BEFACO KICKALL Eurorack Module - DIY Build
As we head into the summer months here at fiN Studios, we take on our second build of the month … the Befaco KICKALL Eurorack Module.
The KICKALL is a 6HP compact synth voice that features damn near everything you need to make a big fat KICK sound. This module is a powerhouse. It contains a VCO that tracks voltage per octave, an aggressive wave shaper and has the ability to use CV to control envelopes and pitch.
CV is controllable from Sine to Square wave shaping and the envelope decay for the main VCA is also CV controlled. So, what does this mean? It’s a badass kick drum synth!
What about that design?
Before we get into the logistics of the build, we want to take a moment to appreciate the Befaco KICKALL dual PCB layout. As a pretty complex and time consuming build, the two PCBs, once joined are a tight fit. One would question how they did this so well, but designers uncanny knack to make each piece integrate with the other is amazing. You have to take a step back and appreciate its ingenuity and design.
This can also make for a difficult time for the novice DIYer. You have to be precise with your soldering points. Even as a more experienced builder, we took the time to finesse the module PCBs together. The main thing here is that you want to make sure that you have no high tips in your solder points as they can short the boards or cause unwanted issues. With all that being said, let’s get onto the build…
KICKALL Time Lapse Build Vid
For this build, we recommend top down soldering with most of the component pieces. Once you get into the ICs, you will want to solder from the bottom side, but this is due to the fact that there is just no room to do otherwise. Top down soldering takes a fine point on your solder iron and patience. It might seem like its going pretty easy until the board starts to get populated. You want to be careful not to leave the iron on the board very long as well as watching your angle of entry. If you come at a component without knowing what’s next to it, well let’s just say you could have a disaster and melted components.
Our build was pretty straight forward as you can see from the time lapse build. The Befaco KICKALL has 2 PCBs, which starting out might confuse which is which. Just know that the one that says “POWER” on it, is the “main board”.
Befaco KICKALL Build Gallery
Take your time with this one. As we mentioned before the Befaco KICKALL is a timely build coming in at 2-3 hours for the comfortable builder. We used two “helpful hands” soldering tools to help hold each board in place as we went through the build. This really helped with efficiency and ease of component placement.
Another great tool to have on hand is a component tester. You will see from the video above that we used it on almost every resistor that had less than 3. We did this because of the kits organization. If you can read resistor codes on the fly, good for you – we envy that. Most builders though, do not and it can be time tasking to sit there and try to color match everything. Befaco does a great job with the Assembly Instructions, but there were a few occasions where we had to refer to photos on the net to see exactly how something was placed on the board. We hope our photos can do the same for new builders to the KICKALL.
Upon finalizing the build, we have to admit, we were hesitant on if we had a short somewhere or if this thing would fire up. We double checked all of our soldering points, connected the two main PCBs and attached the panel. After placing the potentiometer caps and screwing down the jacks, we were ready to go.
A quick plug into our test module and we had no issues and thankfully no smoke clouds! We attached to our distro board and flicked on the power to the module. BOOM. A lone kick drum belted out when we hit the trigger button. The sound was amazing. We made some quick adjustments and tweaks to the tune knob and a shift of the slider and we had a dry kick drum with little decay. We went on to patch the module with the 4MS Atoner and the Synthrotek Nandamonium to see what this thing was capable of….
KICKALL Audio Sample Vids
Module Features and Specifications
FEATURES
– Accurate V/oct tracking.
– CV controllable Sine to Square wave shaper.
– CV controlled envelope decay for main VCA.
– CV control over General volume (after VCA).
– Wide range pitch envelope control
SPECS
– Current needs: +12V: 26mA, -12V: 12mA
– Width: 8 HP
– Depth: 30 mm
– Aluminium, heat-treated front panel
– Designed, kits prepared and completed modules assembled in Barcelona
Our Final Thoughts . . .
The Befaco KICKALL is a powerhouse and a MUST for anyone looking for an analog drum module that is versatile and yet hard hitting. The build is not recommended for novice builders and top down soldering is recommended for most of the components.
This through-hole kit is well designed, sounds amazing and has peeked our curiosity about other Befaco modules. For now, it’s time to order another KICKALL for the double bass drum layering!
If you have questions about the build process or suggestions/feedback about this article, feel free to let us know by contacting us We look forward to hearing from you!
Until the next build …
