[sdiy] Need Some Advice

[harry]

Yes...

Build a kit.  My first synth was the paia2720.  It worked (sort of). Then
slowly CHOP UP the kit... add some simple mods here and there...

Unless you have really good troubleshooting skills... building from scratch
can be very difficult.  I remember trying to clone the "minimoog" model D
filter... from a hand drawn schematic I copied from the manual in college.
I had only 1/2 hour access to it.

And I made only ONE little error... a showstopper.  Needless to say my
breadboard
was a disaster.

I found the hand drawn schematic 20 years later... took ONE look and said
"Oh now I get it the base of the differential pair is tied to the wrong
point..."

Kits will free you from some of that... and keep the kits simple at first...
maybe
a single VCO.  Something you can run by itself.

H^) harry

Dr Strangelove wrote:

> Hey Everyone.
>
>     I need a bit of advice.  I have been trying to roll my own synthesizer
> for a long time now.  I have dropped HUNDREDS of dollars (Test equipment,
> parts, books) and HUNDREDS of hours of time (Reading, Soldering, Trouble
> shooting, learning everything I can on the net... Literrally I've spent
> almost all of my spare time for FIVE YEARS on this obsession), not to
> mention an immesurable amount of mental energy into it with very little
> success.  I have had success with small things, pre-amps, comparators, LFO.
> I had a filter that I *Thought* was working but it didn't (Details
> irrellevent to my inquiry).  I've just spent another week (its my summer
> break from college) soldering away and trying to troubleshoot (oi - vey)
> stuff when it doesn't work but I've just been wasting time.  I'm really
> loosing hope here.  It's just not fun anymore.
>     Should I try to build a circuit based on a LSIC like a CEM 3374 or an
> SEM 2045 (I own both of those)?  I'm really thinking of just cashing in my
> chips (throwing everything into the attic) and giving up (maybe come back to
> it all in 10 years so that I can get really frustrated a second time, I
> guess all you gents will still be on this list. :-)   ).  I don't WANT to do
> this but I just don't think I'm learning anything anymore, I don't think I'm
> getting any better at DIY.  I really Enjoy the actual soldering and putting
> stuff together (I've even come to like drilling panels and ordering parts,
> which were formerly the steps I hated doing!) I just can't get any of my
> stuff to work.  Any advice?  Maybe just wait untill my midlife crisis and go
> blow an insane amount of money on a modular "Like I wanted in my twenties".
> ]:-)
>
> Somebody outta start something like classes for people who want to build
> their own synth.  Here in the ATL there are classes for people to learn to
> build their own guitar....  I think as many people would want to build a
> synth.  Even a video series or something.
>
> Thanks for any help,
> Jonathan Pratt
>
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