adsr and lfo abolish

[Gene Zumchak]

Martin,

    Did I miss something, or are you starting a new thread?  I think
that the traditional approach of VCO (with modulation), VCA with ASDR
control, LPF with ASDR and keyboard control are simply what has to be to
realize traditional scaled musical compostion.  Robert Moog and Donald
Buchla produced their synthesizers at about the same time.  Moog's
succeeded because he provided a traditional keyboard, and exponential
front end for his VCO's which were stable enough to play traditional
music.  Both Moog and Buchla machines could create avant garde
electronic music compositions, but only on a Moog could you play Bach.

    Clearly the sound source + amplitude control + filtering is
essential to any style of electronic music.  However, it certainly seems
that for control purposes, there might be room for some innovation where
LFOs and ASDR have dominated.

    Digital solutions have not eliminated analog approaches because they
tend to be too perfect, too canned.  One FM synthesis keyboard sounds
exactly the same as another of the same model.  But two Moogs never
sound alike because of the idiots turning the pots and the impreciseness
of the analog circuits (although they are getting better).  I remember
working with avant garde musicians in Moog's original studio in his shop
in Trumansburg, NY in the late sixties.  Sometimes by sheer luck they
would come up with some truly amazing sounds.  Every patch, every knob
location was carefully documented.  A week later when the patch was
duplicated, the sound was nowhere to be found.  It was lost forever.
That was and is the romance of analog synths.

    Still, as a digital (microcomputer) person,  I have the urge to
control the analog pieces with digital.  There is a lot of interesting
stuff to be done here.  In a few months I hope to have a small
microcomputer board based on a Motorola HC12.  It will have two serial
channels, 4K of internal EEPROM for code, 1K of internal RAM and a
single external RAM to fill all the missing spaces in memory space.
This processor runs at 16 MHz (8 MHz bus speed).  DIY's, however, will
have a hard time soldering in these chips since they have 112 pins space
.46 mm appart.  But there are available small boards with the HC12
soldered on that bring all pins to headers.  My board is intended to be
a freebie for a public course that I plan to give on embedded
controllers.  If my volume is sufficient, I may be willing to part with
them to diy synth people for my costs.  I gotta get them done first.

Gene Z



Martin Czech wrote:

> Just one idea:
>
> Modulation modules like adsr and lfo etc. tend to make our music
> boring, because of the simplicty and robotic behaviour of these
> modules, compared to a 12 violin string section eg.
> They can do slow/fast attack all kinds pf vibrato etc. etc.
>
> Do I need adsr and lfo modules ?
>
> Do I want to follow the "keyboard approach"?
>
> Hit the key, trigger, envelope starts.
>
> Music other then that of keyboard instrumenst works differnt.
> It is more a "flow" then a trigger.
>
> Wouldn't it be better to take these modulation voltages from
> a DAC/computer arrangement. Is Midi ready to handle this
> amount of data? At the requiered speed? 7-bit only?
>
> Can sequencer programs handle this in a comfortable manner?
>
> Are there midi2cv boxes that offer more resolution?
> Can any tricks be played?
>
> m.c.
>
>