[sdiy] Modular Levels ...

[Tim Parkhurst]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steven Allen [mailto:allens at sgi.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2003 4:40 PM
> To: john mahoney
> Cc: Tim Parkhurst; synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] Modular Levels ...

> Yea , But
>  Wouldn't it be just as easy to use an virtual synth?

Oh, it would be a LOT easier to use a virtual!!! Believe me, after I've
tried and fried a circuit two or three times, I've been about this far
(holds fingers VERY close together) from chucking the whole mess and putting
all my money and time into VST plug ins! 

HOWEVER, there is just something about touching knobs and switches and patch
cords. A physical connection with the instrument is IMHO a *VERY* key part
of the whole creative process. Also, on a less esoteric level, part of the
fun is making your own stuff. Cooking up a module that tweaks a voltage or
behaves in some odd (but purposeful) way is about as close as you can get
(again IMHO) to performing magic... REAL magic. You can take that waveform
and twist it and tweak it and listen to it contort and dance as you move the
knob.  I can't make a module to add on to my virtual (unless the program is
set up to allow this, and most aren't), but I can breadboard and throw
together some stuff and make a waveform mangler and smile when it sounds
twice as crappy as I thought it would (especially since 'crappy' is what I
was shooting for in the first place). So yes, virtual is cool, but its just
not the same :-)

*********************************
> What's going to happen when the digital interface goes down? Seems like
> sometimes it hard to tell if the module is working or the controls are
> set for the heart of the sun.

Well, this can happen with an old fashioned analog modular too. Analog stuff
breaks too. OR, have you ever had the VCO frequency cranked up so high that
only your dog could tell you that you're playing out of tune? ("Woof woof!
You're tempco circuit is off, Master!"). Another advantage of a modular is
that it is relatively easy to isolate and take one module or sound path at a
time to find out why you aren't getting any sound (or not the sound you
intended).

******************************
> Will lower signal levels mean more noise? Digital noise bleeding into
> the analog chain?

I really don't think a 0 to 5V signal is going to be difficult to manage.
Yes, it's not as good as 10V, but I think this is still very easy to control
with good layout and bypassing techniques (the very same techniques that
give low noise 10 and 15 volt circuits). On the other hand, I briefly
thought about going down to 3V or even 1.5V levels, and then I think you're
asking for trouble. Also, trying to cram ten or even five octaves of CV into
1.5V means that your divider, scaling, and offset circuits become MUCH
trickier to build.

******************************
> Guess I'm seeing the analog devoured by the digital....again. But.....

I used to feel sort of the same way until I saw things like the Monowave and
the Evolver. Absolutely AMAZING sounds can come from a marriage of analog
and digital. Also, don't forget that using ANY electronic circuits to make
music is still a relatively new concept, and a lot of people cringed at the
idea at first. Embracing the future, blending it with the past, and making
music with the result is part of the fun!!



Tim Servo

"What a windbag!" - Albert Einstein



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