CIRCLE DRONE OF DOOM SYNTH

[@samsungtelevision695]

The amount of energy you have for these projects is incredible. It’s like what I like to imagine I would do in my fantasies if I had time money and motivation. Inspirational a f mate

[@bdfdttrststj3109]

@@return2sender791 you can also get electronic stuff that will be thrown away and find ideas from the pieces you get

[@DJVoyagerXue]

A real "Mad (Musical) Scientist" at work never ceases to amaze me, I love your channel fella, are you going to be at Makers Central this year?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

I think so! Not sure yet. I try not to decide on things till the day 😂 cus sometimes I come up with a machine that I need to build and then all plans just turn into inconveniences. But I hope to!

[@risingsounds9717]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER would be great if you were! I'm going anyway though as it seems great there

[@deathkeys1]

I don't care what other people think, this more art than art I've seen.

[@trulyinfamous]

I absolutely love the art on those things. Simple and effective. The sounds they make remind me of Laurie Spiegel's stuff.

[@bigtom6443]

Just bought the PCB - I've been watching your stuff for a while but didn't check out your store until today. I think I've found my new favourite website

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

:D

[@flyingfrogofdeath9616]

Same boat here, I'm just glad this one has a video, I look forward to making poor financial decisions and cobbling things together; that said these prices are awesome

[@bigtom6443]

@@flyingfrogofdeath9616 well it's been 3 weeks and mine isn't here yet so fingers crossed they get shipped out soon

[@flyingfrogofdeath9616]

@@bigtom6443 damn, I am literally buying one now. Said they should be shipped early may (obviously thinking thats an older update) but imagine it's still relevant.

[@bigtom6443]

@@flyingfrogofdeath9616 I'll try and remember to drop another reply here when the fb page and the website handling sales decide to get back to me

[@chubbysumo2230]

You have successfully recreated a THX sound tester.

[@gammakeraulophon]

Except without the poetry of a thx sound tester.

[@tootsscaf]

Bought the pcb after your show in cologne which i came to see from belgium. Awesome show! Built the circle of doom with aliexpress components. It works great! Thanks for the awesome projects and the inspirational youtube videos!

[@MrElbarto75]

Dude ... this is the most visually achieved and beautiful tool you created since now. that's a masterpiece !!!

[@FiglioBastardo]

I wonder what my roommate's trumpet playing would sound like through this and other projects you have made? At any rate you're a gifted mad genius!

[@davidboudreau4054]

OK I am sold! Just bought the Mega Pack! Hope you don't mind shipping it to Texas.... My wife and I really want to visit your museum. Someday soon we hope to make it happen...

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

One day! It is a journey tho! Give it a year or so and the museum should be bigger!

[@MichaelBrown-ov8sh]

Dang, that's cool! Wish I had the skills, space, time and equipment to build one!

[@jeffseven2194]

Came here directly from Patreon cuz I need more drone in my life

[@Tiger.Arcade]

Who needs more than one camera when you have a talking hand while you work on your desk? 😂

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

I know right!

[@charlessmith5465]

The disc circuit is round and vinyls are also round. 🤔 To add a needle-arm above and turntable motor underneath to give it a new spinning input would indeed be a Frankensteinian contraption.

[@jean-xavierbardant1082]

It sounds and looks terrific.

[@HmmmBarabbas]

Love the idea of building one of these but even though it's pitched as beginner - and I've done a few Rackit kits - jumping into the world of sourcing my own bits is a next step up; just looking at the BOM left me flummoxed. Great video though and another excellent looking bit of kit!

[@worrystone]

You can do it! I glanced at the BOM today too. Check the vid for exactly what electro caps he's using (different value for high or low sound, buy 35v ones to fit the room he gives), use the links in the BOM if need a bit of reassurance that you've got the right part.

[@jonbontempi]

@@worrystone First diy kit I have bought. Got all the bits from the supplied links in the bom. It was pretty easy to get what I think are the right bits. The only thing missing from the bom were the knobs for the pots!

[@stuartchapman5171]

This was my first build, well a different version, its very easy and worth a shot. One thing I've learnt building is you will make mistakes. Don't throw them out. Its amazing how many if them you can salvage later on, or turn into something more interesting as your knowledge and imagination grows. Good luck.

[@rightside]

You are geekspirational, lad… keep doing what you do

[@darrenirwin]

that was nuts, my tinnitus is on overload.

[@timohuber536]

What a madman! Somehow you manage to amaze me in a new way every time… Will you be at Superbooth this year? I would really like to see you this round masterpiece in real life :)

[@teaurn]

Ooh, Forbidden Planet vibes at 8:00 👍

[@Stoneman06660]

Love your work, Sam. Carry on!

[@CausticCatastrophe]

I love the return of the silly build videos!

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

😂sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do

[@CausticCatastrophe]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER JUUUUUST LIIIKEE THAAAAAATTTT :D

[@m3sca1]

yes same!

[@neonblack211]

I understood every word of this, thank you

[@McTroyd]

This is awesome! I love your super-simple-yet-effective oscillator designs. Perhaps a Mark II model could use ON-OFF-ON switches to either sum together & turn off (like it does now), or maybe feeds an onboard ring modulator, or some such. Cool stuff. 👍️

[@Me11oIngenuity]

Your hand voice reminds me of a Jaboody Dubs Sticky Buddy skit. Great little project! Thanks!

[@dedicatedspuddler7641]

Looks like a real nifty project!

[@headrushindi]

At the end there , when you hooked the Memory Man up to it . It sounded exactly like the ambient movie score from the Old Sci- Fi film "Forbidden Planet" which holds the distinction of being the very first film in history to have an all electronic score.

[@macronencer]

I noticed that too! KRELL TIME!

[@francogabr]

Thats soooo cool dude, i love it. im currently developing a drone too, it also has a funky circuit format, im doing it in regular shapes, its triangular, when i finish ima send one to you.

[@rodnee2340]

It looks like a viking shield, awesome work.

[@candyflip6345]

Wicked cool.

[@sambeard4428]

I might try to make something similar using one of the 40106 hex Schmitt triggers I have laying around. Really cool thingamajig! Any advice for making cool PCB panels like yours? Like how you design m and where you print them etc. You probably have a video about it somewhy but I might get sucked in to a dozen other videos before I find it.

[@stuartchapman5171]

I've built both, these transit or based oscillators have a richer saw tooth style wave form. You can get interesting self modulation on the logic chip if you use diode mixing as opposed to resistor mixing. I used both, with simple switch on the output ground of each mixer circuit, to switch between the two.

[@bunk8991]

Well i've tried different components, checked voltages, followed traces and still cant get a sound out of the audio out jack. LED's work and flash when knobs are turned as its changing oscillation but no sound. Not much else to do now but go piece by piece and see if something out of the blue strikes and gives me an idea. My only guess would be the transistors being S and not SS but I have no clue. Still a fun project.

[@SlingersSanctuary]

hilarious, love your vids, Sam

[@themadduck8784]

Really neat, think you could make a DIY kit like this with MIDI input though? 100% would get one if you made this with MIDI. Keep doing what you do, I love your work!

[@sambeard4428]

If you want to control it via midi you need a whole different type of oscillator, namely a vco which is way more complex and expensive compared to something as relatively simple as this. Midi to V/O can be fairly easily achieved through a microcontroller and some simple code.

[@AnalogDude_]

Did you check out that "Quantussy" circuit, it has a weird a CD4013 driven sub oscillator, definitely a very cool sounding thing and it's needs to be 5 VCO's because of the CD4052 and being capable of switching 4 times. many sub circuits are pretty uncommon, but Peter made it. fascinating.

[@bigtom6443]

Built mine today - it lights up and makes noise! Just one of the VCO knobs affects the other VCOs without making any noise itself. Aaaand all the of VCOs seem to affect each other. I think I've buggered the soldering somewhere...

[@James-ik2xe]

Did you go for 10uf or 1uf in the end ?

[@bigtom6443]

@@James-ik2xe 1uF per the video

[@stuartchapman5171]

I've noticed on an 18, oscillator version that if the power gets a but starved it will detune the others a bit. I hope you get sound out of it. Maybe you've got them to self modulate somehow, which would add some special suace to your build.

[@bigtom6443]

@@stuartchapman5171 that's a really good way of looking at it, hadn't considered it myself. It's currently living in the drawer of personal failures but I'll dust it off and try some of the special sauce I've accidently birthed

[@Xesh]

what the hell did you just do, you mad man! This is so bonkers i love it

[@F0r3v3rT0m0rr0w]

Sounds like your gona summon something with this thing i love it. Did sound like a freight train at one point though.

[@dankforest]

Dude the drone of doom is fukin legit! Keep up the music. Love your stuff man

[@BottleMakesMusic]

That Circle Drone of Doom is madder than a box of frogs. I want one (or ten!). And a Microcosm. EPIC. That is all.

[@JohnnyRottenest]

That’s a really awesome device.

[@SpectrumDIY]

Ahhh this is so awesome!! :D

[@neuchigen]

Of course it works with the Microcosm! I think a sandwich that's been soaked in broth for 3 days and sat on would also go great with the Microcosm and someday I'll have both, damn it!

[@neurosentience5150]

Man I’d love one

[@Veptis]

Those standalone instruments are lovely, seem like a better entry than building modules. But also rising the question why not have them work as modules. In some way or another

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

They do

[@zabadabada7550]

Always genius ✊ can i have a diagram i cant find in your site pls what names of components ??

[@joelkulesha8284]

A circle synth with some cascading pt2399's or BBD's would be really cool! Especially with the aaapppccc and now this!

[@MabInstruments]

Are S9018 transistors the same as SS9018 tranistors? I can't find SS9018 transistors anywhere. I have 2N3904 transistors, but if I increase the voltage, as you suggest, the LEDs blow.

[@stuartchapman5171]

The ss9018 are very quiet,, try different led they should be OK with a resistor inline with the frequency potentiometers, I haven't blown any yet, Sam has put out several schematics, I find you get more volume using smaller resistors to mix the oscillators and connect the negative of the capacitor to the negative of the led. Also experiment with the on off switch for each oscillators to prevent popping, I find placing it after the mixing resistor helps.

[@cabe_bedlam]

Can't wait to get mine!

[@reggiep75]

6:20 - Very 90's rave/Alpha Juno sound. Slap a CV/gate onto it for more fun!

[@kzsotl1]

You are killing me😅 taco taco burrito burrito?😃

[@maartentoors]

I think that communication with the whale population is finally within reach! (My secret wish is that you might collaborate with Tom Holkenborg one day) LOVE your posts, keep it up please.

[@IntangibleMan]

Is there a list of the other parts we need to source to complete this kit?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Check bill of material on the project page :)

[@PandaKattPk]

i love my vinyl i got from youz

[@bigtom6443]

2:45 - the pcb & diagram on website says 10uF but you (and BOM) say 1uF. Which one is it?

[@bunk8991]

Are S9018 and SS9018 the same thing when it comes to transistors?

[@particular_noise]

does the panel ship to the US?

[@rightside]

Tuned correctly it’s an analogue hoover chord benderator sort of thing eh?

[@cakepanda]

that voice! sounded like Mr Hankey the Christmas Poo on speed echoing in the toilet!

[@AnalogDude_]

He, i wanted a pair of Technics SL1200 mk7, but i thought, grr i have to buy vinyl "weekly", storage and choose for the Akia MPC X. Ciat Lombarde has a cool circuit, 5 vco's in a circle. "Quantussy", check that out (someone has put the schematic online), it's very very very very very very cool, something similar to yours, but uses CD4052 to influence the VCO next door ... build that, runs of 9 Vdc ... of course i don't know if you heard of if before., but it's extremely cool. Peter was a "apprentice" of Don buchla and the circuit is amazing, the "weird" square wave oscillator called castle.

[@jonathanmatthews6478]

Super noob question because I haven't actually gotten into synth stuff until very recently and want to take on this project: how do you go about connecting the headphone jack size cable to a guitar pedal that only takes 1/4 inch? Ty xx

[@stuartchapman5171]

We all start somewhere. I started with one of these types of drone machines. Use an adaptor. 3.5mm mono (female) to 1/4" mono (male). Don't use a stereo cable and adaptor for pedals. Many of them use the mono contacts to turn the device on/disconnect any battery fitted.

[@newkfromrotterdam]

looking at a talking-hand is quite the breather from all the talking-heads on youtube ;D

[@Reliquancy]

The hand voice cracks me up lol

[@henriquenicolau]

yep... that's the perfect name for it 😂

[@paulbeattie1717]

That looks like a lot of fun! Could momentary buttons be added? So when the switch is in off position the button is a momentary on, and if the switch is on the button is a momentary off/kill switch?

[@stuartchapman5171]

I built an 18 oscillator version, you can use on/off momentary (sprung) three way switch's, same footprint, search on/off/(on). Its a great performance option.

[@creativecomposites6193]

Shame Tommy Cooper is not with us anymore i am sure he would have loved Mr. Mcgee! Love the Drone Doom, sounds great!

[@GizzyDillespee]

6:23 Can it Hoover?

[@the2d]

I can't find these transistors anywhere in the US in reasonable quantities, only the S not SS. Any easy equivalents, or help would be appreciated. I'd like to order this board but can't source the transistors.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Mouser stock them

[@the2d]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER thanks for the reply, they have it as a non stocked item/call for quote. I had also looked for some replacement I think it was NE9018 or something without luck. My 8 year old and I just built the 556 timer circuit APc and this looks like a good next project.

[@m3sca1]

what a neat litte doom drone! is it only available with the vinyl?

[@youbecha64]

I am not smart on these things...but is it possible to make it CV controlled?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Check the 2000 mega drone module for that

[@SXTransmission]

Do you still need to break off the middle transistor leg for it to work?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Naaa

[@maikschmidt3551]

Ordert now... And now im waiting... How long the shipping to germany?

[@djthedarksider]

Any info when the PCB will be available again? On the shop page it states early june, but unfortunately not which year ;-)

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Yep been a delay. Should be by end of week

[@djthedarksider]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER no stress at all I was just curious 😉 - components are already waiting at home

[@PrimitiveInTheExtreme]

🤘👽🤘

[@mikebeatstsb7030]

Love the hand guy! What is his name again please ?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

You mean Handy face mcgee ?

[@robohasse997]

SAM ON 78 Speed is amazing. don't be scared to try it i love when i come from a slow paced video that drove me to set playback speed to 2x.

[@MaxWattage]

This fun project works, but I'm not sure how long it will last for, as running transistors in their "reverse avalanche breakdown" region is not what the transistors were designed for, and that may well damage them over time or make it function unreliably. It is certainly an impressively simple and cheap circuit, but for reliability I would recommend doubling up on the component count so the oscillators were implemented as astable multi-vibrators. This would also allow it to work with a power supply of as low as 3V too. Given that these products are being hand built in low volumes, adding a few pennies to the BOM cost is well worth it for the added reliability.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Had the thousand oscillator mega drone running most days for nearly 2 years none have broke yet 👍

[@MaxWattage]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER I'm genuinely very happy for you, and I'm glad the transistors stood up to being used that way for so long. It's a really fun project and a clever use of a transistor. As you are manually adjusting the oscillator with a potentiometer, the exact value of the transistor's reverse avalanche breakdown voltage doesn't matter much, and if it varies over the life of the transistor you can simply re-tune it. People just need to remember that as the exact value of the reverse avalanche breakdown voltage isn't specified by the manufacturer so it will probably vary from batch to batch of the transistors, so it can't be relied upon in designs where the exact value does matter. As I believe you have already discovered, the disconnected base-pin of the transistor will be vulnerable to "capacitive coupling" which can disrupt the oscillation. If all three pins are soldered to some stripboard, the adjacent copper traces create a parallel-plate capacitor of a few pico-Farads, which is enough to allow the base pin to receive a smaller version of the signal from the output pin, which is enough to disrupt its operation.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

@@MaxWattage yep and thats the whole part of the fun with the project!. :)

[@OrangeTheSaberGuy]

it reminds me of Svdden Death a little bit

[@dykodesigns]

You could turn the circle of drone in a game. Somehow it reminds me of Simon Says, but then in the form a "tuning" game.

[@tingstrap]

I'M GETTING ONE! How big is it? Would it fit in a kosmo format panel? (as is but mounted on a panel)

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

I’ll need to measure! It should but it would need the levels boosting as it’s guitar line not synth line level

[@tingstrap]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER thanks Sam, I did consider that that would be the case. Not a problem though.

[@stuartchapman5171]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER I built an 18 isc version as my first build when you first posted years ago. It was my first build. Over ambitious, many faults. It started me on a huge learning curve and I now gig and build to sell thank you Sam. I've always struggled to get a good level out of it, having always used 9v, as you originally suggested. After watching this I'm going to bust it out, use 12v and run it through my broken Memory Boy ( I bought it used from a Herbert who'd docked around with the internal trim pots) its dirty and glitchy, Punk Dub delay. Keep up the sterling work.

[@NicholasSidwell]

12V in, but at what amperage?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Any would do

[@sebastiantrumper9882]

This shit is Fuuucking amazing dude 🤟

[@devttyUSB0]

@5:23 THX Baby! :P

[@davidboudreau4054]

I've got my PCB's for the drone and I am confused by one of the capacitors: C3. On the PCB it's labeled as 10uf, but in the video you said to use a 1uf. So which one is it? And for the range capacitors, did you go with (5) 4.7uf and (1) 10uf. I was thinking of going with (1) 1uf, (3) 4.7uf, and (2) 10uf.....but I still want to know which ones you used on this build for those 6 range caps....please?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Use either. 1uf if your feeling fruity. Yeah try that!! I recon 1 1uf. 2 4.7 and 10

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

This one I thing was 3 4.7 and 3 10

[@davidboudreau4054]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER Thank you for the info and the super fast reply. You are truly a wonderful person...

[@alienboy689]

What PSU do you recommend?

[@fantasticrectangles1663]

Is Look Mum No Bootleg Vol.1 the same as the tape??

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

near enough

[@The.Dulcet.Toned.Scotsman]

Surprised Matt Bellamy hasn't been in touch - could just imagine you grooving away with this doomamajig during a Muse set. Totally inspiring work too mate. Stick in!

[@latenightfortunecookie]

THIS is the THX sound from back in the days haha

[@BliterTV]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! wohhhhhhhhhhhhhhwwww!!! 😆

[@Baz-e7s]

Finished building it today and it didn’t work :( And clearer step by step instructions?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Does it light up?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

What power supply are you Using?

[@Baz-e7s]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER no lights and using 12v power.

[@burlingtoniowarailfanhomeo8368]

Sweet

[@smoouve]

I need to see a lightsaber with the base hum exactly like this 6:08

[@luke144]

I'm a fiend for the drone!!!

[@cb24203]

You getting more of these in stock?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Sorting it as well soeak

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Sorting it as well speak

[@KeritechElectronics]

This things rips and tears better than a chainsaw on a cacodemon, haha! Atari Atari Atari Punk Punk Punk Console Console Console... buy two and get a third one for free :D Your PCB art is pure damn madness. I absolutely adore it!

[@iamgodbringmecake]

🙌🏼

[@andrewdunbar828]

Don't be surprised if you get a visit from an intergalactic whale that thinks it heard a mating call.

[@curtishoffmann6956]

I'm looking at this Drone, and all I can think of is "circuit bending"...

[@stuartchapman5171]

These oscillators can be used to modulate with a vactrol, if you use a bug enough capacitor, I made a slicer tremolo thing with one. Also these oscillators have a much richer saw type wave than a hex Schmidt logic chip.

[@sonosus]

Digital mixer? You mean a c..c...c...computer? :D

[@johnelwer3633]

Felt like I was watching Dr. Who.