anyone ever buy and build a paia modular?

zmd · Post by **zmd** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:28 pm

i've got no soldering experience, but enough folks to teach me, so, what it comes down to is...how did it sound when you got it done, and how long did it take you/how hard was it? i'm in no hurry or anything, but i'm curious on the sounds it'll make.

michael stein · Post by **michael stein** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:26 pm

I build MOTM kits so as a reference. If it's a full kit (all parts included) and has an instruction manual you will have no trouble at all. All modulars sound great to me:)

michael stein · Post by **michael stein** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:28 pm

Modules take a few hours to build and you get faster.....ummm but how long will it take to finish a modular? = when you die.

zmd · Post by **zmd** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:28 pm

hahahh, awesome answer! and, thank you

Post by **meatballfulton** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:41 pm

I've owned two (don't ask). They sound good but not as rich as some other more expensive modulars (I also owned dotcom). If you have no soldering experience at all it will be torture. Best if you can find someone who does have experience to at least help you get going. Expect it will take roughly 40 hours total to build the entire system.

There's been a recent price increase...it's up to $560 now for the basic system, still the cheapest modular out there.

What does it sound like? Demos I made with mine can be found here. Compare to the dotcom sounds on the same page.

zmd · Post by **zmd** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:34 pm

thanks much for that!
i do have a few electonics type friends, and one of em is teaching a basics course at our local music school that he'll let me sit in on, so, i'll be fairly well supervised

minime123 · Post by **minime123** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:52 pm

practice soldering on junk first, then build your synth after you know how to solder. its not hard, just have someone who knows what theyre doing show you.
and make sure you use proper ventilation when soldering.
good luck
mini

zmd · Post by **zmd** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:57 pm

but....won't improper ventilation let me see the sounds?

machvingtsun · Post by **machvingtsun** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:02 am

I bought a half built 9700 with the intention of finishing it. I never got it finished due to a Midi to CV that that the previous owner built wrong.

The modules pack a lot of features in but are complex to build in comparrison to other DIY modules because of the amount of parts on each board.

To me it sounds great, not the most precise sound but definateley phat and plenty warm.

you will see clouds with improper ventilation which is fine and dandy but avoid using cheap solder such as what you get free with an iron as this usually has lead or nasty flux in it which will make your throat hurt, and cause real powerfull bowel movement, believe me I speak from experience. Ideally get expensive but healthy lead free and rosin free solder.

If you can make plenty of time available to build a synth go ahead, but beware other family members/wife/girlfriend will be annoyed due to time it takes up, solder fumes and bits of metal flying about, especialy if you dont have a workshop.

Any one interseted in buying a 9700 minus the midi to cv ( which also provides power)?

KLAXON · Post by **KLAXON** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 2:19 am

If I were you I would go with Blacet kits to startout instead of Paia. The instructions are pretty clear and you should not have too much trouble assembling them with no experience. And on top of that they are SO much better than Paia in quality, sound, rack strength, pretty much everything. The Paia is a good project to learn how to solder, but not much more. Soundwise it is very lacking compared to other modulars. Ever wonder why you see so many Paia modulars on ebay? That is why. And as someone else mentioned, they are not as cheap as they used to be since the big Paia price hike. All the more reason to go with Blacet instead, you won't be dissappointed.

Oh and as others mentioned, you definitely want to use a fume extractor or a fan or something. Lead fumes are NOT somthing that you want to put in your lungs, unless you enjoy lung cancer and death.

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:15 am

I was looking at making a paia modular a while back, but then realised that I could get a desktop Evolver for the same price and it would be a lot more useful musically.

Anyway, If I was in the US I'd be looking at the Blacet stuff, they have some nice looking modules but shipping them over here is a bit too expensive. I'm currently building a modular based on CGS boards, you can get the boards shipped cheaply anywhere in the world and then source the parts locally, although I'm going to be looking elsewhere for some of the more basic modules as CGS don't make them.

But if you want a simple way to make your own modular then the Paia is cheap and will get you started with a basic system, which you can add Blacet or Wiard or any other module to later on.

KLAXON · Post by **KLAXON** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:08 am

What Stab said reminded me about something. Since you are in North America, (I assume they ship to anywhere though) Bridechamber offers parts kits for many of the CGS and MFOS modules, so if sourcing the parts is a concern of yours, you might also want to consider this. You can get the PCBs from CGS or MFOS and then get the parts kits from Bridechamber. Those kits only include the parts to stuff the PCBs though, so you will still have to get your own jacks, pots, knobs, and panel if you are going for the frac or euro format. They do also offer full kits and panels in MOTM format and some in dotcom.