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Subject: Yet more patch panel stuff

From: JWBarlow@...
Date: 1999-07-10

Hi again Larry (all),

I'm with you on the colored plastic washers if available, anodized might be
worth checking in to as well. Your point about the scribble strip is well
taken too, since you want to change your patches quite frequently (the real
point of modular stuff). For those interested in a good temporary scribble
strip solution, let me recommend getting some 3M Drafting Tape, which is very
much like masking tape except the adhesive will not leave a residue (even
after many years) when stuck to a mixer or other audio equipment -- I love
the stuff.

What I've been thinking is having a 1U 9X0 patching module at the extreme
left of each MOTM row as well as a bus strip below each MOTM row. Given 8
colors (white plus the rainbow) on the 16 jack 1U panel, the 1U 9X0 would
have separate top patching and bottom patching sections. The bottom section
(of 8 jacks) would patch (exclusively) to the bus strip below that MOTM row,
while the upper section could patch (exclusively) to a bus strip above that
MOTM row, if one was present.

So it differs from your idea Larry, in that not all blue jacks would have the
same signal on them, only those in the same "area." This would also allow
signals to be distributed "upwards" through the system on the very left-hand
side -- eliminating the pesky cord interference problem.

Now, as to the VCF/gutair patch, might I recommend the soon to be released
Fabulous MOTM Envelope Follower/Gate & Trigger Extractor. I think several
people on this list are waiting for that module, and I can only hope that
when it becomes available, the envelope follower output will have an
amplifier on the output. Why, you ask? I was using my 420 with one of my
other envelope followers, and noticed that I liked it more when I had the
followers output plugged into two CV inputs of the 420; one input couldn't
provide the gain I wanted.

John "nothing more to say here" Barlow

>From: "J. Larry Hendry" <jlarryh@...>

>> From: JWBarlow@...
>> Color coded washers are a great start, but I still think a patchbay
>> legending strip would be better.

>OK, I agree. BUT (darn, there's always that but), my diy 19" panel would
>not dedicate any of the multis to anything. So, if you had the colors
>distributed on all the 19" I U panels, then you could just pick one and
>make it whatever you wanted. For example, blue might be connected as the
>gate today. Anyplace on the system you needed that gate, you just plug
>into blue. Next week, that same blue distributed multiple might be used
>for CV that is connected to 4 oscillators (if I was as fortunate as Dave
>to
>have 4). This would be easy even if 2 oscillators were on one row and
>two
>were on another row at a differnet level.

>> So Larry, now that you've been doing the modular thing for a while,
>>what's
>> your general take on it?

>Well, after spending 1 hour standing in front of mine tonight trying to
>get
>the audio of my guitar to make a decent gate so I could drive an EG, so
>I
>could use that EG to CV control the VCF that my guitar audio was running
>through, I have to say. DAMN, this is fun and frustrating. Fun because
>of all you can do. Frustrating, 'cause I wanted that little module that I
>don't have to do that one thing I wanted to do. I NEED MORE STUFF. I
>did
>get some success using the MOTM-700 as my audio to gate converter by
>putting DC on one of the inputs. However, I needed something to mix the
>guitar audio with DC so I could bias the signal so it was always on one
>side of zero so I could gate the 700 with the two added together. That
>would have made my MOTM-auto-wah guitar sound complete. Now, what was
>your
>question?