Joined: Feb 02, 2010 Posts: 266 Location: California
Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:52 pm Post subject:
SAMPLE ORACLE
Getting a real case of "feature creep..." Uh... I added a sampler.
But this is it. I've already cut out the front panel and don't have room for any more switches, and the circuit boards are already laid out, 80% wired.
I swear.
The final will actually have two banks of 8 samples (two chips) sharing a common addressing bus (both chips always address in unison), which can be layered if desired.
Here is a test with some samples recorded (just me speaking numbers). I am using a recently obsolete chip: the ISD1110, which is a 28 pin voice recorder chip with 10 seconds of addressable memory.
I am using a 4051 to convert my 3 bit control signals from the Melody Oracle panel into 8 equally spaced memory address points on the 1110 (it has a 6 bit addressing system, which allows the 10 seconds to be cut up into 80 slices, but I decided that 8-1.25 second samples would be plenty). The final also has a feature which allows you to hold the address at 0 and just trigger the sample to play from the beginning through all 10 seconds, or until released.
The ISD chip is pretty easy to interface with a logic based setup. The only challenges were that it runs on +5V (I had to make another power bus; the rest of the machine is +12v), and the fact that it is negative edge triggered for playback, so I had to set up the triggering a little different compared to the rest of the synth.
I am really excited about this because it really expands the sounds you can get out of it. I bought six of these ISD chips because Jameco had them on clearance for $5. I am considering eventually building a completely dedicated sampler module with more features (like variable sample clock, looping, etc), but for this, I tried to strip it down to just the essentials in order to fit it into the Harmony Oracle expansion module.
The Harmony Oracle will now have the following voices:
• "Harmony Register" tune-able 4076 S&H memory register harmony oscillator (with AR env generator/VCA)
• 4017 "Fifth Down" direct tracking harmonizer (with AR env generator/VCA)
• 4070 Ring Modulator (with AR env generator/VCA)
• Sample 1
• Sample 2
Oh yea, I also added an untested 4070 sample ring modulator to the sample board to modulate the two outputs of the sample chips against eachother (each sample chip has a spare inverted audio output, which I routed to a left over XOR gate on a 4070 used for playback triggering). I am aware it will be a very distorted squared-up ring modulation, but I bet it will still get some cool crunchy sounds.
Joined: Feb 02, 2010 Posts: 266 Location: California
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:45 pm Post subject:
Here it is...
I completed the Harmony Oracle box.
Included:
• Divide-by-three 4th interval tracking harmony generator, based on 4017, with independent triggering from panel.
• "Harmony Register" as I call it, 40106 oscillator synth voice with trigger-able note selection based on 4076 storage register, and 4051 note selector (reads incoming note info from the Melody Oracle, and upon triggering, automatically plays harmonic accompaniment notes via eight trim pots to set oscillator frequency). Independently triggered from panel.
• Lo-Fi Sampler (~8Khz sample rate with two sets of 8 samples). Triggered by it's own pattern selector, though sharing note selection with the "Harmony Register." Each sample bank has independent record foot switch for live sampling.
• 4070 based Ring modulator with independent gating/triggering.
All synth voices have a simple AR envelope generator with four attack and four decay settings. Square, short, long, very long. Sampler simply plays samples on trigger with no envelope shaping.
Control is sent via seven parallel simple data streams on a D9 cable. +12v power and common ground as well. The Harmony Oracle box includes a "through" port for sending control to additional devices (see last video for example).
I'm now working on a multi-channel filter bank to allow a little more shaping of the synth voices. I like the way it sounds, but I think I will be able to go broader with some ability to shape the sound.
And a little extra fun, what I call the "Color Canon:" RGB LED flood light color generator, triggered from Melody Oracle through relays, creates corresponding color notes.
Joined: Jan 14, 2010 Posts: 5591 Location: Moon Base
Audio files: 705
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 6:42 pm Post subject:
I really really like what you are doing and it sounds amazing!
The melody in the first video reminds me of something but I don't know what it is (yet).
Nice addition with the lights too. I still want to do that myself and I actually have some things I built years
ago that I could connect straight to my lunetta's. But I've also thought about making a DMX converter as I
have some DMX LED lights now.
Joined: Feb 02, 2010 Posts: 266 Location: California
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 2:51 pm Post subject:
PHOBoS wrote:
I really really like what you are doing and it sounds amazing!
The melody in the first video reminds me of something but I don't know what it is (yet).
Nice addition with the lights too. I still want to do that myself and I actually have some things I built years
ago that I could connect straight to my lunetta's. But I've also thought about making a DMX converter as I
have some DMX LED lights now.
Keep on building!
Thank you!
Yea, I went through a number of different ideas thinking about the best way to do the lights. I ultimately decided to go as low-tech and straight forward/completely DIY approach with it because trying to hack into an existing standard seemed like more work than just extending my own. I've thought about other ways to automate 120V AC powered things, like motors (say with rotating scrims), also automated with relays, and how they might be integrated into the lighting system. This was my first real wiring project involving 120V.
One other one or two night project I did was this video color processor hacked to manipulate the Red Green and Blue channels using the same data. Here the box is in the middle of a video feedback loop (with another color processor or two in the chain as well). Eventually I hope to use all of these things in conjunction for performances.
Been following your projects for a while now and I love the design of them and the whole vintage style you created. Reminds me of the kind of thing Boards of Canada would use.
Joined: Feb 02, 2010 Posts: 266 Location: California
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 3:35 am Post subject:
Thanks guys
CHRISKELLY wrote:
So awesome - I hope you sell a ton of these.
Been following your projects for a while now and I love the design of them and the whole vintage style you created. Reminds me of the kind of thing Boards of Canada would use.
Good luck dude
Thank you. Creating the world the product lives inside is part of what makes it enjoyable to do. I'm not really much of a "marketing" person, but if i can use the (somewhat necessary) medium of advertising (or packaging etc), as an extension of the art of the object itself, I can get behind it. Making the manual was oddly actually one of the most enjoyable parts of the project. _________________ ∆ A.M.P. ESOTERIC ELECTRONICS ∆
I already wrote you a poem earlier in this thread, so I'm not sure what I can add, but this new development is quite amazing and I wish you all the best.
Joined: Feb 02, 2010 Posts: 266 Location: California
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 4:11 pm Post subject:
Little update to this. The MELODY ORACLE expansion module WAVE EXPANDER is available as of today. 12 CV and Gate/Trigger outs and "CHROMINANCER" colorsong display. ALL CMOS inside!
Joined: Feb 02, 2010 Posts: 266 Location: California
Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2022 11:12 pm Post subject:
Hey my CMOS dudes, I know this thread is old now, but I have made a couple of new videos on the Melody Oracle, and was thinking that seeing how it is laid out and operates might be useful/inspiring for people building/designing with CMOS,
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