Nuthin' beats the smell of solder and the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies a successful DIY build. Now, I'm no electronics expert. I can read a schematic and wield a soldering iron with a steady hand. However, the ever-active online DIY community makes enough designs available for free to keep my project cue from ever diminishing.
This week, I have put together a terrific diode filter module for my monster modular synth. The design came from Yves Usson and is based on the famous EMS VCS3 filter circuit. Those who know me know that I love my VCS3. As you can imagine, I find this filter to be a welcome addition to the Big Fella. I've also built Yves' rather spiffy Min/Max module. You can find his designs at
http://yusynth.net. Some of his projects are available at
www.bridechamber.com. You can get circuit boards and component kits if you don't want to mess with that stuff yourself (that's what I did).
My next project is Thomas White's brilliant Buchla 292c Lopass Gate module. I have the stuff to build four of these fellers and am anxious to see how they integrate into my somewhat "East Coast" style
Synthesizers.com system. You can get the docs, PCBs and see some neat videos at
http://www.naturalrhythmmusic.com
If you are at all interested in electronic music instruments and their inner workings, I encourage you to get involved with DIY. Not only will you spend less of your hard-earned moolah on gear, but the gear you make will be undeniably yours and yours alone. There's a great DIY forum at
http://www.electro-music.com, where designers and builders share their knowledge and experience. You can find simple, inexpensive designs, complete decked-out synthesizers and everything in between.
As I mentioned above, the modular has gotten bigger. I now have six towering rows of cabinetry. The newly added row was DIY, and made to match the existing cabinets. It looks pretty danged good, and I will post a pic in the photo section soon.
Of the new additions, the ones that excite me the most are the STG Soundlabs Time Modules. These are beautifully designed and realized sequencer modules that take a decidedly different approach in that they are sold as individual components to allow the user to build the sequencer of his or her dreams. They have been occupying a lot of my time lately and music made with them will be available forthwith. You can find out more at
http://www.stgsoundlabs.com