The Korg mini & Arturia micro are small in name but not in nature.
I have plenty of synths to play with but i keep coming back to these.
Sounds are all from the Korg.. The Arturia Beatstep is sequencing while the Microbrute is providing CV modulation via its patch matrix.
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Sabah - Malaysia
Sabah is one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is its
easternmost state. It is located on the northern portion of the island
of Borneo.
It's still very wild which is the reason for my visit (along with the great food).
Malaysia is the country of my birth.
Leave those synths at home and return to nature.
This is a Sabah Longhouse. It's a great way to experience the traditional Malaysian Borneo rainforest lifestyle.
Longhouses represent some of the earliest form of permanent structure in many cultures. Types include the Neolithic long house of Europe, the stone Medieval Dartmoor longhouse which also housed livestock.
This is a Rungus longhouse, where each family have their own separate quarters off a common hall.
The start of our hike through the jungle in Borneo. Cool bridge. This place was once the domain of the Iban tribes who once practiced head hunting.
It's still very wild which is the reason for my visit (along with the great food).
Malaysia is the country of my birth.
Leave those synths at home and return to nature.
This is a Sabah Longhouse. It's a great way to experience the traditional Malaysian Borneo rainforest lifestyle.
Longhouses represent some of the earliest form of permanent structure in many cultures. Types include the Neolithic long house of Europe, the stone Medieval Dartmoor longhouse which also housed livestock.
This is a Rungus longhouse, where each family have their own separate quarters off a common hall.
The start of our hike through the jungle in Borneo. Cool bridge. This place was once the domain of the Iban tribes who once practiced head hunting.
Friday, 1 August 2014
TTSH Synth - Two Thousand Six Hundred - 4020 ADSR (DIY)
The envelope generator build of the TTSH synthesizer.
This is part 8 of my TTSH (Two thousand six hundred) build which is an ARP 2600 clone synth.
You can see my full build thread HERE
There are two awesome TTSH threads in Muffs.
2600 clone - Two Thousand Six Hundred (TTSH)
and
Two Thousand Six Hundred (TTSH) Project General Build Thread
And of course the official build thread is here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ARP 2600 has two envelope generators: an AR & ADSR.
Trying to match up the TTSH BOM with the old schematics of the 4020.... they are pretty close.
(I've read there were some (intentional?) errors in the 4020 schematic... might be just a rumor though).
The TTSH BOM of Integrated circuits & semiconductors is:
1N4148 x 8 (CR1-CR8)
2N3904 x 1 ???
2N3906 x 3 (Q1,Q5)
2N4392 x 1 (Q3)
2N5172 x 3 (Q2,Q6,Q7,Q8)
2N5460 x 1 (Q4)
LM301 x 1 (A1)
Resistors
This is part 8 of my TTSH (Two thousand six hundred) build which is an ARP 2600 clone synth.
You can see my full build thread HERE
There are two awesome TTSH threads in Muffs.
2600 clone - Two Thousand Six Hundred (TTSH)
and
Two Thousand Six Hundred (TTSH) Project General Build Thread
And of course the official build thread is here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ARP 2600 has two envelope generators: an AR & ADSR.
The EG section of the TTSH faceplate.
Vintage 2600s use a 4020 submodule in the ADSR section.
The TTSH synth has this built into the main PCB.
These are pics of a vintage 4020 submodule from an old 2600
(I've read there were some (intentional?) errors in the 4020 schematic... might be just a rumor though).
The TTSH BOM of Integrated circuits & semiconductors is:
1N4148 x 8 (CR1-CR8)
2N3904 x 1 ???
2N3906 x 3 (Q1,Q5)
2N4392 x 1 (Q3)
2N5172 x 3 (Q2,Q6,Q7,Q8)
2N5460 x 1 (Q4)
LM301 x 1 (A1)
Resistors
- 120 x 1 (R20)
- 1k x 1 (R12)
- 1k5 x 1 (R24)
- 4k7 x 1 (R15)
- 9k1 x 1 ??
- 10k x 2 (R7 & ?)
- 12k x 1 (R23)
- 15k x 1 (R5)
- 22k x 1 (R2)
- 33k x 1 (R8)
- 39k x 1
- 40k2 x 1 (R11)
- 68k x 2 (R17 - 19)
- 68k1 x 1 (R13)
- 100k x 2 (R14 & ?)
- 120k x 1 (R10)
- 180k x 2 (R4,R22)
- 270k x 1 (R1)
- 470k x 1 (R18)
- 1M x 2 (R6,R9)
- 1M2 x 1 (R3)
A work of art.
Maybe the envelopes on the 2600 could be improved ???
Without modifications, their maximum Attack, Decay and Release times are short (esp the attack ---> 1.5 seconds on mine). The Decay & Release were about 10 secs. This could be a good place to start future modifications.
Phil Cirocco of Discrete Synthesizer offers EG upgrades to 2600s.
He describes the ADSR in a stock 2600 as "quick".
His upgrade looks cool:
"ADSR: The ADSR is quick in a stock 2600. The 3 position switch we install gives you a x1(factory speed), a x2 and a x3 speed, providing much longer times previously unavailable on a 2600.
AR: Conversely, the AR generator in a 2600 is quite sluggish in certain situations. This mod now includes an upgrade of the AR circuit. In addition to the normal X1 mode, the high quality 3 position switch provides a new high speed mode for sharper attacks, as well as a X2 mode for longer attack and release times."
Without modifications, their maximum Attack, Decay and Release times are short (esp the attack ---> 1.5 seconds on mine). The Decay & Release were about 10 secs. This could be a good place to start future modifications.
Phil Cirocco of Discrete Synthesizer offers EG upgrades to 2600s.
He describes the ADSR in a stock 2600 as "quick".
His upgrade looks cool:
"ADSR: The ADSR is quick in a stock 2600. The 3 position switch we install gives you a x1(factory speed), a x2 and a x3 speed, providing much longer times previously unavailable on a 2600.
AR: Conversely, the AR generator in a 2600 is quite sluggish in certain situations. This mod now includes an upgrade of the AR circuit. In addition to the normal X1 mode, the high quality 3 position switch provides a new high speed mode for sharper attacks, as well as a X2 mode for longer attack and release times."
Anyway, below are pics of the TTSH (envelope section) PCBs before population with most of the components:
The rear PCB.
The front PCB.
For now, I'll build the EG section to TTSH specs.
Resistors & diodes first as usual.
Caps next. The TTSH schematic uses a 30pF cap here in The AR section.
However the BOM specifies the 33pF cap from Mouser..
Hopefully it won't make too much difference.

The 2N5460 is a P-channel JFET.designed primarily for low level audio and general purpose applications with high impedance signal sources. In the TTSH it's used in the AR envelope section.
It was also used in the early ARP2500 1004 VCO module.
AR section. Two 1M sliders & the SPST Off(On) Pushbutton Switch.
The 2N4392
N-Channel JFET used in the ADSR section.It's identical to the JFET used on my original 4020 module.

The Decay slider in the ADSR is 100K linear. The rest are 1M Audio.
All components are in. Ready to test.

The It was also used in the early ARP2500 1004 VCO module.
AR section. Two 1M sliders & the SPST Off(On) Pushbutton Switch.
The 2N4392
N-Channel JFET used in the ADSR section.It's identical to the JFET used on my original 4020 module.

The Decay slider in the ADSR is 100K linear. The rest are 1M Audio.
All components are in. Ready to test.
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Native Instruments Master Class - Pro Sound & Lighting
This Native Instruments Master Class was held on the night of Wed the 30th July at Pro Sound & Lighting Studio in Wollongong, Australia.
Thanks to Claude of Pro Sound & Lighting and Mike from CMI Music & Audio for organizing this event.
Thanks to Claude of Pro Sound & Lighting and Mike from CMI Music & Audio for organizing this event.
It was a great chance to trial out some of the latest gear that NI (Native Instruments) had on offer.
I was particularly interested in checking out the new MASCHINE STUDIO & TRAKTOR KONTROL S4
DJ Kuya demoed both the Maschine & the S4.
He is a 3x DMC Victorian Champion, 1x Australian ITF Champion!!
:-)
DJ Kuya explaining the Maschine & Traktor setup
Maschine looks like it's a solid host for VST/AU plug-ins and effects.
It's basically a hardware sequencer that hosts soft synths.
Machine Mikro
Machine Studio (Pro version). 1 midi in & 3 midi out....so you can drive
external synths or drum machines and even sync Maschine to external MIDI
clock sources while at the same time being able to assess your arsenal of VSTs, plug ins & soft synths.
Machine Studio - smaller than the Pro version. I think it would be great for live performance.
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
TTSH Synthesizer - Two Thousand Six Hundred - 4012 Filter (DIY)
The filter build of the TTSH synthesizer.
This is part 7 of my TTSH (Two thousand six hundred) build which is an ARP 2600 clone synth.
You can see my full build thread HERE
I understand this filter is based around the coveted Model 4012 filter, a four-pole low-pass VCF.
The 4012 filter used a design that closely resembled Moog's ladder-filter. This led to a legal dispute between Moog and ARP which forced ARP to design a new filter for their later models.
All the early ARP 2600 (pre 1977) used this filter. It's one of the reasons why the early Blue Marvins, Grey Meanies, the (pre 1977) 2600s & 2601 v1.0 sounded so good.
The original design uses 8 pairs of matched and thermally coupled TZ-81 and TZ-581 transistor pairs.
There is a Dual FET AD3958, a LM301 Op Amp & temperature compensation via a 1K87 tempco resistor.
The TTSH combines the filter sub-module with the additional main board filter circuitry.
Post 1976, ARP used the model 4072 filter (which was in turn replaced with the ARP 4075 4-pole 24dB low pass filter in the ARP Odyssey Mark 3, Omni and Quadra).
Some pics of the almost virgin PCB first:
This is what the PCB looks like before the transistors:
Some of the trannies need to be matched.
First insert the unmatched transistors:
This is part 7 of my TTSH (Two thousand six hundred) build which is an ARP 2600 clone synth.
You can see my full build thread HERE
I understand this filter is based around the coveted Model 4012 filter, a four-pole low-pass VCF.
The 4012 filter used a design that closely resembled Moog's ladder-filter. This led to a legal dispute between Moog and ARP which forced ARP to design a new filter for their later models.
All the early ARP 2600 (pre 1977) used this filter. It's one of the reasons why the early Blue Marvins, Grey Meanies, the (pre 1977) 2600s & 2601 v1.0 sounded so good.
The original design uses 8 pairs of matched and thermally coupled TZ-81 and TZ-581 transistor pairs.
There is a Dual FET AD3958, a LM301 Op Amp & temperature compensation via a 1K87 tempco resistor.
The TTSH combines the filter sub-module with the additional main board filter circuitry.
Post 1976, ARP used the model 4072 filter (which was in turn replaced with the ARP 4075 4-pole 24dB low pass filter in the ARP Odyssey Mark 3, Omni and Quadra).
Some pics of the almost virgin PCB first:
This is the back of the PCB
And the front section
Resistors & diodes first as usual.
These are Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors MLCC - Leaded 47pF 50V.
The BOM specified 50pF (as does the original 4012 schematic) but the Mouser order number (810-FK28C0G1H470J) shows them as 47pF.
I hope the slight discrepancy won't cause problems.
Caps & headers in.
The original 4012 filter used 8 pairs of matched and thermally coupled TZ-81 and TZ-581 transistor pairs.
The TZ81 was a NPN made by Sprague.The TZ-581 is a PNP trannie
The TZ81 was a NPN made by Sprague.The TZ-581 is a PNP trannie
The TZ-81 is now defunct. The TTSH uses the 2N3904. (its modern equivalent).
The TZ-581 is also defunct. The 2N3906 is a modern equivalent.
This is what the PCB looks like before the transistors:
Some of the trannies need to be matched.
First insert the unmatched transistors:
This is a 2N395. It's a dual JFET
2N395 pinout
Unmatched transistors.
There are lot's of ways to match transistors.
Vbe (base-emitter voltage) Vs Hfe (current gain). ????
And the question of whether its really needed in this case is debatable.
Modern manufacturing tolerances are far tighter than back in the 70s.
Vbe (base-emitter voltage) Vs Hfe (current gain). ????
And the question of whether its really needed in this case is debatable.
Modern manufacturing tolerances are far tighter than back in the 70s.
I'm buying all my transistors in a single order so they should come from a
single manufacturing batch. I guess that matching will only make a difference when your trannies come from several sources.
I'm testing each PCB as I go along & … I'll swap for matched pairs at a later date if I need to.
So far I've not run into any problems, but I found that thermal coupling (thermal compound between the transistors) seems to help.
Anyway, Muffs has a cool thread for DIY Transistor matching if you finally wish to go down this path..
matching transistors - DIY
Vbe (base-emitter voltage) matching is the most common type of matching.
Eg: the famous tester of Dr. Robert Moog.
Moog assumed you have a +/-10V supply. He measured the base to emitter voltage.
You need a volt meter capable of reading to 0.001Volts DC.
(Sadly my VC97 meter only does 2 decimal points. ... time for a new one I think)
MFOS has a great page on how to build transistor matchers.
(MFOS Practical Transistor Matching)
At the moment I'm using a cheap digital multimeter. (Vichy VC97) with a a hFE mode.
(It's useless for Vbe matching).
These are my 3904s sorted in order of hFE
I'm testing each PCB as I go along & … I'll swap for matched pairs at a later date if I need to.
So far I've not run into any problems, but I found that thermal coupling (thermal compound between the transistors) seems to help.
Anyway, Muffs has a cool thread for DIY Transistor matching if you finally wish to go down this path..
matching transistors - DIY
Vbe (base-emitter voltage) matching is the most common type of matching.
Eg: the famous tester of Dr. Robert Moog.
Moog assumed you have a +/-10V supply. He measured the base to emitter voltage.
You need a volt meter capable of reading to 0.001Volts DC.
(Sadly my VC97 meter only does 2 decimal points. ... time for a new one I think)
MFOS has a great page on how to build transistor matchers.
(MFOS Practical Transistor Matching)
At the moment I'm using a cheap digital multimeter. (Vichy VC97) with a a hFE mode.
(It's useless for Vbe matching).
Matching hFE is really easy to do. First define whether your trannie is NPN or PNP,
then insert the emitter, base & collector into the appropriate hole.The DMM calculates the hFE for IB (In fractions of a mA I think). The value will be displayed on the LCD.
IB = base current
IC = collector current
hFE = DC current gain = IC / IB
The hFE varies with the current
draw, the temperature & the applied voltage ... so I guess if we want to be really precise we should measure this all under the circumstances the transistor will see in its working environment.IC = collector current
hFE = DC current gain = IC / IB
These are my 3904s sorted in order of hFE
Same with the 2N3906s
Tempco 1k87 resistor.
The transistor ladder of hFE matched 2N3904s
Trimpots finally.
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