606 fun

[WeAreAs1 at aol.com]

Hello Stewart,

Could you take a moment to describe your MIDI to trigger unit in more detail? 
 How many trigger outputs does it have?  What sort of microcontroller?  What 
is the range and resolution of velocity sensitivity?  By what means are you 
achieving analog velocity sensitivity?  (by attenuating the amplitude of the 
trigger pulses, or by having fixed-amplitude trigger pulses and using a 
separate velocity CV to control a VCA, or ???)  Is the unit working to your 
satisfaction?  

With regard to the 606, you suggest connecting a variable trigger to whatever 
instrument trigger in and leaving the accent disconnected.   When triggering 
from a variable amplitude pulse, what is the usable range of trigger 
amplitude that will reliably work with a typical 606 instrument input?  (for 
instance, the snare input)

I have many different analog percussive sound sources, and I'm looking for a 
reliable way to trigger them from MIDI with velocity.  In the best of all 
possible worlds, I would find a method which would have a very wide dynamic 
range for the velocity sense.  I am not really satisfied with the dynamic 
range available from piezo triggers.  Usually, most analog sound sources 
require so much trigger amplitude just to fire the sound that dynamic range 
is effectively limited to something like mf to ff, rather than the pp to ff 
range available from most MIDI keyboard controllers.  Yes, I may be asking 
too much in this regard, considering the various factors involved (false 
triggering being a big consideration in most sound sources, such as Simmons 
drums).  But false triggers are really only a problem in a live triggering 
context, and not so much a problem in a purely MIDI triggering situation, so 
I still have an idea that something like this can be done.

Best regards,
Michael Bacich

In a message dated 7/14/99 9:40:32 PM, you wrote:

<<My solution was to build a velocity sensitive midi to analog trigger unit.
It's on the PAiA synth drum now, but one will be going on the DR110, 606,
and various other rhythmn boxes. On the 606 I think you could just connect
the variable trigger to whatever instrument trigger in and leave the accent
disconnected.  >>