Some thoughts from my perspective:
1. How I came to MOTM
I designed and built my first modular some 20+ years ago, when I was still in college. It
took advantage of some CEM chips and was based on the Aries modular form factor (9" x
3" panels, 1/8" jacks, etc).
Three years ago, give or take, I decided to revamp that design to use better quality parts
(esp the pots) and to improve some parts of the original design. I looked around at
current standards and settled on MOTM. The fact that Synth Tech was offering kits was a
bonus since I could get other modules (esp filters) without having to design them myself.
2. "Build" vs "Buy"
When I started my modular revamp (which is still in progress), it was "build" all the way for
me. What made me start thinking about "buy" was the fact that Synth Tech discontinued
the kits. I have bought some MOTM 2.0 boards/panels/etc from Paul since the kits were
officially discontinued (and more kits as well, as opportunities came up) but I also started
thinking about buying assembled units (I have not yet).
The units that I would consider buying assembled are ones that I don't want to spend
time/effort building because they include SMT parts. The Cloud Generator has my interest
but I don't know yet if I would buy one. If I did decide to buy one, I would want my
current order backlog to drain some more first.
The 650 is something I've thought about buying but the current software situation has me
in a wait-and-see mode. In the meantime, I am giving serious consideration to a DIY
midi-to-CV box based on something called midibox
(
http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/).
Gerry
--- In motm@yahoogroups.com, "Paul Schreiber" <synth1@...> wrote:
>
> I'm not ever going back to full-blown kits. That is not a good use of my
> time.
>
> [JH, close your ears a sec.....]
>
> There is only ∗so much∗ one can conjure up with resistors, caps and op amps.
>
> And with other people offering blank boards for as low as what, $12? I have
> no interest in that at all.
>
> I am now concerned about my future plans for things like the 520/521 and the
> '102 (digital noise with CV's delay cascaded S&H). There is no way to make a
> '102 with the same parts as a '420 VCF.
>
> But, I think having such a module would be really cool and useful, as
> (again....) there is nothing like that out there, now or since 1968.
>
> These designs take ∗lot of time and money∗. And the reality is: my time is
> ∗much∗ more valuable that your time. Because anyone can order something and
> set it aside in a closet for 2 years until use. But ∗I can't∗. I ∗have∗ to
> buy the parts, the CAD tools (I spent $5300 last year on CAD/computer
> upgrades) the literal 100,000 parts (and hold the inventory, and pay
> quarterly taxes ON the inventory).
>
> I can't compete with people sitting at the dining room table and laying out
> pc boards 'for fun' and selling them for $15.
>
> So, all ask it again: what sort of module, that I can offer as blank pc
> boards (no SMT) is of interest? Is there a filter, a function, what is
> "missing" in the MOTM equation that you ∗can't get elsewhere∗?
>
> Most of my current future module plans ∗assume∗ a SMT technology, simply
> because that is the form factor the parts are available in.
>
> Paul S.
>