NOVAMOD pt.II:the culmination

[matt wilson]

i have now completely completed phil pilgrim's novamod and everything
works as promised. here are my addendum thoughts now that its all
done (and velure i hope this helps! i got your call!):
1. the second envelope mod is quite useful but was the most time
consuming and most difficult.  it allows you to apply a simple
odyssey/2600 type AR envelope to either or both the vca and the
vco, thereby freeing up the existing envelope for complex filter
shaping. this is major improvement, especially when you are self-
oscillating the filter.  a switch allows you to shape the vco frequency
with the new envelope, which produces some zappy zingy type
effects with the attack at its minimum, and some useful off-key type
drones furthing into the range.  with just a touch, you get
a cool decending portomento effect.  nice. previously unheard of from
a 101.
2.  phil advises that the release pot, at 1 meg, was too fast, and
recommends
a 2 meg. i used a 2.5M which gives quite a long (too long, really...)
release.
keep this in mind.
3.  this is a non-retriggering envelope: until the release has run its
course,
it won't reset. i'd like to see a retriggering option. phil? hello?
4. i had previously posted my trouble with the accent mod. my problem
was a poor solder joint. THIS MOD IS GREAT.  its almost like having a
"will call" square lfo routed to the vca that's triggered by a button
push
(think 2600).  when sequences or arpeggios are plugging away, you can
dramatically emphasize, at will, whatever note or notes you want. this
mod
can be very easily adapted for external voltage control, btw.....and
phil's
working on it.
5. i consider the env2 to be quite "intermediate", as opposed to the
rest
of the novamod, for the simple fact that it requires the construction of

a small protoboard populated with approx. 25 components. radio shack
part number 276-150A works great, and if you slice off the bottom third
or so of the board, it'll bolt right onto the synth board: no need to
carve
holes in the synth board, as phil recommends.....trust me: use the radio

shack board. it matches phil's diagram ( you can even see the radio
shack logo in phil's photos) to a "T": its what he used, but he doesn't
tell you that. (!).
6. the diagram of the board, and the directions, don't really tell a
novice
beginner just how to wire up the vco mod source switch, which requires
an extra polarized capacitor to be added to the basic board. the
instructions
don't tell you which side is positive or negative. for the record, the
positive
side is in series with line 16 on the protoboard, and the negative side
connects to a wire going to the mod source switch at line 17.
7. this mod has turned my 101 into one mean mutha of a synth. see it
at AH '98: the bay area strikes back. dec. 12-13. san francisco.

email for details.
--
MATT WILSON is ODYSSEY SOUND
  web: www.wenet.net/~sebsi23
   phone: 415 675-4886
    email: sebsi23 at hooked.net