Who hasn’t ever wanted to build the tools they need themselves? I’ve always admired people who can do that, and at a time in my life when the conditions were right, I decided to take the leap.
But where to begin? Schematics looked like indecipherable hieroglyphs to me, I was completely lost in the jargon, so the simplest route was to start by building kits. Guitar pedals first — just to see, to learn how to solder properly, to recognise the different components, to be able to name them and read their values.
Then, fairly quickly, I discovered modular synths and the DIY community that comes with them — a revelation. I bought a power supply, rails, a few modules, and built a case to put it all in. I was ready to go down the rabbit hole.
I went back to building kits, with the frustration of not really understanding what I was doing. It was time for the next step: reading schematics, learning to use PCB design software, etching a circuit onto a copper board, making the front panel, choosing and ordering components. In short: plenty of fun ahead.
There are countless resources online, and a community that’s genuinely willing to help beginners. That’s what enabled me to build my first DIY modules, based on designs shared on sites like Barton Musical Circuits, Music From Outer Space, Yusynth, ModWiggler — and many more. As my knowledge grew, I started making my first personal designs too, often Arduino-based, to meet my own needs without emptying my bank account.
Since the PCB etching process was long, tedious, and always at risk of failure, I quickly decided to take the next step: having the boards manufactured. Immediate success — and a growing sense of satisfaction as projects actually got finished. Front panels followed soon after.
From there, I could reach a final result that was very close to what you’d find commercially — and not only for synth modules.
Which brings things here, today. It’s time to share these builds — if only to show that with time and patience, you can arrive at something properly finished, in terms of function, look, and ergonomics.