I know they mainly have Wood, some sort of metal, but what else? I'm trying to make my own and I can't figure out what materials are used.
My DIY Synth is going to be modern, with some wood, probably on the sides, or little strips of it.
What should the majority of it be made of? (Like the parts that on synths you can buy that have letters printed on them),
Isn't it plastic, or something? How would I go about making a custom plastic case/shell, if so? I'll probably have mostly plastic, I don't really know yet.
Anyone willing to help collaborate and help me figure out a good design with materials would be greatly appreciated!
What are Synthesizers mainly made out of?
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Fox_GAMING_NTF Fox_GAMING_NTF https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=439070
- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 226 posts since 11 Apr, 2019
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- KVRAF
- 2772 posts since 22 May, 2017
Lots of plastic these days. 
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Distorted Horizon Distorted Horizon https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=392076 - Banned
- 3882 posts since 17 Jan, 2017 from Planet of cats
Yeh try dem wooden resistors 
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Distorted Horizon Distorted Horizon https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=392076
- Banned
- 3882 posts since 17 Jan, 2017 from Planet of cats
Especially a wooden ADC gives you a true analog sound
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- KVRAF
- 3897 posts since 28 Jan, 2011 from MEXICO
techno dust
dedication to flying
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Fox_GAMING_NTF Fox_GAMING_NTF https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=439070
- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 226 posts since 11 Apr, 2019
Lol. Ok, thanks everyone! : D.
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- KVRAF
- 12356 posts since 7 May, 2006 from Southern California
If you are talking about the cabinet... custom tooled injection molds for plastic parts, extruded aluminum and various forms of sheet metal are common. These aren't parts you will find "off-the-shelf". The molds we use for Nektar keyboards cost >$100k to tool.
Find out if there is a local maker space nearby. They may have a CNC machine and/or a 3D printer which can be used to make the custom parts you need. I understand that laser cut bamboo is pretty easy to work with and is rigid enough to stand up to heavy use. Or you could try using acrylic.
Find out if there is a local maker space nearby. They may have a CNC machine and/or a 3D printer which can be used to make the custom parts you need. I understand that laser cut bamboo is pretty easy to work with and is rigid enough to stand up to heavy use. Or you could try using acrylic.
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experimental.crow experimental.crow https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6258
- KVRAF
- 6895 posts since 9 Mar, 2003 from the bridge of sighs
leave enough room for the ocelots ...
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- Banned
- 2288 posts since 24 Mar, 2015 from Toronto, Canada
There is the modular hardware synth direction you can go it. Lots of DIY kits and will add up to quite a lot.
I believe all the synths big corps make are all plastic for the cheaper ones and a mix of some metal and lots of plastic for the higher end ones. I have. JDXI and it's all plastic. The JDXA is three times as much and is more sturdy and has some metal parts . The internals are probably cheap circuit boards from South East Asia.
I believe all the synths big corps make are all plastic for the cheaper ones and a mix of some metal and lots of plastic for the higher end ones. I have. JDXI and it's all plastic. The JDXA is three times as much and is more sturdy and has some metal parts . The internals are probably cheap circuit boards from South East Asia.
Spotify 
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SoundclickGear & Setup: Windows 10, Dual Xeon, 32GB RAM, Cubase 10.5/9.5, NI Komplete Audio 6, NI Maschine, NI Jam, NI Kontakt
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- KVRist
- 433 posts since 29 Jun, 2008 from Mid Wales, UK.
Most classic keyboards followed a tradition of mostly wood - well almost wood.
A flat bed plate of particle board or plywood. Not much different from self assembly furniture material. A sheet of aluminium foil was often stuck on the inner top-side to screen the electronics from noise coming from below.
The wooden end cheeks attached at the ends of the base plate. They can be a nice solid timber, or laminated particle board.
Another decorative strip across the front of the bed plate to close the gap to the front edge of keys.
Control panels can go to left and/or right of the keyboard to the same depth as the keys and same height as the white key tops - or all the controls on a sloping metal top or a sloping back back facia immediately above the keys to a laminated particle board top.
The rear can be metal or particle board with cutouts for connector panels.
Panel metal often is steel (painted with silk-screen printed legending). Decent manufacturers hinged the top panels and keyboard chassis to make it easier to service and made sure the wiring did not interfere with that. Some of them only need a few screws taking it out and it all hinges open. You can use aluminium, but unless it's closer to 3mm thick, it's too soft for large panel areas that have to support themselves.
If you want to go plastic, you can find ABS stock material (flat sheet as well as sections). This is sometimes used when a full size prototype is needed. They probably design the parts in a CAD program and get them laser cut these days. Unless you intend to go into production with a fully developed moulded solution, I don't see any reason not to follow the traditional particle board/metal construction.
Desktop module synths often don't have their own keyboards, but some do follow the traditional keyboard style so they still look like synths.
A flat bed plate of particle board or plywood. Not much different from self assembly furniture material. A sheet of aluminium foil was often stuck on the inner top-side to screen the electronics from noise coming from below.
The wooden end cheeks attached at the ends of the base plate. They can be a nice solid timber, or laminated particle board.
Another decorative strip across the front of the bed plate to close the gap to the front edge of keys.
Control panels can go to left and/or right of the keyboard to the same depth as the keys and same height as the white key tops - or all the controls on a sloping metal top or a sloping back back facia immediately above the keys to a laminated particle board top.
The rear can be metal or particle board with cutouts for connector panels.
Panel metal often is steel (painted with silk-screen printed legending). Decent manufacturers hinged the top panels and keyboard chassis to make it easier to service and made sure the wiring did not interfere with that. Some of them only need a few screws taking it out and it all hinges open. You can use aluminium, but unless it's closer to 3mm thick, it's too soft for large panel areas that have to support themselves.
If you want to go plastic, you can find ABS stock material (flat sheet as well as sections). This is sometimes used when a full size prototype is needed. They probably design the parts in a CAD program and get them laser cut these days. Unless you intend to go into production with a fully developed moulded solution, I don't see any reason not to follow the traditional particle board/metal construction.
Desktop module synths often don't have their own keyboards, but some do follow the traditional keyboard style so they still look like synths.
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- KVRAF
- 35436 posts since 11 Apr, 2010 from Germany
Sorry for offtopic, but... what is your job at Nektar Tech, if you want to share, of course.justin3am wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2019 10:19 pm If you are talking about the cabinet... custom tooled injection molds for plastic parts, extruded aluminum and various forms of sheet metal are common. These aren't parts you will find "off-the-shelf". The molds we use for Nektar keyboards cost >$100k to tool.
