Hello friend!

This is the first newsletter for my take on the SST-282 SPACE STATION audio effect unit. Thanks for the interest and sorry for taking so long to get this out.

TLDR

• Its not a big commercial/business project, more like advanced synth diy with lots of personal love and attention

• I'm not doing DIY kits but plan to do a few short runs of fully assembled units (no price yet but <£500)

• It sounds pretty good and is nice to play

• The unit is still in the pre-production phase and the chip crisis is killing any immediate plans to get more than a handful of units available.

• I'll post here as soon as I have units to sell or interesting update

About

• The project is a knock off of the SST-282 SPACE STATION, a legendary early-digital effects processor invented by Christopher Moore's Ursa Major company in 1978.

• The idea of the newsletter is that once I finish it and units become available I'll post here first so that interested folk get to hear about it before the random Instagram algorithms decide you should.

• I'll also post a bit more detail here than I do on Instagram.

Background

• I watched SECRET WEAPONS with HANNES BIEGER and decided I needed my own SPACE STATION.

• When I went looking I found they're super expensive and difficult to keep so thought I'd have a go at making one.

• After a while I got a copy of the EPROMs from an original unit, this let me decode the special delay taps timings and reverb modulation schemes.

• Although it's not a full-on replica, its using a modern micro-controller to replicate the exact timings and functions of the original unit.

• The original unit was a big 3U 19-inch rack full of analogue and early digital goodness - these new units will never match the grungy sound of the old unit but they get fairly close.

Development

• I've been developing it on and off now for almost a couple of years, the latest version, which to me is version 5, is just about there.

• On reflection, I'd have been cheaper just buying an old one but its been fun developing the new unit and it should be easier and cheaper to live with.

• I've replicated the core features of the original in a knob/button per function style and added some new extra features to extend the original.

• All the original programs are available - the ROOMS, COMBS, CLUSTERS and REPEATS - millisecond accurate to the originals.

• You can have a look through the old manual for a better understanding of how it works and the sorts of use you make of it.

• All the original features are implemented so if you see it in the manual you should be able to do it.

• I'll add a few additional extra features to the firmware but I plan to keep them all off the main 'page' so they don't get in the way of the original.

• The new hardware has a higher sample rate, bit depth and bandwidth than the original but I've also added a 'Classic Mode' to match the original.

• I might extend the'Classic Mode' to also lock out the new extra features to keep it as close to the original functions as possible for those that want that.

• The unit doubles up on AtoD and DtoA convertors to do analogue feedback for echo and reverb like the original which adds a little something.

Status

• The electronics and case work on the prototypes are finalised I think.

• I'm finishing off the manual and some overlays for preset examples and extra feature controls.

• The firmware is totally complete for all the original features.

• I've added a few extras to the firmware : pre-delay, gated reverb, tap tempo and a reverse reverb.

• I might add a few extra extras in the future.

• Overall the firmware if fairly stable, I'm still finding the odd case where I get a bug but will sort that out once I get a few more pre-production units in peoples hands and have some more feedback from them.

Production & Chip Crisis

• As I said these are handcrafted, with a professional attitude and individually built in my garage. I don't have the resources of the big companies and the chip shortage has really had an impact.

• I'm sure you've heard about the global shortage of microchips. Other than the stock I have to make a few more pre-production units I'm really struggling to get good quality supplies of some of the parts.

• The chip shortage is putting any plans for larger runs on hold until the supplies become available again.

Thanks for reading, cheers Paul.