MIDI has been obsolete for more than a decade, but is so implanted that it will probably be
here long after we are gone. Remember MIDI2 or ZIPI? MLAN is/was also supposed to be a
MIDI killer. What we need is a fast standardized duplex protocol for event information and
high resolution continuous control. Home brew "ghost electronics" + MIDI are about as
close as it gets or may ever get. I'd still like to see a USB 2.0 or (IEEE1394/Firewire) to (and
from) CV module. But why limit to sub-sonics? Some cheap audio interfaces pass DC on
one end and/or the other, but as Paul S. has pointed out in the past, the resolution in the
sub-sonic range is probably inadequate for precise 1V/oct pitch control. Planetarium laser
show controllers have used modified ADATs and sound cards to accomplish a flavor of this
for a long time. I would think there would be some off-the-shelf industrial controller
technology that would do the job, but in my limited searching I haven't come up with
anything.
Barry S.
--- In motm@yahoogroups.com, Mark <yahoogroups@...> wrote:
>
> I think those are reasonable expectations of synced LFO's within a
> DAW or perhaps within a VA synth. However, I do not think that is a
> feature one would expect of an analogue modular. When working with
> analogue, I just assume that I have to go back to the beginning and
> reset everything in order to have repeatable results.
>
> I also think that a module that accepts an analogue clock input
> rather than MIDI is more useful in the context of an analogue modular
> synth. While there are many devices that can convert MIDI clock into
> analogue, MIDI clock cannot be produced or processed with the modular
> itself.
>
> Afaik, the Serge quadrature oscillator has some sort of "freeze"
> function, but in general, one does not expect an LFO to be able hold
> a voltage. However, since an LFO that could sync to an incoming
> clock would have to be digital, adding such a feature (such as adding
> a switched jack that would only allow the LFO to run when held high)
> would not be difficult. This could also be easily implemented in a
> module that accepted either MIDI or DIN sync.
>
> Regardless, I believe that MIDI will become obsolete, but a square
> wave is immortal in its simplicity.