Wiardgroup

This device really sounds like it will be fantastic (and the faceplate 
design looks very cool also). I also noticed that you just introduced 
an estimate of the initial price point (sneaky :-)). I want one!

--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "Grant Richter" <grichter@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Mark,
> 
> I mean in the sense of drawing them on a computer screen.
> 
> To make your own custom software, you will need a $200 PROM programmer.
> 
> Let's compare the only two devices on the market that are Arbitrary Function 
Generators.
> 
> Device                                         Price             No. Channels           Steps per channel
> Buchla Model 250e                      $1700                   3                                16
> Wiard Envelooper MARF               $499                     4                             1024
> 
> As you can see, even if you buy a PROM programmer and lifetime supply of PROMs, it 
still 
> adds up to only half the cost of a 250e, and the Envelooper has several technical 
> improvements.
> 
> I have posted a picture of the working faceplate design in the pictures section. The 
module 
> is a 6 inch wide Frac-Rac module.
> 
> 
> 
> --- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, Mark Griffiths <mark@> wrote:
> >
> > Grant, this looks really interesting! One thing I'm not quite clear on, you talk about 
the 
> ability to draw visually..do you mean as on a PC or contained somehow on the module 
> itself?
> >    
> >   regards, Mark
> > 
> > Grant Richter <grichter@> wrote:
> >           After years of design and months of work I have a kind of working prototype of 
> the 
> > Envelooper MARF. It works, but not perfectly yet. I am still getting the bugs out. This 
is 
> > targeted to the Frac-Rac format.
> > 
> > MARF stands for "Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator". One of the shortcomings of 
> > modular synthesis is the lack of complex controllers for modules. To generate a 
> complex 
> > control function now, you have to sum together multiple envelopes and LFOs. The 
> > Envelooper allows you to draw complex control functions visually, with enough points 
to 
> > reproduce the effect of summing multiple envelopes and LFOs. It also stores pitches 
like 
> a 
> > sequencer, and you can draw an envelope in channel 4 for each pitch.
> > 
> > The Envelooper is designed to support true "gestural" synthesis where a single key 
press 
> > or button push can produce control signals for a complete musical gesture. Multiple 
> > gestures are stored in different Banks and can be selected by voltage control. Using a 
> > black and white keyboard, you can select and trigger gestures with just the keyboard. 
> The 
> > Envelooper also has a "Loop" switch that sets it to free running loop without needing a 
> > gate or trigger.
> > 
> > The Envelooper is modeled after an ADSR envelope generator. For the Envelooper, 
each 
> > segment of the A, D, S and R is four 256 byte pages stored in a PROM, for a total of 
> 1024 
> > bytes for each envelope. Four 8 bit outputs are produced simultaneously with a 
channel 
> to 
> > channel skew of an inaudible 1 microsecond.
> > 
> > Each ADSR segment has an independent "playback" time control from 1 millisecond to 
> 20 
> > seconds. The shortest total envelope time is 4 milliseconds and the longest is 80 
> seconds. 
> > The ouputs are calibrated like the Mini-Wave to 1 volt per octave. Two steps = 83.3 
> > millivolts = a semitone. So the table programmer in Wave 256 can be used to 
program 
> > pitch information using actual note names.
> > 
> > The Wave256 software used to program the Waveform City and Mini-Wave is also 
used 
> to 
> > program the Envelooper. The waveforms in a "Wave" are set up like this for the 
> > enveloopers four outputs; A1, A2, A3, A4, D1, D2, D3, D4, S1, S2, S3, S4, R1, R2, R3, 
> R4. 
> > The programming rules are as follows; A(ttack) pages start at -128 and end at +128, 
D
> > (ecay) pages start at +128 and end at 0, S(ustain) pages start and end at zero, Release 
> > pages start at 0 and end at -128. Following these programing rules produce 
envelopes 
> > with no audible "splice" when the device switches from one segment to another.
> > 
> > The four outputs are mapped two different ways for East Coast and West Coast 
patches. 
> > For East Coast use, output 1 controls the pitch of the VCO, output 2 controls the 
> > waveform, output 3 controls the VCF (Boogie) and output 4 controls the VCA (Borg 2). 
> For 
> > West Coast use, output 1 controls the pitch of the VCO, output 2 controls the 
waveform 
> X, 
> > output 3 controls the waveform Y and output 4 controls the lowpass gate.
> > 
> > 8 bits has a fair amount of zipper noise, for pitches we want this quantization, but it 
is a 
> > problem for VCAs and other inputs. One of the little known things about Vactrols is 
that 
> > they remove zipper noise. So running an 8 bit signal through a Vactrol smooths out 
the 
> > steps into continuous function. The VCO will have Vactrols or the equivalent on the 
> > waveform X and Y inputs to remove zipper noise. The Borg and Boogie filters are 
based 
> on 
> > Vactrols and already remove zipper noise.
> > 
> > I just wanted to post a little note to let everyone know that Wiard R&D will continue to 
> > produce ground breaking designs not available anywhere else. For those REALLY 
> > interested I have posted the test PROM file in the files section called adsr4.256 Use 
the 
> > Wave256 software to view the segment designs. Please note this is just an 
experimental 
> > file to test ideas, NOT the final file which will ship with the module.
> >
>