FW: [sdiy] comparative reviews: modular kits

[Paul McLean]

Alright, I'm going to try sending this one more time...

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul McLean [mailto:mclean at tinyteddybears.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 3:56 PM
To: owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
Subject: RE: [sdiy] comparative reviews: modular kits


Hi Group,

I'll take a crack at this since no one else has bitten.  I think that I've
got a lot in common with the Mr. Drake.  I too am a relative newbie, I can
solder, read a schematic, use a scope and (most important) follow
directions. Here are my impressions (naturally I will stick to manufacturers
whose kit's I've built).

PAiA (http://www.paia.com)
This is the way to start.  Easily the most clear and easy to follow
instructions I've  found, they assume very little on the part of the
builder.  Of most relevance here is  the 9700 series.  They pack a ton of
function into each kit.  The down side is not as much control (no input
attenuators, no fine tune...).  The jacks and knobs are crammed onto the
panel which may be a positive or negative depending on your application.
I've build the entire package and I like how it sounds, especially the dual
filter.  For the DIYer, it serves as an excellent testbed for DIY modules.
Support is very responsive.

Blacet (http://www.blacet.com)
Very interesting and useful modules.  Instructions are not as failsafe as
PAiA but fine if you've done a few kits.  Support is excellent (John Blacet
helped me debug a bad TI chip in the DarkStar and replaced it promptly).  I
haven't built the VCO or Filter.  They seem pretty expensive but I'm sure
they are of excellent quality.  I intend to add some more to my system.

Electronics4Music (http://www.ele4music.com/)
A wide range of bread and butter modules.  Multiple VCO types, Filter types.
Just about everything you would need.  However, as they point out on the
website, these kits are not for rank beginners.  I built the VCO3d and
needed some help to get it completely functional.  The EFM group on Yahoo is
a lot of help.  Kits are available as just PCB, PCB + parts and PCB + parts
+ panel (though there are only prices for the PCBs on the website.  Does
anyone know if full kits will be offered again?)  Tremendous bang for the
buck, but you need to know what you're doing.  I will be building more EFM
kits.

Barry Klein's Book
Of course this isn't a kit but since we are talking about mixing DIY and
Kits it seems an appropriate inclusion.  This is not the starting point for
someone wanting to get into DIY, but once you're ready to go beyond building
kits it is a good next step.  Barry's book has moved me into the wild world
of tracking down parts, making PCBs and panels and of course trouble
shooting, to say nothing of leaving me with quite a few unique and useful
modules.  Highly recommended.

To a certain extent, the selection of kits may be driven by the form factor
that you intend for your modules.  I decided early on that my first system
would be FrakRak size panels so PAiA, Blacet and EFM are natural choices
(I'm making my own panels for EFM modules, but I think their stock panels
are FrakRak compatible).

I too would like to here from some other builders regarding their
experiences and opinions about the various synth kits out there.

Regards,
Paul McLean

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> [mailto:owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl]On Behalf Of R. Drake
> Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 8:16 PM
> To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl; analogue at hyperreal.org
> Subject: [sdiy] comparative reviews: modular kits
>
>
> I'm in the planning stages of a long-term build/buy modular project:
> gradually assembling a machine over time.  Some of the pieces i'm
> working on
> now are smaller and homebrew, but i'd like to wind up with a handful of
> really good modules for some of the key components: VCOs and VCFs, in
> particular.  Kits seem to like they might be an easy answer
> without breaking
> th bank or getting an engineering degree.
>
> So I'm looking for comparative reviews of any kit-built modules,
> but VCOs &
> VCFs in particular.  MOTM, Blacet, Electronics4Music, Modcan, and Oakley
> seem like the leading vendors (maybe PAIA, too?).  I'm interested both in
> comparisons of the musical/sonic qualities of different makes, as well as
> technical evaluations and the quality of instructions/support.
> ideally from
> folks who have built or use modules from more than one supplier.
>
> Finally, I'd be interested to hear about your experience mixing
> modules from
> multiple vendors... any issues (beyond expo vs. linear) people have run
> into?  A lot of the racks I've seen pictures of on the web look pretty
> uniform: folks seem to buy whole systems of modules from a single
> vendor...
> i kind of like the idea of having a selection of oscillators with
> different
> characteristics... but could this cause problems?
>
>
> thanks,
> luigi-bob drake
> rdrake at data2action.com
>
>
>