[sdiy] The Anything Box: Laptop as module?

[John L Marshall]

There are plenty of sequencers that record frequency. Use frequency to
voltage converters to derive control voltages. FM

There are plenty of sequencers that record amplitude. Detect the amplitude
to derive control voltages. AM


Take care,
John
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Pacific Northwest DIY Synthesizer meeting, January 18, 2003
See: www.sound-photo.com
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----- Original Message -----
From: <media.nai at rcn.com>
To: "synth-diy" <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 5:29 PM
Subject: Re: [sdiy] The Anything Box: Laptop as module?


> At 3:42 PM -0500 10/24/02, Grant Richter wrote:
> >
> >The MIDI data stream is the most accessible for interface to voltage
> >control. But is pretty disappointing in resolution.
> >
> >I was just looking at my modular sitting next to my computer and thinking
> >how it was pretty stupid that they wouldn't talk to each other.
>
> This is something I've been thinking about for years.
>
> From what I've heard, one can remove the blocking caps from a digital
audio
> interface and then record and play back control voltages using a DAW,
> although it might work with some software and hardware and not others.
> Apparently this technique also works with the older 16-bit ADAT's.  Then
> again, this is based only on what I've read on the internet, so if you
tear
> your gear apart don't say I didn't warn you.
>
> Afaik, there is no such voltage sequencing software. However, I do not see
> any reason why it isn't possible to write sequencing software designed to
> work with an interface that can play and record DC voltages.  Both
Firewire
> and USB are much faster than MIDI.  The same hardware could play and
record
> gates and triggers, LFO's, and audio.  The software could generate and
> process control voltages directly, so unlike MIDI, there wouldn't be any
> limitation on the types or number of different scales it could play on
> standard hardware (eg. 1V/oct VCO's).  Also, just like most DAW's can
> support both MIDI and audio, the same application could do both MIDI and
CV.
>
> Perhaps there isn't a market to support stand-alone voltage sequencing
> software and dedicated hardware.  But there may be a market large enough
to
> support voltage sequencing plug-ins and a PCI card.  Popular sequencing
> packages support a number of different audio plug-in standards.  All that
> would be needed to sequence voltages, would be plug-in that can take
> advantage of the MIDI sequencing capability of the host application -- the
> plug-in would do the MIDI <--> CV conversion.  A direct CV interface would
> be simpler than a USB MIDI interface followed by a MIDI to CV converter.
>
>
>
>
>