Designing a Patchable Modular Synthesizer with Memory

[Don Tillman]

It's weeks later, but I just wanted to add something to the patchable
modular discussion but I never got around to it...

   Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 07:49:05 +0000 ()
   From: "J.D. McEachin" <jdm at synthcom.com>

   Of course, the biggest problem w/ Clive's pie-in-the-sky modular is the=20
   switching matrix.  To build a 64x64 (what I consider the minimum useable=20
   number) audio/cv switching matrix 

You can get 64x64 effectiveness with a lot less if you're clever.

Imagine a small number of 'busses', each with a mux to determine which
output signal is riding on it, and each module input has a mux to
choose which bus drives that input.  Eight busses might be reasonable.
"But that's like having a modular with only eight cables!"  So each
module input mux additionally gets to choose one or two 'most typical'
connections, like the most typical connection to vcf-signal-input-1
might be the vco-1-sawtooth-output.  This would be a lot like an ARP
2600, and an ARP 2600 with eight cables is pretty damn potent.

				     w/ 80-90dB of S/N is quite a=20
   challenge.  I suppose you could use relays, but I'd be frightened to see=20
   the power bills.  Suggestions, anyone?

CMOS switches can do the job just fine.

  -- Don