In need of more advice: any DIY recording gear

[Art004]

so, does anyone have suggestions as to cheap, usable and very nice recording gear I can make myself?

I am looking at but not limited to:
compressors,
reverb units,
mic preamps (already have a separate thread for that)
cool gadgets,
vu meters
AND MORE!

if anyone has schematics, prices, where to find this stuff, and pictures please let me know! I am really interested in this (check out my other post on the mic preamps) and I would like to make some of my own gear to not only brag about but to visually match my other gear. Thanks and any and all advice is welcome!!

oh yeah.. CHEAP!...ish

[Konketsu]

A gyraf GSSL stereo bus compressor or other gyraf projects?

Gyraf DIY

[antoniosolo]

API 312 Mic Pre's....currently on a pair of these ...vintage, authentic parts....
Maybe a pultec peq1...pretty inexpensive build cost but VERY high voltage so maybe not for the uninsulated....haven't heard them but might come close enough.

[aclarson]

DIY - Index

Easily the most prolific audio gear DIY site. I've looked into many things over here, about everything you can think of. Most of the projects are totally DIY from schematics and maybe gerber layouts, with some people in the Black Market section selling parts, including a number of premade PCBs and rack cases. "Cheap" is somewhat relative depending on parts cost. PCBs and small components are pretty cheap, but nice transformers and some of the other big parts can be pricey. I've looked at the following projects extensively:

LA2a Clone - industry standard compressor, the one done by Drip over there is amazing, he has a PCB available and he did a full, huge guide on what parts to source from where, and step-by-step build instructions. The "case guy" over there (Purusha) sells a very nice milled case for them as well. I think it would be anywhere from $700 - $900 in parts which seems pricey, but to buy an actual LA2 would be MUCH more

1176 Clone - very similar in the level of support available

G7 Mic - Gyraf's mic design loosely based off the C12 and U47 circuits, there is a PCB available for mic and PS, and I've even seen some milled mic bodies over there from time to time, PCBs are cheap, but mic capsule and transformers can add up if you go nice

SSL Mixbuss Comp - also has PCBs and cases available, and is a fairly cheap and easy build from what I've heard

Analog EQs - I've seen Pultec and Calrec clones with PCBs available

Monitor Controller - I've seen a few projects, including one using a microprocessor and full digital gain control in 1/2 dB increments!

Headphone amps, summing boxes, and many more projects available as well. I can't wait till I have a few $$$$ to spare for some new projects.

[jensenmann]

Originally Posted by Art004

oh yeah.. CHEAP!...ish

forget about it, DIY isn´t cheap at all.

[aclarson]

Originally Posted by jensenmann

forget about it, DIY isn´t cheap at all.

Gotta love those blanket statements of fact without detail.

Fact is, it depends what you're building, and whether you place some big dollar amount on your own time. If you constantly view your time as dollar signs, then it may not be for you. If you have free time to burn and enjoy electronics, then maybe it is. Let's assume from this point on you're not charging yourself for your own time.

I think DIY works best for certain things:

1. Cables - you can almost certainly build cables cheaper and better than you can buy them, assuming you know how (it's not that hard).

2. Analog gear - it is rare that someone can make something digital DIY without it being a full on engineering effort. Analog gear is pretty easy to build by comparison, even with just a moderate amount of knowledge.

3. Mods - it's also easy to mod some premade products cheaply to take advantage of a mostly finished product, yet make it much higher quality at fairly low cost

4. Kits - these are usually easy, and save time and money on parts because they are sourced in fairly large quantities.

Price points also may determine whether it's worthwhile. Products that use a PCB and are sold cheaply at low margin may actually be cheaper than DIY. High-end, big name items that rely a lot on name recognition are some of the best savings. The SCA kits and the DIY LA2 and 1176 on groupdiy are some of the best for saving $$$ that I've seen.

I certainly wouldn't advise jumping in head first with little to no electronics experience, or you may end up with a bunch of pricey parts and a non-functioning unit. This is the main DIY consideration - make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. Start with mods and kits and go from there.

[hopeless_opus]

Hamptone Home Page


I have the HJFP2 and it's a fantastic pre! They're kits though, I'm not sure if you count that as DIY or not. Seventh Circle Audio also makes great preamp kits.

[peeweedrummer]

JLM AUDIO for some kits

[TornadoTed]

My whole studio is pretty much built around DIY gear. It is a fantastic way to save money and get top quality gear. Ok if you miss out on work to DIY it's a false economy, but if you do it in down time/ spare time it is fantastic.

It isn't quick and it isn't easy, it has taken me 4 years to get together my collection and often projects sit on my shelf part done for a year or more!

I would definatley get to know a good tech. I tend to stuff the boards and do the wiring and then get my friend who is an excellent tech to check everything, fix any mistakes before powering on and thouroughly testing.

Here's what I've built with some prices for you to get an idea,

2x Drip LA2A - £500 each to build, £2200 to buy the UA re-issue

3x Dual 1176 - £400 each to build, £1800 to buy the UA re-issue

GSSL - £300 to build, £200 for a SSL X-Logic

Sontec EQ - £300, not currently produced so don't know the price of the original.

2x JLM Baby Animal 4 channel API 312 - £500 to build, £2000 for the API 3124

2x JLM Baby Animal 4 channel Neve style pre - £400 to build, £2000 for a Wunder PAFour

2x C12 microphones - £300 to build, £800 for the Peluso P12

I have tested my Drip LA2A's against the real thing and also my API 312's against an API 3124. Even when we managed to hear slight differences we couldn't say which was better!

At the moment I currently have a 8 channel Trident 80b style EQ, a Neve 33609 compressor, 4 channels of Neve 1290 preamps and 2x Neumann U47 inspired mics on the back burner. My aim is to finish them all in the next 12 months, fingers crossed.