Thanks Everyone for Your Time and Help

[valis]

Greetings Everyone,

I wanted to take this moment to thank everyone at the EM and MW forums for making my modular synthesizer dreams come true. Without everyone’s help I couldn’t of done this.

Here’s a little back story:
After years of circuit bending and synth modifications I really wanted to build a modular synth. I had always wanted a modular synth but figured I’d never own one due to their price. When I began to build this synth I knew almost nothing about electronics. I took books out of the library, asks questions on forums, read the archives, and moved very slowly. It took me about seven months from deciding I wanted to build the synth and doing the research to it making noise and having enough modules for this to be considered a synth.

About this synth:
This synth is built into a fruit crate which I spray painted black. I had a ton of trouble making my panels due to my crappy drill so I finally found a method that works for me. My panels are a thin sheet of aluminum with a vinyl siding wood looking piece of plastic stuck onto it. It looks a bit ghetto but it works for me. Perhaps someday I’ll make some better panels.

My PSU is a Condor HAA15 which I wouldn’t of been able to build without MW’s forum on building your own power source and some help on these forums. The PSU is going to a CGS distribution board.

My modules are:

First row from left to right:

Top Row: MFOS VCO, MFOS ADSR, CGS Digital Noise & CGS Real Ring Mod, MFOS Sample & Hold.

Bottom Row: Paia 4720 VCO, Paia 9730 VCF & signal splitter, Paia Function Generator & Spring Reverb (pulled from dead amp), MFOS VCA, Signal splitter and attenuator.

Sitting on top of my modular is my salvaged MiniKorg K2/700s which I’ve incorporated into my modular setup. It’s mods are:

Full Control HPF and LPF Freq, Q, and gate time. VCF in, VCO out, pink noise out, white noise out, Ring mod in/out. There’s still plenty of mods and repairs left to do on this machine..

I also have a bunch of PCBs nearing completion which I expect will be finished soon (which is why I wanted to take this break now). Thanks again everyone for your help. It’s no Buchla but it’s all mine ; )

-David

---

modular55.jpg
Description:	My frac modular with my MiniKorg
Filesize:	55.62 KB
Viewed:	507 Time(s)
This image has been reduced to fit the page. Click on it to enlarge.

---

[mark_olson]

[fluxmonkey]

looks good to me... especially like the variety of knobs.

also seems like a great initial selection of modules, lots of mayhem to be had... CGS noize FMing the oscillators is a personal fave...

congrats!

b

[valis]

Thanks everyone! Your comments are appreciated. Like I said, there's no way I could of done this project without this forum and without so many of you answering my dumb questions.

[Skrog Productions]

Love that veneer look on the top panels, cool, it's great to see pics of finished projects, each one very individual (almost criminal if you've seen my carpentry work up close, ha ha ha).
But even better is the sounds they create, can you post some samples up to have a listen.

[valis]

[valis]

Sorry for the cross-post but you can find more info and samples here:

http://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/post-49960.html#49960

[valis]

Hey everyone, thanks for showing so much interest in my little synth. It's certainly been fun to build and it's been even more fun to play. It's kind of amusing that the first time I actually played with a modular synth is when I built this machine. I read a lot of documentation but there's some things it just takes doing to fully understand. Unfortunately, I don't have an oscilloscope so I had to set the parameters for the wave shapes (on the VCO) by ear, I'm sure it's not 100% correct. I just did it until it sounded okay.


Here's some samples that were requested. I tried to cover a wide range of sounds but upon further listening, there are many other sounds I should of recorded that would of provided an even better example of the functions and sounds of this synth. I suppose you can never cover all of the different things you can get a modular to do so if you have any questions please let me know. I do enjoy talking about this machine. I only marginally documented how these patches were created so take the info with a grain of salt. The info should be fairly accurate though. That being said, here are six short different samples.



Sample 1:
This sample is meant to show the simple functions/settings of the synthesizer by incorporating the modules in a fairly traditional way (i.e. VCO to VCF to VCA with an ENV being used as a control for the VCA and VCF). A C/V to Midi converter is generating my CV and Gate signals. A Square Wave from the MFOS VCO is playing a C scale. I tuned the VCO before I started playing the sequence so it should be pretty close to being the right pitch. During the sequence I play around a little bit with the MFOS ENV. At about 38 seconds you can hear me noticeably adjusting ENV.

At about 16 seconds you hear the Paia 4700 OSC. It is also being driven by the same CV source as the MFOS VCO but the output of this VCO is going straight to my mixer. I did not tune this VCO before I started playing and I am adjusting the pitch knob on the VCO as the sequence plays. The sequence is created via a MIDI to CV/Gate converter.

Sample 2:
Fun with sample and hold. Basically this is the sample and hold driving both OSCs, the ENV, and VCF. I can't remember what the signal source was for the S&H, perhaps noise. You can also hear a little bit of the filter in action.

Sample 3:
Really just a bunch of noise. The MFOS S&H is driving the Paia VCO which is playing the “bass” line. The pink noise output, I think, is going into the VCF with the VCOs. The MFOS VCO is being sequenced but pitched very low (you can hear the sequence tuned up at about 1:49 in the sample).

Sample 4:
This sample demonstrates the MFOS S&H. The Sample Rate on the S&H is being controlled via the MFOS VCO. The output on the S&H is controlling the Paia 4720 VCO. It's a bit squelchy but you get the point..

Sample 5:
Another short sequence but with a longer decay and sustain time on the note. The melody is being played wit the MFOS VCO. The S&H is controlling the Paia VCO.

Sample 6:
This is kind of the whole system going and again a bit of madness. The sample starts off with the same sequence that was previously used but it gets pitched way down at 20 seconds. The sequencer that is playing the melody is triggering the MFOS VCO. The S&H is controlling the Paia VCO. The S&H is being controlled via a noise source. One of the waveforms (I forget which) is being sent to the CGS ring Mod and is being modulated by the VCO wave output on the Korg K2 (which I'm triggering via the keyboard). The K2 has it’s own ring mod but I figured I’d demonstrate the CGS Real Ring Mod..

---

Sample 6.mp3
Description:		Download (listen)
Filename:	Sample 6.mp3
Filesize:	1.22 MB
Downloaded:	923 Time(s)

---

---

Sample 5.mp3
Description:		Download (listen)
Filename:	Sample 5.mp3
Filesize:	545.62 KB
Downloaded:	974 Time(s)

---

---

Sample 4.mp3
Description:		Download (listen)
Filename:	Sample 4.mp3
Filesize:	1.93 MB
Downloaded:	926 Time(s)

---

---

Sample 3.mp3
Description:		Download (listen)
Filename:	Sample 3.mp3
Filesize:	1.73 MB
Downloaded:	906 Time(s)

---

[valis]

The rest..

---

Sample 2.mp3
Description:		Download (listen)
Filename:	Sample 2.mp3
Filesize:	936.63 KB
Downloaded:	904 Time(s)

---

---

Sample 1.mp3
Description:		Download (listen)
Filename:	Sample 1.mp3
Filesize:	724.8 KB
Downloaded:	913 Time(s)

---