Erica Synths has introduced a new educational line of DIY modular synth kits, mki x es.EDU, created together with Moritz Klein.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“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.”
The line will feature 9 kits, which will allow you to build a fully-featured modular monosynth, including: 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. The line will also include an affordable Eurorack case with a DIY power supply.
Each kit will also include an extensive user manual that will dive deep into not only the electronics behind each circuit, but also the fundamental principles of sound synthesis.
Pricing and Availability:
The first of the modules, the VCO, is available now, priced at € 60.00. They expect to launch the remaining kits every 4-6 weeks.
This is fantastic!
This is awesome, but even at $60 per module (plus power and a case) eurorack is brutally expensive.
The concept/idea is great and i am sure the quality will be good, but 60 euros + tax + shipping costs does not sound very competitive pricing for a single vco as a diy project …
Funny you should mention that, because I actually searched for a second DIY VCO with perhaps a couple more waveforms and the next one I could find was a Befaco VCO kit for 135 euros.
if you have links to FULL KIT VCO’s that cost less than 60 euros, please share them here, because I will purchase one. I have a feeling you are confusing this full kit with the kind of kits where you get a PCB and front panel and source everything else yourself.
It’s not about the DIY thing, which is the main issue here, it’s about the final product. For example, the Behringer 112 Dual VCO sells for less than 100 final price and it has two VCOs, which also include sync, (which the Erica doesn’t) … I love having fun with DIY kits a lot, but assembling it myself has to come with the added “side effect” of getting value for money, too. If you put the DIY procedure above all, yes, the Erica offer is nice. But it is not competitively priced as a “final product” VCO.
The Behringer modules are made in a massive Chinese factory that takes advantage of cheap semi-skilled labor and absolutely massive buying power. It’s insane to declare that kits made in Europe by a tiny company are expensive because they cost “only” 40% less than the mass-produced Chinese copies.
First of all, i am not against this whole concept, i love both the DIY kit idea and Erica Synths as a company, many of their products are great. And it is quite possible that i will end up buying some of these DIY products from them, they are irresistible in some way. But not this oscillator, the math about it is uncomfortable: since i mentioned the Behringer 112 VCO module, let’s go with that. It sells for less than 100 euros and it includes two completely independent and identical oscillators, not one. So you get each oscillator with sync and multiple mod inputs for less than 50 euros, and already assembled. This DIY kit sells for 60 euros plus tax plus shipping costs …. and it is one oscillator, not two, and without sync option, which is important. And not assembled. So, as a final product, it does have less features at a higher price. That’s all i am comparing. What is beyond this math comparison (and it is its BIG selling point) is its educational value. Its manual is a real TREASURE! The people who will take the time to read it, and then build it, will benefit tremendously and will get a deep understanding of synth technology. For that, it’s worth it.
Take a look at the manual if you haven’t already. Super detailed. I think it offers way more than a typical kit in that regard.