My DIY Eurorack Modular Synth

Join me on my journey of soldering together a DIY Eurorack modular synth. I wanted to build a synthesizer for a very long time and I've finally reached my goal! I've now built two rows of Eurorack modules, through-hole, SMD, and even modules where I designed my own PCBs! In this video I tell you how I went about learning enough electronics to build something as cool as that!
In case you're wondering where I've been: We moved house and it took forever to set up my new studio. This video was still filmed in the old studio, so for me it's a little bit of a blast from the past. There is lots of new stuff in the works and soon I'll show you the new space!
For a full semi-generative ambient performance with this setup, check out this video: • Semi-generative ambien...
Resources I showed:
Look Mum No Computer
/ @lookmumnocomputer
musicfromouterspace.com/
3D printed Eurorack case model cults3d.com/en/3d-model/gadge...
Make: Electronics amzn.to/423c5aG
Make: Analog Synthesizers by Ray Wilson (Music from Outer Space) amzn.to/3BNJaN3
NEWACALOX Hot Air Station amzn.to/3Mt0VpN
Soldering iron, Yihua 937D amzn.to/434KNCk
Favourite solder wire, Chipquik 0.8mm amzn.to/3WtmeMU
Adjustable PCB holder amzn.to/3Mykq0v
✪ Many links I use are affiliate links, so you can support me at no extra cost to you! ✪
Support me on Ko-fi or Bandcamp
If you enjoy what I do you can support me on Ko-fi!
ko-fi.com/lillyschwartz
You can get my music here:
polarcoaster.bandcamp.com/
Chapters:
0:00 Learning electronics
6:14 Building Guitar pedals
7:25 Why modular?
8:14 Modular formats
9:53 Sound sources - Starting with semi modular
11:21 the case and other essentials
12:50 Building through-hole modules
17:06 Building modules with SMD parts
20:43 Building from schematics - Designing PCBs
24:32 What does it sound like?
26:09 Project Conclusions
28:54 Outro
Subscribe for more videos about all the cool stuff I make: bit.ly/2SfB5f9-subscribe
Music
My own, which I make under the name Polarcoaster.
So, if you enjoy my music, subscribe to my music channel: / @polar-coaster
Oh, and let me know if it's getting too eerie 🙃
Recording Equipment
Canon EOS 750D (US) amzn.to/2I8wcxk
GoPro Hero 7 Black (US) amzn.to/2Zjn2EC
iPad Pro (US) amzn.to/2AMjCRl
iPhone 7 (US) amzn.to/2y2fLOs
Zhiyun Smooth 4 stabiliser (US) amzn.to/2QGqGWE
Gooseneck Tablet Holder (US) amzn.to/2ST7llp
ESDDI Ring Light (US) amzn.to/2VNUh2B
Focusrite Scarlett Solo Studio (US) amzn.to/2DagrVv
Rode Video Mic Pro (US) amzn.to/2XV4ijc
Rode VideoMicro (US) amzn.to/2XW9lQ5
✪ Many links I use are affiliate links, so you can support me at no extra cost to you! ✪
Connect with me
Instagram: / lilly.schwartz
Twitter: / lilschwartzart
Facebook: / lilschwartz

[@tonyennis1787]

If you're building surface mounts you're a better builder than I'll ever be

[@ivelise38]

This world needs more people like you ❤❤

[@loxxbeats]

definitly !

[@user-ev9qw3om1g]

Hi Lilly I I haven't seen you since you molded your bullet mustang. You give me life on diving in too accomplish what you start out.

[@LillySchwartz]

Hah, I always try to finish what I started. Even if it’s something as massive as that!

[@Solargarlicc]

This is so motivating I loved every second of this. I appreciate people like you who make videos explaining their journey, quite inspiring.

[@ericMT]

I love this so much. I’ve built over 150 different eurorack modules now, mostly from PCBs people designed and I get my own parts. I also have about 6 of my own designs as well. It becomes addicting once you really get into it and I love my modular system so much, it’s like an audio playground with unlimited potential.

[@LillySchwartz]

I’m glad you enjoyed the video! 150, wow, that’s quite a lot. I think I built around 30 now, I’d have to count, 2 of my own. I’m gonna slow down now and make music with it for a while, play a little on the modular playground 😀 what kind of modules did you design for your system?

[@D0Nmega666]

Awesome thanks for making this

[@NoFishCanSwim]

Very inspiring

[@katelikesrectangles]

thank you for sharing this! what a wonderful journey

[@michelnielsen2855]

such an epic journey, thank you for posting, very inspiring!

[@CreateListenCreate]

Super inspiring. What a wonderful journey.

[@cricetink]

Amazing!! ❤

[@SISKworks]

So cool! great video. I can relate to so many parts of this. Thanks for sharing

[@TheColourAwesomer]

Sick! Very inspiring.

[@-frantsel6403]

very cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@Realneoweed]

Thanks for this video. I was fascinated by it.

[@derangedsynthesizer7598]

So friggin cool!! I loved hearing your journey :)

[@SigmaDee]

Love this. Good on ya!

[@DennisJanssen75]

Thanks for sharing.

[@draconianrhythms]

This is such a joy to watch. Thank you for sharing.. I’m inspired ❤

[@oxiigen]

Wow! Bravo girl!

[@sn1000k]

Yr killing it girl! Well done.

[@CarlsbadSGP2007]

Impressive!

[@MarioPToledo]

Thank you! :)

[@BubbaSatori]

Amazing story. Thanks.

[@ChrisMills-AmbientSpace]

This is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing your story. I look forward to your future instalments.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you Chris, I’m glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@InVacuo]

Very enjoyable video!

[@tworoundrobins]

this was really inspirational, thank you so much for sharing!

[@danmoore9682]

Thank you!

[@Farmerwal]

Great story!

[@swaylinebeats204]

Thank you for inspiration! I am going to build myself one🙂

[@toi_techno]

Very cool

[@kilhua7783]

You are awesome!. Congrats and also thanks for sharing this info. :)

[@angelos808]

Amazing, thanks for the inspiration!

[@LillySchwartz]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😀

[@pablobarria296]

heyy you are amazing, thanks for sharing your progress, its massive inspiration for me ☺

[@els1f]

I can't believe I'm finding you only now, but I'm glad i did! 🤯🙌✌️

[@abstral66]

great video very instructive!

[@ingor.779]

Very inspiring. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you for watching 😀

[@PhilR0gers]

What you have done is excellent. I'm right at the beginning of the modular journey and watching your video is inspirational. Thanks.

[@goldCrystalhaze]

I don't know how you did it, but you have just inspired me to start over my mechanical engineering studies that I gave up 20 years ago! I guess it is your passion, the one I've lost somewhere on the way...Thank you for that!

[@CastleHassall]

hey good luck with that! the Khan academy app is great for any maths or physics stuff.. from the ground up

[@alan_wood]

That's very inspiring, thank you for sharing.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thanks for watching, Alan!

[@geoffjoyner2617]

You give me hope. Thank you.

[@LillySchwartz]

That’s always nice to hear! I’m glad! 😀

[@NineVoltDigitalCinema]

So good to see you back!

[@LillySchwartz]

Glad to see you here :) We moved house and my studio was a construction zone until recently. Finally done now, phew!

[@twoXslim]

Thanks for the inspiration!

[@LillySchwartz]

You’re welcome ☺️

[@clonika]

Brutal, me parece muy honesto. Gracias por el vídeo y el tiempo y cariño dedicado 🦾

[@christianlamalle8758]

Just one word : Respect !

[@WarrenPostma]

this is so amazing!!

[@LillySchwartz]

Aw, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@bigtom6443]

This is seriously impressive. I’m currently planning to build my own modular from scratch, pretty much starting entirely with Look Mum No Computer’s designs. Thanks for uploading this, it’s so encouraging

[@franksemi_modular]

Cool stuff 👍👍

[@yafiselim2117]

So impressed !

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you 😀

[@outdoorcoaching]

So happy I found your channel, this was very inspiring!! Thank you!!

[@LillySchwartz]

I’m glad you enjoyed it! 😀

[@imatt888]

incredible! thank you for sharing.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you for watching ✨ I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@garaughty]

Lovely work on this Lilly !

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you! 😊

[@JohnLRice]

Congrats on all of your progress and success! 👏😎👍

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you so much! ✨

[@NerdMusician]

Great story! Thanks for sharing.

[@LillySchwartz]

And thanks for watching 😀

[@azenkwed]

great stuff!

[@gaetanog.105]

A lot of math Lady 😂. And schematics 😂 sometimes not so complex, but you have to understand they! Lot of respect for you!

[@crashandrun]

Very inspirational video. Thanks.

[@LillySchwartz]

Aww, thank you! 😀

[@MapaiiMusic]

Congrats for your project and also for inspiring by sharing. Have a beautiful day.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you 🙏 You have a beautiful day too!

[@ohmuseek4290]

So inspiring and awesome to see your process

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@isaacwarne7758]

thanks for sharing this. it was very helpful.

[@LillySchwartz]

I’m glad you found it useful! 😀

[@pjforde1978]

Thank you for sharing your journey. I am incredibly inspired, now.

[@LillySchwartz]

I’m glad you liked it 😀

[@waxpiscarr]

you are so inspiring ;) thank you

[@LillySchwartz]

Aww, thank you! ✨

[@smorph7626]

Respect!

[@AustralianBushman]

Very inspiring and impressive! Great story!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you 🙏 I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@maarzt]

awesome and inspiring! thanks Lilly

[@LillySchwartz]

Glad you liked it 😀

[@jordantheman25]

super relatable! I love it. It all starts with a single step.

[@LillySchwartz]

Glad you like it! The realisation that you can do it is always the first step! 😀

[@AFlippingBudjunky]

Love this... Hope i get mine ready, too

[@LillySchwartz]

Good luck with it 😀

[@jepulis504]

So glad I happened to stumble across your channel!

[@LillySchwartz]

That’s always nice to hear 😀

[@scotrick3072]

- Wow! Your work is amazing!

[@LillySchwartz]

Aw, thank you! 🙏

[@kallemustonen]

Thank you, this was really relatable approach to modular rabbit hole 🐇

[@LillySchwartz]

I'm glad it resonated! I bet most people get super confused at first. It's wild enough to make music with those things, building the modules from scratch gets even more intimidating. It's really not that hard though!

[@boxjosh95JS]

Ive been really into the idea of building my own synths and i think its really cool that you did it.

[@LillySchwartz]

Go for it! Super fun thing to do and it’s such a cool opportunity to learn something new. And there is a new instrument at the end of the journey which is amazing too!

[@FrankPSF]

I Envy your skill and determination. Congrats and happy noodling!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you! 🙏

[@DelmaRaySmithJr]

What a wonderful surprise to find you here, keep posting!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you! I’m working on the next video already 😀

[@martyb3783]

Very impressive!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you 🙏

[@toubakiful]

Lilly ...great and very inspiring the way you have achieved things by gradually honing up your sills over the years!! Zillions thumbs up👍👍!!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you! It was a slow process, but I got there eventually 😀

[@dillipphunbar7924]

Very impressive achievements. Thankyou for sharing your journey. SMD is beyond me, even through-hole is a challenge.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thanks! What's your soldering iron like and what kind of solder wire do you use? Those are usually the main culprits when through-hole is challenging. I had trouble in the beginning because I didn't have my iron hot enough. SMD is easier in some ways, but time consuming. You really just need a good magnifier. Try out one of those SMD soldering practice kits, you'll see that it really isn't so hard!

[@modularsynthguy6694]

I enjoyed your video very much!

[@LillySchwartz]

I’m glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@OlufLorenzen]

UUh, such a calm, relaxing, interesting video. Thanks.

[@LillySchwartz]

Glad you enjoyed it, Oluf! 😀

[@justinjohnston8729]

wow...mind blown...captivating and interesting video

[@LillySchwartz]

Thanks Justin, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@AndyVonal]

Thank you for sharing your journey! It was wonderfully relaxing listening to you talk about your experiences. I am NOT a DIY builder, but I might be one day!

[@LillySchwartz]

Glad you enjoyed it! I actually find building those things very relaxing. I mean, not when things go wrong obviously, but when it works out it’s really just very meditative like most mildly repetitive work 🙃 give it a go, it was a great experience for me!

[@michaelrockinger]

this is a life changing video. ❤ so creative and useful.

[@LillySchwartz]

Aww, thank you! Glad you found it helpful! ✨

[@somberville3351]

Instant follow!

[@MrGigglez2010]

Keep up the good work

[@forton615]

What a story! LMNC was my inspiration for starting with synthesizers too. If I had more time I would like to start with a modular setup. Love what you are doing.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thanks! LMNC is such an inspiration! He does so many cool things. You can always start small with the modular stuff if you have a semi modular already. Just add one module at a time and take time to explore. Then the learning curve isn’t so overwhelming I would suspect!

[@jakme8237]

Thank you for posting this, I definitely can relate to your journey. Your perseverance is impressive and this testing of patience is very telling of your personality and character. Hats off, dude.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you for watching 🙏 I’m stubborn I guess 😅 I wanted to prove to myself that I can do it!

[@WarrenPostma]

@@LillySchwartz Stubborn people rule.

[@LillySchwartz]

We sure get stuff done 😂

[@midclock]

Exactly what I thought, it takes a lot of perseverance and focus to overcome every fail (which is inevitable). I'd like to build a module too, but I know that it requires a lot of effort and time...I'm considering using a microcontroller for my first project, as coding is easier for me. FPGAs are an interesting topic too, but also very complex. The positive aspect is that once you know how to program them, you can design an integrated circuit just with code, avoiding re-design everything (hardware I/O cannot be done this way though). Keep it up!

[@thomas0101]

Lilly! You're BACK! Great to see you in my YT feed looking forward to finding the time to watch your new DIY content!

[@LillySchwartz]

Yes, I'm back! Been too long, but now I'm all set for new vids. A lot more stuff coming soon.

[@mmorage]

Its good to see you back !

[@LillySchwartz]

Aww, thanks! 🙏

[@toolzshed]

Cool 🤘🏽🔥

[@brianbrill]

That was a very enjoyable account of your adventure. Congratulations and have fun with it!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you Brian 😀

[@ronalddonald-cj8fu]

excited.

[@ZombieLincoln666]

eurorack seems like an ideal platform for DIY synth projects.

[@RSKT_music]

This is such a fantastic video! I've been strongly considering getting into this myself so that I can build my own modules for the AE Modular format. Thankyou for posting this roadmap, I'm going to keep coming back to this video as I dive on in :)

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you so much! Definitely give it a go! It's an interesting journey! If you want to specifically build for AE modular then one option would be to build a deeper DIY case for it, so that you don't have to start out with SMD soldering! I combine all of it in my rack, Eurorack, semi modular, AE for some cheaper bought modules. It plays together quite nicely with the I/O modules. I haven't yet built anything for AE yet, primarily because my case is already full with their own lovely modules!

[@RSKT_music]

@@LillySchwartz Thankyou for the advice! Really glad I found your channel :)

[@a0-zu3dt]

You are one reason i started up building modules!

[@LillySchwartz]

Oh yay! What have you built recently? I’ve been on a bit of a DIY hiatus so that I can focus on writing music with my modular!

[@albertmeyer8983]

Fantastic build! Nice review!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you Albert! 😀

[@chenemma4913]

Good story That's really COOL!!! It's always been my dream to make a modular synthesiser.

[@wolfgangbudde2737]

Great learning story and achievement, and you presented it in a very enjoyable form, thanks a lot!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it! ✨

[@robygamboa8479]

What a wonderful journey! I love hearing about adventures like yours. You are a true inspiration! Best wishes in all of your future projects and successes!

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you so much! ✨

[@jukkaniittymaa]

This video is solid gold. Also, I love your calm presence and still personal approach to this complex topic. Therefore, I subscribed after a few minutes of video.

[@LillySchwartz]

Thank you so much for subscribing and I’m so glad you enjoyed the video!

[@amandahuber6639]

I really enjoyed this video. I too want to build a synth with my own hands but am afraid of all the maths involved! I have been a fan of Look Mum No Computer as well which has inspired me to not give up. The fact that I, an art and humanities person through and through am interested in electronics through synth music is wild, I never would have thought possible. Also so happy to see fellow women learning electronics, we have a long history with electronics and technology from the very start, amazing! Subscribed :)

[@LillySchwartz]

Thanks Amanda! Glad to get a comment from a woman who wants to learn this! Yay! Girl power! Don't be afraid of the math, you really can do a lot by just tinkering and reading Make Electronics! And don't let the Humanities background stop you either. Back in my Robotics degree we had a few people who came over from philosophy, including myself actually. Media Studies BA, Philosophy BA and then I went into a Robotics MSc from there. Building my Eurorack definitely involved far less maths than my Masters degree. It's always great to see women on the tech side of things! Women have a proud history of being deeply involved in electronic music and tech in general!

[@missterror5602]

Your aproach and your work are really inspiriring! I hope you will in future consider workshops, i could use a teacher like you!

[@b_a_k_i_s]

You are my new heroine! Great work!!!!

[@LillySchwartz]

Aw, thank you! ✨