Who likes modular synths and Atari sounds?

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Clytor
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Post by Clytor » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:11 am

I might be down. Getting one might make me feel better about not having my Tempest anymore! I guess the Space Duel that I had also had a Pokey in it.

kdarr
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Post by kdarr » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:12 pm

kdarr wrote:A guy named Paul Slocum makes a great thing called the Synthcart, which is a cartridge that interfaces with a 2600 and allows you to play the synth with a Star Raiders controller:

http://qotile.net/synth.html

A standalone unit would be even better, though.

[<|>]
I just picked up the new ish, and lo and behold, there's a review of the Synthcart right in there. I didn't even know when I posted this. Awesome!

[<|>]

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Post by bear-skull death-thunder » Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:41 pm

Clytor wrote:I might be down. Getting one might make me feel better about not having my Tempest anymore! I guess the Space Duel that I had also had a Pokey in it.
whoah, my uncle has both tempest and space duel---the table style arcade cabinets--in his basement. i totally have the high score on tempest.

(apologies for going off on a tangent)

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Skrasms
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Post by Skrasms » Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:16 pm

Development is going well, sorry about my long silence. As soon as I get it all onto one breadboard I will get some audio demos together. The specs are a little different now than originally planned. Now it is 2 channels total. Each is switchable between low pitch resolution like the 2600 and high pitch resolution like a real digital oscillator. The various noise waves are still all there. Channel 2 will double as an audio input with a variable sample rate, for playing real-time audio through the Atari chip.

I am adding a midi input in place of the 1V/Oct inputs. My logic is that more people have MIDI keyboards than CV keyboards (including me), and it makes for much better pitch handling. Everything else will still be CV, and I plan to add note-on trigger outputs so the midi can be used to trigger external ADSR modules, such as a Doepfer A-141, fed back into CV volume inputs.

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Post by earl parameter » Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:34 pm

interesting, i'd love to hear samples

so are you going to offer pcb's and unobtainium too or just finished modules? just for the record i am only interesting in the pcb route


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Skrasms
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Post by Skrasms » Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:48 pm

crashsick wrote:interesting, i'd love to hear samples

so are you going to offer pcb's and unobtainium too or just finished modules? just for the record i am only interesting in the pcb route


steven
I will definitely have kits with at least a PCB and the more awkward parts like high resolution rotary encoders.

I was hoping to do finished modules, but it is looking to be much more work than I anticipated. It is also extremely difficult fitting all the features I would like into the Blacet/Doepfer size formats.

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Post by earl parameter » Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:00 pm

Skrasms wrote: I will definitely have kits with at least a PCB and the more awkward parts like high resolution rotary encoders.
very @$%ing cool to offer pcbs. is there anything really odd that we should be trying to find in the mean time. like the atari chip?

also any chance at having a 1v/o pass thru of the midi input so it can be used to control other modules?


steven

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Skrasms
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Post by Skrasms » Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:15 am

crashsick wrote:
Skrasms wrote: I will definitely have kits with at least a PCB and the more awkward parts like high resolution rotary encoders.
very @$%ing cool to offer pcbs. is there anything really odd that we should be trying to find in the mean time. like the atari chip?

also any chance at having a 1v/o pass thru of the midi input so it can be used to control other modules?


steven
The midi is going directly to a dsPIC, so there is not a place in the circuit to grab a 1V/o signal. It would take extra circuitry and programming to make that possible.

I plan to include the two main chips in with the kits. The Pokey, of course, plus a dsPIC that is programmed for controlling it. It handles all the midi, CV, and front panel controls.

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Post by Knights Who Say Neve » Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:15 am

Happy to hear a kit will be available. I use a non-standard format so the ability to build my own panel is essential.

Please include a CV pitch and gate inputs on the board. Splitting the midi signal to both my usual midi-cv convertor and your board's midi in will be awkward. Plus I can't use my sequencer's cv outs to drive your module directly- I'd have to convert to midi first.
"What you're saying is, unlike all the other writers, if it was really new, you'd know it was new when you heard it, and you'd love it. <b>That's a hell of an assumption</b>". -B. Marsalis

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Skrasms
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Post by Skrasms » Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:40 am

Knights Who Say Neve wrote: Please include a CV pitch and gate inputs on the board. Splitting the midi signal to both my usual midi-cv convertor and your board's midi in will be awkward. Plus I can't use my sequencer's cv outs to drive your module directly- I'd have to convert to midi first.
Thank you for the feedback. I am really torn about the midi, to be honest, and nothing is set in stone. I feel MIDI would be easier for some, but gets in the way for the all-analog guys. The design and code is already 90% finished for V/oct CV, it just needs some higher tolerance components to get the tuning spot-on. Maybe I should just stick with what is already working and keep it simple :lol:

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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:34 am

Yeah, a synth module without CV inputs would be really inconvenient.

I'm definitely still on board for a kit.

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Skrasms
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Post by Skrasms » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:22 pm

inverseroom wrote:Yeah, a synth module without CV inputs would be really inconvenient.

I'm definitely still on board for a kit.
There was never a plan to get rid of CV inputs. I don't think I explained the MIDI plan well at all.

At any rate, no midi on this version :)

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Post by earl parameter » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:51 pm

if there was never a plan to get rid of the CV then how about both? it would be incredibly convenient to have a dedicated midi in for each of the modules! for what? the cost of a din socket, some passives and an opto? if the code will fit then why not, if someone doesn?t want it then they could just leave it out


steven

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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:55 pm

Skrasms wrote:
inverseroom wrote:Yeah, a synth module without CV inputs would be really inconvenient.

I'm definitely still on board for a kit.
There was never a plan to get rid of CV inputs. I don't think I explained the MIDI plan well at all.

At any rate, no midi on this version :)
Ah OK....sorry for the misunderstanding...

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Post by Knights Who Say Neve » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:22 pm

Same misunderstanding here...i thought you meant midi "instead of" pitch/gate cv, not "in addition to".
"What you're saying is, unlike all the other writers, if it was really new, you'd know it was new when you heard it, and you'd love it. <b>That's a hell of an assumption</b>". -B. Marsalis

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