My own Eurorack VCO Mercury Module

My second module for Eurorack VСO has been finished.
In my modules I use the best electronic parts. I do not like the sound of TL0xx and NJMxxx OpAmps, but they are practically everywhere. I am an audiophile and I like only good sound. There are 267 electronic parts in this module. Everything is on 1 board due to the density of mounting and tracks, I had to make a six-layer board. I have not ordered the boards yet, as I may still decide whether to replace or add or improve something. I will order these boards in a week when I get all the missing parts to check everything is correct and not to make mistakes. In 2.5 weeks, the first VCO module "Mercury" will be assembled and I will put it in my modular as well as my first filter (which, by the way, is also not ready yet, as I am waiting for the missing parts. The filter module will be ready in 3 days)
#eurorack #eurorackmodular #euroracksynth

[@FakthorX]

You going to start manufacturing?

[@js-sound]

Hi, not certainly in that way. The market is already littered with different products, and in the Eurorack Modular sector, there is generally a swamp. Even if you want to buy something useful, sometimes it is difficult to find in a pile of garbage what is perfect for you. I just want to make those modules that are not wide and with a bunch of features for my 6U x 84HP Rack for modular. When I wrote on the forum that "I will never go beyond the dimensions of 6U 84HP and I am not going to build a cabinet the size of a refrigerator from modules" many wrote to me "it will not end with one rack!". I am consistent with my ideas, I do not buy into advertising, I do not take everything in a row, even if the products are free. Even if Uli Beringer has already oppressed all competitors with his prices, I do not have and never will have modules from Uli! And there are many reasons why it will be so. Therefore, I do exactly what I need (and possibly no one else) to do to keep my purpose and follow it. I will order PCB in small batches of 20 pieces, I will keep 1 module for myself, and I will either sell the rest to friends or other people to recover the cost of costs for all my projects. For the sake of 1 module, this is not worth doing for many reasons .... When buying parts in the amount of 1 piece, we pay many times more for each part than if we buy el. parts in the amount of 100 pieces. The same goes for boards and everything else. For example 1x OPA1612 with VAT and shipping costs 9.90 euros. I bought 100 OPA1612 and 100 OPA1656 for half the unit price. Sooner or later I use all the chips. It’s even worse with modules ... specific switches (octave switched) are either not available anywhere, or only in 1 country on the entire planet, and if they are not in stock, then you have to look for other ways. To put the module into production before ordering the PCB and the Panel, I must already have absolutely all the details on hand to be sure that the money spent for the board and the panel is not thrown out through an open window and that all the details will fit into the layout. I have a friend who has an online shop, some of my modules can be bought either from him or directly from me. Even partially viewed modules can be bought, for example, with mounted all SMD capacitors, resistors, etc. I can solder it by myself , but in series I am not able to make more than 20 modules per month. I posted a video on KZbin, and by the reaction of people and comments, I can also draw conclusions whether people will be interested in such projects or not. While I spend the family budget on my personal needs .... There is no talk about production yet, besides, for the sake of modules, I would never give up my job, which guarantees me a steady income and a future pension. 🙂

[@FakthorX]

@@js-sound yes I totally understand the set limitation to adhere to! I am working with a doepfer pms12 with a strict swap in swap out workflow. I know what I want exactly and if a module does not fulfill that and get used in every patch its gone. I wish I could build my own 😅 but the time to learn and make its easier for me to just buy. There are alot of insanely skilled people who love eurorack. I was at superbooth namm and knobcon and there are so many exciting small batch manufacturers. Its a really lovely space. I hear you about behringer.. Ive never tried their modules but I do hear the bad rap that they have.

[@js-sound]

@@FakthorX By Beringer, all OpAmps are NJM4580 and the same microcircuits are even in ----> RME Fireface UXF2! :-) All firms use shit chips! Xaoc Device the company makes good modules, but they also have porous microcircuits. Why don't I buy these modules if I can re-solder shit chips? Because there are many different package: DIP14, SO8, MSSOP8, BGA and so on. But in modules, usually not SO8, but the best OpAmps are only in the SO8 package ----> (OPA1612 and OPA1656 for Audio) and OPA2156 (only for VCO). After I've modified all my synths and monitors and audio interface I can't listen to bad chips! Because I'm already just infected or used to a good sound and I immediately hear what and how it sounds and I can even say with my eyes closed "this sounds is TL074", "this sounds ist NJM2068" and so on. I can't stand squeaky sound. Therefore, my modules will solve this problem, since I am not a fu..ng economy, I do it for happiness for myself and for others and use the best electronic element base. :-) Yamaha is the most vile campaign to date. They're at the bottom, what they're releasing is rubbish. Other campaigns follow. And in the world of modulars, where there is a lot of competition, and everyone wants to make good money, none of the manufacturers will supply expensive operational amplifiers for high-quality sound. Everyone wants to reduce the cost of production and make maximum profits. This is another argument why I hate this world! Even if you have money, you will still buy ordinary shit or pay 50 euros for a 1x chip, which costs for 5 euros. For example, if RME Fireface UXF 2 were used, the same operational amplifiers that I put in my RME, then it would cost 6500 euros! And I spent only 270 on the update and of course the time to replace everything. In the Yamaha HS8 Monitors, everything is generally wrong there and the limiter of which should not be, and the worst operational amplifiers that I know are also in these monitors. After the modification, they sound better than my Focals Solo 6 be, the bass is excellent with a kick that windows and doors are shaking, the middle is clear as a razor blade, the high frequencies are very detailed. The cost of parts for the update was only 60 euros. But Yamaha bastard had the chips glued to the PCB with glue, it was not so easy to remove them. We live once and each time they hang noodles on our ears, make false promises and we get not a whole Arabian horse, but only an old donkey that cannot move. I’m ready to tear Yamaha apart because I was a faithful investor in their products, I loved this brand, and every time she did everything worse than before and after Installation, when they stopped releasing updates and left Installation, the flagship "Donkey", I said, it won't go on like this .... My love disappeared and I went on a counterattack. Ok, it's time to finish .... The meaning of my words can be reduced to the conclusion "if you can do something yourself better than others do it, then do it! 🙂

[@FakthorX]

@@js-sound hahahahahaha! I agree the same is happening in 95% of speaker world Its all overpriced shit! I doubt anything would beat handmade for personal use by someone who has engineering and design background. I am a biologist so Id have to start from zero haha 😅 I do know how to wire electricity mains and houses so I know how it works..