I’m getting ready to start a new synth project. I’m going to build a MFOS Soundlab Ultimate With the Expander and a 4 Octave keyboard all in one case. For the project, I’m going to use a CV keyboard so that the synth can be truly analog. I will also add a MIDI-CV conversion kit from Paia, so that I do have that flexibility, but I felt that a CV keyboard would be the right option for the project. I didn’t hurt that it’s also the cheapest option.

I’ve had this 5 Octave Midiman Keystation controller sitting in a closet for ages. The case was literally falling apart. I bought it nearly 15 years ago at a guitar center. It was the last one they had (midiman had just become M-Audio) and it had been used as the floor model. I bought it then for $75, a steal even then.

Well, it’s time to give it new life. The keys have decent action for a synth, so they be good to use for my homebrew CV keyboard. I cut off the 5th octave. Maybe I’ll sell the keys as spares on ebay, or even keep them for a future restoration project. Who knows. But sometimes an object is worth less than the sum of it’s parts.

All the electronics work, so they’ll be nice to have for other projects. I salvaged two nice dials with pots and wiring, one spring loaded and one not. I got a slide pot that’s already mounted to a pcb and wired so it’ll be easy to incorporate into a project. I yanked out two wiring harnesses, 16 pin, i think. Finally, I got what may end up being the brains to a future midi controller project, that has USB and a nice little display.