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Let's talk modular synths


mate stubb

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anyone who has been thinking about getting an Ornament and Crime (uO_c) better get one quick. The main chip used in it has been discontinued as they push people to use the newer chip with smaller silicon. The current chip is 90nm and the upgraded chip is 45. People are working on an update but who knows when that might be available.

This post edited for speling.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My favorite ever modular synth. I hope Dave R is getting a cut of these remakes.

 

Nice to see some of the old modules keep their discrete transistor core, even with the sourcing challenges he mentioned. I'm not crazy about his new Curtis based VCOs as the original discrete ones were stunning. I never owned the UAF but the studio system I worked on had one and it was truly special.

 

They were a space hog but the layout of inputs to the left, outputs to the right, and control inputs on the bottom was logical and great to work on.

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Moe

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  • 2 weeks later...

Beyond putting every single audio and voltage and trigger input and output of my entire setup on the patchbay, I’ve successfully and purposefully avoided the modular sinkhole. 
 

…until two weeks ago, when a MASSIVE Elektor Formant system crossed my path — the guy who built it was an engineer for PolyGram and Deutsche Grammophon, and he’d designed a controller keyboard and homebuilt a whole digital-to-voltage converter using his engineering prowess for a “throw everything at the problem” approach with pre-MIDI early-80s-technology. 
 

…to build a four-voice polyphonic modular synth, with three VCOs, three ADSRs, an LFO, noise gen, a 12 dB filter, a 24 dB filter, and dual VCA…PER VOICE. Plus 2 Formant filters. Racked up in standard 19” mounts. 
 

Currently having it checked…I’ll probably end up keeping an assortment of the working parts, and selling off the rest. 

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"The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk)

The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio

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1 hour ago, matted stump said:

Pics. We want pics!

 

3DBB509B-679E-43A8-A915-B0EAB1FB87F1_1_105_c.thumb.jpeg.6403509299289ab5b12a4b1e60274aab.jpegB2F2ADD8-1BD6-41B4-9374-8D2043842A05_1_105_c.thumb.jpeg.75b7dd62a176ff75c9e5508bc3b69e2a.jpeg4B324132-4DCB-45AB-8E4D-74A5E011EB84_1_105_c.thumb.jpeg.47ba872351ac2d0a25e55a4072b5c128.jpeg

…and then, there's a custom controller/mixing panel which has the Formant output modules with master EQ and panning, as well as a homebrew bucket-brigade delay — albeit without the chips...

EBB96160-B021-4908-9D7D-414429543751_1_105_c.thumb.jpeg.caad3f7b68c7bd4994dfda02ffa53b63.jpeg

It looks like that was actually set up for SIX voices, but he only ever built four… 

This is the weird controller thing: 

WhatsAppImage2023-06-13at12_06_24.thumb.jpeg.f05d09547e545cb8530897d743d06ce5.jpeg

 

This may have been the digital/CV interface — or perhaps just a testbed: 

 

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Plus a massive power supply, and a Sharp MZ-80k attached to a homebuilt PROMmer and a bunch of datassettes with custom programmes. 

The whole shebang is currently at my tech's workshop for evaluation. 

We'll probably part out/throw away the whole controller/interface bit, from the first look. There doesn't seem to be anything there that a modern cheap MIDI/CV interface won't do. 

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"The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk)

The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 11/1/2023 at 11:02 AM, zeronyne said:

I have a medium size Eurorack rig, but I’m looking for a little more precision in tuning. Anyone using a voltage/pitch quantizer? Do you recommend yours?

I have a few dedicated quantizers: the basic Doepfer A-156, Shakmat Bard Quartet and Intellijel Scales. They are all highly thought of and work well, and they are all very different from each other. Doepfer is basic, easy to use and missing some modern features like push buttons for each note in a scale. Shakmat Bard Quartet is the most complicated of the three but can do things like save custom scales. It also will quantize four different channels each with their own timing. Some others let you quantize 4 channels but only have one trigger so they all quantize at the same beat. Intellijel Scales gives you buttons for each note, saves scales, and has a basic sequencer but it only has two channels.

 

My recommendation is the best value in quantizing, a uO_c, otherwise known as Ornament and Crime. The default basic software has Quantermain. A 4 channel quantizer and each channel is independent. Here is a couple videos.

 

 

 

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This post edited for speling.

My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page

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On 11/1/2023 at 8:02 AM, zeronyne said:

I have a medium size Eurorack rig, but I’m looking for a little more precision in tuning. Anyone using a voltage/pitch quantizer? Do you recommend yours?

I'll second RABid's recommendation for the Ornament & Crime. I have only ever used it as a quantizer, it works great!

Turn up the speaker

Hop, flop, squawk

It's a keeper

-Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow

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I picked up the Cherry Audio Voltage Modular DMT Buchla bundle today at Black Friday prices. It is mostly a copy of the Buchla/Tiptop Audio collaboration. Tiptop has released 6 modules with two more announced. I finally have those six plus an extra oscillator module. It will be interesting to see how close they are. I have a few complaints on the hardware, such as the 4 channel 5 step sequencer not having the option to have different channels with a different number of steps. The number of steps in the sequence can be adjusted, but the adjustment affects all 4 channels. Would love to be able to do 4 against 5. People are buying multiple units to do this, and to string them together for 8 step sequences.

This post edited for speling.

My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I'm about to embark on my new case build. I'm thinking 1/2" mahogany for the case sides, and aluminum back. I can keep the depth with internal PSU down to 3". It's kind of pushing the size limits of a laptop synth, but I'll make a purpose built wooden tray to hold it with an angled stand, maybe space to squeeze a laptop and or small kbd in.

 

Need to figure out patch cable storage for my little portable lap station.

 

Case parts are from Modular Synth Lab.

 

 

20240105_161913.jpg

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Moe

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  • 4 weeks later...

I recently added some sample playback capability to my system with a Squarp Rample. It does great percussion and drums of course, but I've been having great fun playing ambient clips sequenced from Grids.

 

It has a nice balance of flexibility vs simplicity of use. No recording though.

 

Squarp-Rample-Front.png

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Moe

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