Erica Synths Introduces EDU DIY SNARE DRUM

Designing a simple analog snare drum from scratch

video upload by Moritz Klein

"No drum machine is really complete without a punchy, snappy snare. Together with the kick, it creates the rhythmic backbone for most grooves.

So in my ongoing quest for creating a Roland-inspired modular drum machine, I knew I had to come up with a snare circuit that would complement the kick and hi-hat I‘ve already designed. After a lot of fine tuning, I landed on a circuit that can emulate a TR-606, TR-808 or TR-909 snare."

No drum machine is really complete without a punchy, snappy Snare Drum. Together with the Kick, it creates the rhythmic backbone for most grooves. So for our percussion-focused second season of educational DIY kits, we knew we had to come up with a Snare circuit that would complement the Kick and Hi-Hat we’ve already released. After a lot of fine tuning, here’s what we came up with: introducing mki x es.edu DIY Snare Drum.

Features
Manual and CV controlled Tune
Tune CV depth attenuator
Manual Attack and Decay control
Manual and CV Snappy (noise and tone crossfade) control
Accent input

We – Erica Synths and Moritz Klein – have developed a series of educational DIY kits under the brand name mki x es.EDU with one specific goal in mind: to teach people with little-to-no prior experience how to design analog synthesizer circuits from scratch. What you’ll find in the box is not simply meant to be soldered together and then disappear in your rack. Instead, we want to take you through the circuit design process step by step, explaining every choice we’ve made and how it impacts the finished module.

NB! All kits in these series are simple and come with extensive user manuals which can be downloaded separately, therefore we will not provide customer support in case your DIY build fails to function or similar.

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Erica Synths EDU DIY Compressor Build and Demo

video upload by

"Erica Synths has a new range of EDU DIY modules designed in association with Moritz Klein. The first module is a Compressor with side chaining. This video is a build of the kit and a demo of the module."

Also see: Erica Synths Stereo Compressor Eurorack Module

Press release follows:

"Need some professional polish in your modular system? With this simple diode-based compressor, you can shape the dynamics of your sound, adding punch and consistency to your patches. Whether you’re looking to beef up your basslines, add sustain to your leads, or tame the peaks of your percussion, this circuit’s got you covered.

We – Erica Synths and Moritz Klein – have developed a series of educational DIY kits under the brand name mki x es.EDU with one specific goal in mind: to teach people with little-to-no prior experience how to design analog synthesizer circuits from scratch. What you’ll find in the box is not simply meant to be soldered together and then disappear in your rack. Instead, we want to take you through the circuit design process step by step, explaining every choice we’ve made and how it impacts the finished module.

NB! All kits in these series are simple and come with extensive user manuals which can be downloaded separately, therefore we will not provide customer support in case your DIY build fails to function or similar."

Lil' Nicky (Erica Synths mki x es.edu DIY synthesizer full system)

video upload by Greg Dixon

"This is a demonstration video for the Erica Synths mki x es.edu full system. The recorded audio is completely raw mono direct from the synthesizer with no added effects etc. I built the synthesizer (which I named "Lil' Nicky") including the case with kits designed by Moritz Klein and released by Erica Synths. Lil' Nicky is patched mostly with purple 18" cables by Luigi's Modular. The purple and black look of the synthesizer/ cables as well as it's name is an homage to the pop icon, Prince."

Erica Synths mki x es.EDU DIY System in Original Boxes

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

Note this is a supporting member listing.

"The mki x es. EDU DIY System includes:

1 x EDU DIY VCO Kit
1 x EDU DIY VCA Kit
2 x EDU DIY EG Kit
1 x EDU DIY Sequencer Kit
1 x EDU DIY VCF Kit
1 x EDU DIY Mixer Kit
1 x EDU DIY Noise/S&H Kit
1 x EDU DIY Output Kit
1 x EDU DIY Wavefolder Kit
1 x EDU DIY Eurorack case kit for mki x es.EDU system with case mounting screws (It is the only box that was opened. I soldered 7 parts as showed on pictures. I don't have time for this. All the boxes containing the modules have not been opened.)"

You can find additional details on the system, including demos, in previous posts here.

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New Erica Synths mki x es .EDU DIY Eurorack Enclosure & PSU

via Erica Synths

The mki x es. edu project takes you on a journey of building a complete, self-contained eurorack system. Those who are already into eurorack will find the mki x es. edu modules to be a nice addition to their existing systems, but those who are about to take their first steps into modular synthesizers will need a reliable and safe power supply unit (PSU) and eurorack-compatible enclosure.

We designed a DIY eurorack PSU based on a DC/DC converter that turns +12VDC from a wall wart AC/DC adapter into eurorack standard bipolar +-12V. This ensures the voltage in your eurorack system never exceeds 12V and any area in your eurorack case is safe to touch. In order to reduce the overall cost of the case we do not use eurorack rails with threaded inserts or sliding nuts, instead, there are pre-drilled, threaded holes to accommodate the modules of the mki x es. edu system in a specific order.

NB! The enclosure & PSU are designed specifically to accommodate DIY modules from mki x es. edu series and are not compatible with other eurorack modules.

RRP: 110 EUR (VAT excl.)
MAP: 139 USD

mki x es. EDU enclosure & PSU
high-res photos of DIY EDU series
We – Erica Synths and Moritz Klein – have developed series of educational DIY kits under the brand name mki x es. EDU with one specific goal in mind: to teach people with little-to-no prior experience how to design analog synthesizer circuits from scratch. What you’ll find in the box is not simply meant to be soldered together and then disappear in your rack. Instead, we want to take you through the circuit design process step by step, explaining every choice we’ve made and how it impacts the finished module.

In total, we have developed 9 kits to build a fully featured modular mono-synth: a sequencer, a VCO, a wavefolder, a noise/S&H module, a mixer, a VCF, an Envelope generator, a dual VCA and an output stereo mixer with a headphone amplifier. Additionally, an affordable eurorack case with a DIY PSU will also be available. While these kits are easy to build, we did not compromise on design and functionality. We will launch one kit every 4-6 weeks. Each kit comes with an extensive user manual (40+ pages) that will dive deep into not only the electronics behind each circuit, but also the fundamental principles of sound synthesis.

We hope that the mki x es. EDU project will inspire future engineers and will contribute to the ever growing diversity of electronic music technology.

More information coming soon

New Erica Synths MK1 vs es.EDU Dual VCA - Build and Demo

video upload by Synth Diy Guy

"Part 2 of the series on Moritz Klein and Erica Synth's educational system! This time we build, calibrate and play the cool dual VCA!"

Part one here.

https://www.quincasmoreira.com/
https://www.patreon.com/quincas

Introducing the mki x es.edu DIY VCA kit

video upload by Moritz Klein

"The mki x es. EDU VCA is simple, yet efficient dual VCA for your eurorack system. It has DC coupled inputs, so you can use the VCA both for audio and CV signals. Inputs of the second VCA are normalled to the first one, which allows to split audio signal to both VCA or control both VCAs with a single CV. A 60 page build manual explains electronics behind the module and provides step-by step build instructions.

RRP: 55 EUR (VAT excl.)
MAP: 69 USD"

Erica Synths mki x es.EDU Educational DIY Kit Line Created with Mortiz Klein

video upload by Moritz Klein

Full playlist further below.

"As some of you already know, I'll be releasing a series of DIY kits with the good people at Erica Synths. In this stream, we'll check out some of the prototypes, talk about the design process & the circuits themselves and – of course – hear what they sound like."

"Erica Synths and Moritz Klein – have developed a series of educational DIY kits under the brand name mki x es.EDU with one specific goal in mind: to teach people with little-to-no prior experience how to design analog synthesizer circuits from scratch. What you’ll find in the box is not simply meant to be soldered together and then disappear in your rack. Instead, we want to take you through the circuit design process step by step, explaining every choice we’ve made and how it impacts the finished module.

In total, we have developed 9 kits to build a fully-featured modular monosynth: a sequencer, a VCO, a wavefolder, a noise/S&H module, a mixer, a VCF, an Envelope generator, a dual VCA, and an output stereo mixer with a headphone amplifier. Additionally, an affordable eurorack case with a DIY PSU will also be available. While these kits are easy to build, we did not compromise on design and functionality. We will launch one kit every 4-6 weeks. Each kit comes with an extensive user manual (40+ pages) that will dive deep into not only the electronics behind each circuit but also the fundamental principles of sound synthesis.

We hope that the mki x es.EDU project will inspire future engineers and will contribute to the ever-growing diversity of electronic music technology."

Mortiz Klein Playlist
video uploads by Mortiz Klein