The MPC-Forums DIY thread!

Inspired by beach_break's homemade eq I thought why not open up a DIY thread?!

Okay, there are loads of DIY forums out there, but consider the following: People hanging out here who don't even think of building gear themselves might be inspired to do so by other MPC heads who already have their soldering equipment glowing 24/7!

So, this thread is intended to become a collection of projects you already built, links to sites that offer PCBs, components and kits etc., links to sites that explain how to get into building stuff and general exchange of opinions and experienes with doing homemade equipment!

Maybe, if there's enough interest, this thng can be stickied?!

Rock on fellas!

Okay, since I opened this thing I should kinda be the first to contribute!

The thing that's makin' me really interested in learning how to built electronics stuff myself can be found on this page:

http://www.recproaudio.com/diy_pro_audio/index.htm

They have a LA2A, a Pultec etc. Or can you spare 3 grand for a UA LA2A?!?!

You can also built your own pre-amp! http://www.seventhcircleaudio.com/index.htm

They also have some nice resources for beginners (like me ) http://www.seventhcircleaudio.com/links.htm .

So, I'm personally gonna get a nice soldering station soon and start practising with PCBs etc. I kinda wanna built some nice outboard and even a synth in the near future!

Something else, which is really interesting is the MIDIBox. http://www.ucapps.de/ There you can learn how to build your own MIDI controller!

Imagine having something like this for less than 2,000 $:

warning DIY is hightly addictive !!!
sometime when i don't have unfinished projects i start making stupid things i know i won't use that much (ex: a stompbox that emulate a cop siren sound !!?? i made something like 5 fuzz and truth is i don't like fuzz that much !!?? )
i made around 30 guitar stompboxes and IMO http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php is the best forum for diy stompboxes, peoples share their layouts and are really helpfull.
you can buy pcbs for the most common projects here http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/ http://www.tonepad.com/
i started etching pcbs but i hate doing that so i prefer buying when available or using verobaord (you can find a lot of projects on vero board at diystompboxes)
i build 2 x0xb0x from http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/ there's a lot of mods you can try on th x0xb0x (wich is tb303 clone).
i made a midibox sid http://www.ucapps.de/ (synth with commodore c64 sound chips)
http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/ has a lot of stuff mainly synth (i made 2 weird sound generators)
for people who speaks french this http://www.sonelec-musique.com/electron ... tions.html is great there's a lot of schematic with explenations so peoples like me with no electronic knowledge slowly understand some of the stuff they do .
my talkbox (old philips stereo + capacitor + mid horn driver + plastic tube) is probably my favourite and most used diy project http://www.gfworks.jp/talkbox/index.html
i love diy ! i started the same way i started making pizzas or bread . i always wanted to do it but never took the first step .
but now that i started it's my second favourite hobby between music and cooking

good idea, it would be great to make a sticky with DIY resources, even if the DIY forum doesn't happen.

Well, I didn't start yet, but I'm really tempted! Actually I thought I won't be using loads of stuff I will make in the future, but the fact that I will have built these things is such a big motivation for me.

The other very tempting thing about DIY for me is that I wanna use high end outboard like LA2A's, SSL bus compressors, Pultecs etc. without spending 3,000 $ or what per unit. Okay okay, they will be still expensive (concerning components) and might be difficult to build, but in the end you have your own unique unit for maybe 800 or 1000 $ you will really love.

I think I'm gonna start off with things like stompboxes etc. Have to practise soldering a bit more. Had my first steps with soldering my own cables which was so so

You have any suggestions for sites that are good for a beginner?

Yo Im trying to build me a 4 track mixer with a cue and pre amp. This would be a great sticky.

ooowee thats a nice thread!!

This morning I was just thinking "Hell why restrict this thread to electronics only?".

Since there are a few cats that are actually gifted when It comes to carpenting why not post your homemade desks and racks?

So, I hereby enhance this thread to all outcomes of craftsmanship that end up in your studio rooms!

A personal recommendation: If you're looking for a cheap 6U rack, take this one: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/44361109
You only have to add rack rails and you're done for under 40$. And you can custom paint it if you're not one the guys who like to hug treesnaked in the forest and therefore wouldn't dare to modify the natural look of pine wood.



A link with instructions: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjw333/29627416/

I built two of these. Nice and sturdy!

I had that night table from IKEA for some years, and found out this summer that it had the perfect size for rack equipment, so I have painted it black and bought some rack rails, but have not cut all the rails and mounted them yet. Now I see them on the web. It's a cheap way to get a good wooden rack!

Thanks for the info. I just bought it yesterday after reading this thread. It looks much better than my old provisorily "rack"
I dont use rackears so I got just enogh space for a pack of floppy disks beside the 950. And I dont have to duck anymore to change MO Disks. I feel much healthy now

Before and after



peace

i wanna build my own sampling drum machine.

I have built a ton of stompboxes, a couple guitar amps, mic pres, and various hifi circuits. Since I started audio diy I also repair all my own stuff, mostly synths. I got into DIY back in the early 90s because I wanted to build my own modular synth, whcih I still haven't got around to starting lol.

I found this site very helpful when I was getting started: http://sound.westhost.com/
He has some good articles on how opamps work, etc. and some fun circuits to build. His phono preamp would be a good project for the MPC user and sounds a lot better than what's inside almost all DJ mixers. Also he does not get into a bunch of audiophile voodoo like a lot of diy hifi sites which can be confusing for the beginner.

Once you get the basics it's nice to have a copy of The Art of Electronics (a book)

This site is the one for studio gear:
http://www.prodigy-pro.com/DIY/

and this guy is the king of synth diy:
http://home.debitel.net/user/jhaible/hj.html

LvngDead wrote:i wanna build my own sampling drum machine.

Me too. I was thinking about a simple(ish) old school one that does 8 or 12 bit. It would be cool if it was based on a contemporary uC and SS NV storage but also had analog filter chips. I have a dead Prophet 2002 sitting next to me waiting to have it's guts raided. It's a big project though. It would be nice if ucapps.de came up with a sampler core.

I DIY = I am.


i've build around 10 different projects. now im more interested in modifying and building microphones. not a pro engineer by any measure though.

it's fun, buy a cheapo condenser from ebay etc. modify it and compare the results to original/revision1/revision2.

Hey guys! Great input from you all!

Every DIY projects (as long as it's a synth or other electronic device) needs a housing. Here's a link to a manufacturer that offers a free design software and ships everything worldwide! Check it out!

http://www.schaeffer-ag.de/en/news/home.html

For those from the US and Canada:
http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/