DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

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Stan Keyhole
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DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by Stan Keyhole » Tue Jan 25, 2005 7:09 pm

Hey synth nerds,

Check this out.

MIDI add-on kits for Casio SK- series synths! I just ordered one, and am very hopeful that it will work smoothly. I remember there being plans out a few years ago to make your own, but you had to have an EPROM writer, etc. This guy is providing the whole kit, ready to solder and use.

I'll report back after I get it and install it. Hopefully it won't mind being put into a bent keyboard!

BTW, I UTFSF, but didn't see anything about this. Sorry in advance if everybody already knew about it.
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eeldip
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by eeldip » Tue Jan 25, 2005 7:58 pm

holy shit. this is awesome...

must remember to buy this... next paycheck....

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Brett Siler
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by Brett Siler » Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:45 pm

Fuck yes! I am in the process of bending mine right now. installing this will make it even better!

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Stan Keyhole
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by Stan Keyhole » Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:29 pm

Just finished my kit, and I am really freakin' excited. I now have a MIDI-controllable circuit-bent SK-1.8)

I would recommend one of these kits in a heartbeat. The guy who's making them was quick to ship, and the kit was complete when I got it. The online instructions were thorough, and the kit couldn't have been easier.

If you're looking for a simple first project, you could do a lot worse than this.
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Stan Keyhole
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by Stan Keyhole » Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:35 pm

Oh, I should add that after my exhaustive ten minutes of testing :D , there did not seem to be any conflicts with my bends and the MIDI board. The module attaches to the ribbon cable that connects the keyboard to the circuit board, and presumably just tricks the circuit board into thinking it is getting messages from the keys. Thus, if your Sk-1 doesn't hang up when you play it with the physical keys, it should be no different with this mod.

Though, my eleventh minute of testing could prove me wrong!
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Don Shumai
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by Don Shumai » Wed Feb 02, 2005 10:10 am

Pardon my total ignorance of midi, but with this kit would you be able to dump your samples directly into a computer? I guess I'm unclear as to what this mod allows you to do. Sounds potentially cool, though.

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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by eeldip » Wed Feb 02, 2005 11:52 am

Don Shumai wrote:Pardon my total ignorance of midi, but with this kit would you be able to dump your samples directly into a computer? I guess I'm unclear as to what this mod allows you to do. Sounds potentially cool, though.
ahh.. the old does midi pass audio question...

its a midi in, which means you can use a sequencer of some sort to control your sk1.

i gotta get one of these... gotta...

ok. i'm a ordering. first the ribbon mics now this.

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eeldip
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by eeldip » Wed Feb 02, 2005 11:53 am

Stan Keyhole wrote: there did not seem to be any conflicts with my bends !
so, what do your bends allow you to do? i have heard some different bends here and there and i have found them hit or miss..

can we talk bending a bit here>?

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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by krylenko » Wed Feb 02, 2005 12:39 pm

ahh.. the old does midi pass audio question...
well, you can dump actual samples over MIDI using MIDI Sample Dump... I used to do it with a Casio FZ-1.
so MIDI can pass audio, just not in this case.

all this mod does is allow you to play the SK-1 from a MIDI keyboard or sequencer. there's no MIDI output from the SK-1.
Are there any bare surfaces in your house, such as tabletops or shelves? Those need to be filled with effects right away.

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Brett Siler
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by Brett Siler » Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:05 pm

Oh cool that way I can play a key board line on my bigger key board but have the crazt circuit bent sounds of my Sk-1....

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!

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eeldip
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by eeldip » Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:25 pm

krylenko wrote:
ahh.. the old does midi pass audio question...
well, you can dump actual samples over MIDI using MIDI Sample Dump... I used to do it with a Casio FZ-1.
so MIDI can pass audio, just not in this case.
well, its sort of audio... sort of not. depends on what you mean by audio. you wont be able to hook the midi cable up to an amp and "hear" the midi dump as anything similar to audio information.

but yea, you can dump samples...

i think he was asking if audio, as in, line level analog audio was passed over midi.

i think...

anyway.

sorry. this is kinda anal...

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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by lsn110 » Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:57 pm

Dang....I'm right in the middle of getting the Tablebeast bends done and he puts his patch bay right where they say the midi kit should be installed.

Maybe there'll still be room....

Hmmm.

edit: fixed link

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eeldip
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by eeldip » Sun Feb 13, 2005 6:54 pm

Stan Keyhole wrote:and the kit couldn't have been easier.

If you're looking for a simple first project, you could do a lot worse than this.
holy fuck! yea, its a total breeze till you hit the soldering 12 wires on to that point where the ribbon hits the board. that shit is tuff.. i got the hang of it after wire 4 or so.. but it was pretty hairy there in the beginning. some solder sucking involved.

works without a hitch so far though...

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Stan Keyhole
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Re: DIY MIDI kit for Casio SK-1!

Post by Stan Keyhole » Sun Feb 13, 2005 9:44 pm

Dang....I'm right in the middle of getting the Tablebeast bends done and he puts his patch bay right where they say the midi kit should be installed.

Maybe there'll still be room....
I went the "urban sprawl" route when I started bending this thing awhile back. I wanted to keep my speaker, and still leave plenty of room for switches, etc. I used a couple of Radio Shack project boxes to house bend components. The upper box was marked for future develpoment, but I decided the MIDI mod could live in there nicely.

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so, what do your bends allow you to do? i have heard some different bends here and there and i have found them hit or miss..
Man, when you read bending boards, you hear people say "mine has 18 glitch bends, 12 skew bends..." I don't know what that crap means. I've got a few that will sort of stretch the sounds, a couple that will act as delays, and some that add crazy distortion. I tried to keep it simple, only using bends that I thought sounded really worth while. There's also a photoresistor for pitch bending, and a couple of screws run to the same pitch pot, and acting as touchpoints.

What kind of stuff have you got going?
don't stroke the small stuff

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