homemade synths...

[jamiewoody]

i was wondering, does anybody build things from scratch instead of circuit bending?

LFO? atari-punk? theramin? do you put your own unique twist on these things?

i'm thinking, when i have finished bending all that is on my plate, i am going to try my hand at actually building something, in a "monkey see, monkey do" fashion. then poke around and bend what i just built, making it "my own".

maybe when i do 5000 things, i will create a logo for myself! 

[Circuitbenders]

do a search on here for Wierd Sound Genrator or Catweazles Fraktal synth.

The WSG is a really good analogue drone and space sounds generator which is easy to build and the fraktal synth uses a PIC and a few pots but can be easily built on stripboard.

[SineHacker]

I do, there's a book called "Handmade Electronic Music" by Nicholas Collins, if you want to try it out, this is definitely the place to start! the newest edition has an accompanying DVD as well 

he goes over lots of stuff outside of logic-synth building as well that I would almost guarantee you will want to try out, all of the topics and how-to's are designed to be easily affordable as well - as in a couple of pounds affordable!

Ray Wilsons site is cool as well (thats the WSG stuff): http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/

as well as Bristolian Tom Bugs: http://www.bugbrand.co.uk/


enjoy 

[jamiewoody]

i saw that WSG synth! their kits are way too expensive, but bless them for sharing the schematic, photos, instructions, etc for free!

actually, i think this will be my first synth!

i want to try the atari punk and a basic lfo too. then start to experiment based on these designs.

[Circuitbenders]

I'd say Ray Wilsons stuff is some of the cheapest you'll find for anything decent. Anyway, you can just buy the PCB for virtually nothing and get the parts yourself.

[SineHacker]

Yeah if you go with the WSG and read all of the documentation around it (not only on Ray Wilson's site!) as you're building then you should have some depth to experiment further, plus you can bend the WSG!

it is kinda pricey though - I can't remember what is used for the filter but the chip that controls the main oscillators is a 40106, which cost about a pound each i think - if you get a PCB then you can avoid all the fiddly breadboard wiring which is worth it to an extent.

[jamiewoody]

the wsg kit, sans case and faceplate was around 100 bucks last time i looked.

i actually went through the trouble of pricing the components (of course, some in lots of 100, who buys ONE resistor?!!) and i think i came up with ballpark of 25 bucks.

so, that sounds like that thing to do. at least this guy is generous enough on his site to post schematics and photos of circuitboards in misc variations but different builders so you can do it.

[Circuitbenders]

Do you get the official front panel in the kit? That'll probably what costs the money. Luckily you can build it into just about anything.

While i'm here i might as well provide a link to the other WSG thread on here if anyone is following this:
http://www.circuitbenders.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,592.0.html

[jamiewoody]

i haven't bought one because they are so expensive. i think i will try to make one instead, gathering components myself. of course, this way i can make more than one!

[SineHacker]

ugg I spent 12 hours underground in an electronics lab today trying to finish my prototype synth. of course it didn't fucking work after that -  I was pretty wasted by the time I was making the last connections though so hopefully there is some small mistake that I can clear up tomorrow. I will post some pics and a vid when it works!

[noystoise]

i was wondering, does anybody build things from scratch instead of circuit bending?
LFO? atari-punk? theramin? do you put your own unique twist on these things?

this site might help you get started with logic chips
http://www.talkingelectronics.com.au/ChipDataEbook-1d/html/

[jamiewoody]

i notice these are usually based around either a 555 or 556 timer. i know the 556 is a dual timer, but other than that....

what are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

[computer at sea]

I was pretty wasted by the time I was making the last connections though so hopefully there is some small mistake that I can clear up tomorrow

Yeah, it can be hard to remember to take a break when you're really dialed in on a project.  I bet once you go over the board and wiring again with some fresh eyes the problem will be self-evident.

[Remork]

i was wondering, does anybody build things from scratch instead of circuit bending?

yeah, that's where i started - building guitar effects. starting to understand bits and pieces here and there now.. so i tend to want to know what i'm doing when bending as well. quite against the principle of bending i guess, but hell..

some stuff in this topic.. http://www.circuitbenders.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1386.0.html
including a link to a facebook photo album that has some more.

[jamiewoody]

wow! i'd love to learn how to build guitar effects! what in that way have you built? which manufacturer do the resemble? it would be way cool to build something in the vein of MXR or electroharmonix!

i did bend a TIGER QUIZ WIZ into a glirofied LFO! this time, instead of going with the sounds which are obvious, i dug and discovered some really cool buzz sounds which i was able to variate! (i started a thread on this in the keyboard and synth folder).