I'm talking about connecting electronic components without using a PCB. Soldering such an assembly is pretty fast if you have a jig holding the components in place. 

(The examples below are laid out in 2D like a PCB, but dead-bug construction often isn't)
[![](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O0SOI.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O0SOI.jpg)
[source](https://makezine.com/2012/10/08/a-fine-example-of-dead-bug-style-circuit-wiring/)

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kn8dO.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kn8dO.jpg)