Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: MOTM

Hmmm...it seems that my use of the word 'best' gets me into more hot water than anything (except
the time I said the Moog modular VCA had the same sonics as AM radio).

I have even heard comments to the effect that there is like an unwritten 'rule' that musicians
avoid using 'best' at all, because it implies a sort of arrogant snooty air (like "...so-and-so
is the best bass player...") so the prevailing attitude is a neutral-at-best "hey, everything's
cool!"

This is 180 degrees out-of-phase with engineering. The whole ∗point∗ of engineering is to
show/prove that A is a better solution than B, because blah blah blah. There are always multiple
criteria about what constitutes "good, better, best".

And certainly I have learned that the clashes between 'unemotional' engineering and 'emotional'
music can go all over the place, and in many cases I think musicians don't WANT to know specifics
as it somehow removes a 'layer of magic' between the musician and the audience.

There are cases that seem to be a 'no brainer' to the engineering side and no amount of
explaining will change the attitude of the user side. My favorite example:

"Does MOTM come with banana jacks?"
"No, because they are unshielded."
"I like the colors, and the fact you can stack them."
"Err...they are unshielded. Do you see any other pro audio gear using them?"
"Well, synths that use them sound pretty good to me!"
"That may be true, but what about a case when you DO get hum or noise induced?"
"Why do you slag other synth manufacturers?"

For me, any audio gear (not just synths) has no business using bananas because of this one fact.
It doesn't matter if, to your ears, Synth A with bananas sounds as pure and clean as the driven
snow. It's a bad ∗engineering∗ decision. The reality is, the use of banana jacks is a leftover
from the early '70s based on cost. In 1974 I bough 50 Switchcraft jacks for like $110! 50 banana
jacks would have been about $35. That is a significant difference. That gap is still there today:
$1 versus about 30 cents.

There are a 100 ways to shave pennies, that add up to dollars. Back in the '70s you could lower
your pcb price by not having a solder mask and silkscreen. This made board stuffing a royal pain,
and you can get copper foil delamination if you aren't careful. PC boards were relatively
expensive as there were no CAD tools, no DRC (design rule checking: the schematic net list is
checked by the computer against the routing). However, there is absolutely NO REASON that today's
electronic products not have a solder mask/silkscreen. In fact, the pcb house I use charges
∗more∗ to leave it off because of yield issues. Yet, I still see these types of boards being
made. If there is a difference, it can't be over $1 or so.

Besides the obvious electro-mechanical scrimping, there is the design and the corresponding parts
selection. In electro-mechanical intensive designs like a modular synth, the actual parts content
can be as low as 5% of the overall cost (things like EGs and simple LFOs). If you serve a low
cost market, in many cases you are self-limited in the parts selection. However, in many cases
the difference between a nominal part and a REALLY GOOD part can be 50 cents. The mind-game you
start playing is you start wanting that 50 cents for yourself, and so you say "Heck, no ones
gonna know the difference".

I played that game for many years at Tandy and elsewhere. The 'moment of truth' for me came when
I was designing a compact AM/FM receiver. Sanyo makes all the radio chips in the world, and they
have 3 different FM demod chips, priced like 28 cents, 40 cents and $1. I had over 50 schematics
from every stereo receiver on the planet, all brands. About 60% used the 28 cent one, 40% used
the 40 cent one and ZERO used the $1 one. Even the most expensive, stand-alone FM tuner (Marantz)
used the 40 cent one. So, I get demo boards for it and the $1 one to measure and listen. Also, it
turned out the $1 one used a 33 cent Toko tuned trap coil for the 19.2 demode filter (any hams
out there?).

The difference between the 2 was STUNNING. The $1 + 33 cent coil blew the doors off the 40 cent
one. Local classical FM radio sounded almost CD quality. I was dragging everyone into the lab for
A/B tests and they all agreed the more expensive one was the way to go. Except my boss. "Can't
afford it!" I said I could scrimp elsewhere (power supply was a favorite scrimp, ie the OB-8),
but I realized that the ∗idea∗ of using "the most expensive" brought horror and shame to the
manager. Picture the staff meeting:

"Johnson, that new FM radio sounds great! Who did the design?"
"Schreiber. Did I mention he used the most expensive Sanyo FM chip?"
Stunned silence, followed by nervous paper shuffling and coughs.
"He....did.....what??! Oh....my....GOD!!"

This is why I am producing MOTM. I want it to represent what it means to be the best. I don't go
out and hunt expensive parts for the sake of a "gold plated toothpick" as MOTM has been called. I
just refuse to use inferior parts when there are better ones out there. The R&D in the 500 and
600 reflect this even more (there are rotary encoders that I could get for $7, but I'm using a
Greyhill avionics-grade optical encoder with 1 MILLION full cycle rotations guaranteed with
stainless steel housing. This way, 20 years from now, it's still working perfectly. My cost is
about $26).

Even if my use of 'best' make you squirm, I'm not gloating, bragging or slagging. This is just
the engineer in me talking facts. I wanted MOTM to raise the bar, to show the 'unclean' that
there is an alternative way to design audio gear (like looking inside a Mark Levinson or Krell
audio amplifier). I think I have succeeded, and it's not just me. I have other people designing
HW and SW that have more ability than me in many areas. I am grateful that they feel that MOTM is
where they themselves have decided to contribute.

I admit that when I hear the end result, the music, I want to shout from the rooftops. I just
make paint and brushes, others use the modules to ∗create∗. I listen to every audio synth demo
and CD I can find. If I was in the market for a modular, it is a 'no-brainer'. I have yet to hear
ANY other synth demo that made me want to chunk MOTM in a rat hole and say "That kicks my butt!
It's time to close shop." Rather, the opposite.

OK, the therapy session is over :) Please don't start in over bananas (Les!). I know several of
you have replaced the 1/4 with them: don't tell me (my poor babies! Sob....)

Paul S.