[sdiy] MIDI VCO Control - but not CV?

cheater cheater cheater00 at gmail.com
Tue Jul 15 15:22:24 CEST 2008


OK, so:
in a DCO, the trigger pulses basically replace the comparator.
In a CV FM VCO, the CV controls the current going to the accumulator.

This indeed could be problematic to put together.

What if you use the pulses to create a DC CV? Take the pulses and put
them through a reeaaalllyyy strong LPF. Sort of like a DSD DAC. Then
you get DC voltage, dependent on how many pulses you have per second.
The problem here is to have this voltage respond to note-ons without
lag. However, if you want your keyboard to have a range from 10 Hz up
to, say, 24000 Hz (I would say that could satisfy even the best
'golden ear'! :^) ) you could still output the pulses quickly enough
to be able to complete the cycle several thousand times a second.
Unless you are Jordan Rudess, that will be OK.

Then you can simply use that as CV.

What do you guys think about this?

Cheers

On 7/15/08, Christian Bergmiller <cbergmiller at gmail.com> wrote:
> look at the asm-1 schematics for a typical saw core.
>  the input cv goes through an exponential converter with current output.
>  this current charges a timing cap that is reset via a fet. The fet is controlled
>  by a comparator (lm 311) comparing the charge of the timing cap with a preset
>  value..
>  more input cv -> more current to the timing cap -> higher pitch
>
>  hope this makes some sense
>
> christian
>
>  2008/7/15, cheater cheater <cheater00 at gmail.com>:
>  > >  A digitally hard synced VCO can't be frequency modulated via an analog LFO/VCO.
>  >
>  > Very good point, Christian!
>  > Wonder how to tackle this problem....
>  >
>  > For one thing, you could perhaps have CV inputs into the DCO. This
>  > would easily allow sub-audio-range modulation.
>  >
>  > For higher-rate modulation, maybe something could still be invented. I
>  > wouldn't be giving up so fast.
>  >
>  > The important question to solve this problem is: In a normal saw-core
>  > VCO, what does the pitch CV change actually? How does that work?
>  >
>  > >  If you want to build it nonetheless, you'll need a Midi to CV Module that puts out a hard sync trigger
>  >
>  > Exactly what I'm thinking of doing!
>  >
>  > Cheers
>  > Damian
>  >
>  > On 7/15/08, Christian Bergmiller <cbergmiller at gmail.com> wrote:
>  > > A digitally hard synced VCO can't be frequency modulated via an analog LFO/VCO.
>  > >
>  > >  If you want to build it nonetheless, you'll need a Midi to CV Module
>  > >  that puts out a
>  > >  hard sync trigger. A phase accumulator oscillator (for example) can
>  > >  run in an interrupt routine nicely. search PAO on the net..
>  > >
>  > >  Christian
>  > >
>  > >  2008/7/15, cheater cheater <cheater00 at gmail.com>:
>  > >
>  > > > Tom,
>  > >  > I guess what I'm asking about is: how easy is it to modify my
>  > >  > favourite VCOs (e.g. the MOTM VCOs or the moog ones) to work with
>  > >  > this? What would I need to look for?
>  > >  > Not all VCOs use an accumulator design - do they?
>  > >  > I am thinking it could be very difficult to do with a sine oscillator.
>  > >  >
>  > >  > Cheers
>  > >  > Damian
>  > >  >
>  > >  > On 7/14/08, Tom Wiltshire <tom at electricdruid.net> wrote:
>  > >  > >
>  > >  > >  What you're talking about sounds like a MIDI-controlled DCO, so all the
>  > >  > > recent comments about DCOs apply here too.
>  > >  > >  Sampa's quite right to bring up the amplitude compensation problem. This is
>  > >  > > the main snag with the typical DCO design, but the problem is by no means
>  > >  > > insoluble.
>  > >  > >
>  > >  > >  You're also right to point out that you'd still need a CV to control the
>  > >  > > filter. But you're going to need a CV to control the amplitude too, so
>  > >  > > you're going to have a DAC of some type in there.
>  > >  > >
>  > >  > >  It's do-able, but it isn't going to be much simpler or easier. In some
>  > >  > > ways, MIDI2CV with a high accuracy DAC is more straightforward. But by all
>  > >  > > means go ahead and prove me wrong!
>  > >  > >
>  > >  > >  Just my 2 pence,
>  > >  > >  T.
>  > >  > >
>  > >  > >
>  > >  > >  On 14 Jul 2008, at 19:13, cheater cheater wrote:
>  > >  > >
>  > >  > >
>  > >  > > >
>  > >  > > > Samppa,
>  > >  > > >
>  > >  > > > I'm only talking about taking existing VCO designs, and modifying them
>  > >  > > > to work in such a setup.
>  > >  > > >
>  > >  > > > Cheers
>  > >  > > >
>  > >  > > > On 7/14/08, Samppa Tolvanen <samppa.tolvanen at gmail.com> wrote:
>  > >  > > >
>  > >  > > > > On 7/14/08, cheater cheater <cheater00 at gmail.com> wrote:
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > > >  Wouldn't it be *much* easier to make a midi2trigger module, that
>  > >  > > would
>  > >  > > > > >  then hardsync the VCOs?
>  > >  > > > > >
>  > >  > > > > >
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > > If I got You right, it would be MCU based squareware oscillator, eh?
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > > >
>  > >  > > > > >  Are there any popular/interesting VCO designs that wouldn't work well
>  > >  > > > > >  with being synced this way?
>  > >  > > > > >
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > > Sawtooth oscs would be  just fine as long as You don't mind amplitude
>  > >  > > > >  multiplying/dividing by powers of 2 per octave :D
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > >  Samppa
>  > >  > > > >
>  > >  > > > >
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