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Monthly Archives: August 2008
(Yet Another) Distribution Experiment
I’ve been kicking around the idea of doing an “album” of my SynthDIY progress. Y’know, maybe a track for each component built – one of just oscillators, one with the XNORs added, etc. It’ll be noisy. I guarantee that…
So, the other day, Opentape gets released. This looks like a nice easy way to post things. I think I’m going to try just using this as the mechanism for distribution of this weird SynthDIY album. For the moment, you can find it here: The SynthDIY Sessions. Once I actually get some tracks recorded, I’ll put them up. I may even put up some placeholder ‘bonus’ tracks to tide my legion of fans over until I can actually get some proper recording done (this week isn’t very good for that sort of thing. Lots of cleaning and ice cream making going on).
Summer of Synth-DIY: Week 14
Last post was late, and this one is a few hours early, ’cause I HAVE GOOD NEWS.
Sound Lab progress: A good 2/3 of the front panel is mounted on the panel:
Of course, it turns out all the SPDT switches I got from Futurlec aren’t really. Grumble. Ordered more (from Goldmine this time).
Arduino MIDI Sequencer: IT’S WORKING (the good news). So now, it’s at the point it was at during my presentation at Notacon, except actually functional (and less prone to breaking – the previous internals were horrid – this is much cleaner, permanent, and stable.)
Here – have a listen: seqtest.mp3 (controlling U-NO-62)
It still looks like this on the outside:
However, the on/off switch is currently removed, and will be replaced by a start/stop button.
Also, at Playshop this week, we did the MS-20 pseudo Ring modulator (with a CD4011, easy!), and the milkcrate/little scale “sea moss sequencer”. I think I’m going to reimplement that with pots instead of the resistor ladder, and maybe make it switchable between internal clock and external clock (so I could, say, sync it with the Arduino sequencer!) Going to have to figure out an enclosure – half not wanting to use another cigar box, but they’re so darn cheap ($1/each)!
Also also looking at slowly working on some ‘big boy’ modules, though there are a LOT of design considerations I’d have to make (format, enclosure/rack, etc.). Cigar boxes won’t work for this 
I think my studio will need a lot of cleanout before any real motion on that front starts. Stay tuned.
No idea when I’ll actually get to anything this week, though. Schedules are looking very busy all the way through the weekend.
Summer of Synth-DIY: Week 13
I’m a couple of days late posting this – I’ve been busy.
Sound Lab (Yes! Sound Lab progress!): Front panel was laminated (at the high, high cost of 30 cents). I’m hoping to get the front panel knobs and switches mounted this week/weekend. Considering adding at least a couple of patch points (filter input for sure, maybe more?)
mini-modular stuff: built the Beavis Audio Research version of the 567 modulator. Debating adding a second 1/4″ output to the CMOS box – that way two oscillator chains can be processed separately.
Misc: Got a couple of Thinwire->UTP ethernet converters similar in size to the fiber->UTP converters used in this Arduino effects pedal. Given that I have more Arduinos than I know what to do with, you can see where that’s headed…
Got some pots & knobs from Mendelson’s (with longer than normal shafts, so they may be better for the thick wood of the effects box…) Of course the pots are all D-shaft, and the knobs spline-shaft, so there’s a bit of a disconnect there, but it’s not a big deal. I needed more spline-shaft knobs anyway.
And if you’re in Cleveland and interested in this sort of stuff – Go to Bella Dubby this Friday. Should be almost entirely DIY electronic instruments(the only non-DIY one being the guitar in the Telecat Prowlers set). I may even bring my gear and try to crash it
Tagged synthDIY
Press The Button Podcast for August 20, 2008
Show started with Komar&Melamid’s “Most Unwanted Music“, followed by more fun with the homebrewed instruments. Perhaps the sort of thing I’d do if I were on the bill at Bella Dubby this Friday. But I’m not. Also mixed in a Tibetan Buddhist Jukebox, Arratik’s recent Gakken SX-150 work, and some other nonsense I’ve been working on. Here’s some of what it looked like (click through for the description of what everything is):
