MOTM

So here's the question:  Why don't we have CV-Out boxes with knobs on 
them instead of MIDI CC Boxes.  Midi CCs are really low resolution 
from what I know, you get, what, 128 or 256 levels?  That's one nice 
zipper effect.  Rather than getting a MIDI Controller box, a MIDI->CV 
converter, and a lag processor to smooth out the zipper effects, why 
not just make a nice MOTM format CV controller box?

All you'd need was a box with 8 knobs on it, or 4 knobs and 4 
sliders, or whatever.  the box would have a 9 pin DIN connector or 
something like that, and a 1U panel on the other end with the same 
connector.  The panel would have 8 jacks plus the DIN connector.  One 
pin would send +15V to the box, and the rest could be returns.  You 
might put a selector above or below the knobs to set the range (0-5, 
0-10) to be nice.

Wouldn't this be infinitely greater than having a midi CC box?  It 
would aslo be great fun to patch into weird modular sequencers, of 
course.  Granted, one might ask "Why have knobs on a modular, it's 
already loaded with knobs?"

I can think of a million reasons, but one of the best is that some 
people might not want to reach through the patch cable jungle in the 
middle of a performance.  A performance controller would be great, 
and making it all CV would be wonderfull.

Heck, if you were really nice, you could make it have a smallish 
keyboard, too, but that'd be too much, probably.

Comments would be appreciated.

The most difficult part of this project would be the external box physical
construction.  Maybe if you could buy one of those small slant style
cabinets.  Back in your 1U panel you would certainly want to have 8 separate
op amps to provide a nice low impedance out for your 8 voltages.  Maybe
something as simple as a couple of nice quad op amps like the TL074s or
similar.

On thing that might make it more fun too would be to supply -15 V instead of
+15 and make all the buffer amps inverting (to produce + voltages).  That
way the op amps could easily be summing amps adding only one resistor to
each.  So you could have some or all of the 8 channels to have INs also.
Then your CV could be used to bias another CV if you wished.

Larry H (up to my elbows in magic bus right now)

----- Original Message -----
From: sucrosemusic <sucrosemusic@...>
All you'd need was a box with 8 knobs on it, or 4 knobs and 4
sliders, or whatever.  the box would have a 9 pin DIN connector or
something like that, and a 1U panel on the other end with the same
connector.  The panel would have 8 jacks plus the DIN connector.  One
pin would send +15V to the box, and the rest could be returns.  You
might put a selector above or below the knobs to set the range (0-5,
0-10) to be nice.

Hey!  Get out of my head or pay rent!  I was just thinking about such a beast last Friday.

My thoughts were a row of 8 sliders, above which was a row of 8 knobs used to mix in an additional optional CV (patched in on the panel) ala the pedal interface.  I hadn't thought of the range switch, but that's a brilliant addition.  I'd personally skip on the keyboard, but only because there's a lot to consider in order to "get it right" (note count, velocity, aftertouch, note priority, etc.).

Of course, if you were to have that supplimental CV coming in, perhaps you could get tricky and have the fader switch between two tasks-- 1) CV generation (range switched) mixed with the CV in, and 2) attenuation of the incoming CV signal.  Things that make you go "hmmmm".

Larry, I don't follow your stooginess about the -15V power and its ramifications.  Help?

--PBr

-----Original Message-----
From: sucrosemusic [mailto:sucrosemusic@...]
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2002 9:31 PM
To: motm@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [motm] MIDI Boxes? Naw. CV Controllers!


All you'd need was a box with 8 knobs on it, or 4 knobs and 4 
sliders, or whatever.  the box would have a 9 pin DIN connector or 
something like that, and a 1U panel on the other end with the same 
connector.  The panel would have 8 jacks plus the DIN connector.  One 
pin would send +15V to the box, and the rest could be returns.  You 
might put a selector above or below the knobs to set the range (0-5, 
0-10) to be nice.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Brousseau, Paul E (Paul) <noise@...>
> Larry, I don't follow your stooginess about the -15V
>  power and its ramifications.  Help?

Summing op amps invert.  So, unless you want to follow it with another amp
to get it back positve.  Of course, all that goes to heck because the
incoming CV gets inverted too.  So, it was a good thought, but may not be
worth a darn int he final conception.

Cable between the box and panel gets a whole lot more simple if the incoming
CV attenuators are on the panel as I see it. :)  But, then I am only a
Stooge and must insert standard disclaimer.

Larry

Come on, Paul, do it for us!  The official MOTM Controller!  (Or 
controller LE)  No 
stupid MIDI glitchy zippery dumb boxes for us, we want a real analog 
CV source.  Sure, you could make it a sequencer, or a keyboard, or 
any of a number of things, but make it pretty simple, and hte other 
stuff could follow in any of a number of ways.  This is a MODULAR!  
We don't need inputs, we have a mixer module!

Oh, and wood sides would be nice.  =]

-Geoff
--- In motm@y..., "J. Larry Hendry" <jlarryh@i...> wrote:
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Brousseau, Paul E (Paul) <noise@A...>
> > Larry, I don't follow your stooginess about the -15V
> >  power and its ramifications.  Help?
> 
> Summing op amps invert.  So, unless you want to follow it with 
another amp
> to get it back positve.  Of course, all that goes to heck because 
the
> incoming CV gets inverted too.  So, it was a good thought, but may 
not be
> worth a darn int he final conception.
> 
> Cable between the box and panel gets a whole lot more simple if the 
incoming
> CV attenuators are on the panel as I see it. :)  But, then I am 
only a

> Stooge and must insert standard disclaimer.
> 
> Larry