PLAN B analog blog

> I will try those modulation possibilities with my brand new M15.
>
> But making precise PW settings feels quite difficult compared to my
> Cwejman oscillator, which has conventional design.
>

This is a very important point, which I want to shed some light on in regards to my basic 
design conventions for a second, which will explain why some things are the way they are 
in Plan B instruments:

My intention isn't, nor has it ever been, to produce lab-accurate devices.  My intention was 
to produce musical instruments and because of that, i regularly use my ear, right side 
brain, I dare say heart, when making critical decisions on parameter controls.  For 
instance, I started off with a straight, out of the shoot, vanilla PWM circuit on the module 
15, decided I t was boring as hell as I'd heard it again and again in a million different 
products, and then set to make it sound different and to my aesthetic, more interesting.

If one can approach Plan B on that level, they will find that the features are useful,  
imaginative and beyond all else, musical. 

On the other side of a spectrum, there are modular manufacturers out there who tout lab-
accuracy in some of their instrument's features.  One, (and I am not singling out anyone 
and not in all implying Cwejman as I have no direct experience with it),  I have had an 
opportunity to verify some of the claims made by these manufactures as I've had their 
instruments here for repair and have found some of these claims are false - they AREN'T 
performing like they say they do and further, their design would not support it.  
Sometimes this has to do with the circuit itself, sometimes this has to do with mechanical 
issues on the PCB - how the tempco is laid out on the board, even the length of certain 
traces on the board which effect what they are trying to accomplish.

This being said, some of these claims such are being met on some manufacturers and for 
some potential customers, it's a very powerful selling feature.  With me it isn't.  This is not 
to say I've got sloppy specs, not at all - it does mean however that I concern myself more 
with musical performance than meeting design benchmarks.  I would never sacrifice it's 
musical 

> Also, I find dialing small amounts of frequency modulation quite
> tricky; for example setting exactly the right amount of vibrato.

May I suggest you try the FM input - that what's it's there for.

In
> my opionion one of "Freq VC" controls should be less sensitive near
> zero modulation -

Flattening it out in center can be done, but it sacrifices linearity.  If i did this, zero would 
not be at 12 o'clock.  Not sure many would appreciate it.

As far as the range, this is one of the features which make the M15 behaviorally close to 
thew Buchla 258.  I purposely matched the 258's frequency response and now that it's 
been established I can't change it.  I don't think many would be pleased f they bought 
another VCO later only to find it didn't have the same range as their previous ones.

,,,..perhaps sacrificing bipolar control.>>


aaaaaak!  Say it ain't so...don't even speak it!   This is one of the basic conventions of my 
entire product line.  I will ALWAYS opt for a bipolar control if that makes sense in a given 
application.

hope this helps,

- P
______________
Peter Grenader
e: peter@ear-group.net
p: 866-755-4468 (818 761-9906)
w: http://www.ear-group.net



Again,. try the FM input - that isn't bipolar.


> 
> Generally (and IMHO of course), I think Plan B modules knob response 
> curves are sometimes impractical... I have M12, M13, M14, M15 and 
> soon M10 and M23.
> 
> Best regards
> Jari Jokinen 
> 
> --- In PLAN_B_analog_blog@yahoogroups.com, "(i think you can figure 
> that out)" <peter@> wrote:
> >
> > Morning guys.  I waned to discuss this one more time becaue once 
> again it's come up:
> > 
> > The PWM construction is designed the way it (10 to 2 'live range) 
> so that there are more 
> > possibilities for the VC input.  I played around with this a lot 
> while cooking the VCO, you're 
> > going to get some very interesting sounds when the manual offset is 
> positioned to either 
> > the far left or right (either into the 'silent' zone) and a VC is 
> applied to pull it back into 
> > audio that aren't available otherwise.  My PWM sound is unique, I 
> wanted to keep it that 
> > way.
> > 
> > I think there is a misconception that by only having the square 
> audible from 10 to 2 that 
> > you're loosing something.  You're not - it's all there, it sweeps 
> from full neg, through 0 to 
> > 100 duty cycle, then back from 100 to 0 to full positive.  it just 
> transverses that from the 
> > 10 o' clock pot setting to the 2 o clock pot setting.  the balance 
> of the pot regions, when 
> > the signal is zero is not wasted, it's there for VC possibilities.
> > 
> > If you own one of these, try it, you'll see what I'm speaking 
> about.  Move the pot to silence, 
> > apply and VC, then move the pot to so that the square isn't silent 
> and apply the same VC.  
> > I didn't want to loose both effects.
> > 
> > hope this helps,
> > 
> > - P
> > 
> > 
> > ______________
> > Peter Grenader
> > e: peter@
> > p: 866-755-4468 (818 761-9906)
> > w: http://www.ear-group.net
> >
>