PAiA 9700

[Andrew Hutchison]

> A general comment of mine about the paia modular gear is that I don't like
> the normalled connections so much. IMO It spoils the fun of a modular...
> which in my mind is _full_ of mistakes and quirks achievable only by
> connecting the different units in new/unusual ways.. the more modules you 
> put together, the less opportunity for wackiness. 

On a system of this size, it doesn't seem like the possibilities for
new/unusual sounds that work are that expansive.  It doesn't seem to want
to be a moog/synthi system which can do music/sfx/ufo's/birds chirping
etc, but more like a monosynth with extensive twiddling capability.  I
have looked at any of my synths manymany times and thought "gee, it'd be
nice to add distortion before the filter." or something like that, and
that is what this synth offers.  Also, a lot of PAiA's market is in diyers
who need a decent platform to spring from.  The FatMan honestly kinda
sucked for this.  If you are like me (shitty EE skillz) and can design
kickass distortion and LFO cirkts but can't touch stable VCO design, you
can build an LFO and patch it anywhere you like, and not hafta use xtra
solder, switches, etc. to patch it to the PCB.  John is making a pretty
smart move IMO in not trying to compete with the other modular kit
manufacturers but instead aiming for more my market, esp since doing the
former would raise the price.  I'd much rather spend $425 for a midi
controlled monosynth with modular connections and voltage controlled
eveything than $2000 for a provide-your-own midi and don't-you-dare-
modify-me modular from someone else.

-Drew