The design of the LSA Signature 80 speakers is now completed and going to production. I really like how they sound.
LSA Signature 80 Design is Completed - YouTube
LSA Signature 80 Design is Completed - YouTube
Nice rig, George. Great choices in the Neutron and the Boog, DM as well. Biggest Industry disruption ever with Uli stepping into the fray, making these synth architectures finally affordable to us again as the resale prices for old analogues kept skyrocketing. Not sure why they made a poll on the formerly-named Gearslutz about which synth to develop to delay the release of the most asked-for synths.
DM was actually modeled initially on the Junos. From there, it is not too hard to release a Jupiter, but we're kept waiting for now. Supply chain disruptions can play a part today too, but many of their chips are internally produced.
Their TR-808 Drum Machine, Oberheim, CS-80, ARP 2600 are all really tempting.
BTW, I mentioned it in my thread on the SSE: I also built my own Analogue Modular, including the PSU and Power Distribution, casing, etc... Will post pics some day and also of some of my other synth-related work (I have more projects than hair).
What PSU comes by default with the Model D and Neutron?
Have you heard of the Kurzweil V.A.S.T. synths? They are digital/DSP but allow access to building architectures within it. Hugely powerful. I have one of those. Grab a second-hand one (like a K2500 or a K2600 rack or keyboard with sampling option and effects). Decades of joy with those.
I got the Boog as an "open box demo" for under $200 expressly for the purpose of opening the box a little further to see exactly how it was made. The investigation revealed that it is indeed a pretty faithful clone of the original Model D circuitry done with modern SMD components and assembly techniques. MIDI and a few other enhancements were added. I might already have a "clone of clone" ladder filter operational on a breadboard.
I got the DM "used" on Ebay to pair with my nearly 30 year old Roland JV-880 to create a simple multi timbral, multi channel sound module bank for the development of a MIDI sequencer. The Roland is a good 90's digital synth, and the DM is a good 80's analog chip synth. Don't know if the CV's and gates are accessible inside, as I have not even opened it up....yet.
The synth world's opinion of these clones is split. Those who buy up old originals as investments are unhappy. Those of us who like to tinker, are pleased. I wouldn't dream of ripping into a $2000 Moog Model D. A $200 Boog "D", is an acceptable opportunity.
I believe that the line was crossed when they cloned a competitor's current product, the Arturia Keystep. I bought the Arturia.
They also sell their clone chips to the DIY world through the Cool Audio brand. I got plenty of all of them. ALFA RPAR in Latvia also makes reissues of some vintage synth chips. Building cool synths has never been easier.
The D, Neutron and K2 all come with a 12 volt 1 amp wall wart AND a Eurorack ribbon cable. They can be powered either way, but only +12 volts are needed. All are also Eurorack sized so they drop in and plug into an existing eurorack setup.
There doesn't seem to be much DIY synth activity on diyAudio, but there is a thread here discussing our synth building. Unfortunately, it has seen only 66 posts in 7 years. Rather than adding to the chatter here where few are interested, maybe our detailed synth stuff should go there, as will my future work:
Modular Synth build
Well that explains that. Naugahyde... crushed velvet... cheap K-mart 3-ways (those have got to be Kraco!)... let the good times roll!
Seeing that picture never fails to give me a hearty chuckle.
Yep, we can do that.
There are two excellent forums for this: electro-music and modwiggler (formerly muffwiggler).
There's some interesting threads too over at gearspace in the geekspace sub-forum/DIY section.
For sure, but the dedicated musical instruments here seems to be mostly guitar and not synth, let alone modular. Secondly, here, many contributing people are banned. I have personally seen discussion stifled, discouraged, and then see the same subject re-appear years later, so my own modular stuff is posted elsewhere.
If you head over to Modwiggler or Electro-music, however, there is a lot there and much more related DIY activity too. Gearspace is less about DIY but more about owning, buying and lusting after gear (it was called Gearslutz until recently after all).
The cool thing about EM and MW is that you can get good to great affordable PBCs for your build.
If you want more info for building your own, just ask, I'd be happy to share some more tips.
If you're into composing or just jamming, it's a very worthwhile pursuit. You already have the audiophile chops, and you can even apply your knowledge in that field too if you want (most people don't seem to care that much).
I have known about, and lurked around on both of those forums and some others that have vanished (controllerism, SynthDIY, Synthtopia...) for years. I have never set up an account on either, but I may do sometime in the future if I ever have anything worthy of contributing.
I have been here on diyAudio for 16 years and I am registered on only one other forum, the user's forum at PJRC, the maker of the Teensy CPU modules that I use in most of my DIY synth stuff.
If you don't feel like you have anything to contribute here, nobody is trying to force you, but there will only be more interest only if more people are posting useful information.
Hi Audiostar,
I am not sure how static electricity woud harm a passive speaker with big inductors, film caps, etc.
Here is my list of the top 3 for me:
The biggest killer of speakers is old age rotting of foam surrounds. So be prepared to refoam your surrounds after 15 years or get drivers with rubber or doped cloth surrounds. Even paper or leather surrounds last longer than polyurethane foam. PU foam has a stinky smell and turns brown and crumbles after 15-20years. I have had two sets of speakers go bye-bye because of this. The foam repair kit was almost as expensive as the speaker so better to repurpose the cabinet for a new speaker with butyl rubber sirrounds. I now refuse to buy foam surround drivers.
Number two is mechanical damage by inquisitive young fingers poking in the dust cap of a driver.
Number three is operating a speaker on a big amp without a DC offset protection, or accidentally hot plugging an amp and sending full rail output to a driver so that it hits mechanical stops. Or worse, sending the cone flying off the driver (I have never seen that happen) but I have hit Xdamage once when I had a preamp that oscillated when hot plugged into a 600w amp connected to a 50w speaker.
I am not sure how static electricity woud harm a passive speaker with big inductors, film caps, etc.
Here is my list of the top 3 for me:
The biggest killer of speakers is old age rotting of foam surrounds. So be prepared to refoam your surrounds after 15 years or get drivers with rubber or doped cloth surrounds. Even paper or leather surrounds last longer than polyurethane foam. PU foam has a stinky smell and turns brown and crumbles after 15-20years. I have had two sets of speakers go bye-bye because of this. The foam repair kit was almost as expensive as the speaker so better to repurpose the cabinet for a new speaker with butyl rubber sirrounds. I now refuse to buy foam surround drivers.
Number two is mechanical damage by inquisitive young fingers poking in the dust cap of a driver.
Number three is operating a speaker on a big amp without a DC offset protection, or accidentally hot plugging an amp and sending full rail output to a driver so that it hits mechanical stops. Or worse, sending the cone flying off the driver (I have never seen that happen) but I have hit Xdamage once when I had a preamp that oscillated when hot plugged into a 600w amp connected to a 50w speaker.