[sdiy] Monosynth features poll

[Dave Kendall]

Hi all,

1/ At least 2 VCOs. If it *has* to be a single VCO for whatever reason, 
add a saw animator or similar with it's own dedicated LFO. Many common 
synth patches simply detune two VCOs, before the VCF, EG etc are set up 
to do whatever they do. Seems to me to be a bit of a waste to use a 2nd 
VCO for this, with all its (possibly) expensive components, *only* to 
get a unison detune effect that can very often be had with a simple 
circuit based around the electronotes saw animator... Not always of 
course, but that 2VCO detuned saw is a very common thing in music with 
synths in...
1a/ at the very least, saw and square (including PWM with its own 
dedicated TRI/SINE LFO - see below...)
2/ MORE THAN ONE LFO! too many machines I've owned or used, in practice 
only had one LFO (SH101, pro-one, wasp, CS01)... You want to modulate 
the square's PWM cyclicly *and* have vibrato? you can't with only one. 
Want to slowly sweep the VCF cutoff and run the sequencer at a 
different rate? can't with only one, or another device has to be 
patched in.... Yes, I know there are tricks you can pull, but given 
that a SQ/TRI LFO can be made with just one opamp and a tiny number of 
other bits and front panel space, utility LFOs are cheap enough to add 
in, and very desirable. Stack 'em up IMO...
3/ 24 dB/oct lowpass, and 12dB state-variable as well if possible. If 
possible, have the VCF design compensate for volume loss as resonance 
increases.
4/ Two or more EGs. Having only one gives limitations that only make 
accountants and wallets happy, *not* the user in the end... A simple 
AR/AD in addition, allows things like a noise burst at the start of a 
note, without tying up an ADSR... If the EGs have some VC parameters, 
all the better - there are all sorts of cool tricks you can do to 
enhance a patch if the EG settings are keyboard/CV/MIDI/whatever 
controlled, and not static..
5/ Add a simple sweepable 6dB HP/LP filter to the noise output, so you 
can tailor its output without tying up the main VCF. Give it a level 
control too. A BP option is cake icing :-)
6/ No opinion
7/ If adding a sub-osc, include a sine output (not just the usual 
square), and a level control, and perhaps a way of rolling its volume 
off as pitch increases. That Sub sine loses it's usefulness as pitch 
rises, sometimes becoming unwanted at the top end of the keyboard.
7/b If it's to be MIDI controlled, add routable KEY velocity and/or 
aftertouch to several destinations, like VCF cutoff and VCA level, and 
if possible to some EG parameters. I never forget the WOW! effect of 
playing a Yamaha CS80 with touch sensitivity in the soho soundhouse in 
London UK when I was a teenager.....
7/c Patch storage. Not particularly important until you realise you're 
on a limited budget and want to do a live gig and change patch quickly 
- it's suddenly *really* useful then .....
7/d A flexible MOD routing scheme, with some common routings always 
available as well, (EG to VCF cutoff amount, mod wheel to cutoff, VCF 
key tracking amount) The Pro-one was pretty good in this regard...
7/e External input to the VCF(s)
7/f Herds of Wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain....

(sorry) :-)

Cheers,
Dave

PS - IMO, a device designed largely for live playing often benefits 
from a quite different design/feature set than a machine aimed *mostly* 
at recording/sequencing.......


On Jan 26, 2010, at 02:17, Ian Smith wrote:

>
> Hey all,
>
> There were other questions involved in this project, but I can't 
> remember them at the moment (should have written them down, yadda, 
> yadda, hate the fact that my compy is dead... again). So here goes:
>
> What do you all think is essential in an '80s sounding bass monosynth?
>
> 1) number of VCOs
> 1a) essential waveforms
> 2) number of LFOs
> 3) Filters
> 4) Envelope Generators
> 5) Noise
> 6) sequencer/arpegiator
> 7) Other odd and fun circuits (e.g. Electronotes Timbre Modulator)
>
> I have a fair idea of what I want to put together but I really want to 
> see what other people's opinions are.
>
> -Ian 		 	   		
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