TTSH: Two Thousand Six Hundred (DIY Arp 2600 Clone)

[Reginator]

Just finished building another one and had the front panel customized in Blue Marvin colors. I built the 1601 Sequencer as a companion to both TTSH's. Been thinking about building a third one using tantalums, etc...

[seamonkey]

Wow, those are beautiful looking Reg.
You did a wonderful job on all of them.
Just don't leave the two of them alone together at night, or you might wake up and find an Arp 5200 gracing the Wall of Doom in your studio. lol

Really, great job!

[Reginator]

Hey, thanks Sea and an Arp 5200 might be one powerhouse of a synth! Maybe even polyphonic!

I'll calibrate it in a day or two then start running it thru it's paces. Being real analog you gotta let them warm up for 30 min, but after that they're stable and ready to go!

[Hybrid88]

Those look incredible, great job! I wasn't aware of the Sequencer being a kit though?

[Bitexion]

Looking at their website, the only thing they supply are the etched circuit boards and case? It says "no other components included!". Seems like you have to source all the dozens of resistors, capacitors, chips etc yourself?

How much does it cost to build a complete TTSH in total then?

[pflosi]

Only PCBs and the front panel, not the whole case

Here's the BOM: http://thehumancomparator.net/wordpress ... hv2BOM.pdf

[Reginator]

Here's a TTSH cost breakdown.

$610 = TTSH circuit boards and front panel
$304 = Metal case (I built mine out of oak and didn't buy theirs)
$443 = Mouser bill of materials (everything to populate the circuit boards except speakers and rare parts and 3.5mm jacks)
$105 = Rare parts including all the 3.5mm jacks (rare IC's, transistors and tempcos)
$55 = 2 Speakers
$20 = Spring reverb
$55 = Internal power supply (or you can opt to use a wall wart)

$1,593 = Rough total (including case)

This doesn't include the cost for adding Midi or the custom blue panel.
I was thinking Korg might do an ARP 2600...who knows?

The sequencer was a limited run but there might still be kits available. I think the guy that organized the sequencer is only doing 2 or 3 rounds then bowing out.

[Bitexion]

Still quite "cheap" for a full-size 2600 I think. Even if it doesn't sound like a 2600 completely.

I guess you were pretty high on soldering fumes most of the build time ?

[Reginator]

I guess you were pretty high on soldering fumes most of the build time ?

...and I'm still trying to come down, man!

[Bitexion]

Is it going for the "arp sound" or is it its own thing like the Macbeth M5 (that had an almost identical interface only even bigger)

I suppose they couldn't clone the boards too much or risk copyright infringements.

[Reginator]

To me it sounds like an ARP 2600, but I only have the internet and Arturia's 2600v to really compare it to. I have the new Odyssey and for fun I was going to patch up some basic synth sounds to see if they have similar character. But I don't know how close an Odyssey sounds to a 2600 so it might go horribly wrong... but it might be fun to post the results anyway.

[Automatic Gainsay]

I've played them since I made the comment, and to be honest, I don't really care that it doesn't have the particular quality of the ARP 2600 that I love. More importantly, it has the functionality and the layout, and people can experience those things with it. It's eminently worth it, and will undoubtedly bring a lot of joy to people.

[Bitexion]

My modular system has more or less the same components as a 2600..I should try to copy some 2600 patches onto it. I just have no idea how they were supposed to sound if I copy the patch sheets over so going blind is kind of pointless.

[Reginator]

I made some basic recordings last night using the TTSH, Odyssey, Voyager and MS-20. After I match the levels I'll post them. You'll notice the TTSH square wave is a little brighter than the rest with a wide open filter. Lowering the cutoff a hair puts it in line with the rest, but I didn't want to show any bias so I left it.

AG, your videos have been inspirational! (i also love the Prophet 6 series )

[Bitexion]

Isolated sounds would be cool too Also if you can post some info about the patch itself (like a picture) so I can try replicate it on my modular. It's ok if you send it on a PM

I need some serious inspiration to use my modular system. Right now it's mostly just standing on the desk being used 1 hr a month cos I have no inspiration to make any music. I just switch it on, do some random patching and noodle about and turn it off again. Mostly I just make self-contained sounds cos I'm too lazy to hook up a keyboard into the patch even.