[sdiy] Ovens for oscillators?

[Grant Richter]

If you make your oscillators TOO good, then they will sound just like
digital...

Remember, the ear is genetically selected for sloppy organic sources. It
wasn't until "perfect" sources appeared that people started using terms like
"sterile" and "lifeless". Life is unstable and non-repeatable, so perfection
is not "lifelike".

Don't try too hard to perfect your oscillators, you'll design out the
musical warmth... (oh yea, and add a lot of current sucking thermal warmth
;^0)

> From: Glen <mclilith at ezwv.com>
> Reply-To: owner-synth-diy at node12b53.a2000.nl
> Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2001 17:17:48 -0500
> To: synth-diy at node12b53.a2000.nl
> Subject: [sdiy] Ovens for oscillators?
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I know that some precision quartz crystal oscillators use ovens to keep the
> circuitry's temperature elevated above room temperature by several degrees.
> The exact temperature of the oven is closely regulated, to prevent
> temperature drift affecting the components.
> 
> Now I know that this sounds like an extreme measure to suggest for
> home-built synth oscillators, but has anyone tried it? Would it eliminate
> the need for special tempco resistors? I realize that if the oven's power
> failed, the oscillator might indeed need recalibration afterward, or at
> least a long warm up time before use. Unless special mobile power sources
> were employed, it would make the synth less mobile, and probably not suited
> for taking to a live gig. However, for an experimental synth that always
> stayed in one location, and always supplied power to the ovens, might it be
> useful?
> 
> Later,
> Glen
>