***** 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
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.
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.