Synth-DIY Yahoo! Groups Archives

The bloody A-112 Sampler

2014-01-19 by mark@markfrancombe.com

Look... Im not sure what you guys have done inside the A-112 Sampler, but its a horrible hateful bastard of a module.

I can NEVER get it to do what I want, have NO IDEA, whayt its supposed to sound like, but has the uncanny ability of, JUST WHEN IM GOING TO SELL IT, suddenly doing something extremely cool.

1. Distortion
OK, see here it is.. Its seriously distorted, but at the same time, quiet! I can NEVER get a good sample of anything, this ins NOT just 8 bit lo fi, its full on Merzbow screaming FILTH I TELL YOU!

Is there ANY WAY; to get a decent sound, need I amplify the input a bit, so the atten knob could be turned down? Is that it?

2. Functionality
How exactly are you SUPPOSED to use this?, what was the intention? It has the ability to LOAD a sound via midi (OK OK I know that bit os software is kinda old and probably no ones doing it, but still) that suggests to me that its intention was to ... er sound pretty OK; , enough that you would like to save shit...
This has never happened to me...

3. Operation
So do I flick the second switch to Rec, unplug a cable press the button, plug in cable, apply a gate, listen? Does anyone actually know how to use it? Or understand the instructions?

4. Why do I care?

OK so I had this pretty cool thing going at a gig last month, (I could post the YouTube if anyones interested) and I had a radio plugged into the A-112 input socket,, SOMEHOW I was gating it so that it was grabbing bits of the radio, and then it was being pitch from the A-155 Sequencer... It made a great beginning.

So now Im trying to record that track, or something like it (the gig was improv) And I CANT GET ANYTHING LIKE THE SOUND I HAD AT THE GIG GODDAMMIT!
(Sorry about the caps, but I was SHOUTING!!!)

I just get a huge distorted MESS..

Oh and by the way, whats all this?

THE DANGER OF HEARING LOSS
If you half unplug the Audio In cable, from your sound making device, in my case a radio, somehow the UN-sampled sound is played thru at EXCRUCIATING volume, so that you pull your headphones off and throw them across the room.

That is all...

Mark

Re: [Doepfer_a100] The bloody A-112 Sampler

2014-01-20 by achtung_999

Best way to get good sounding samples in the A112 is using Zoë's Python script.
Convert the sample you want to use to 8 bits on your computer. Use Zoë's script to get it to a format that the A112 can use. And then transfer the result to the A112 using a mididump program.
I would also strongly suggest you RTFM RTFM RTFM RTFM (sorry about the caps but I am shouting!).

Best regards,

Ernst

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On Mon, Jan 20, 2014 at 12:06 AM, <mark@markfrancombe.com> wrote:

Look... Im not sure what you guys have done inside the A-112 Sampler, but its a horrible hateful bastard of a module.

I can NEVER get it to do what I want, have NO IDEA, whayt its supposed to sound like, but has the uncanny ability of, JUST WHEN IM GOING TO SELL IT, suddenly doing something extremely cool.

1. Distortion
OK, see here it is.. Its seriously distorted, but at the same time, quiet! I can NEVER get a good sample of anything, this ins NOT just 8 bit lo fi, its full on Merzbow screaming FILTH I TELL YOU!

Is there ANY WAY; to get a decent sound, need I amplify the input a bit, so the atten knob could be turned down? Is that it?

2. Functionality
How exactly are you SUPPOSED to use this?, what was the intention? It has the ability to LOAD a sound via midi (OK OK I know that bit os software is kinda old and probably no ones doing it, but still) that suggests to me that its intention was to ... er sound pretty OK; , enough that you would like to save shit...
This has never happened to me...

3. Operation
So do I flick the second switch to Rec, unplug a cable press the button, plug in cable, apply a gate, listen? Does anyone actually know how to use it? Or understand the instructions?

4. Why do I care?
OK so I had this pretty cool thing going at a gig last month, (I could post the YouTube if anyones interested) and I had a radio plugged into the A-112 input socket,, SOMEHOW I was gating it so that it was grabbing bits of the radio, and then it was being pitch from the A-155 Sequencer... It made a great beginning.

So now Im trying to record that track, or something like it (the gig was improv) And I CANT GET ANYTHING LIKE THE SOUND I HAD AT THE GIG GODDAMMIT!
(Sorry about the caps, but I was SHOUTING!!!)

I just get a huge distorted MESS..

Oh and by the way, whats all this?

THE DANGER OF HEARING LOSS
If you half unplug the Audio In cable, from your sound making device, in my case a radio, somehow the UN-sampled sound is played thru at EXCRUCIATING volume, so that you pull your headphones off and throw them across the room.

That is all...

Mark

Re: [Doepfer_a100] The bloody A-112 Sampler

2014-01-20 by andy butler

On 19/01/2014 23:06, mark@markfrancombe.com wrote:
> Look... Im not sure what you guys have done inside the A-112 Sampler, but its a horrible hateful bastard of a module.
> etc etc etc ETC ETC ETC


LOL (when I saw *who* had posted this)

andy
( wonder if a memory chip or somesuch isn't properly seated in it's socket )

Re: [Doepfer_a100] The bloody A-112 Sampler

2014-01-20 by mark@markfrancombe.com

Firstly.. I RTFM! many times!!!!
Secondly..
Are you telling me that you people can get good, clean, UNDISTORTED sounds out of the thing, cos if so..

mines broken.. and that explains alot!

@Andy.. thanks for the suggestion.. Ill take a look at the module and see what its chips look like...
and yes Andy... Im here too!!!
Was my writing style what got you, or is it my typical incompetence at all things tech... (despite being a electronic musician?)

M

Re: [Doepfer_a100] The bloody A-112 Sampler

2014-01-20 by Zoë Blade

If you mean yours sounds distorted as in it literally sounds like it's going through a guitar pedal, then yes, I'd say it's probably broken.

RE: The bloody A-112 Sampler

2014-01-20 by mark@markfrancombe.com

I just came back from looking at YouTube clips of peoples lovely UN-distorted module... so yes... Mine must be broken! Thanks for the confirmation Zoë!!

(and pssst... its an honour to have you comment on my rant , I love your stuff :)

Damn.. now what? Andy suggested looking at the chip to see if they maybe can be reseated... (frightened by this of course)...

Is there a reputable Doepfer "fixer" someplace?

AW: [Doepfer_a100] RE: The bloody A-112 Sampler

2014-01-20 by Dennis Schneider

Did you make sure that your CV In attenuator is set fully clockwise when recording? Because if not you have a low sample rate which, the further you get to the bottom, will also make your material sound distorted...

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From: mark@markfrancombe.com ;
To: ;
Subject: [Doepfer_a100] RE: The bloody A-112 Sampler
Sent: Mon, Jan 20, 2014 12:48:04 PM

I just came back from looking at YouTube clips of peoples lovely UN-distorted module... so yes... Mine must be broken! Thanks for the confirmation Zoë!!

(and pssst... its an honour to have you comment on my rant , I love your stuff :)

Damn.. now what? Andy suggested looking at the chip to see if they maybe can be reseated... (frightened by this of course)...

Is there a reputable Doepfer "fixer" someplace?

Re: [Doepfer_a100] The bloody A-112 Sampler

2014-01-20 by istari

one point to gig (live situation), recording of this and studio.

i learned that this all three is total different. in live situation 
you play via a PA which makes
things sound different then at home in your studio.
i had many recording where i thought things sounding quite huge but 
the recording was totaly
different then. so what happens that the PA played back the sound 
different then it was recorded
via the mixer.

and thats not only when your drunk playing a gig, which makes 
everything sounds better :)

cheers
f.

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>So now Im trying to record that track, or something like it (the gig 
>was improv) And I CANT GET ANYTHING LIKE THE SOUND I HAD AT THE GIG 
>GODDAMMIT!
>(Sorry about the caps, but I was SHOUTING!!!)