Help for Newbie What to build ? effects and Processors

[alexibm]

Hi everyone !
I am just getting into DIY business and just started on my first project PAiA 9700 synth..... fairly easy and straight forward.

I am planning to build several more things after I finish my first project and I need your advice on what to build, if you can give for each number link or model that can be easly be found search engine.
Also if you can, give me any links to sound samples made if DIY hardware.

1.Compressor -- stereo or 2 mono
2. EQ --- I don't know if I want to build on, since there are pleanty of cheap models from a lot of manufacturers, ex Alesis !
3. Reverb
4.Delay

Thanks.
PS..... all of this I am planning to build just for Synt processing. Single Synth with a good processing !

 

[tmbg]

build an SSL compressor. That was my first DIY from here... the boards you can get from members here and they're very nice and it's a pretty simple project to do

 

[alk509]

First of all, welcome! :grin:

[quote author="alexibm"]if you can give for each number link or model that can be easly be found search engine.[/quote]

You want to read the Meta-Meta. In The Lab page, it's the second thread from the top. Read the metas that interest you and you'll find some good projects (although I don't know if anyone here has done a reverb or delay box :?).

Having said that...

[quote author="alexibm"]Alesis ![/quote]

Some - if not most - of the projects here will cost you quite a bit more than what you can get an Alesis box for... If an Alesis box sounds good enough for your purposes, building your own doesn't really make sense. This doesn't apply to everything though: A DIY LA2A or SSL or Neve clone is usually cheaper than the real thing (but still not as cheap as an Alesis box or other crappy brands).

If you do decide to stick around, the SSL tmbg recommended is a great box...

Good luck! :thumb:

Peace,
Al

 

[alexibm]

[quote author="alk509"]

You want to read the Meta-Meta. In The Lab page, it's the second thread from the top. Read the metas that interest you and you'll find some good projects (although I don't know if anyone here has done a reverb or delay box :?).

Some - if not most - of the projects here will cost you quite a bit more than what you can get an Alesis box for

l[/quote]

----
Is it that hard to build reverb or delay box ? Or you would advice to buy digital one ?
Yes, I am starting to be aware that DIY is complicated and costly procedure ! Especially for Audio equipment !

I am very excited about your this forum and DIY community. Glad that it is possible for Common person like me to be able to build great sounding equipment !

 

[NewYorkDave]

Any interest in a tube-driven spring reverb?

I've built them before (for guitar, that is). The notion of building another one intended for studio use has been in the back of my mind for a while.

 

[alexibm]

[quote author="NewYorkDave"]Any interest in a tube-driven spring reverb?

I've built them before (for guitar, that is). The notion of building another one intended for studio use has been in the back of my mind for a while.[/quote]

How good they are ? Will they work with Synth and Drums ?
.........anyway, Yes, very intrested !

found this one !
http://www.paia.com/hotsprgs.htm

 

[tmbg]

I absolutely LOVE my SSL. I'm building a second one. I use it all the time on vocals and acoustic guitar, it's sheer magic for vocals.

 

[tmbg]

NYD, I'd like to build a tube spring reverb.

I have a spring tank here that came out of another piece of gear.

 

[ebartlet]

[quote author="NewYorkDave"]Any interest in a tube-driven spring reverb?

I've built them before (for guitar, that is). The notion of building another one intended for studio use has been in the back of my mind for a while.[/quote]

I would be very interested if I could find a reverb tank that was smoother, without the obvious echos. I have a 4 spring accusonics, but I'm not crazy over it...

Any ideas?

 

[daArry]

Any interest in a tube-driven spring reverb?

feeeeeeed meeeeee!!! :thumb:

 

[clintrubber]

from NYD:

Any interest in a tube-driven spring reverb?

I've built them before (for guitar, that is). The notion of building another one intended for studio use has been in the back of my mind for a while.

I picked up an old D&R 1HE studio-intended unit years ago, it's pre-digital reverb and uses two large spring reverbs. As a consequence when going in in mono, you can get 'stereo spring reverb'. Nothing new that, but it sounds good (as long as you don't touch the following noisy semi-param EQ).

They use a current driven input to the spring for (IIRIC) better hi-freq response.

It's no tubes though, but I have the schematic so can scan & post if there's interest to have a look at it.

Peter

 

[smilinfu]

I have been thinking about the DIY spring again. I had done a really chinsy one years ago with some 741s. Always thought it might be fun to do it with something ridiculous like 4 tanks (just for kicks)

Better effort would be getting my broken Orban spring working again first. :sad:

 

[clintrubber]

to do it with something ridiculous like 4 tanks (just for kicks)

Yeah, it's about time we get ready for multi-channel sound :thumb:

with some 741s.

FWIW, I thought that D&R used TL07X but with after the tank some discretes in front of an opamp for less noisy gain-makeup.

 

[Guest]

I have the old Fender Valves Spring Reverb/Vibrato on my DIY to do list
Schematic, BoM and reverb tanks (available for sale) available here...
http://www.hoffmanamps.com/revibe_origin.htm
http://www.hoffmanamps.com/images/Revibelayout.gif
http://www.hoffmanamps.com/revibe.htm
http://www.hoffmanamps.com/images/revibeschematic.gif
http://www.hoffmanamps.com/revibeparts.htm

 

[clintrubber]

I have the old Fender Valves Spring Reverb/Vibrato on my DIY to do list

Cool combination !
I wouldn't mind seeing a second hand Peavey Valverb coming up for sale, but this is cooler !

If I'm correct there was something special about that vib-circuit, right ?
(as opposed to the more usual Fender-vib-circuits)

Didn't it have a Vox-origin ?

I don't know how they compare soundwise, although I do know the VOX-vib sound vs Fender-vib sound. But thats never without other factors at play.

Bye,

Peter

 

[AudioHammer]

alexibm,

If you are interested in a DIY Digital Reverb, save yourself the trouble and purchase a used Lexicon or similar brand for your studio. Even the economy priced reverbs are better than most of the elementary algorithms that you will uncover with a search on the Internet. Most commercial digital reverb algorithms are highly coveted by the manufacturers and DSP signal processing engineers that created them and they rarely talk about them in detail. Pro Audio companies spend millions on the R&D to create the algos and attempt to keep them under lock and key.

I am not trying to discourage you from researching and learning about the DSP algorithms used to create audio effects. Most of the information that I have turned up on the Internet has been less than usable for serious studio processing.

The closest algos to studio grade effects that I have seen published was in the AES Journal in 1995-1996 by Jon Dattora while at Stanford University (formerly of Ensoniq Corp and Lexicon). Jon received some serious legal heat from Ensoniq for the published articles. I used to work with Jon at Ensoniq. I also used to work at Eventide.

If you can get your hands on the AES Journal reprints, those are good examples that are fairly close to studio grade quality.

audiohammer

 

[NewYorkDave]

No, that trem circuit originated with Fender, not Vox. It was used in the early '60s "brown" amps. See the page linked earlier for details.

The Fender circuit is excellent for guitar, but has some drawbacks for line-level use in a studio. The input sensitivity is too high for line-level signals (so you'd have to pad it), the I/Os are unbalanced, and the output impedance is way too high to interface with studio equipment. Also, there is no limiting of the drive signal, so you'll get "ploink" on transients, which is cool for guitar but not usually what you want in a studio reverb.

You can buy Accutronics reverb tanks with a number of different input and output transducer configurations...
http://www.accutronicsreverb.com/ioic.htm
If you chose the correct I/O impedances, you could put together a reverb using amps you may already own: a line amp to drive the tank, and a mic preamp for recovery. Spring reverb usually sounds best if you high-pass filter the signal going into the tank, and provide limiting of transients.

 

[tony666]

The Vermona retroverb would be a nice spring reverb to clone http://www.vermona.com/en/produkte/retroverb/retroverb.html . It offers a bit more control to the sound than others.