Favorite designs

[Steve Jones]

I really don't want to let the module design rating thing
slip away.  Therefore, allow me to prod you all a bit more
with something more specific.  For starters, could anyone
submit their rating of one or more of the following:

  VCOs

  The Penfold VCO
  The Formant VCO
  The Digisound VCO
  Your favorite 3340 design


Try to apply the foregoing rating guidelines (an excerpt
follows).  Also, I have heard good things about Juergen
Haible's VCA circuit; anyone care to comment?  Of course,
feel free to rate any module or modules about which you
having anything to say.

On Apr 22,  9:54am, Josh Brandt wrote:
 Subject: Re: Favorite designs

>
> > another.  They are the classic 'Ideal' vs 'Economical'.
> > Also, one advantage to using the discrete designs is that
> > they allow one to learn a bit more about what's going on.
> > It depends a lot on what one is after.
> [...]
> > It would be useful for a person to rate their favorite
> > design based upon these criteria.  A table could even
> > be compiled later, e.g.:
> >
> >               _Cost___Performance___Tutorial_Value_
> > VCF Design 1 |  2   |     4       |      1         |
> > VCF Design 2 |  3   |     3       |      2         |
> > VC0 Design 1 |  5   |     3       |      2         |
> > VCA Design 1 |  1   |     5       |      1         |
> > VCA Design 2 |__2___|_____1_______|______5_________|
> >                       (etc...)
>
> If people want to send me ratings of various modules (and how to locate the
> schematics, if they're available, or on the web somewhere, I'd be more than
> happy to whip this up into a web page and make it available.
>
> Basic guidelines:
>
> Cost:
> Should include components and PC board, but not materials used in the
> manufacture, like drill bits or etchant. It also shouldn't include the front
> panel (or whatever it's mounted in) or knobs, but it should include
> potentiometers-- assume reasonably good pots, and that using all top-quality
> stuff would knock it into the next price-range.
>
> This is a rough guideline-- if someone wants to suggest a different scale of
> ranges, feel free.
>
> I suggest:
> 1= $10-30 (a Penfold oscillator)
> 2= $30-60
> 3= $60-90 (A few CEM chips)
> 4= $90-120
> 5= $120-up (obscenely expensive!)
>
> Performance:
> Should include CV tracking, staying in tune, and things like that. Should
> not include sound quality.
>
> 1= rock-solid tracking. Laboratory quality.
> 2
> 3= tracks well, but has to be retuned if it gets hot out.
> 4
> 5= goes out of tune if you look at it funny, doesn't track well at all.
>
> Sound:
> This is more subjective...
>
> 1= sooopahPHAT (or otherwise pleasant), noise-free
> 2
> 3= not too bad... A bit of noise.
> 4
> 5= thin and nasty, or really noisy
>
> Complexity:
> Including number of parts, if the included PCB trace layouts are all really
> tiny and thin and hard to etch accurately, if there are hundreds of pots
> that need to be perfectly preset, and things like that.
>
> 1= Nice and easy. Weeknight project. (Again, a Penfold module)
> 2=
> 3= weekend project
> 4=
> 5= Don't make any plans.
>
> Tutorial Value:
> Are there good notes included? Do they go into lots of detail on what's
> going on with the module? Are the ideas behind the module obvious to someone
> who's putting it together to learn more about synth design, or is it really
> weird and obtuse?
>
> 1= Good notes. Lots of detail, and a good module to give you a start at
> figuring out synth design and the like. A good beginner's module.
> 2
> 3
> 4
> 5= Hope it works first time, 'cause otherwise you'll never figure it out...
>
>
> Other comments and notes are always welcome.
>
> Any more suggestions? If people want to write up their favorite modules, I
> will put together a web page with ratings, comments, and links to the
> referenced modules and circuits.
>
> Josh
 -- End of excerpt from Josh Brandt