[sdiy] "Reviving" the CEM3396

[Tim Parkhurst]

Well, I guess there's really no need to 'revive' the 3396 if there are over
3,000 of them floating around. ;) Glad to hear Paul S has a good stock. By
the way, I've bought more than a dozen chips from Paul, and the price /
service was great. And no, I'm not on the MOTM payroll.

Yes, the 3396 doesn't process external waves well, but that's not really
what it was designed for. Drive it with a simple square wave and it's pretty
happy. Set up properly, the 3396 offers a PWM square and a voltage
controlled Tri-Saw wave. I keep pointing to the Matrix 6 as a completely
stunning example of what can be done with the 3396. Yes, it's not all things
to all people, but you've got to admit it does an amazing amount of stuff
especially for its size and price (even when new). As far as the VCF is
concerned, yes it's just a standard 24dB low pass, but it definitely has
some 'guts.' Also, I've seen the tricks used in the Xpander to get a variety
of filter modes out of the 3372 (15 different modes with combinations of LP,
BP, Notch and All Pass), and I was wondering if the same circuitry could be
applied to the VCF in the 3396

http://matrix-12.tripod.com/xpsvc26.jpg
http://matrix-12.tripod.com/xpsvc27.jpg

Anyway, this is probably all just a moot point anyway, but I suppose the
3320 or the 3372 would be the next on my 'wish list', followed closely by
one of the VCO chips. Is there really a big difference between the 3320 and
3372 VCFs? Just wondering since there are those who proclaim the 3320 as the
'best' Curtis VCF.

Cheers!


Tim (If nobody hears a cow, does it go 'moot'?) Servo

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Harry Bissell Jr [mailto:harrybissell at prodigy.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 2:13 PM
> To: Paul Schreiber; Tim Parkhurst; 'Rainer Buchty'; karl dalen
> Cc: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] "Reviving" the CEM3396
> 
> HAH !!!
> 
> wide or skinny ???   :^P
> 
> Actually I'm playing with these chips and I think
> there are more fun CEMs.  The filter is pretty much
> fixed internally (not as flexible as the CEM3320)...
> The waveshapers are nice but basically they are
> DCOs.  The pulse width comparator has no hysteresis...
> so if you try and run external waves through it... you
> might get some static if you remain in the linear
> region.
> 
> The mixing etc is pretty cool. But for a CEM slated
> for resurrection, I'd chose some others
> 
> H^) harry
> 
> --- Paul Schreiber <synth1 at airmail.net> wrote:
> 
> >
> > > My picks for Curtis chips to resurrect would be
> > (in order of potential
> > > usefulness): 3396 (waveshaper/VCF/VCA), 3372
> > (VCF/VCA) and 3374 (dual VCO).
> >
> >
> > Well, I have over 450 in stock for shipment, and
> > know where 3000 more are :)
> >
> > Paul S.
> >
> >
> 
> ---
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