Metallsynth Zum Selbermachen Lötset von Rakit. Shaped Noise Percussion Synthesizer

**** *  Difficulty  rating: MODERATE TO HARD

The Rakit Metal Synth has a Polivok’s inspired filter at its core. It uses this, along with a punchy AD envelope to produce a variety of percussive sounds from shaped noise. It was designed to be a companion to the Rakit Drum Synth and as such creates a range of mad/interesting sounds and some very useful metallic sounds.

Available as a kit or fully assembled.

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To find out more please read the full description below…

Kit Assembly

Only two basic soldering tools are required to complete this kit: a soldering iron and a pair of flush cutters. 5-6g SAC305 Lead free solder is included – the perfect amount to build your kit! We are unable to provide individual customer support with kit building so please see the  detailed assembly guide here    to gauge difficulty before purchasing. Once started, kits cannot be refunded.​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​The kit is made entirely of interlocking PCBs and unlike most kits the only wires that have to be soldered are the ones going to the piezo disc.

How It Works

The synth is triggered by a piezo disc which is sensitive to how hard you tap the top panel giving subtle differences in the two stage envelope.

The noise is generated digitally by a pre-programmed microcontroller. The filter at the heart of the unit can be controlled and modified by the Sweep, lowpass/bandpass, Resonance, Cutoff and Cutoff CV.

Powering The Unit

The Metal Synth comes with a 9V pp3 battery to barrel jack connector as standard. We recommend using an alkaline battery, this is not included.

Should you wish to use your own power supply, please ensure it meets the ​​​​​​​ following specifications:

+8V to +12V, Centre positive 2.1mm (centre) x 5.5mm (outside)

Buy It Made

Don’t want to make the kit? No problem! The Metal Synth is also available to buy completely assembled and ready to go.

2x Trigger Options

Trigger by activating the piezo under the touchpad (Metal Logo) or by plugging in an external trigger.

SENS: Sets the sensitivity of the trigger/touchpad.

DECAY1: Sets the decay time of the louder initial hit (body).

DECAY2: Sets the lasting decay

time (tail).

CUTOFF: Sets the filter’s cutoff frequency and the bias for control voltages to be summed with.

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SWEEP: Controls the amount of sweep applied to the cutoff frequency.

RES: Sets the filter’s resonance. The filter will oscillate at max!

AUX IN: A mono input of your choosing.

TRIGGER, CUTOFF CV, AUX IN and OUTPUT connectors are all 3.5mm mono.

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SOUND OUTPUT: The Metal Synth is capable of generating a wide range of frequencies and as such will work best with a wide range speaker/amplifier rather than a typical guitar/bass amp.

3x 3.5mm Mono Socket & Screws 1x 3.5mm Mono Socket

2x A100k Log Potentiometer 2x B504 500k Linear Potentiometer 1x B102 1kO Linear Potentiometer 1x B103 1kO Linear Potentiometer

2x 50k Trim potentiometer 2x Right Angle SPST Slide Switch 3x Horizontal DPDT Slide Switch 1x 1n0 Box Capacitor 3x 3n3 Box Capacitor 1x 47n Box Capacitor

100n Ceramic Capacitor

4k7 Resistor Network

​​​​​​​100k Resistor Network

1x 33k 0.6W 1% Resistor 2x 47k 0.6W 1% Resistor 13x 22k 0.6W 1% Resistor 13x 10k 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 560R 0.6W 1% Resistor

6x 100k 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 4M7 0.6W 1% Resistor 6x 1k0 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 499k 0.6W 1% Resistor 3x 1M0 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 3k3 0.6W 1% Resistor

3x 2k2 0.6W 1% Resistor 2x 3mm Blue LED

3x Signal Diode 1N4148 1x Schottky Diode 1N5819

1x Op Amp 2904 IC 1x Op Amp LM324N

2x Op Amp NJM4250D 3x 2N3904 NPN Transistor

1x ATTINY 13A (programmed)

1x 78L05 5V REgulator 1x 1u Electrolytic Capacitor 1x 10u Electrolytic Capacitor 5x 100u Electrolytic Capacitor

1x 4u7 Electrolytic Capacitor 1x PCB (Internal)

1x PCB Panel (Case) 1x Battery Snap to Barrel Jack

(Battery is NOT included) 4x Rubber Tube

Shipping within the UK is £2, no matter how many kits you buy. We also ship worldwide for £10 + £2 per additional item

If you are not 100% satisfied with your kit you may return it unopened within 30 days of purchase for a refund. In the case of returns due to a change of mind you will need to pay the return postage. We cannot refund kits which have been started. 

See our other items

***** Difficulty rating: MODERATE TO HARD

Available as a kit or a fully made unit, the Rakit Drum Synth is based on the (now rare) Boss PC-2/AMDEK PCK-100 percussion synthesizer. The sounds produced by the synth are not limited to what you would expect to associate with drum sounds and can vary from big bass drums to tapping on glass to UFO space drum-wobbly things! Not only does this Drum Synth do sonic justice to the original but we have also put our own spin on it with extra modifications including: * Attack on/off * VCO & LFO wave shape selection * Pitch CV input

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To find out more please read the full description below…

The Rakit Drum Synth kit requires skill and precision to complete, but trust us when we say it is well worth the effort!!

Kit Assembly

Only two basic soldering tools are required to complete this kit: a soldering iron and a pair of flush cutters. Lead free solder is included! We are unable to provide individual customer support with kit building so please see our detailed assembly guide here to gauge difficulty. Once started, kits cannot be refunded.​​​​​​​

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The kit is made entirely of interlocking PCBs and unlike most kits the only wires that have to be soldered are the ones going to the piezo disc.

How It Works

The synth is triggered by a piezo disc which is sensitive to how hard you tap the top panel giving subtle differences in the envelope. The sounds are generated by a VCO optionally modulated by a frequency sweep, LFO, Pitch CV or all three.

There is a simple envelope generator with a fixed fast attack for punchy percussive envelopes and variable decay for super short to really long decays (5 seconds+).

Buy It Made

Don’t want to make the kit? No problem! The Drum Synth is also available to buy completely assembled and ready to go.

Extra Fun

An example sheet is available to download from our website showing you how to recreate 8 settings from the original Boss PC-2/AMDEK PCK-100 percussion synthesizer and a blank settings sheet for recording your own favourite settings.

External Trigger

Use the 3.5mm mono socket to connect to the Rakit Baby8 Sequencer , external drum pads or anything with a gate out.

Applying an external rising edge between 500mV to supply activates the drum.​​​​​​

Touch Pad Trigger

Activate the piezo fixed to the underside of the top panel using a finger or weapon of your choice! We rather like the suggestion from Csaba Nagy (our helpful guinea pig) to use a pencil with a rubber on the end. 

Powering The Unit

The Drum Synth comes with a 9V pp3 battery to barrel jack connector as standard. We recommend using an alkaline battery, one of which can be added to your order using the drop down menu above.

Should you wish to use your own power supply, please ensure it meets the following specifications:

+8V to +12V, Centre positive 2.1mm (centre) x 5.5mm (outside)

VCO/LFO SHAPE

Select triangle or square wave.

ATTACK

Mimics the sound of a drumstick hitting a skin. The degree to which it is noticeable is dependent on the other settings.

SENS

Sets the sensitivity of the trigger/piezo input.

RATE

Controls the frequency of the LFO. Approx 2Hz to 400Hz

PITCH

Controls the pitch (frequency) of the VCO. Approx 30Hz to 3.5kHz

DEPTH

Controls the amount of LFO applied to the VCO.

DECAY

Sets the decay time from short and punchy (50ms) to lingering (5 seconds+)

SWEEP

Controls the amount of frequency sweep applied to the VCO.

Select the direction of the frequency sweep.

Rakit have a handy soldering tutorial and  easy to follow assembly guides which can be followed online on our website. They contain plenty of photos, hints and tips to help you along the way! 

3x 3.5mm Mono Socket 4x A100k Log Potentiometer 1x B504 500k Linear Potentiometer 1x B102 1k0 Linear Potentiometer 2x 50k Trim potentiometer 1x 2.1mm/5.5mm Barrel Power Socket 2x Right Angle SPST Slide Switch 3x Horizontal DPDT Slide Switch 4x 1n0 Box Capacitor 1x 3n3 Box Capacitor 1x 22n Box Capacitor 3x 47n Box Capacitor 11x 100k 0.6W 1% Resistor​​​​​​​

2x 33k 0.6W 1% Resistor 11x 47k 0.6W 1% Resistor 5x 22k 0.6W 1% Resistor 5x 10k 0.6W 1% Resistor 4x 4k7 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 390R 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 4M7 0.6W 1% Resistor 5x 1k0 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 56k 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 1M0 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x 220k 0.6W 1% Resistor 1x OTA IC BA6110 1x Op Amp 4558 IC

3x Op Amp 358/2904 IC 2x 3mm Blue LED 3x Signal Diode 1N4148 1x Schottky diode IN5819 2x 2N3904 NPN Transistor 2x 2N3906 PNP Transistor 2x 2SC945P NPN Transistor 3x 1u0 Electrolytic Capacitor 2x 10u Electrolytic Capacitor 1x 100u Electrolytic Capacitor 4x PCB – Top, Inside, Left and Right 1x Battery Snap to Barrel 4x Rubber Tube

Shipping within the UK is £2, no matter how many kits you buy. We also ship worldwide for £10 plus £2 per additional item

If you are not 100% satisfied with your kit you may return it unopened within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. In the case of returns due to a change of mind you will need to pay the return postage. We cannot refund kits which have been started. ​​​​​​​

See our other items

Kit rating: Intermediate

The Rakimix is a simple but proficient mixer with 4 controllable channels and one auxiliary channel. The auxiliary channel can be used to daisy chain with another Rakimix or any typical mono audio source. This is an intermediate level DIY kit, the perfect project for anyone with a spare hour on their hands!

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To find out more please read the full description below…

​​​​​​​We are unable to provide individual customer support with kit building so please see the detailed assembly guide at Rakit to gauge difficulty before purchasing. Once started, kits cannot be refunded. 

Level: Channels 1-4

Each channel has a level control which ranges from off (fully anti-clockwise) to +10dB gain (fully clockwise).

Mute: Channels 1-4

Each channel has a mute switch which can be  useful to keep a level setting but still mute the sound on an individual channel.

Master Level

The master level control is used to adjust the level of channels 1-4 but does not affect the auxiliary input.

The Rakimix can be daisy chained with other Rakimixers to create a larger channel count mixer.

This input can be used with any mono audio signal up to approx 4Vpp, the signal will be buffered and mixed with channels 1-4.

Any level adjustment of the auxiliary input signal should be done on the source device.

4 x Mono, perfect!

 2 x Stereo, great!

Channel 1 > Tip/Left

Channel 2 > Ring/Right

Channel 3 > Tip/Left

Channel 4 > Ring/Right

1 x Stereo, 2 x Mono, outstanding!

Channel 1 > Tip/Left

Channel 2 > Ring/Right

The mixer output signal is a mix of the 5 input channels transmitted to the tip and ring of a stereo output. A mono or stereo cable can be used on the output. When using a stereo jack both left and right signals will be identical.

Option A: Get yourself a pp3 9V battery to use with the battery-barrel jack connector supplied in your kit for a mobile device. You can add a battery to your kit using the drop down menu options.

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Option B: Should you wish to use your own power supply, please ensure it meets the following specifications:

+8V to +12V, Centre positive 2.1mm (centre) x 5.5mm (outside)

Rakit have a handy soldering tutorial and  easy to follow assembly guides which can be followed online on our website. They contain lots of photos, hints and tips to help you along the way! 

Also included is 2/3g of our favourite lead free solder!

PCB                                                           1 100k Potentiometers                            4 10k Potentiometer                                1 2x5mm LED                                            1

SPDT Slide Switches                              5 NE5532 Op Amp                                    2

3.5mm Stereo Jacks                              6

100k Resistors                                   4

10k Resistors                                     8

100R Resistors                                  2 

33k Resistors                                     1

3.3k Resistors                                    1

Stand-offs                                          4

Nuts                                                    4

100uF Electrolytic Capacitor               5 10uF Electrolytic Capacitor                  1

9V (pp3) Battery To Barrel Jack           1 100nF Ceramic Capacitor                    2 100p Ceramic Capacitor                      2 Power Jack                                              1 Schottky Diode                                      1

Shipping within the UK is £2, no matter how many kits you buy. We also ship worldwide for £10 + £2 per additional item

If you are not 100% satisfied with your kit you may return it unopened within 30 days of purchase for a refund. In the case of returns due to a change of mind you will need to pay the return postage. We cannot refund kits which have been started. 

See our other items

Kit rating: EASY

This Atari Punk Console kit is based on the original Stepped Tone Generator by Forest M. Mimms III. It creates great lo-fi sounds resembling those from the old style Atari games using an astable square wave oscillator.

The main features of the kit are a 9v battery connector snap, an on/off power switch, a 3.5mm jack so that it can be hooked up to other devices such as an amp, speaker or headphones, and two knobs to control the pitch and depth of the quirky raspy tones produced. To find out more please read the full description below…

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The kit that proves that great things really can come in small packages!

(33mmx50mm packages to be precise)​​​​​​​

Kit Assembly

This kit is rated as easy, takes around 20-45 mins to make and is suitable for all ages. The only equipment needed to complete this kit is a soldering iron and a pair of flush cutters. 1m of our favourite lead free solder is included with this kit.

How It Works

Grab yourself a 9v pp3 battery (not included) and connect it up to the battery snap. Turn the mini APC on using the on/off power switch, and adjust the two knobs to control the pitch and depth of the quirky raspy tones produced.

Build Support

We are unable to provide individual customer support with kit building so please see the detailed assembly guide at Rakit to gauge difficulty before purchasing. Once started, kits cannot be refunded. 

CONNECT TO OUR BABY8 SEQUENCER​​​​​​​

The kit includes a set of connectors to bring the Baby8 and mini APC together for all sorts of fun! The set consists of two strips of pin headers and 5 multi-coloured jumper cables for connecting power sharing, 2x CVs, Gate and Ground.

3.5mm Jack : Option 1

Plug your own headphones into the 3.5mm stereo socket.

3.5mm Jack: Option 2

Plug into your own speaker/amp into the 3.5mm stereo socket.

Option 3

Use the 25mm speaker included with your kit and solder it into place.

Rakit have a handy soldering tutorial and  easy to follow assembly guides which can be followed online on our website.

They contain plenty of photos, hints and tips to help you along the way! 

PCB 500K Ohm Linear Potentiometer (x2) NE556 Dual 555 Timer IC 100K Resistor 15K Resistor 10K Resistor 1K Resistor (x2)

​​​​​​​1m Lead Free Solder

4.7K Ohm Resistor 10uF Electrolytic Capacitor 9V (pp3) Battery Snap 10nF Ceramic Capacitor 100nF Ceramic Capacitor On/Off Sliding Switch 3.5mm Stereo Jack

1 x APC-Baby8 Connector Set

Shipping within the UK is £2, no matter how many kits you buy. We also ship worldwide for £10 + £2 per additional item.

If you are not 100% satisfied with your kit you may return it unopened within 30 days of purchase for a refund. In the case of returns due to a change of mind you will need to pay the return postage. We cannot refund kits which have been started. 

See our other items