hdnine

Thanks guys... i will try to plan the layout to see how many of which things i need. It's a place to start i guess? Then i'll try some soldering and such. Last time i planned to build one, i actually bought a soldering iron and other things, so i have those. Just need to get the basic design down and the right components. Thanks!

Hey guys! I love electronic music but have been struggling to understand how MIDI work. So once again i am gathering courage to create a Midibox64 to be used as a midi controller for a range of different softsynths. The important thing for me is to have physical control over the softsynths - in other words, being able to affect parameters like cutoff and such directly from a midi controller. I hate using the mouse to do this. My problem is however that i just can't seem to grasp many aspects of the DIY building of such a device, especially when i have zero knowledge of electronics. So i had some questions: 1. Are there any beginners electronic courses on DVD or AVI out there (not text but video since i find it easier to understand through video tutorials)? 2. Are there any video tutorials on how to build a MB64? 3. If am going to use my MB64 for a variety of softsynths, how do i best plan how many rotors, buttons and sliders i need and which layout to use? I have difficulties seeing the use for buttons on such a device but i would like to have it flat so i can use different overlays ontop of it, one for each softstynth. 4. When i have a layout, where the heck to i start? How do i know which components i need? I really would like to understand how all of this works - MIDI, building electronics and all that - since music has always been part of my life. I started tinkering with music back in 1990 and my first Amiga and have kept on ever since. I am a huge fan of analog music - Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Isao Tomita, Wendy Carlos and so on - and this is my dream. To buy these old synths and create music with them. But for now, softsynths will have to do but the workflow and understanding of them is the same. So you see, it is important that i grasp all the midi stuff as well as things like VCO, LFO... =) I have during all this time been moderately active with music so i tend to never actually learn. I do music, my way, but i want more - and i also need a projekt/hobby - so the MB64 would be perfect!

Well ok, thank you people. I guess i'll start reading like crazy then... ;D

Hello people! This is my first post so please bare with me. Let me start off by saying that i have been creating electronic music for years but i have never explored to deep into the world of MIDI. Just enough to get by. Along with this i use a lot of different softsynths and have reached a point where i am sick and tired of using my mouse to control them. My original plan was to buy a new midi controller as i stumbled upon this and other equal sites. So now i am thinking, "why not build my own midi controller?" I have basically no knowledge in electronics or soldering but i am confident that i will do well, as long as instructions are well written. So, this is what i was planing to build. A versatile MidiBox that will allow me to use all my soft synthersizers (or future ones) in an easy way. I was thinking of making it perfectly flat so i can utilize overlays for each of them. I guess it would be recommended to use both sliders and dials but i'm not sure how buttons would be relevant? Well anyway. I would be happy if anyone could think of a good solution for such a versatile MidiBox or otherwise point me in the right direction to get started. Thanks, Krister Nielsen Karlshamn, Sweden