UNO Synth Pro

 A demo of the UNO Synth Pro.

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Thanks for holding the meeting last Tuesday Ed.

We met Chris Steller, product specialist with Sound & Music. 

Chris has a wealth of industry experience as a presenter and trainer in hardware and software music technology.

Buchla 156

 The  Buchla 156 is a very early example of a CV processor .... possibly the earliest.

It was developed to enable more flexibility in the 

Buchla 100 system.

Most of the early 100 modules (such as the Buchla 158 VCO) didn't have a any way to attenuate /offset voltages entering their often single CV inputs. 

So the 156 was developed to do this.

In the later 200 series Buchla added CV processors into modules like the 258 VCO. (see pics below)

As Buchla evolved, new CV processor modules were invented such as the 256, 257 & the Verbos 254v but the 156 is the grand daddy of them all.

The module consists of two independent CV processors.... left (A) & right (B).

Left CV processor (A)

The left CV processor has two inputs. They feed into a mixer (bottom knob) .

The centre knob (offset) adds a + voltage

offset to the input (0V-15V range). 

If you are using this in a 200 system the voltages will probably be in the range of 0-10V.

The top knob mixes between the external signals and the internal voltage offset . 

The output is at the top 

Right CV processor (B)

The right processor is similar to the left one except it has one inverting input. 

Buchla 158 & 144 VCOs

 didn't have many CV inputs so the 156 was useful in manipulating CV voltages from keyboards and sequencers before they touched the VCO.

The 258 incorporated CV processing circuits into the module.

other Buchla CV processors:

+ 254v (buchla format)

+ 256 Dual Voltage Adder

+ 257  Control Voltage processor

Gagguino - adding scales

 

.

D2 = orange

5V = yellow

GND = white

CLK = red

5V = Black

ARP 2600 1st patches

Basic AR patch.

We will use the AR envelope generator button to trigger a sound.

This patch is useful for getting a basic sound out of your ARP 2600 if you don't have a keyboard.

Everything is zeroed.

OSC 1 is the only sound source

Open up the filter.

Res = 0

The AR envelope has a instant attack and quick decay.

Sound passes from VCO1 > filter > VCA

You can develop the sound by slowly adding VCOs to the filter input & tweaking 

gaggimate - initial wi-fi setup.

 I'm so happy I finally managed to connect the gaggimate to my wifi

I'm not a network engineer but maybe this will help someone (with plain language)

understand basic wi-fi networking.

I think this basic knowledge is necessary.

The gaggimate PCB uses  a ESP32-S3 N8R8 microcontroller and has connected to this 

a 2.1-inch display.

The ESP32-S3 N8R8 microcontroller.

The ESP32-S3-N8R8 has Wi-Fi connectivity. It is based on the ESP32-S3 chip, which includes integrated 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5 (LE). The N8R8 designation refers to the amount of Flash and PSRAM memory available on the module, specifically 8MB of Flash and 8MB of PSRAM

This PCB ESP32 handles sensors, relays, and control logic.

The 2.1 inch display

The 2.1" LilyGo screen.

The main control chip adopts the ESP32-S3R8 Tensilica Xtensa Dual-Core LX7 Microprocessor. This chip supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 5.

Programming Platform Arduino-ide, VS Code

The LilyGO ESP32 is often used mainly as the display/secondary interface.

Wi-Fi can be handled by either, depending on how the firmware was configured

Both the PCB board and the LilyGo screen have a ESP32-S3 microcontroller, 

Check the IP/device list in your router.

If you see one ESP32 device, that’s the one doing Wi-Fi.

Verbos 254v (buchla format)

 This is essentially two Buchla 257 modules in one.....

 with an additional CV in. 

Great for smaller systems where in one panel space 

it can do most of the scaling , 

adding and modifying of voltages you would ever need. 

Each section has 4 inputs.

Input 1/2:  Inverts/attenuates and scales voltages 

                 from the input .... allows for -12 to zero 

                 to +12V control of whatever is plugged 

                 into the jack

Input 3/4 : The voltages can be crossfaded with 

                  the knob or a CV at the banana input 

                  between.

 V(Offset):  Adds a DC offset to the final output.

                   The offset knob's range of output is

                   -12 to +12V

                   (12'oclock is 0V if nothing is plugged 

                    into any inputs)

                   

Comparison NST vs EVN

 We’ll compare:

Northern Star Resources (NST)

Evolution Mining (EVN)

…and focus specifically on the balance sheet (financial strength)

Assets = Liabilities + Equity

📊 Side-by-side (simplified balance sheet view)

Metric	NST (approx)	EVN (FY2025 actual)
Total Assets	~$20.4B	~$9.6B
Total Liabilities	~$5.5B	~$4.7B
Equity	~$14.9B	~$5.0B
Current Ratio	~1.8x	~1.5–1.6x
Debt (relative)	Low	Moderate
Scale	Very large	Mid-large

-------------------

🔍 1. Who is financially “safer”?

👉 NST wins here

• Lower leverage (debt vs earnings ~0.2–0.4x)
• EVN higher (~0.6–0.9x)

🧠 Translation:

• NST has more buffer if things go wrong
• EVN uses more debt to grow

👉 Think:

• NST = conservative
• EVN = slightly more aggressive 

--------------------------

🔍 2. Liquidity (short-term survival)

Both are solid:

• NST: ~1.8x
• EVN: ~1.5x+

✅ Both can comfortably pay short-term bills

👉 No red flags for either

-------------------------------

🔍 3. Balance sheet size (this matters more than you think)

• NST assets: ~$20B
• EVN assets: ~$9.6B

👉 NST is more than 2x bigger

🧠 Why this matters:

• More mines → more diversification
• Less risk if one operation fails

👉 NST is structurally more resilient

-----------------------

🔍 4. Quality of balance sheet (this is subtle but important)

Here’s where it gets interesting:

🟢 NST

• Huge asset base (Super Pit etc.)
• Strong equity buffer
• Lower debt

👉 Feels like a “fortress balance sheet”

---

🟡 EVN

• Smaller but still strong
• Uses more debt strategically
• Very strong cash generation recently

👉 Feels like:

“Efficient operator using capital more aggressively”

-----------------

🔍 5. The BIG philosophical difference

This is the key insight most beginners miss:

🟢 NST strategy

• Scale
• Lower risk
• Strong balance sheet
• Massive production base

👉 “Big, stable, dominant”

---

🟡 EVN strategy

• Higher margins (often better profitability)
• More disciplined capital allocation
• Slightly more leverage

👉 “Smaller, sharper, more efficient”

---------------

---

⚖️ Core equation (applies to both)

$Assets = Liabilities + Equity$

But what differs is how they structure the right-hand side:

• NST → more equity, less debt
• EVN → relatively more debt, higher returns focus

----------

🏆 So… which balance sheet is better?

🥇 For safety → NST

• Lower debt
• Bigger asset base
• More resilient

👉 If gold price drops or operations fail → NST safer

---

🥇 For efficiency/returns → EVN

• Better margins historically
• Strong capital discipline
• Uses debt to boost returns

👉 If things go well → EVN can outperform

--------------

💡 The simple takeaway (this is the gold nugget)

When you compare them on CommSec:

👉 NST = stronger balance sheet
👉 EVN = potentially higher-return operator

---

🧭 How YOU should think about it

When you open these on CommSec, ask:

• Do I want:
  • 🛡️ Safety & scale? → lean NST
  • ⚡ Efficiency & upside? → lean EVN

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Moog modular - Friday night Jam

 A impromptu jam last might. 

My mate Ed and I decided to play with the old Moog.

This hasn't been used in a while so it was good to see most things worked.

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The old VCOs drifted a lot so it was a battle to keep things in tune.

This is the old moog:

Who's the girl (playing that 1960ish Moog Modular)?

Above are some Synthesizer.com sequencers / modules

and other misc 5U modules

Patch notes:

The two 960 sequencers are synced.

The right is the master.

They control various filters, VCAs etc of Moog 

I'm using one sequential switch to add variation to the sequences

Its triggered from the 1st 960 and the Klee 

-------------------------

Two Q960 sequencers can be synchronized or used independently to create complex sequences. They can be patched together to create longer sequences, or one can be used to modulate parameters of the other. 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

1. Synchronization: 

To run two Q960 sequencers at the same speed, the clock output of the first sequencer can be patched into the shift input of the second.

Ie; Use the osc of the 1st sequencer to shift the osc of the second sequencer.

To create a slower tempo on the second sequencer, you can use a clock divider (like the Q962) to reduce the clock speed before patching it into the second sequencer.

2. Creating Longer Sequences:

By patching the step output trigger from the first sequencer into the shift input of the second, you can create sequences that are multiples of the original length. 

For example, chaining two 8-step sequencers in this way can create a 16-step sequence, or even a 24-step sequence by using the three rows of the Q960 

3. Independent Use and Modulation:

One Q960 can be used to transpose the sequence of the other, by patching the first sequencer's step output to the second sequencer's shift input and using its CV output. 

You can also use one sequencer's CV output as a modulation source for another, controlling parameters like filter cutoff or VCA. 

One sequencer can control the gate of another to create rests or shorter phrases within a longer sequence. 

4. Additional Tips:

The Q960 has a reset input, and the reset can be triggered at any point in the sequence, allowing for complex rhythmic patterns. 

The Q962 sequential switch can be used for various purposes, including dividing the clock, muting sounds, and controlling the sequence direction.