modulation expansion kit for the korg mono/poly
2013-02-19 by Alan
Hi guys.
I'm currently developing kit ideas and the first one is for the Korg monopoly. I wanted to gauge what interest if any there would be in a kit which offers the following features.
1: New LFO1 shapes
S/H and S/Glide clocked from MG1 and MG2
Brown noise with lowpass.
Lowpass can also effect original shapes. especially useful on the saw and ramp waveforms.
2: New shapes and original shapes can be routed to PWM and effect section separately from the mod wheel destinations.
3: External audio through filter
4: VCO1 as mixable source to MG1 mod wheel destinations.
5: Analogue ring modulator using VCO1 as the carrier wave to modulate the main prefilter mix including external audio.
6: VCO1 keyboard CV defeat. This comes in handy when you wish to modulate the other VCOs or the external audio from a fixed frequency oscillator. it also has a great effect on the sync function. VCO plays the last note CV it received but still excepts CV summed from the octave switch and Mod / pitch wheel CVs.
7:
Phase sync on all oscillators.
This is a subtle but invaluable effect for many genres of music and synthesis. The phase of your oscillators will always start at the same point when the note plays. Great for drum synthesis and fast arpeggios and bass line patterns where consistency is a must.
These modification will not impede the sound or the original monopoly. They are extra features which can be dialed in and out of the main mix at will.
Thus far nearly all modifications have been prototyped and tested as working.
This modification should work along side the CMD midi kit and as of yet untested, but it should work daisy chained to the new Midipoly kit Which looks fantastic.
I want to produce and offer these modifications in a kit form that can be fitted by my self or any other competent service technician.
The design will be as such that there will be a minimum of soldering. most of the kit will simply plug in to existing connectors inside the monopoly. There will be solder tap points, but no original circuit traces will need to be cut and no parts removed.
I am currently measuring up different options for how the controls will be available. My first thought would be to have holes drilled in the front panel. top right along the logo plane. A new high quality vinyl sticker would be provided with the kit to show drill locations and give new control legends and logo to the front panel in the same size and spacing as the other original controls.
The same type shaft pot will be used and provided will a generic pot cap, but if the end user should wish to track down original Korg knobs they would fit.
Another option would be to mount the controls on an external control box. This would attached to a bracket mounted at the screw holes of one of the rear cable tidies. I could fit some more controls to this box such as a gain control for the external input. This box would then have a detachable lead run to the rear of the Mono/poly. This would obviously be a more expensive option to produce so would be offered as a deluxe version of the kit, but you would avoid having to drill in to the face plate altogether.
Would this option appeal to you as a potential buyer?
What would you be expect to pay for such an expansion kit?
Would you consider paying a deposit for such a product and waiting for a production batch of units to be produced at a reduced cost for instance?
I'm currently developing kit ideas and the first one is for the Korg monopoly. I wanted to gauge what interest if any there would be in a kit which offers the following features.
1: New LFO1 shapes
S/H and S/Glide clocked from MG1 and MG2
Brown noise with lowpass.
Lowpass can also effect original shapes. especially useful on the saw and ramp waveforms.
2: New shapes and original shapes can be routed to PWM and effect section separately from the mod wheel destinations.
3: External audio through filter
4: VCO1 as mixable source to MG1 mod wheel destinations.
5: Analogue ring modulator using VCO1 as the carrier wave to modulate the main prefilter mix including external audio.
6: VCO1 keyboard CV defeat. This comes in handy when you wish to modulate the other VCOs or the external audio from a fixed frequency oscillator. it also has a great effect on the sync function. VCO plays the last note CV it received but still excepts CV summed from the octave switch and Mod / pitch wheel CVs.
7:
Phase sync on all oscillators.
This is a subtle but invaluable effect for many genres of music and synthesis. The phase of your oscillators will always start at the same point when the note plays. Great for drum synthesis and fast arpeggios and bass line patterns where consistency is a must.
These modification will not impede the sound or the original monopoly. They are extra features which can be dialed in and out of the main mix at will.
Thus far nearly all modifications have been prototyped and tested as working.
This modification should work along side the CMD midi kit and as of yet untested, but it should work daisy chained to the new Midipoly kit Which looks fantastic.
I want to produce and offer these modifications in a kit form that can be fitted by my self or any other competent service technician.
The design will be as such that there will be a minimum of soldering. most of the kit will simply plug in to existing connectors inside the monopoly. There will be solder tap points, but no original circuit traces will need to be cut and no parts removed.
I am currently measuring up different options for how the controls will be available. My first thought would be to have holes drilled in the front panel. top right along the logo plane. A new high quality vinyl sticker would be provided with the kit to show drill locations and give new control legends and logo to the front panel in the same size and spacing as the other original controls.
The same type shaft pot will be used and provided will a generic pot cap, but if the end user should wish to track down original Korg knobs they would fit.
Another option would be to mount the controls on an external control box. This would attached to a bracket mounted at the screw holes of one of the rear cable tidies. I could fit some more controls to this box such as a gain control for the external input. This box would then have a detachable lead run to the rear of the Mono/poly. This would obviously be a more expensive option to produce so would be offered as a deluxe version of the kit, but you would avoid having to drill in to the face plate altogether.
Would this option appeal to you as a potential buyer?
What would you be expect to pay for such an expansion kit?
Would you consider paying a deposit for such a product and waiting for a production batch of units to be produced at a reduced cost for instance?