of the disc as it spins on my old JVC turntable. Also, records which are well kept - as they generally are in my collection - sound pretty good too. However, they're not *better* than CDs. Just different. Old analogue stuff has afficionados everywhere, but please stop bleating that it's because it's better. It's just different.

One interesting argument though - a big thing in digital audio is to keep a fully digital path all the way to the very last, then have a top D to A converter right in the amp and straight to the speakers, some people even sending a digital feed to speakers which have reference D to A converters or even some system to use the digital signal to generate an analogue wave which goes beyond normal D to A electronics (can't remember too much about that, Google around if you feel so inclined). With my vinyl setup, however, I have a signal path that is fully analogue, and no need of a DtoA stage at all ;-) - although I do have solid state electronics in the system... which old wind up 78rpm players didn't have. I bet some people claimed they sounded better than the newer 33rpm records with electric motors and all that, too.

The best is MOTM, available from Synthesis Technology. It's not the cheapest option but you can build yourself a very professional instrument.

There's also Blacet Research which makes kits compatible with Paia kits. Paia has a kit, the Fatman, for a complete, if simple, analog monosynth. There's also some others, like Oakley Sound Systems (in the UK) that make just the PCB's and instructions.

I've only built MOTM myself. They are very nice.

I've been bouncing around ideas for awhile now to design my own soundcard, with fully-documented schematics and the like. Just haven't gotten off my lazy arse to do it. But if we ever get to a point where one can only buy SMDI-aware ones, I'll just have to follow through.

I would like to make plans available under some open-source-like license. That is, schematics, etching-masks for the boards, parts lists, building constructions, and fully-documented interfacing manual would be fully and freely available on the web.

I think that schematics cannot be covered under a GPL-like license, but a more BSD-like license would be fine. Depending on how high demand was, boards and parts could be purchased as kits (like PAIA does with their audio stuff) and pre-assembled too. Plus, the public availability of the plans would allow any number of fabrication facilities to make boards themselves and ship locally. I think it would be interesting to see how such a project could/would work.

Thanks for the story on one of my favorite hardware hackers.Anyone interested in picking up a soldering iron and building and or modding synths and theremins can find a wealth of info,parts and kits at www.paia.com home of more hardware geeks

there's a man named Craig Anderton who publishes a book that is more or less exactly what you're looking for. it's called "Electronics Project for Musicians" and you can probably get it from Amazon or i know you can get it from Paia.

speaking of Paia, i believe that they sell a mixer kit for like $30 or something.

Electronic Projects for Musicians by Craig Anderton

also, just check out Paia for all your musical needs, because they really have the best kits out there and you can always build cheaper and better than you can buy.

there's a man named Craig Anderton who publishes a book that is more or less exactly what you're looking for. it's called "Electronics Project for Musicians" and you can probably get it from Amazon or i know you can get it from Paia.

speaking of Paia, i believe that they sell a mixer kit for like $30 or something.

Electronic Projects for Musicians by Craig Anderton

also, just check out Paia for all your musical needs, because they really have the best kits out there and you can always build cheaper and better than you can buy.

I'm no expert, but every synth-DIYer I've ever talked with has said "if you're considering DIY building a mixer, don't."

That being said, there are some affordable DIY kit options from PAiA. I haven't tried these, but everything else I've built that's PAiA is excellent.

Just get the damn Mackie :)