Designing a simple analog kick drum from scratch

Рет қаралды 589,813

Күн бұрын

Build your own as a DIY eurorack kit:
www.ericasynths.lv/shop/diy-k...
Support the channel...
... through Patreon: / moritzklein
... by buying my other DIY kits: www.ericasynths.lv/shop/diy-k...
Simulation in CircuitJS: tinyurl.com/24pvf46l
Join my Discord community: / discord
If you look at my backlog of videos, you’ll notice that I never tackled any percussion circuits before. This is mainly because percussion circuits are quite complex and dense. They mash a ton of different functional blocks - oscillators, envelopes, VCAs, filters etc. - into super efficient little packages.
And they achieve that by taking shortcuts left and right, in sometimes surprising and unintuitive ways. Which makes them even less approachable.
So I decided to cut my teeth on simpler single-purpose circuits first. Now that I’ve covered all of the essentials though, I felt it’s time to give percussion a proper go. So in this video, we’ll try our hand at a classic, Roland-inspired analog kick drum. If you want to build along, here's the bill of materials:
Resistors
1M x2
470k x1
120k x1
100k x5
47k x2
39k x1
33k x2
14k x1
10k x2
2k x1
Potentiometers
1M (lin) x1
100k (lin) x3
100k (log) x1
50k (lin) x1
10k (lin) x1
Capacitors (all film/foil)
220nF x1
15n x3
10nF x1
3n3 x1
Semiconductors
1N4148 diode x7
BC558 (PNP) transistor x2
BC548/547 (NPN) transistor x3
TL072 dual op amp x2
Chapters
00:00 Intro & Kick Drum Basics
03:15 Bridged-T Oscillator
08:30 Gate-To-Trigger Converter
10:55 Manual Pitch Mod
12:24 Manual Decay Mod
17:15 Pitch Envelope
24:21 Smoother Pitch Envelope
27:26 Pitch CV
29:52 Accent CV
33:26 Tone & Distortion
37:18 Final Demo & Outro

Пікірлер: 638

@jnkmal9519 9 ай бұрын

This is phenomenal. Dude goes through the schematic and explains the purpose of every component, even explaining their values. SUUUUBED!

@Xsiondu 9 ай бұрын

Read your comment before watching the video. I subbed because you said all the right words

@jlucasound 9 ай бұрын

Moritz Klein is the Man! What is a 1985 Sequential worth these days? 😅

@chaselewis8473 4 ай бұрын

lmao so true

@NotJustBikes 10 ай бұрын

These videos are so great; they're explained so clearly. And as someone with an EE degree who was also a rave DJ in the 90s, this one in particular was incredibly well suited to my interests. 😉

@eurabe1 10 ай бұрын

Was not expecting to see you here. I'm enjoying this video and I like your videos too. Both are very informative.

@MoritzKlein0 10 ай бұрын

you got any old sets to share?

@lkym2481 10 ай бұрын

@NotJustBikes #NotJustSynths, guitar culture has made music listening inherently unpleasant and cost inefficient, and we would all be much better off appreciating the nuances of classic analog filters than lusting after a $4000 "fake vintage" Strat. (PS i love your work, this is a joke for fun)

@JoelLinus 10 ай бұрын

@@lkym2481 Guitars are pretty expensive, and so are synths, I don't think "Guitar" Culture destroyed any thing.

@emnigmamachine 10 ай бұрын

My interests are crossing over in a wild way right now lol.

@madrigo 10 ай бұрын

Not only an absolute wizard of analog music, a talented lecturer and clever editor. Props to you again Moritz, superb video as always. Cheers from Brazil!!

@kappikcz 10 ай бұрын

Nebo y 3322😊,QAàa

@GregAllison 9 ай бұрын

This just isn't the type of content you usually get on KZfaq. This is the quality and type of content I would expect in a private masterclass. Super cool!

@ericlazbin1930 Ай бұрын

My first time ever leaving a comment on KZfaq in my 23 years of living. This is absolutely amazing content and I am so thankful for you putting it on youtube for us. THANK YOU.

@nicolasfgt45 Ай бұрын

I started building DIY synth modules a year ago and I’m not sure I would have without your videos. Most of the modules I’m building are combination of knowledge gathered from you, the audiophool and lantertronics. Anyway I’ll name one of my modules MK-something because that’s the least I can do.

@NadoSecretAsianMan 10 ай бұрын

After going to college for electrical engineering, I've transitioned to only software/firmware professionally. Videos like this scratch the itch I didn't know I still had for hardware beeps and boops. Keep up the great work.

@souv1k985 9 ай бұрын

Haha... same. Was an electrical engineer grad, now a devops guy.

@fernandofernandez4128 9 ай бұрын

One more here... Gold content for us!

@ashadrashad6914 Ай бұрын

Bless you for sharing your masterpiece! Really clear adaptation for non-schematic-friendly persons of musical synth community

@kartikeyak3425 9 ай бұрын

As an EE student gaining interest in analog, this content is godsent ❤

@meepk633 4 ай бұрын

Yoooo these are so cool. I've created a huge stockpile of components over the years. I just never got interested in project ideas. Audio never even crossed my mind, even though I grew up in the late 80s and early 90s.

@codefrite 10 ай бұрын

Just wow ... This is what we call a master class ... Clear content, beautiful video editing ... and the history bit is a delicacy. Thank you !

@kellymerrill5294 10 ай бұрын

I'd love to see a series of DIY modules utilizing CMOS chips, so many possibilities!

@MoritzKlein0 10 ай бұрын

sounds fun! what were you thinking of specifically?

@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers 10 ай бұрын

Agree! I love CMOS!

@joshuacogliati6085 10 ай бұрын

Hm, the main point of CMOS was that you can make things like NAND gates that only use power during signal transitions allowing you to use more gates for digital circuits with the same amount of power. That said, using a voltage controlled FET instead of a current controlled PNP or NPN transistor might be useful sometimes for analog circuits. JFETs might be easier to use than the MOSFETs used in CMOS since they are usually a bit less sensitive to electrostatic discharge.

@VladoT 10 ай бұрын

I have seen devices that use the logic gates in CMOS ICs as analog amplifiers! I even tested an AM radio built entirely around 4 NAND gate chip that worked great.

@eddododo 9 ай бұрын

I just randomly ran into this when I got the wild hair to look into synth architecture while I’m in search for inspiration for a new project. I’m amazed how much of this I followed, and while I pat myself on the back, its REALLY a testament to the unbelievable quality and the top-tier combination of the explanation, the carefully curated simplicity of the project itself, and your visual elements and style. Unbelievable, I’m so happy to have run into this AND somehow I found good KZfaq content that’s 2 weeks old instead of 9 years. Thanks so much, I can’t wait to watch all of our videos

@portagenial 9 ай бұрын

As a person who loves music but knows nothing of electronics, this was soo helpful. It helped me understand what capacitors and transistors do in circuits by relating it to music, incredible!

@vikenemesh 29 күн бұрын

I recently built Eric Archers 808-kick adaption on protoboard and was researching ways to put more CV inputs in the circuit: Thank you very much for the insight, very helpful!

@peterevenhuis2663 9 ай бұрын

After 53 years in this world playing with electronics, I learned a amazing interesting lesson here. WOW this opened my world, time for testing....😂😊

@wheelyman81 9 ай бұрын

I think I understand roughly 0.1% of that but it was fascinating to hear such a clear explanation. I will never achieve anywhere near this level of knowledge and I have renewed admiration for electronics engineers everywhere. Thanks for sharing.

@rayackerman7872 10 ай бұрын

As always, masterfully explained. Great video.

@sujalmakwana3270 7 ай бұрын

This just phenomenal man.... kudos to you this the next thing I will be making after my semester exams... once again, epic content....

@carnage77 10 ай бұрын

I have designed built my own guitar effects for years, self taught. Your videos are (for me anyway...) at the sweet spot of instructive and intuitive without all the mathematical baggage where I can guess what might come next, or intuitively know why we need to make something in the way you describe. Fantastic!!!!

@stratfanstl 8 ай бұрын

These videos are fantastic means for understanding passive components, semiconductors, integrated circuits and practical circuit design. These would have been much more educational material in EE core courses than what was taught back in 1986.

@manasnikhil 9 ай бұрын

As an electronics engineering student and a music producer, I see this channel as an absolute win. I instantly subscribed and I can't wait to try each of these circuits myself. Thank you for sharing this!

@AppliedCryogenics 10 ай бұрын

Thank you, having been stuck into digital samples for so long, this video was one big "Aha!" moment for me.

@Daniel1987H 10 ай бұрын

That was amazing. Graphics, design, didactics, pronunciation... Top notch!

@professionalhuman4429 5 ай бұрын

Someone imparting TRUE KNOWLEDGE to the masses. Thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️ to the top of my brain 🧠.

@lordflatworm 10 ай бұрын

These videos are brilliant. The visuals are amazing and you explain everything perfectly. I get +1 smartness every time I watch one.

@joshmyer9 10 ай бұрын

This is my favorite of these videos by a fair bit. So much detail, all really nicely explained,with a satisfying final result. This whole series has me itching to build a synth, even though I have less musical talent than the average goldfish. To quote Marge Simpson, "I just think they're neat!"

@kiehtoo 10 ай бұрын

I'm really crap in physics dealing with electricity, and even I kind of understood the principle, when broken down like this. Thanks - subscribed!

@allenpaley 8 ай бұрын

Holy sheiz, Mo. Nearly 400k views? This one's a high-water mark for you. Congrats on the snowball of success!

@MechaStreisand1 10 ай бұрын

Analog designers are wizards. Amazing!

@pdhm7521 9 ай бұрын

ok this is my new fav youtube channel, massive thanks to you dude

@QuantumKatmusic 9 ай бұрын

you are incredibly intelligent. its extremely clear to see, and these videos are awesome, they answer questions that almost certainly wouldn't get answered otherwise, the way i see it is that although there are plenty of smart people around the world, the people who came up with the most fundamental inventions and devices, those who made discoveries that changed the world or created entire companies, those people usually don't share their secrets to the open web for all to see, that knowledge is kept away to keep a companies' inventions to themselves so that they can continue to make awesome products (and charge accordingly for them) like its not just some passing thought that creates these instruments, they are often well packed up secrets, blueprints, closed source and its understandable. i mean just these kicks, that was 40 minutes of intricate explanation , imagine what goes into things like the MPC or like the polybrute, hell maybe you have a good idea, the point is: we all appreciate that you share it with all of us, thats super open source of you and very badass. you deserve positive recognition for your contributions, they mean more than just a simple video or a simple DIY project, they sprout the seeds of tomorrow's ideas that maybe wouldn't have taken off if not for some extremely important piece of information that you just happened to donate to us, you never know what might end up being the missing link between interesting ideas and revolutionary new engineering anyway..uh..in short.. thanks, good show, yes

@Scrogan 10 ай бұрын

Really cool stuff. I find half of those old synth schematics impenetrable with their tricks and shortcuts, great to see you tackle one, and make such great showing of it. I’d like to see a longer series, where you pick a machine, and pick apart a different section of it each episode. Maybe with the goal of recreating one faithfully, or making an improved one, or just for education. Hope you keep at the 606, those noise circuits are fun. Personally I’m fond of circuits with strange components in them. If you see any audio circuits using H11F analogue optocouplers, UJTs, or mixer ICs, please make a showcase of that. Unbuffered CMOS logic is neat to see, but I’ve seen it often enough that I don’t consider it particularly rare. PLLs in audio on the other hand…

@CatFish107 10 ай бұрын

Seconding the curiosity regarding PLLs. Strange magics in there.

@MoritzKlein0 10 ай бұрын

oh yeah. gonna look into PLLs for sure.

@psuedoscience6943 10 ай бұрын

Some stylophones are ujt based

@jesp4975 8 ай бұрын

Loved this video, I'm a telecommunications engineering student and it felt like a new way of understanding electronics other than just analyzing circuits.

@JesseSep. 10 ай бұрын

I love the question/answer, or call/response structure of these videos:) so much knowledge!! Thanks Moritz❤

@hiimthelegend6644 9 ай бұрын

Whoa what a wonderful channel, going to stay here for much longer.

@MartinVincentBloedorn 10 ай бұрын

Never felt a 40min video whiz by so quickly. Incredibly clear and engaging, thanks a lot!

@Schwalar 2 ай бұрын

I've been looking for " the This-old-tony-channel" of electronics, and this is it! Absolutely brilliant, thank you!

@ToddHenderson 8 ай бұрын

Built mine from scratch this weekend following the steps you did in the video to hear each stage of creating and then shaping the sound. Thanks for all your effort putting this together! (Now, on to a VCO, then a sequencer.)

@cusemoneyman 6 ай бұрын

Do you happen to know if you were using BC558A's, BC558B's, or BC558C's?

@atom6_ 10 ай бұрын

I have no idea how to read these electrical circuit schematics, but the way you break down every step is amazing - these videos should be stored in the human heritage archives :') I will stick to vcv rack for now :D

@psychosomatiqueofficial 9 ай бұрын

He is a wizard beyond our time

@user-pd5ot4zd4b 10 ай бұрын

This is really great! Had an old Sequential Circuits synth and played around with some old Moogs in the 80s into the 90s before everything was sampled and emulated and they were just marvelous devices. The classic percussion is a revelation, thanks!

@uglyflower608 6 ай бұрын

It’s crazy how all the things i learned in school (and at that time thought were useless) now make so much sense and be extremely useful 😅

@CykPykMyk 7 ай бұрын

Amount of work that you've put into this video is... "impressive" is like saying nothing. Absolutely brilliant. The anomations, the focus on the detail, the whole narration, guiding by the hand... This is the best electronics series not only on youtube, but I'd be pretty sure that anywhere. Universities could teach stuff this way, but (obviously) they hardly ever do it like so. I wish you long, good, wealthy happy life (so you can teach us more ;) ) :D

@FreejackVesa 10 ай бұрын

Thanks Moritz, I always appreciate your detailed and laser focused videos. Greetings from New Orleans

@tmantekkit8469 10 ай бұрын

Awesome video as always! If you're exploring more analog drum circuits, I think a great set to look into next are cymbal circuits, as those seem to have a bunch of unusual circuitry to achieve their sounds

@MoritzKlein0 10 ай бұрын

currently working on a hi-hat - will most likely be the next video!

@Galova 10 ай бұрын

I am surprised and amazed at the same time. Such a great lesson. I haven't seen anything as informative and clear yet I was wondering how drum machine is made and didn't find anything smart enough to read or watch to understand how this thing works in reality. High grade engineers use moonspeak and exclude vast information that would made it clear. Hobbyists show mumbojumbo as they don't have pure knowledge or do not know to explain as well as they dont wanna share what they learnt trying to sell some pcb boards they ordered in china. This video is a gem. Again thank you so much Moritz for your efforts

@VladyYakovenko 6 ай бұрын

😊 The way you visualise and explain this hard to understand stuff is nothing short of miracle. I really do love everything about this video. Gold!!!!❤️

@hummusdude 5 ай бұрын

I came to your series because I'm interested in modular. I'm new to electronics....only finished technician's school a couple of years ago. I'm so appreciating the way you dive down into how the sub-circuits interact and how a single component can be used to create different outcomes. My job deals with troubleshooting and repairing analog audio circuits. Naturally, there's no such thing as a theory of operation available, and schematics are few and far between. Your DIY synth series is making me a better technician....thank you!!!

@luuk341 9 ай бұрын

I have never considered how analog equipment like this works. But now you have my attention. This video is crazy good!

@GeorgeFoot 10 ай бұрын

Such a great tour through the construction of such a circuit, explaining each step along the way really well - thank you!

@sprengar 10 ай бұрын

I've been itching to make my own DIY analog system and drums are one of the main things I want. So excited to try this.

@emmathyst 10 ай бұрын

Stunned that KZfaq handed this to me. Amazing rundown of your build process! ❤

@nannue 9 ай бұрын

I am fascinated by analog synthesis via interface design and this is way deeper than what I previously knew so it’s amazing for bedtime listening. Feel like I m back in the Audio Engineering class again.

@baukevanderkooi8712 10 ай бұрын

You sir, got another subscriber. Amazingly clear and understandable explanation about the circuits. Even as an engineer, I learned allot. Thank you.

@princequestly2218 9 ай бұрын

It’s pure magic. Amazing craftsmanship.

@jamesmcasey 10 ай бұрын

Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Such clear walkthroughs

@joemck85 10 ай бұрын

Great explanations! A fair deal of the thinking about designing it went over my head since I'm still pretty new to analog. Amazing how simple that little distortion circuit is, yet how much it adds to the final sound.

@timoruohomaki 10 ай бұрын

A perfect project for a rainy day! Thanks for all the effort, this was explained very well

@Setsuna_Kyoura 9 ай бұрын

Wow, surprisingly powerful and great sounding little piece of circuitry... LOVE IT

@deadmusik9969 10 ай бұрын

This is absolutely brilliant, the motion graphics really nail down what your talking about, you making me think about trying to build a synth :D

@gusbook 10 ай бұрын

From scratch (with a couple op amps just sitting around) 😂 This is incredible. Thank you.

@NicolasGasnier 10 ай бұрын

That's an amazing video as always. This drum voice sounds cooler than my rd-6 ! You made me start building my own synthethiser, and I learned a lot from you. Hope you will do the other instrument types, this will be a lot of things to learn !

@savado 10 ай бұрын

So much of this was way beyond my knowledge, yet I watched the entire video with great pleasure!

@5pac3man 2 ай бұрын

Extraordinarily impressive breakdown.

@jazzygerard8413 4 ай бұрын

Where were you all my life! 🙌🏾

@emiliomartinez417 2 ай бұрын

Hi bro, thanks for make this videos, I’m a EDM producer and electronic student, and it’s very wonderful see how both things work together. (And I’m practice my English at same time jaja)

@ToddHenderson 9 ай бұрын

Damn it. I don’t need another hobby! I’ve resisted the pull to head down the DIY synth rabbit hole for years, but this drum circuit is just too cool to ignore. I’m hooked; you win. :-)

@Afrorack 10 ай бұрын

Goes to show how brilliant the Roland engineers were. Thanks

@planker 10 ай бұрын

This is awesome. The circuits are interesting. For me this means no more opamps comparing stuff, we are going to make noise, cool noise.

@AMTunLimited 10 ай бұрын

Shoutout to the subscription list @0:15, solid selection right there.

@MarioPToledo 10 ай бұрын

Man! Im just waiting for this circuit around 4 years! Thank u so much!

@lucasmazzola6008 6 ай бұрын

Astonishing job

@hypersentient 10 ай бұрын

perfect timing... I've been working on my kick lately... this was so helpful! thanks for these videos...

@ThingsMadeSimple 10 ай бұрын

Bravo! You truly are a master at making the complex understandable.

@m.t-thoughts8919 9 ай бұрын

I love music and electronics. This just blew my mind even if the origin of it all looks familiar 😂

@McTroyd 9 ай бұрын

Even with Roland's leg up, that still must have been one heckuva research project. Very well done. 👍

@theomnivert 9 ай бұрын

People on youtube are so smart. I feel so dumb and useless but can't stop watching.

@skatedoof 9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this video. My passion for bass guitar and the amplifiers that go with it is what spawned my interest in electrical engineering. I was disappointed through my time at university that we discussed the mathematics and physics of these components instead of the implementation of design. Your use of schematics and animation made it easy to follow what was happening. Looking forward to your next videos.

@ithaca2076 10 ай бұрын

this is the type of video that makes me extremely happy i absolutely love this

@guilhermeschweitzer8459 8 ай бұрын

best analog circuit class I've seen! 👌

@favoriteblueshirt 10 ай бұрын

That was pretty impressive, I've been soldering modules together for years, and never had much of a clue, I still don't really, much, but that was a lot of fun following the trail.

@mikosoft 10 ай бұрын

It's so cool to finally understand (in my capacity) how that worked!

@BottleMakesMusic 10 ай бұрын

Fascinating insight into a bit off a black art - making the best analogue kick design.

@mrbluelynxchannel5207 10 ай бұрын

This is your Magnum Opus.

@ezion67 7 ай бұрын

Wow, what an excellent explanation.

@JCrashB 10 ай бұрын

+1 sub. As an EE and electronic music lover, your content tickles my brain.

@Typical.Anomaly 10 ай бұрын

19:46 The waveform jumping around looks as goofy as the kick sounds right here, and I mean that in the best possible way! I like Ween, Primus and Igorrr lol ✌💗🤘

@user-xs1ej5mo1y 10 ай бұрын

These videos are gold mines! Thank you !

@Likeaudio 10 ай бұрын

A master class. Well done sir

@Jinxid77 4 ай бұрын

This is such a good video. Great explanations of each element. I almost understand it! :D Gives me the urge to make something.

@rogrevs 10 ай бұрын

This is a great video. I have had a kick drum build on my to-do list for some time, but hadn't really found a design that ticked all the boxes for me. Looks like you have solved my problem. I will need to add a flashing LED of course!

@pramitchaudhury1821 5 ай бұрын

More power you. Such quality video for free. Really doing a great work man absolutely awesome.

@ottermods3212 10 ай бұрын

Stellar circuit. As always, really appreciate the step by step explanation of how you chose to construct the circuit. It's great to learn how to apply some of these sub-circuits like the bridged-T oscillator. As far as suggestions, I would be really interested to see how you approach using this kick as a starting point for making a hi-hat circuit. (which I would assume involves adding a noise source and maybe refining the envelope shaping). Thanks again for sharing, really look forward to more!

@MoritzKlein0 10 ай бұрын

i‘m actually working on a hi-hat circuit right now. will probably be the next video!

@MicahBratt 7 ай бұрын

This gives me an appreciation for what goes into making an analog synth

@dorianrustik6880 9 ай бұрын

Yeaaaah... it doesn't matter how well you explain it. It is still magic in my book.

@LightningHelix101 10 ай бұрын

Really cool synthesis of a synth

@yassinesafraoui 9 ай бұрын

I WISH i stumbled upon your channel when I was studying electronics in grad school

@pedrova8058 10 ай бұрын

Remarkable !!! It's always fun to see how those simple tricks solve complex issues in a efficient way. To try different "flavors" in the overdrive section is fun to use different diodes (red/green leds) or make it asymmetrical, with 1 diode in one direction and 2 in series in the opposite way

@MoritzKlein0 10 ай бұрын

great idea! though you‘ll have to drop the resistance to ground a fair bit for the LEDs to actually conduct.

@DubsteadyMusic 10 ай бұрын

This is exactly the sort of thing ive been looking for as ive been building modular kits and itching to design my own and understand what is going on. Im sleepy its 2AM here and as you said at the start this is a relatively complicated circuit. Tomorrow I will dive into the videos it seems you have on the component circuit blocks here :D