[sdiy] making 2 or 3 dollars an hour on synth building?

[Dan Snazelle]

harry

very good points.

there is a lot to be said for the education from the project...of course. i know my way around electronics a lot more than i did last march.  it is a bit odd because the original design was supposed to be a small desktop box with only a handful of functions. i would have NEVER agreed to something so big back then as i would have been too intimidated. BUT THEN it somehow morphed (without my knowledge ;) ) into a gigantic...60 or 70 control machine with multiple outs, ins, footswitches, etc.

i would say a HUGE amount of time was spent (in fact the most amount) on developing or finding or arranging the initial functionality which the specific client wanted. he was very particular about what the box had to be able to do (and he wanted it to be usable with CELLO, FIELD RECORDINGS< AND GUITAR) and so in the beginning i tried out tons of different breadboard ideas (90 percent of which I did NOT use)

the actual amount of time putting it together and troubleshooting was quite small compared to the time drawing schematics, working with software to get the panel drilled via CNC, etching all the boards, testing circuits, ordering parts, and meeting with the client. ( i didnt start soldering any of the permanent boards till  late september or early october)

i must have printed out thousands of pages of documents on specific sections (binders worth of schematics and cookbooksfull of information on building FILTERS, ENVELOPES, GUITAR SYNTHS,ETC) not to mention all the electro-notes i read.


so it really forced me to digest a ton of stuff.

and there is of course the advantage gained of now having some great working knowledge of how to get a system tracking well to a guitar. and i learned a lot from mistakes as well. 

so i think next time (if there is a next time) i will build something smaller. there might even be an interest in taking the tracking and freak sections of the ark and making a little box out of those for people who already have all the other synth functions.

anyway

thanks
DAN "I WOULDNT QUIT MY DAYJOB" snazelle

:)