Drum Synth Kit/Assembled
£52.00 – £74.49
Available as a kit or a fully made unit, the Rakit Drum Synth is based on the 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…
- Description
- Additional information
- Specifications
- KIT CONTENTS
- Customer Videos (3)
- SHIPPING
- Reviews (13)
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 at the end of the assembly guide 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.
2x Trigger options
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 to use a pencil with a rubber on the end. ………………………
what’s included in the drum kit
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
4x 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
the boring bit (returns policy)
| Weight | 202 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 140 × 100 × 22 mm |
| Kit/Assembled | Kit, Fully Assembled |
| Add Battery + £2.49 | Yes, No |
Specifications
| Power Source: | 9v battery(PP3) with barrel jack adapter (supplied) or +8 to +12V adapter [2.1mm centre (+) 5.5mm outside (-)] |
| Power Consumption: | 10mA |
| CV Input Range: | 0V to Supply, (Pitch control works as a bias) |
| Trigger: | 500mV to Supply, (Very Sensitive, sensitivity control works on all trigger inputs to adjust response) |
| VCO Range: | 30Hz to 3.5kHz |
| LFO Range: | 2 to 400Hz |
| Decay Time: | 50ms-5s+ |
| Output Level: | ~1.2Vpp Max, adjustable with volume trimmer (varies with supply voltage) |
| Outside Dimensions: | 73 (W) x 38 (H) x 100 (D) mm |
KIT CONTENTS
Customer Videos (3)
SHIPPING
*BREXIT UPDATE*
We do not charge VAT so if ordering from Europe you may need to pay this fee when your order arrives. If you prefer to pre-pay your tax at point of purchase and clear customs quicker, please use our Etsy store.
UK SHIPPING
Free over £50.
Under £50:
Under 100g £1.40
101g-250g £2.00
251g-500g £2.60
501g-2kg £3.30
ALL OTHER COUNTRIES
To get the exact price for your order, add your items to the basket first then go to the basket page, type your country into the box and click on ‘update shipping.’
EUROPE
0-100g £8.65
100-250g £8.85
250-500g £9.18
500-750g £10.08
750-1000g £10.76
1kg-2kg £11.16
REST OF THE WORLD
0-100g £9.60
100-250g £10.35
250-500g £12.20
500-750g £16.15
750-1000g £18.80
1kg-1.25kg £20.65
1.25kg-1.5kg £22.05
1.5kg-2kg £23.05
13 reviews for Drum Synth Kit/Assembled
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John –
Fantastic. Really clear instructions and if you have any questions they’re super helpful via email.
I modified the kit to house it in an enclosure using panel mount pots and switches. I also added a push button which acts as a second trigger as well as the piezo.
snk (verified owner) –
Great DIY project : the Rakit crew is very helpful, the assembly guide very well done, and the enclosure looks good.
Once built, it is compact, but in a good way (you don’t need dwarf fingers to tweak the knobs).
Also, having cg/gate input is a great bonus !
RAiS (verified owner) –
super funny toy with easy interface… i try to trigger the rakit with a simple sequencer app on my phone it works perfectly!!
Steve Levine (verified owner) –
The build quality is really superb
Sonically it punches well above it’s weight
I’ve got lots to compare with and it really shines in fact I’ve already used it on a track and it’s added an extra dimension to the song
Superb
OutaSpaceMan (verified owner) –
Pleasantly surprised by this kit.
Straightforward build.
Sits very nicely into my current set up where it can function as an extra synth voice if necessary..👍
I intend buying at least 2 more and build a dedicated set of pads so I can stand in front of the mirror and pretend I’m Karl Bartos.👍👍
OSM.
JD (verified owner) –
Excellent unit with a huge range of sounds, and great fun especially when hooked up to the 8-step sequencer.
Max Sinclair –
I bought this great little box as a present for one of my mates. We’re both into synths & audio stuff and he loved it! Had a little play myself and it certainly has a wide palette of sounds.
The wide frequency range of the main oscillator allows a good focus for lots of percussive sounds. Can’t wait to try hooking up CV & Gate, potential spooky monosynth! So good to see a resurgence of these little analogue boxes in the game again.
Maria (verified owner) –
It’s my 3rd product from rakit and I’m so happy!
Easy to build with all online instructions. Sounds great!!
The team are always very kind and helpful.
colinpotter (verified owner) –
I bought the assembled version & it arrived very quickly. A nice piece of euipment – thanks!
kilian.starzengruber (verified owner) –
First off I want to thank Darren! The mailman never left a note when he “tried” to deliver the package and after I found out my package had arrived it has been send back already, which made me really concerned, but thanks to Darren the whole problem was solved quickly and without any further complications.
I spent a whole night soldering the DIY kit and it was super fun.
It performs really well! The only thing that happend to me was, that the LED didn’t work anymore after I soldered them in, which gave me a huge shock after I tried turning it on, but I didn’t get any feedback. I pluged it into the speaker anyway and was super reliefed when it worked as intended.
It was a delayed christmas gift to a friend and he was super happy about it and soldering it together for him was also super fun! I really really enjoyed that night.
So to recap: There were some issues with the delivery, but Darren was amazing so no biggy. And once I had the timeand got down to soldering work it was a fun night and the produkt turned out great!
AND AGAIN: THANK YOU DARREN! YOU WERE A HUGE HELP TO ORDER#3186!!!! BLESS YOUR KIND HEART!!!
kilian.starzengruber (verified owner) –
There were some issues with the delivery, but Darren was amazing so no biggy. And once I had the time and got down to soldering it was a fun night and the produkt turned out great!
AND AGAIN: THANK YOU DARREN! YOU WERE A HUGE HELP TO ORDER#3186!!!! BLESS YOUR KIND HEART!!!
Chris Jones (verified owner) –
Wonderful little drum synth -I’ve had this a few days now and really love it and it hits and beats all expectations.
I’’ve been sequencing it and it fits into my semi modular rig nicely -gives my DFAM a run for its money but also compliments it to
Thanks for great service from Rakits -the haribo was a nice addition cheers going to buy a app kit next for my first attempt at self build
Allen Paley (verified owner) –
DISCLAIMER: This is a re-post of a review I posted on Rakit’s Tindie page from whence I bought my first Drum Synth kit:
[HEADLINE]
OMG what a satisfying build! Build document is OUTSTANDING!
Wow! The Rakit Drum Synth kit was a pleasure to build, and is so much fun to play!
I had the wise foresight to order a bunch of items from Rakit, and the package was crammed with all kinds of bonus swag that had me smiling ear-to-ear! An origami IC chip kit, several very funny stickers, some very cool logo stickers, and…. CANDY!
[ THE UNBOXING ]
When I first opened the package to inspect the contents, I was a little intimidated by the number of resistors in the BOM. My anxiety was eased by the fact that the resistors all came packaged in a small waxed paper envelope which was printed with large COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS of the resistors and their corresponding values.
The PCBs came in two sheets: the front panel, and a multi-piece snap-apart panel with the base and side panels. These sub-PCBs snapped cleanly along the pre-scored lines, and I was required to do LITERALLY no finishing of the edges. Could not have been easier.
[ THE BUILD ]
I followed the build document and assembled the unit in no time! (perhaps two hours, at a leisurely pace). When it came time to install the myriad resistors, I was very very impressed with the level of detail built into the online build document. There is literally an interactive map of the resistors, such that when you hover over the resistor value on the table list, every resistor’s place of that value stands out proud in color on the black and white outline depiction of the board! Having this aid made this (usually) tricky phase of the build process into a stroll down east street.
I was also impressed at the level of detail put into consistent component footprints, The authors/designers noted that for polarized components, there is a square solder pad, and a round solder pad, and they kept the convention consistent throughout the entire kit.
Once fully assembled, the unit is quite compact. It’s footprint is about the size of a large computer mouse.
If you are considering this as your first intermediate-level build, I think you should go for it. It was my first, and I’m very happy with what I was able to produce.
[ THE SOUNDS ]
This little gadget really defies being defined as a “drum”, but I suppose they had to name it something! With its simple envelope parameters (decay knob, sweep knob, sweep direction switch, and Attack on/off switch) you can achieve sounds which range from percussive, to springy. This box is particularly good at making a distorted kick drum sound that would be right at home in an in-your-face chest-collapsing 4/4 hardcore beat. And so far, I’ve only been describing what the square wave oscillator can do. It also has a triangle wave! The triangle wave can make some more neat percussive sounds! Wanna make an 808 Cowbell? Try this!
VCO: Triangle
Pitch: 5.5
Decay: 3-7 (5 is right up the middle and works well)
Sweep: 0
LFO Rate: 9.5
LFO Shape: Triangle
LFO Depth: 6 (go a little higher than 6 and it starts to sound like a steel drum, go much higher for some gnarly FM-esque tones!)
Notes about the LFO: I think this LFO goes as low as 4Hz (if I recall correctly), and once you get the LFO rate knob above 3, the LED (oh yeah, there’s an LED that displays the LFO’s amplitude) appears steady-on, which suggests somewhere around 30Hz, and I’m guessing max has to me somewhere around 100Hz. With an LFO that fast, you can actually produce some pretty legit FM synthesis sounds. I don’t know if this is technically correct, but the math seems to make sense in my head.
The kit includes a barrel-jack adapter with a 9V battery clip, which is nice. I can just leave the clip on the battery and chuck it in my bag without having to worry about short-circuits. When I want to have a play, I just plug in and start tapping.
So, yeah, it has a line level mono out, which sounds great through external amplification. When I plug my headphones in, I get a faint signal in one ear, but I don’t suppose it’s designed to be played that way. It has a mono jack input for trigger (as an alternative to the piezo tap sensor built into the front panel) which works well, and it has a mono jack input for pitch CV. I don’t know if the pitch follows the 1V/octave convention, but I can confirm that it does indeed work!
Since originally posting this review on Tindie, I’ve ordered myself a 2nd Rakit Drum Synth DIY kit, (among other kits) and some sweet T-shirts.