[sdiy] FW: [Csnd] VCS3 GUI instrument

[Grant Richter]

The thing about the EMS instruments is, the summing nodes are not op-amps
summing nodes, but resistive summers. Also the output impedance's are fairly
high.

So when you connect multiple output rows to an input row, your also
connecting the output rows to each other and anything else they connect to.
All the signals feed all over the place with relatively little isolation.

This is great for making chaotic patches and other sound effects, but more
difficult to model and not so good for traditional keyboard stuff.

Del Dettmar told me he just uses the KS keyboard as a multisegment envelope
generator or random voltage source.

> From: "Andy Main" <andymain at dsl.pipex.com>
> Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 15:15:12 +0100
> To: <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
> Subject: [sdiy] FW: [Csnd] VCS3 GUI instrument
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I was wondering if any of you could help this guy out.  He's basically
> put a GUI on a csound interpretation of a VCS3 (it runs on csoundAV and
> I can send it to you if you are interested), but he would like to extend
> it to be like a synthi-ak (the touch sensitive portable one).  Can any
> of you explain how this works - I would have thought it just provides a
> simple 1V/oct CV output that you patch in on the pin-board.  Do any of
> you guy's know any better?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Andy.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gabriel Maldonado [mailto:g.maldonado at inwind.it]
> Sent: 19 April 2003 15:56
> To: csound at lists.bath.ac.uk
> Subject: Re: [Csnd] VCS3 GUI instrument
> 
> My main question is: what the piano keyboard does in a real VCS3?
> 
> I have no difficulty on adding a new row in the matrix that adds a MIDI
> keyboard control signal generator, but I wanted to know the real way old
> 
> hardware vcs3s handled keyboards...
> 
> I noticed that the minimum level of oscillator's frequency knobs still
> generates too short periods (max 2 secs), so I tweaked the exp table in
> order to increase period to about 10 seconds. I will post these
> modification later...
> 
> BtW: at present time I run vcs3.csd at sr=44100 and ksmps=100, with this
> 
> configuration, my mobile athlon 2000+ cpu is busy for 60%.
> I guess that most processing power is wasted in mixing audio signals
> (there are 16 mixers of 16 channels each, for a total of 256 channels
> always running).
> 
> btw2: I enabled the two audio inputs and the latency is very short with
> portaudio.
> 
> btw3: Here is the photo of the panel of a real Synthi-A, that is nothing
> 
> more than a portable VCS3
> 
> Gab
> 
> Andy Main wrote:
>> I love it. Thanks Steven, and thanks Gabriel.  Anything else up your
>> sleves?  When I have time (a few weeks away at least :() I'll have a
>> look at adding more modules (=more possibilities).  That's if no one
>> wants to have a go themselves in the meantime?
>> 
>> Andy.
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Gabriel Maldonado [mailto:g.maldonado at inwind.it]
>> Sent: 19 April 2003 10:38
>> To: csound at lists.bath.ac.uk
>> Subject: Re: [Csnd] VCS3 GUI instrument
>> 
>> Here is the tweaked version of VCS3.csd
>> These are the modifications:
>> 
>> - reduced the size of the main panel in order to display it in my
>> 1024x768 laptop screen. I also separated the snapshot stuff in another
> 
>> panel. I relocate the knobs of the filters in order to have all
> controls
>> 
>> in the same line of knobs, and some other cosmetic stuff (try it under
> 
>> linux, maybe there are difference on the size of the fonts)
>> 
>> - added two knobs: the main volume knob and an overall amplitude
> offset 
>> knob. This allows a more effective amplitude modulation
>> 
>> - set sr = 44100 and kr = 100 (for less aliasing)
>> 
>> - commented the code lines of sync of osc2 and osc3 with osc1. I
> really 
>> don't know its utility, and affected the sound quality.
>> 
>> - removed the instr call from the pin matrix buttons, they were
> useless 
>> and make the sound distorted when clicking the buttons.
>> 
>> It now works exciting cool! It has the same interactive feeling of a
>> real synti-A. Enjoy!
>> 
>> Gab
>> 
>> 
>> Ben McAllister wrote:
>> 
>>> Well great!  I'm glad to get feedback from everybody.
>>> 
>>> Steven: I'd love to get ahold of any other modular designs you might
>>> have! ;)  Maybe some offline collaboration could happen?  It sounds
>> 
>> like 
>> 
>>> there is no REALTIME support in the works for OS9, but OSX is a
>>> possibility.  Those G3 cards are cheap if you don't have one already!
>>> 
>>> Gabriel: Could you send me your changes as an attachment to
>>> benmca at drizzle.com?   Thanks - the formatting on hotmail (the account
>> 
>> I 
>> 
>>> use from work ;) completely screwed up the formatting.  I beat it with
>> 
>> 
>>> vim for all the time I could muster yesterday, but, alas, not into
>>> submission.  It looks like the only changes you made were
>>> 
>>> <CsOptions>
>>> 
>>> -+P -+I -f
>>> 
>>> </CsOptions>
>>> 
>>> 
>>> and upping the sample rate to 44.1  - true?  Let me know if I missed
>>> anything.  Also, the snapshots DO work in Istvan Varga's Csound, so
>>> maybe there is something he implemented wrong.. there's a bug
>>> somewhere.  Can you tell I was an SDET for awhile?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Anyone else:  does anyone have experience with the VCS3?  What did you
>> 
>> 
>>> use it for?
>>> I have mastered the "whooshies" on "on the run" from Dark Side of the
>>> Moon (you can see Water's playing it on the Live in Pompeii video, for
>> 
>> 
>>> the geeks out there) and am ready to hear about other applications it
>>> has been put to.  There are tons of possibilies with that matrix.
>> 
>> Good 
>> 
>>> times...
>>> 
>>> b
>>> 
>>> _________________________________________________________________
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>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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