DIY Suggestions

[snouta]

Hey guys, Kristian here, Im getting bored these days and finding myself with nothing to do, so to occupy my time i want to make some things. Does anyone know of any good DIY studio gear i can make? Compressors, EQ's, mic pre's that sort of thing?

Ive already got one project lined up, a side table rack thing to my desk so im going to need to fill it soon so what better way then to fill a DIY rack table thing then with DIY gear!

Im after something thats not to difficult to build though i am up for a challenge and if possible, if you have suggested something you have built yourself can you tell me how much it cost?

Thanks guys

Kristian

[Alistair]

Check out the Group DIY forum- http://www.prodigy-pro.com/diy/

That's got enough projects and info to last a lifetime.

As far as simple good first times-

DI's/Reamp boxes are useful, cheap and easy.

GSSL/the new SB400 comps are great and around $400-500 all up

Hairball/Mnats 1176 perhaps is a little more complicated, but very well documented. Probably $500-$600 all up- parts have come down but shipping has gone up. It's a great comp though!

[harry]

Hey Kristian,

if you have a lunchbox - API style pre's can be made very cheaply - these have worked well for me and sound very good to my ear,

http://classicapi.com/catalog/index.php ... 7_55_92_96

the best part for me was the dual DI - (straight to the gain block via 'bo hansen' di circuit - OR - via a fet circuit through the input transformer) they both sound different and equally nice)

i do a lot of di guitar (strat - 80s sound) and bass - this di dosent sound crap like when you put a guitar through a line input or not so nice di - it retains alot of the high end texture...

very cheap to make with the dollar where it is..

h.a.r.r.y.a.r.v.a.n.i.t.i.s

[mylesgm]

DIY 51x rack is great and then you can stuff it with DIY 500 series kits as well as off the shelf stuff. Also pultec both solid state or tube kits are very good. I also have a few different EQ modules if you want to rack up something vintage...

[Junction]

I'd have to agree with Myles, 500 series is the way to go, it will take a little effort, youi'll have to build a rack - the 51X is quite cheap and good quality, then you'll need a power supply, but from then on the options are endless.

I would highly recommend this kit;
http://www.soundskulptor.com/uk/proddetail.php?prod=MP573
.... a 1073 neveish pre and DI, looks great, sounds great and the kit comes with every component, so you dont have to spend half your life trying to find hard to get components from all over the planet. The instructions are fantastic, an easy build if you follow the instructions, lots of parts, just needs a little patience and make sure you practice your soldering on something else first before trashing this kit. At Euro275 this is a bargain.

Cheers and happy DIYing

Michael

[Alistair]

I've had a look at that DIY51x before- did you guys end up using their PS kit? Seems hugely expensive and big...

[snouta]

ah man some 500 modules would be pretty sweet, where do i get that DIY 51x rack from though?

abd Myles, what eqs do you have? are they hard to rack up? cause last night i found some Yamaha PM1000 channel strips for sale which i was considering buying to have a go at racking up. Anyone know if these are hard/worth doing?

Thanks guys

[Junction]

You can buy the racks thru here, probably easiest to register with the forum (if not alerady) and then send him a message or post a message on the forum. I think they will link you to the member Sahib, which I recall covers sales for the Oz region.

http://www.prodigy-pro.com/diy/index.php?topic=33849.0

I've had a look at that DIY51x before- did you guys end up using their PS kit? Seems hugely expensive and big...

Alistair, yes the power supply it is quite substantial - designed to cater for a full racks of modules. I used an old power supply that I picked up at an ABC auction, saved money and time getting mine up and running.

Michael

[Alistair]

Yeah- according to them it's around $500 I think! I think it's mostly due to voltage requirements. I can't help thinking a couple of JLM powerstarions would do the job just as well for half the money and a 1/3 of the space. I guess you'd need to have a think of the current draw you'd need for 11 modules though

[mylesgm]

I used a JLM powerstation (the five rail version) with a high VA transformer and it comfortably powers my 51x with 11 modules, some on 24v and some on 16v rails. The powersupply has a decent heatsink and it gets warm but never hot. Works a treat and is a lot smaller and portable than their ps. Theirs would power 2 racks mine only powers one.

I have a pair of Ward Beck EQs, very flexible and very simple to rack, I've a pair of ADM 1540 4 band eq's inductor based and also easy to rack, a single channel of s800 eq and probably 1 or 2 other things ling about. The PM1000 are reportedly excellent though the racking is a little tricker as they require 48v I think and the metal work would be really annoying but thats just me. I've also got a few mic pre modules and other stuff. probably best to pm me...

M

[snouta]

aw man the rack costs $500? wow :S

hmm maybe ill start with something a bit cheaper

[Alistair]

Good to hear the JLM works- as long as it can handle the current, it's almost tailor made with the option to have a 24v, 16v and 48v tap all off the same supply.

Kristian- as far as $$$, I think you'd be lucky to get a fully featured pre/comp/EQ for less than $300-$400. The GSSL is probably the cheapest project I know of that is well documented for a beginner, and not a piece of junk.
I do know there are some Great River pre's on the Group DIY site than run about $150 all up, but you'd still need to sort out power.

If you wanna do something on the cheap- I stand by my comment on DI/Reamp boxes. You could knock one up for less than $100 easily, and probably less than $50 if you scrounged around for parts.

[snouta]

Ah ok then, hmm looks like ill be forking out the money then, oh well, no worries, im happy to, as long as i dont screw it up.

I think ill start with either a DI or ReAmp box seeing as they are always useful.

[Junction]

Another approach could be to build a 500 series module and then whack it into your own case with a minimal +/-16V power supply. For example you could fit 2 modules into a 1ru rack case, obviously with some front panel hacking. This could be a soft start into this, then as you build more 500 modules, you could upsize to a lunch box frame or a full 11 slot frame.
Cheers

[snouta]

oh i like that idea, could be fun, with the power supply, i would need to get some form of transformer that drops the voltage down, do you buy these or make them?

[harry]

http://www.turramusic.com.au/pages/Cata ... ?CIID=3386

These are pretty easy and portable - so easy to take this to gigs and recordings in other studios,

it seems like a lot but it only works out to like $80-90 per channel of audio - and you dont have to get into making power supplies and metal work..

there are so many projects you could make for this format - the groupdiy site has everything from mic pres (api,ssl9k) to compressors (ssl,1176style) and some eq's in the works as well..

mine has worked flawlessely - gets thrown around all over the place,

seems like the way i would approach it in your situation is to work out what you need most in your studio, then go from there -

if it is preamps / di's - you could make either api style or ssl9k or neve style in lunchbox format - these projects are very well documented and the apis can be bought as kits with metalwork - don't underestimate how much time and effort this saves - ordering parts takes ages - the classic api guy sells parts kits so cheap - ie at pirces you would pay at mouser or slightly less..

as for compressors - if you are feeling adventourous - the prr vari mu - is well regarded and relatively cheap and easy to build - but beware this does use tubes - i wouldn't start there right away..

an 1176 is a bit tricky - lots of wiring but will work first time if you are careful - these guys sell nice rack cases and parts for it at good prices: they do sound awesome!

http://hairballaudio.com/shop/index.php ... 28bf7714e6

never a better time to make one or two of these - dollar being so good.

i have one of these waiting to be built - but too busy to even start - it looks very well documented:
http://www.prodigy-pro.com/diy/index.php?topic=41264.0
it's a dual urei la3a

let us all know what you think you need and what kind of sound / use you have in mind - many of us will be able to chime in with suggestions..

cheers

h.a.r.r.y.a.r.v.a.n.i.t.i.s

[Junction]

oh i like that idea, could be fun, with the power supply, i would need to get some form of transformer that drops the voltage down, do you buy these or make them?

Hi Kristian, I don't want to sound rude, but from your repsonse, you obvioulsy do not have a lot of experience in electronics, so you better start off with something simple.

The stuff on GroupDIY can be very confusing for a beginner, they assume that you have some electronics knowledge, the posts can go on for miles and there is often no simple one sheet instruction on how to build it and where to get all the parts.

I reckon you should start with the DI or Reamp box idea and then as you build confidence then build up to something more ambitious because you can easily spend $100's in parts alone for some of the 500 series gear and one simple mistake may mean you end up with an expensive pile of junk that you may never be able to get working.

Keep on asking questions, spend lots of time googling, you will get there

Cheers
Michael

[snouta]

Oh that sounds like good choice, the API lunch box, might have to invest i think, and then in some 500 kits.

Nah your fine Michael, i have had a little experience in electronics but im no master, I think your right, im going to start with some DI's and Reamp boxes then build it up from there. Correct me if im wrong but some of the 500 kits shouldn't be to hard to make correct? they seem like a good place to start as well.

also, do you have any links to some DI or Reamp box projects?

yeah ill keep onto of this thread asking questions and might make a profile of prodigy-pro to ask for more help.

thanks guys

[mylesgm]

The easiest 500 series kits are the vp25 and vp26 by classic api or classicapi.com very well laid out pcb, very clear instructions and a very high quality finished product. I've got 6 of these, 2 stock VP26's, 2 VP25's with different transformers and 2 with JLM hybrid opamps running at 24v. Easy builds and lots of options.

[snouta]

hmm i will surely have to invest in some of those kits, maybe after i get some more funds after i pick up the stuff from you Myles.

[Junction]

Lots of relatively simple circuits here, all designed around Jensen transformers, but you could substitute with other similar transformers
http://www.jensen-transformers.com/apps_sc.html

[Barney Loveland]

The JLM Baby Animal pres are a good start and lots of info and help available. No PSU to build. Is probably a good place to start. I still use my 2 racks of four one with jensen 990/JLM tranny and the other are API clones.

[rob]

Tossing aside the whole lunchbox thing, JLM's MAC compressor kit is pretty straightforward to construct and will give you an outstanding compressor. See current issue of AT for a review.

[snouta]

Yeah i did read that article on the MAC kind of the thing that got me started whole DIY thing