A new analog mono for 200 $ ???

jupiter8 · Post by **jupiter8** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:33 am

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... sc&start=0

Could happen. Interesting stuff indeed.

EDIT: Audio demoes here: http://xhip.cjb.net/hardware/

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:26 pm

Well, I guess it would have be alot worse in build quality than an MFB? What is he going to make it out of...cardboard? I say this will never happen in any real quantity.

Post by **nathanscribe** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:01 pm

That's too low. Parts are cheap, but custom housing (a 19" rack?), custom PCBs, labour/time, testing, and other hidden business expenses are not. If it's going to be a proper concern rather than an ambitious DIY scheme, these units will have to be more expensive. And if they retail at $100-$200, he's going to be out of pocket pretty quickly, and working hard for the privilege.

As a guide, I built a dual LFO for my modular yesterday. It took several hours picking parts, filling the panel, cutting and assembling the board, checking the layout for errors, and completing interconnections. It's a day's work for once circuit. If you take a 5-day week to assemble a whole synth (which isn't unrealistic), then sell it for $200, that's clearly not going to work out, even if you can live off lentils and tapwater.

jupiter8 · Post by **jupiter8** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:20 pm

I admit his targeted price seems almost ridicously low. But make no mistake,this is'nt just your average baffoon who woke up one day and thought: Today i'm going to make an analog synth for .......one houndred dollars!!!!

This guy is really knows both digital and analog stuff. He seems to have put in a lot of thought in this project.

I found this quote to particulary interesting.

well for me, i enjoy building synthesizers and i enjoy using them. i'd love to help other people gain access at a low entry point to this world and if i can make a living while doing it.. why would i ever want anything else?

Either way it'll be intersting to see how this turns out. Could be it never happens. Who knows ?

MrFrodo · Post by **MrFrodo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:07 pm

The Studio Electronics ATC-X was $700 bucks when I was interested in getting one three years ago. A rackmount analog monosynth would have to be sorely limited to be less expensive than that.

wardshorsehead · Post by **wardshorsehead** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:09 pm

how about an analog rackmount, 2u, with:

2vco, vcf, two envelopes, lfo, and vca...

made by akai...

for $250?

http://www.musiciansbuy.com/EWI-3020M-S ... 3020M.html

sure, it's made for an ewi, but you can use a midi keyboard too. and it has an option for a breath controller...

interesting - though admittedly, i've never heard one. sounds like a solid deal though.

Constantine · Post by **Constantine** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:19 pm

probably he uses slave labour? and that technique posted on matrixsynt, when you use the other side of pcb as the front panel.

anyway it would be interesting to see the result

Sir Ruff · Post by **Sir Ruff** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:20 pm

this guy's intentions are good no doubt, but as far as what he'd actually be offering: BORING!!!

do we really need another extremely limited monosynth on the market whatever the price? There are plenty of cheap 80s polys that will undoubtedly sound better and more varied that you can currently buy for the same price... i would be way more interested in a basic DIGITAL synth for the same price point that offered something new, instead of something re-hashing old and cliched ideas.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:24 pm

yeah, cheap rack mounts = boring. However, it doesn't hurt for the guy to make one. Who knows, maybe he stumbles upon a cheap combo of parts that end up sounding magical.

MrFrodo · Post by **MrFrodo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:35 pm

There's also the possibility that DSI could create another version of the Evolver / EK without the digital oscillators. Surely, this could be made as affordable as the Pro One currently offered on eBay for $325.00.

severen · Post by **severen** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:45 pm

MrFrodo wrote:There's also the possibility that DSI could create another version of the Evolver / EK without the digital oscillators. Surely, this could be made as affordable as the Pro One currently offered on eBay for $325.00.

interesting information.
but I want Evolver without analog oscillators.

MrFrodo · Post by **MrFrodo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:51 pm

It'd be nice if the R&D dep't created "segregated" analog and digital synths. They could call the analog version the Divorcee AV (for Analog Version) and Divorcee DV.

phwb · Post by **phwb** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:44 pm

wardshorsehead wrote:how about an analog rackmount, 2u, with:

2vco, vcf, two envelopes, lfo, and vca...

made by akai...

for $250?

http://www.musiciansbuy.com/EWI-3020M-S ... 3020M.html

sure, it's made for an ewi, but you can use a midi keyboard too. and it has an option for a breath controller...

interesting - though admittedly, i've never heard one. sounds like a solid deal though.

I had one, sounded awesome, nice routability but it doesn't really wrok with a midi keyboard like they vaguely state it does. You can only use the keys to control the pitch and that's about it. It won't trigger the envelopes. I think if it wanst for that they'd be a lot more popular.

You can alomost always find an assembled PAIA Fatman for under $200 though.

OriginalJambo · Post by **OriginalJambo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:35 pm

MrFrodo wrote:There's also the possibility that DSI could create another version of the Evolver / EK without the digital oscillators. Surely, this could be made as affordable as the Pro One currently offered on eBay for $325.00.

Wow that's INSANELY cheap for a Pro-One. Here I've seen them sell for $1200.

jupiter8 · Post by **jupiter8** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:40 pm

I'm quite flabbergasted about the amount of negativity this project has recieved. Tough crowd,huh ?

A couple of points.
1. Slave labour ? You did'nt even read the post.You just like to dislike,don't you. He'd be making them himselfs.
2. Boring ? Ok. You did'nt expect a Matrix 12 replica for that amount of cash, did you? I see people wet themselves over SH 101s and TB 303s all the time. But horses for courses,i guess. And he's planning on doing modulars as well.
3. Comparing this with an old poly from the 80ies ? C'mon. That's apples and oranges. With an old poly you'll always risk it'll break down. You seriously can't compare a new built mono with a 20 year old poly.

I'm not saying this is the best thing since sliced bread or anything. But can't you at least muster some positivity for this project ? He'll be doing analog synths FFS. Gotta love that.