From Brian Willoughby Sent Fri, Apr 20th 2018, 01:17
From Brian Willoughby Sent Fri, Apr 20th 2018, 01:17
I should add one more facet to the discussion. APPLICATION: I will be driving this 4-voice modular from the Soundplane. I=E2=80=99m = currently working on the electronics for a Soundplane-to-CV module that = can handle 4 touches, each with Gate, Pitch, Y & Z CV outputs. For this reason, I=E2=80=99m thinking that the Glide module from AJH = Synth doesn=E2=80=99t make much sense, because I=E2=80=99ll have = individual control over glide for each voice simply by finger position. = Likewise, I=E2=80=99m not planning on having any Envelope generators, = because Pitch, Amplitude, and Timbre variation will be controlled = directly by finger position and pressure, thus I see little need for = automation of those variations. So, you can see why I am imagining a slightly different setup than most. = I=E2=80=99m leaning towards no automation, or at least very little. By = automation, I mean slew-rate limiting, glide, sequencing, envelopes, and = things of that sort. I want to focus on what can be done with 16 CV = signals that are directly controlled by 4 fingers. I will need lots of VCA modules, and I realized that the AJH Synth Dual = VCA won=E2=80=99t work as 2 independent VCA units because they=E2=80=99re = wired in series. I can=E2=80=99t remember whether I found any promising = VCA modules that are compact. I think that favoring the all-transistor = AJH Synth design might be important, since the sound quality of a VCA = can vary with the circuit technology. Brian On Apr 19, 2018, at 5:51 PM, Brian Willoughby <xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx> = wrote: > BACKGROUND: > I have a stack of polysynths and a mono, all of which have extensive = modulation routing. These are SSM and CEM, plus some digital in places. = I don=E2=80=99t have any modular gear, unless you count the PAiA ADSR = that I built in high school that was stillborn due to electrostatic = discharge. >=20 > I read about the all-transistor AJH Synth (on this list, of course), = and actually got interested in putting together their MiniMod system. = Mostly this is because I don=E2=80=99t have any synths that are pure = transistor. >=20 > FAST FORWARD TO THE PRESENT: > I=E2=80=99m currently considering a four-voice modular. I briefly = thought that expanding the MiniMod to 4 VCO modules would at least be = interesting, even though that setup would be paraphonic. I could use the = same modules for either a hyper minimoog or a limited 4-voice. Then the = obvious enhancements occurred to me: 1) add 3 more VCF modules to = dedicate 1 to each voice; 2) add 4 more VCO modules to allow sync = modulation of the other 4 VCO modules; 3) maybe simplify a bit and just = use the PWM inputs on the original 4 VCO modules for timbre modulation = rather than sync. >=20 > Things obviously are getting out of control (in terms of a first = modular rack - in size, not to mention price). Looking around at other = modules on the market, I see the 2hp line which includes a couple of VCO = modules (maybe just two revisions of the same product lineage). Since = you really only hear the quality of one VCO when two are synced together = (well, unless you actually mix both together, which can sound bad), = I=E2=80=99m thinking that I don=E2=80=99t really need a full-size, = transistor-only AJH Synth VCO for the second set of 4 VCO modules. = Pairing a 2hp VCO and an AJH Synth VCO takes much less space for a 2-VCO = sync pair. >=20 > I also see some nice 4-input mixer modules that would help. The AJH = Synth VCF is quite handy, with its minimoog-style 3-input mixer, but = that only saves me a module if I operate in paraphonic mode, and even = then it only handles 3 voices. The Rebel Technology Mix 04 and the = Synthrotek MST Unity Gain Mixer look like fairly compact modules for = combining the 4 voices. >=20 > Anyway, I=E2=80=99m realizing that every time I think about this, I = come up with a different patch, which then requires me to include a set = of 4 more modules to implement the new patch idea. It=E2=80=99s = beginning to sound like building a 4-voice modular is a crazy idea, so = I=E2=80=99m here to ask what experience folks have to trying something = insane like this. >=20 > Brian Willoughby > Sound Consulting >=20 >=20