Thursday, October 23, 2008

vca design



decided to add some vcas
this is the thomas henry vCA-1 design (dual)

ac/dc vca with 3 channels per vca
offset and cv mix

Friday, October 17, 2008

Full case


Added the digisound80 13 and 80-15 (External Input / Envelope Follower & Processor / Lag)
and now it is finished! I think this will be a versatile machine. 2 dedicated VCOs but i can also generate signals from the woggle bug, mankato vcf and from the external input. There is 4 lfos in the doomsday machine. I also have the utility lfo and of course the controls from the wogglebug. I can process all these control signals with the analog computer logic functions and comperators. I also have lots of expanders and filters all with extensive modulation control. I also have the buchla envelopes which should make some nice shapes. Finally for effects i have the phaser and the reverb.

Currently i have about 4 of the modules built and parts of a few done. Ill try get 4 or 5 more done in the next few months but i hope to get all the faceplates built in soon. Happy times indeed.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

colour!!!!, well 1 colour :)



Well i found a cheap source of banana sockets, 10cents each for blue and white. They are the deep banana jacks too, not the futurelec ones. So blue and white it is. I am also starting to work on my case dimensionality. In this image each row is offset by 10degrees. It will have 2 leg stand and a simple frame that the modules sink into. Im not really up for making a big box.
It will sort of resemembe a big iMac, hehe very big. 28" wide and 27" rack high, the stand will probably be about 1.5 feet from the table with two feet. I will also have 2 little stands at the back for my psus/transformers and reverb tanks. :)

Summer is going to be fun

case update




Some additions and revisions
I removed a few modules that i was going to add as i really need to focus on my backlog modules instead of adding more. So i removed the miniwave and a few others. The only thing now which i will buy to put in this rack is the bridechamber analog computer which is just a couple of CGS logic boards.

Designs Added:
Tellun Doomsday Machine (Mega Modulation Waveshaper w/ lfo outs)
Analog Computer (cgs clock / comperator / logic)
Submini 5672 Tube VCA and VCF
Dual Diode vcfs (yusynth ems and cgs steiner)
tau phaser (really like my design for this one)

Designs Revised:
Tellun Neural Agonizer (re-shaped)
Quad Buchla LPGs (changed total layout, now a lot more even)
Dual CGS VCO (added syncs for waveshape and also change pot orientation)

Still to be added:
Digisound 80-13: In/Out Amp and Envelope Follower
dual MFOS adsrs w/ vactrol vc mod

Monday, October 13, 2008

case design

well now i have a few layouts sorted i am trying to work out what size case is best.
originally i was going to go 3U high and 22 U wide but it is getting too unreasonable to move
so i think i will go for 3U high and 16U wide. this means that i will probably have 2 of these cases hehe, i cant believe im going to build a modular this big. i cant believe im already planning on a modular this big, and my current setup is far from functional. funny how these things quickly get out of hand.

these are the modules i plan to fit into my first case. all up in my first 48U case i have:
Klee SEQ (7u)
matrix mixer (3u)
quad low pass gate (3u)
tellun neural agonizer (3u)
dual cgs vco w. waveshape (5u)
cgs utility lfo (2u)
dual wogglebug w/ cgs ring modem (4u)
quad function generator (3u)
cgs wave multipier (2u)
thomas henry mankato vcf / quadrature vco (2u)
midiCV/digisound IO w/ envelope follower (2u)
Jurgen Haible tau phaser (2u)
wiard/blacet miniwave (2u)
yusynth ems vcf (2u)
cgs synthacon vcf + arp 4072 vcf (2u)
dual mfos adsr w/ vactrol vc mod (2u)
and as many vcas that i can fit into the remaining 2u space



the scarey thing is i have so many more projects to build

i am not going to put my modules in a box. i think i have decided just building a self-standing rack that i can just drop them into. i have some sketches, ill try work on them a bit once i get some time and post em.

Plan for summer

I might write myself a checklist

< Design plates for all remaining backlog
< Buy aluminium sheets, pre cut to plate sizes
< Buy dc supply for electro etching
< Get faceplates for arp boxes lazer engraved and finish the boxes
< Finish the arp box job
< Fix the xoxbox for that guy
< Use cash from jobs to buy knobs(SB), pots(FL), bananas(FL), switches (HKSS) and switch covers (SB)
< Etch plates and build front plates
< Build case
< Build midi/cv



hmm lots to do this summer

Saturday, October 11, 2008

More for the mix



Completed my first draft for my wavemultipier module and matrix mixer. W.mult module is still broken on my work bench so i have to get around to fixing it. Everything is working except the main folder.


I presented my thesis study last week, it went really well. I just have to complete the actualy thesis write up along with a few other assignments and IM DONE! well i have a tonne of work to do but i can start to sniff the end which is nice. Speaking of which i should get back to it

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Continued Refinement








Decided 100% banana from now on
It is going to be interesting to see how this goes in implementation
Basically this is a financial and functional density move
I can get black banana sockets for 10cents each whereas my jacks have upped in price to over a dollar. So ill use my remaining jacks in all my projects that i build for kids and for some external integration modules.

Few font changes and layout updates.
I just realised how buchla orientated my synth is going to be.
I'll have to add some 258 oscs :)
hehe
While i am enjoying the designing process I am starting to get really itchy to use this machine.
All in good time i suppose

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Some more work

On the synth design front i have finished a few more panels
and i have decided to use banana plugs for all my modulation paths
while im can't really pack the panels any more dense because of this
i feel that since banana plugs have a smaller profile they wont be as inhibiting as 1/4 cables when they are all plugged in and this will provide some reflief when using my designs
also im toying with the idea of using the serge davis clone knobs
im not sure if it is worth it yet
im having troubles finding larger format knobs to match the silver and black knobs i have
the davis clones are pimp and not too expensive and work with other backlite style knobs

so here are a few more designs.
My adapatation of the LPG w/ CV summing amps and LEDS
there is lots of hoohaa for resonance at the moment but im not really worried about resonant filters as i can do that with bulk of filters.

My dual CGS VCO, same as before just with bananas.
im not sure if i should leave my sync input as a jack.. ill have to ask some people about this



I reckon the bananas look shit hot.
I will use black, green, purple and perhaps white.
black and green will be CV in / CV out
purple and white will be triggers and gates
I am also going to get coloured switch covers in the same colours
mostly green purple and black

Im getting excited about my studio again. I have started building my xoxbox and have ordered parts for some other modules and projects. I just wish i had an income. I have to quickly finish some projects for people so i can actually get some finances in to pay for all this stuff. damn money!


So..

I present my thesis on friday, i have the presentation almost done. Still only written about 1/4 of it up, so that is a bit worrying. I have other research assignments on urban sprawl and local contamination in water ways so i think ill have to focus on them for the next few days and try get them otu of the way.