Ian Sharrock Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Inspired by mate_stubb with his build project I decided to resurrect my homebuilt monosynth. Conceived in the early '80s and based on a magazine project (the Minisonic 2) but with added units and a redesigned case (why did I think plastic would be a good material to build it with)? This time with rather more money than I had first time round I'm refurbishing it to last. Here's the before shot alongside the photoshopped new design. http://www.f-music.co.uk/build/before_after.jpg Aluminium panels with mahogany end cheeks. The design is a great big nod to the more sucessful synth designs from the era. I'm sure you guys don't need me to list them. I started putting the hardware together this morning and this is the result so far. http://www.f-music.co.uk/build/first-fit-case.jpg This monosynth sounds quite good on it's own, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I can sample it and play a polyphonic version using my V-Machine Now you just can't get that level of satisfaction by just spanking a plank, can you? Gig rig: Motif XF8,Roland A37~laptop,Prophet 08,Yam WX5~VL70m. Studio: V-Synth GT,Korg DW8000,A33,Blofeld,N1R,KS Rack,too many VSTs Freefall www.f-music.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 nice i like the wooden endcaps "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanS Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 nice i like the wooden endcaps Yeah, they're smashing! I actually sanded down the endcaps on one of my old synths today as well. What we record in life, echoes in eternity. MOXF8, Electro 6D, XK1c, Motif XSr, PEKPER, Voyager, Univox MiniKorg. https://www.abandoned-film.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Looks great! Keep us posted and - let us know how it sounds too, ok?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Sharrock Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 My favourite sound so far. It's a stereo sawtooth (left ramps up, right ramps down)with a basic chorus (modelled on juno 60). It's sampled using V-Machine. Czeb chorus saw This one has a bright saw going direct out of the right channel, with a filtered square on the left (to evoke strings/woodwind ensemble) Czeb strings/woodwind Gig rig: Motif XF8,Roland A37~laptop,Prophet 08,Yam WX5~VL70m. Studio: V-Synth GT,Korg DW8000,A33,Blofeld,N1R,KS Rack,too many VSTs Freefall www.f-music.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Very good, thanks! Especially the stereo saw. Your instrument probably deserved to be *played* - not just sampled! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Sharrock Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 I'd love to gig the synth. Unfortunately the oscillators are very prone to drift and I'd be forever retuning it! By using the V-Machine I get the sounds I want and stability. If I want tweakability on the fly I'll approximate with my KS-Rack. It's not ideal but Joe Punter don't know any different! Gig rig: Motif XF8,Roland A37~laptop,Prophet 08,Yam WX5~VL70m. Studio: V-Synth GT,Korg DW8000,A33,Blofeld,N1R,KS Rack,too many VSTs Freefall www.f-music.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Sweet! What type of circuitry is making the noise - discrete, CEM chips, what? Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Warren Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Now you just can't get that level of satisfaction by just spanking a plank, can you? Looks like fun. If I was doing that I'd have a go at designing a circuit to keep the oscillators in tune. BTW, I hacked my PC3x on Friday night. http://community.sonikmatter.com/forums/index.php?/topic/45618-mounting-the-ribbon/ DigitalFakeBook Free chord/lyric display software for windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Sharrock Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 Sweet! What type of circuitry is making the noise - discrete, CEM chips, what? Discrete. The original design required a matched pair transistor (mounted in one case) so that thermal equilibium was acheived faster. I couldn't get hold of them so I glued two transistors back to back & wrapped copper wire round 'em. Seems to work! Gig rig: Motif XF8,Roland A37~laptop,Prophet 08,Yam WX5~VL70m. Studio: V-Synth GT,Korg DW8000,A33,Blofeld,N1R,KS Rack,too many VSTs Freefall www.f-music.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Add thermal compound to that copper wire wrapping and your tuning stability will vastly improve. Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogmonkey Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Very cool. That saw sounds good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Sharrock Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 Slight modification to the new build. Instead of the mini joystick for modulation I just picked up a Roland U20 pitch bend from a famous online auction site at a reasonable price. Gig rig: Motif XF8,Roland A37~laptop,Prophet 08,Yam WX5~VL70m. Studio: V-Synth GT,Korg DW8000,A33,Blofeld,N1R,KS Rack,too many VSTs Freefall www.f-music.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Sharrock Posted May 15, 2010 Author Share Posted May 15, 2010 Build update. http://www.f-music.co.uk/build/czeb%20work%20in%20progress.jpg Gig rig: Motif XF8,Roland A37~laptop,Prophet 08,Yam WX5~VL70m. Studio: V-Synth GT,Korg DW8000,A33,Blofeld,N1R,KS Rack,too many VSTs Freefall www.f-music.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodyMary Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 that stereo saw sounds PHAT! I love these kinds of projects. Putting the V-Mashine inside will allow you to run other plugins, too. Please keep us posted. BTW. Isn't it time to open a DIY sub-forum on the KC? Stage: MOX6, V-machine, and Roland AX7 Rolls PM351 for IEMs. Home/recording: Roland FP4, a few guitars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 The panel looks very professional. How are you doing the graphics - printed overlay or silkscreen? Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Sharrock Posted May 15, 2010 Author Share Posted May 15, 2010 BloodyMary: I'm keeping the synth as purely analogue. I sample the output of it then use SampleLord in V-Machine to reproduce polyphonically. (I love the idea of building a V-machine INTO a retro keyboard, with all controls mapped to the relevant Midi CCs though). Mate stubb: The graphics are designed in Photoshop then printed onto vinyl self adhesive sheet using my HP Color Laserjet, then spray laquered to protect the print. Mounted onto 1mm styrene sheets and cut out to form the synth units(VCO, VCF, etc). The Aluminium panel has been sprayed with Plasi-Kote satin Midnight Blue paint (I think I did 4 coats). Gig rig: Motif XF8,Roland A37~laptop,Prophet 08,Yam WX5~VL70m. Studio: V-Synth GT,Korg DW8000,A33,Blofeld,N1R,KS Rack,too many VSTs Freefall www.f-music.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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