MIDI2CV alternatives (was: Re: [sdiy] Newbie alert :-))

[Nicolai Czempin]

synth at oldmail.charlielamm.com wrote:

>I have a PAIA MIDI to CV.  In stock form, for controlling VCO's, it
>doesn't quite get it done--going up and down the scale, notes aren't quite
>in tune, and it doesn't respond to pitch bends very well. But feature wise 
>it's an excellent value--check out their web site for more info about what 
>it can do:
>
>http://www.paia.com/midi2cv.htm
>  
>
I have checked out the website, and I have checked the other websites. 
And I realized that I simply don't have enough knowledge to decide 
between the different alternatives.
So, I'm not asking whether you're happy with your purchase, but merely a 
fairly technical explanation of what I'd get feature-wise from, say, the 
paia one compared to the Doepfer one. Just by experts looking at the 
specs on the web pages. No problem if the comment is "uninformed" in the 
sense that you haven't used both.

Or, perhaps I should state the quesion more explicitly: Will I have any 
severe limitations if I get the Doepfer interface? It is after all much 
more convenient for me to acquire, and my interest right now isn't in 
building a DAC, but the "meat" parts of an analogue synthesizer.

> I am not sure of your application, but if it's to (say) create house
>music, where at least a few producers expect notes to conform to the
>western scale, it probably won't be the last one you buy.
>  
>
Not sure what kind of music I want to create, but I doubt there'll be 
any "producers" involved. I would indeed like the notes to conform to 
the "western scale".

>If you go through the Synth-DIY archives, you can find mods that will 
>improve its performance, which may get you where you need to go.
>
>I ended up getting a Kenton 2000, but, for a newbie this probably isn't
>appropriate due to its relatively high cost.  
>
>Bottom line: As a newbie the PAIA worked OK for me but I feel I outgrew it
>pretty quickly.
>  
>
I'm sure this first one will not be the only one I buy/build/design in 
my lifetime :-)