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ah I see. Well you definitely are on the right track by doing mesurements while you are building. I am not really the right person to ask because Im still in the beginning stages but I also bought: Boylestad https://www.amazon.com/Introductory-Circuit-Analysis-Robert-Boylestad/dp/0133923606 (a much cheaper older version that I found for about $10 I think you are aware one nice thing about learning electronics from scratch is that the basics, the most important things, were discovered a long time ago so you can get a great wealth of information for very cheap....) This is pretty much, well like exactly what youd use if you took a college course on circuit analysis, much great information on the physics and basics of linear and non-linear circuits, it can be pretty dry though, but that is what you probably really need if you want to really "grok" what is going on in a circuit, i.e. using OHMs/Thienevin laws etc and Loop analysis, looking at the numbers from and finding missing values when you only have say the voltage and current etc
This one https://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Journey-Amplifiers-Randomicity/dp/1449344046/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1P86DOCJID6WO&keywords=make+electronics+2nd+edition&qid=1557865653&s=books&sprefix=make+elec%2Cstripbooks%2C159&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1 which is definitely very good because it includes actual images of breadboards (which are not always intuitive even though very simple to impliment, really that has to do with human error, thats why its all about trying it out/getting yr hands dirty!) and some other stuff. I know there are a TON of people out there why swear by the Ray Wilson websites and books, I bought one and just have been into other things but when I get back into it I know I am going to go back to those Wilson projects...

Another REALLY awesome thing I just remembered: EveryCircuit App, super great becasue it shows live demonstration of signal flows...

Sorry for your loss, congrats on the decision. I'd start with Dave Jones' video on how to build an electronics bench.

You definitely need a multimeter, but I only have a clearance-bin radioshack one, so maybe get someone else's advice... I can suggest getting an adjustable soldering station and a big spool of fine solder. Also get a couple spools of 22-26 AWG wire, stranded and solid core.

For audio stuff, nothing beats an analog oscilloscope. It's super handy for testing and looks awesome when the synth is fired up. Get on ebay and look for estate-sale type stuff near you to save on shipping.

When you're assembling PCBs, the most critical tool is a nice circuit board holder. Colored alligator clip leads are really handy for testing stuff before you assemble it.

If you're doing your own panels or etching boards or whatever, you'll definitely need a drill. The new 14.4v Makita stuff is my favorite, but get what you like. Ditto for a rotary tool/dremel. Everyone lusts after the wiha screwdrivers but any old jeweler's toolkit should suffice.

What else? Automatic wire strippers, flush cutters, center punch, desoldering braid, heat shrink, etchant tubs, ferric chloride, latex gloves etc etc. Depends how DIY you want to get. Good luck!

Glad to hear it, thank you! And yeah I can think of a few books that really helped me.

For analog, the best book I've read is "A Practical Introduction to Electronic Circuits" (https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Introduction-Electronic-Circuits-ebook/dp/B01MSEO5HX). It's actually a terrible introduction, so the title is dumb, but if you already have a basic knowledge this book will take you to the next level. Also one of the best resources for analog is Dave Jones' YouTube channel EEVBlog (https://www.youtube.com/user/EEVblog). He's an excellent presenter and a real analog pro.

For digital, after you have a good grasp of C, I'd recommend Musimathics Vol. 2 (https://www.amazon.com/Musimathics-Mathematical-Foundations-Music-Press/dp/026251656X/ref=asc_df_026251656X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312152840806&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13200640003814220797&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021581&hvtargid=pla-645450504952&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61316181319&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312152840806&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13200640003814220797&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021581&hvtargid=pla-645450504952). The first volume can be skipped cause it's mostly acoustics and music theory related, but it's a good book too. The second volume is by far the best explaination of DSP and digital audio synthesis I've come across. If you want something a bit lighter, this is a great book as well (https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Programming-Book-MIT-Press/dp/0262014467/ref=asc_df_0262014467/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312140868236&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9994434488221753680&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021581&hvtargid=pla-330509287619&psc=1).

By far the most important part is your iron. There's lots of good choices out there, but if you can swing it I highly recommend this one made by Weller. It's expensive, but is the best iron I have ever used. It has interchangeable tips including some super fine ones that are great for SMDs, 3 selectable temperature settings you can program, digital variable temperature with a real time temp display, it heats up in seconds, has an auto shutoff if you leave it on and in the stand for too long, and has a grounded tip to help prevent issues with static discharge. You can do it with a cheaper iron for sure, but this one is my first choice.

I havent built that model but to answer your second question...Be cautious of build guides (or lack thereof). The one you linked has a really good guide. Step by step, clear pictures, and in color. So far, I've found Befaco, AI Synthesis, and Trogotronic to have really good guides.

Also, take your time. Its better to go slow and be sure of your work than rush. Tape! Tape helps me a lot by holding small pieces in place. If you can, get this circuit board holder. I got this magnifying headband for free (that style, not that specific one) and its been really helpful as well.

Here are my go to recommendations for beginners.

Trogotronic VCA

Trogotronic Power System

AI Synthesis

This right here. A distortion pedal for a guitar works by trying to overdrive the preamp of a guitar amp (some have internal distortion as well, but the majority of the "sound" of a distortion pedal is by driving the amp)

Because of this, plugging the output of one directly into your audio interface or mixer can really sound like ass. Look into getting a DI box and a cheap "amp" pedal. Joyo makes a series of pedals that emulate classic guitar amps that not only make great distortion sounds on their own, they are supposed to work really well as front ends for guitar recording. Basically you can run the output of one of these directly into your audio interface/mixer and it sounds pretty good plus you can run other guitar effects into these and they sound very very close to the sound into a guitar amp.

Here is the Joyo "British" pedal which emulates a classic Marshall amp https://www.amazon.com/JF-16-British-Effects-Brit-Rock-Simulator/dp/B005M0KLGQ/ (think classic rock from Hendrix to Van Halen plus a bunch of modern guys too), if you aren't a guitar guy you might also check out their "Americana" which emulates a fender amp which is famous in the guitar world for being "clean" sounding on its own. Joyo has a bunch of pedals, the amp ones are laid out like this with the 6 knobs and run about $40. Joyo also makes a ton of good quality "clones" of popular classic and boutique pedals.

If you are looking to make your own distortion pedals, try tagboardeffects https://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/ for schematics. In addition to distortion/fuzz/overdrive, I'd recommend building a pt2399 based delay. They sound great, are based on a cheap $0.25 IC chip and are super simple circuits. Its the delay in the Dredbox Erebus and the Korg Monotron Delay (well, those 2 use pt2399 based delays, the schematics aren't going to be exact)

Brain dump if you don't mind:

UPS store has magazine paper they can print on. They'll usually sell you blanks for pennies. That stuff it the absolute best transfer paper. It transfers perfect, and practically melts in water. Get a cheap laminatior and use that for the fusing. I use a piece of scotch tape on one edge and run it through four or five times. Use a green scotchbright to clean it under the sink with dish soap before you try to adhere it. Only use acetone to remove it after the etch. These three things made my toner transfer process %100 reliable. I can etch smaller traces now too.

For etchant you should try 2 parts %70 peroxide mixed with 1 part muriatic acid (always add acid to the peroxide, not the other way). It's cheap, less toxic, and etches fast. Easy to get locally too since it's just hardware store and walgreens stuff. You also can see the etch better. Mix it in a glass container outside. It gets hot and off-gasses for a couple minutes when mixed, but it's pretty safe after that. It also looks like lime koolaid. Do not drink it.

Checkout the little dremel drill press. It's great for PCBs.

> Did you build many easier circuits before you built this?

I modded my volca beats, and built a guitar pedal from a kit, but otherwise I prepped for this project by reading Ray's awesome book on the subject, which I feel was paramount to my success (so far), having only had a few small issues that required troubleshooting.

> How do you like the 2 pole LPF on the Ultimate?

I LOVE the sound of this filter. My only slight beef is the fact that the expander design also has a 12db/octave circuit, and I'm debating on doing the legwork and research to modify the circuit on that state variable filter to run at 24db/octave, to provide a bit more filter diversity over the whole unit. I'm still unsure on how involved that effort would be.

An op amp is a differential amplifier with an enormous gain, something along the lines of 10^(6)

This causes some interesting things, for instance, with input voltages above, say 1/1000 of a volt, it will act as a comparator, the largest voltage immediately sending the input high or low.

Because of this high gain, it is easy to construct a circuit for an amplifier that is determined by the ratio of two resistors alone, the gain disappearing entirely from the equations.

Op amps can also be used to add DC bias to a signal.

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These are some useful resources

How to bias an Op Amp (MIT)

The Art of Electronics by Paul Horowitz (worth every penny)

Khan Academy's course on the subject

Make: Analog Synthesizers is a great introduction. It even details an example project, the Noise Toaster. But I think its strongest section might be the appendix, which is a good reference for various utility circuits you need in an analog synth, especially the LM13700 OTA, which you can use to build VCOs, VCFs, and VCAs.

The only glaring omission in the Make book is the lack of voltage-controlled exponential current source circuits that drive the OTA's current bias inputs. You can find more about those by digging through the textbook Musical Applications of Microprocessors (beware, much of the content regarding embedded systems is a bit outdated, but there is a surprising amount of analog material in there) and this Electronotes newsletter. In fact, this collection of Electronotes newsletters is a gold mine in itself.

Happy tinkering.

Do you happen to know whats the fastest 120mm fans can spin; running on just USB power? Is it possible to tweak existing USB fan like these ones to spin faster and still be safe? My apologies, I have zero experience in electronics.

I'm just going to assume this may interest you.. I really only use 2 things.. Photo gloss paper from office depot with a laserjet printer:

https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/394925/Office-Depot-Brand-Standard-Photo-Paper/

And etching fluid in an old plastic tupperware container:

https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-Chloride-Etchant-Solution/dp/B008UH3SAE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550866951&sr=8-3&keywords=ferric+chloride

Print off your circuit (I use Fritzing to make my circuit designs) onto the inkjet paper.. It adheres pretty well.. Transfer with an iron and a roller.. It takes 3-4 minutes and should get so hot that the paper kind of sticks to it.. Peel off the paper, I usually have to run it under water to get all the paper off.. You should be able to rub on it w/o hurting the transfer once it gets to this point..

All you'll be left w/ is a mask.. There'll be some spots that didn't transfer.. Just use a black sharpie to mask those spots in..

Drop it in the fluid for about 6-12 minutes.. It only takes enough to barely cover the board.. And that amount of fluid can do 3-5 boards. Close the tupperware and shake it like one of those old pictures people talk about..

Drill your holes w/ a dremel.. Boom.. Done.. I have probably done 20 or 30 of these and they're a pain in the butt, but you can have them done in an hour and know if your design works before sending off and wasting money.

I called my city disposal team and they said that it's safe to dispose of in the drain with lots of water.. Alternatively, you can soak paper towels with the material after it's spent and throw those out.. I wear a vapor mask, goggles and gloves when I use the ferric chloride, but I think I go overboard.. Just gloves and goggles are probably fine. Always make sure you're in a well ventilated area..

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Adding to this, his book Make: Analog Synthesizers is a great resource for beginners.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957

It's not synth-specific, but definitely get yourself a copy of Horowitz and Hill's textbook "The Art of Electronics". I've yet to meet a synth-head or electrician lacking one. This'll tell you all about op-amps, fundamental building blocks of filters, oscillators, and other complex elements, and even power electronics if you're interested in power supply design. (No exaggeration, it starts and Ohm's law and ends with complex filters, PLLs, and how to program your new discrete-digital computer in assembly.) Again, not synth-specific, but the book explores how all of these things may be used in application. This'll help you develop intuition to break down complex synth diagrams and how exponential converters work, for example.

Someone posted what I use but deleted their comment so:

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Tweezers: https://www.amazon.ca/Hakko-3-SA-Non-Magnetic-Microelectronics-Applications/dp/B00FZPEWI6/

I use a hot air station: https://www.amazon.ca/WEP-858D-Soldering-Station-Suitable/dp/B0055B6NGE/

Pcb Holder: https://www.amazon.ca/Circuit-Holder-Adjustable-Soldering-Repairing/dp/B075DCBR24/

Microscope to find bad joints and loose solder balls: https://www.amazon.ca/Plugable-Microscope-Flexible-Observation-Magnification/dp/B00XNYXQHE/

Solder paste: https://www.digikey.ca/products/en/soldering-desoldering-rework-products/solder/262?FV=ffe00106%2C2dc186b&quantity=0&ColumnSort=-1000009&page=1&pageSize=25&pkeyword=solder+paste

I like these to clean paste or flux https://www.amazon.ca/MG-Chemicals-Tapered-Cotton-Length/dp/B008OA8488/

Conical Tip for small pin fixing https://www.mouser.ca/ProductDetail/578-ETS

Beveled tip for drag soldering if needed https://www.mouser.ca/ProductDetail/577-EW-511

ST-Link-v2 (programmer) https://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/stmicroelectronics/ST-LINK-V2/497-10484-ND/2214535

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What I do is put a glob of paste on a piece of paper and dip the syringe tip lightly to make a smaller glob hang off the tip, then place the small glob from the tip on the pad I'm doing. I know this isn't the right way but its the easiest I've done.

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When the pieces are in place I set the hot air to 450ish and lower air flow so it doesn't blow pieces off the board. When the solder solidifies most the time everything gets aligned to the pads (capacitors will randomly stick straight up but is fixed by poking it with tweezers)

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I start with Ic's then check under the microscope for bridges or loose solder balls. then resistors/caps. Double check again for anything wrong and if its good program it with the st-link. Once thats good I put on the pots/buttons/leds

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For faceplates, I tried at first to 3d print them. Didn't look the best, made it look cheap. So I just order faceplates when I order the pcb's now. They cost a lot but I want them to look nice when done.

Here are 2 that have been useful to me...

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Analog-Synthesizers-Electronic-Synth-DIY/dp/1449345220/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=make+synthesizer&qid=1569440610&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Electronic-Music-Hardware-Hacking/dp/0415998735/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=make+synthesizer&qid=1569440643&s=gateway&sr=8-6

Basic theory: http://www.indiana.edu/~emusic/etext/toc.shtml, and http://electronotes.netfirms.com/free.htm (e.g. see "Theory and Practice of Musical Sound Synthesis")

Ray Wilson's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Analog-Synthesizers-Ray-Wilson/dp/1449345220

LM13700 datasheet (has circuit example for VCO, VCFs, VCA, Sample and Hold, PWM, multiplier): http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm13700.pdf

The LM13700 is a $1 chip which can be used to implement most of the basic synthesizer modules.

https://hackaday.com/tag/lm13700/

http://musicfromouterspace.com/analogsynth_new/DUALVCA/DLLVCA001.html

http://musicfromouterspace.com/analogsynth_new/STATEVARVCFFEB2006/STATEVARVCFFEB2006.html

http://www.djerickson.com/synth/

"The kits I build use a lot of the same parts over and over, so having a stock of the basics is good. You can probably build this stock up for about $100:

DIP ICs, a few of each: LM13700, TL072, TL074, LM324"

I would also suggest this book. It was written by Ray Wilson who ran Music From Outer Space: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Analog-Synthesizers-Electronic-Synth-DIY/dp/1449345220

Have you looked at Ray Wilson's book?