Thursday, 19 October 2017

Doepfer Module A-188-1

Still on the search for the perfect Bucket Brigade Device module.
I just purchased these two on Ebay.
The A-188  series of Doepfer Eurorack modules are great value. They use the Panasonic BBD chips and as always with Doepfer, the build quality is excellent.

The A-188-1 X uses a MN3009. Its a 256 stage IC. These are getting hard to find.

The A-188-1 Y uses a 512stage BBD.




This module happens to be using a newer Panasonic MN3204 IC. These 32xx ICs are lower voltage than their 30xx cousins.

You can read the manual here:
http://www.doepfer.de/A1881.htm


Singapore - Marina Bay Sands

I don't normally write about hotels but this one is pretty special.
Even if you don't stay here, the view from the observation deck is jaw dropping.
 Best to get there a hour or so before sunset and just watch the skyline change.
The 3 main buildings are united on the top with a platform which comprises the observation deck of the left .. open to the public and the closed section with infinity pool on the right.

 I was quite amazed with the architecture of Singapore. But more of that in a later post.













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Click here for more travel postcards

Wednesday, 18 October 2017

Studio for electronic music -Google Doodle

It's 66 years since the foundation of "The Studio for Electronic Music".
Google celebrated this milestone with a Google Doodle.
 The doodle is created by Berlin-based illustrator Henning Wagenbreth.

The studio was established in the old WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) building in Cologne on the 18th Oct, 1951. The WDR was a West German Broardcaster. Though closed in 2000, it is now regarded as the first modern Electronic Music Studio.

To put this in context, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop was founded in 1958 and the San Francisco Tape Music Center was founded in 1962. The score for the film Forbidden Planet, by Louis and Bebe Barron was composed in 1956. They used custom built electronic circuits and tape recorders.

 By © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15666361

In these early post war days the only organisations that could afford complicated and expensive electronic equipment were national broardcasters like the BBC and WDR or universities like Colombia in the USA. These were often set up for nationistic reasons or to help in production of TV shows like Dr Who (in the case of the BBC). Before the advent of smaller & cheaper modular synthesizers, electronic musicians were heavily reliant on these institutions.

The composers Werner Meyer-Eppler, Robert Beyer, and Herbert Eimert were instrumental the foundation of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) studio. The studio welcomed musicians from all over the world including including Ernst Krenek (Austria/USA), Cornelius Cardew (England) and Nam June Paik (Korea). Karlheinz Stockhausen was one of the studios most famous artistic directors.
.Karlheinz Stockhausen in the Studio for Electronic Music in 1991

The studio was set up around the idea of producing "electronically synthesised sound".
This was in sharp contrast to the "musique concrète" acoustic approach at "Groupe de Recheches Musicales" in Paris.

Heath Ag-10 Sine & Square wave generator.

Bruel & Kjaer - Beat Frequency Oscillator





Eimert was officially succeeded as director of the studio by Karlheinz Stockhausen in 1963.


Other instruments used in the studio included some from the following manufacturers:
ARP, Buchla, EMS, Hamond (organ?), Korg, Moog, Oberheim, Roland, Sequential Circuits and Yamaha.
I have read they they had a Ondes Martenot, an early Thermin, a Trautonium and a Telharmonium, but i can't confirm this. If you have any info regarding this please let me know.



Links:

Monday, 16 October 2017

Electro-Harmonix Time line.

I have started building a collection of EHX pedals. It's a great company with an illustrious history.
This is a brief timeline of their products.
It's by no means the most extensive list but I hope it can grow over the coming years and be useful
to anyone wanting to discover their drums, pedal, stompboxes and circuits.
Please let me know if there are any mistakes or omissions.

1967/68
++The company was founded by Mike Matthews in NYC.
++The Axis fuzz pedal (Guild Guitar Company)
++Foxey Lady Pedal (Guild Guitar Company)

1969
++LPB-1 Linear Power Booster.
++Big Muff Pi (First edition on perf board)
++Treble Booster  - Screaming Bird
++Bass Booster - Mole
++Muff Fuzz (EH2008 and 2009)

1970
++Electro Harmonix “triangle” Big Muff  . Version 1
    These date from 1969 to 1973. (EH3003)
    My build of one of these on perfboard is here .
++ Foxey Lady V4. Three knob version. 
     A rebranded Big Muff V1 made by Electro-Harmonix for Guild.

1971
++ Little Muff Pi (EH-1008).
     This transistor version was replaced with an op-amp version in 1975-76. 

1972
++EH Freedom Amplifier 
++Little Muff Pi (EH-1008)

1973
++Electro Harmonix “ram’s head” Big Muff  (Version 2)
    (1973-77) EH-3003, the "Face Model"
++ Foxey Lady V5

1974
++Small Stone Phaser - created by David Cockerell of EMS.(1974/75)
++CryingTone Pedal (Wah pedal) '74 chassis.
++ Knockout Attack EQ, model # EH-3004 

1975
++Little Big Muff Pi  (EH1009) (1975/76)
++ Bad Stone phase shifter. Produced in both two-knob and three-knob configuration.
     The three-knob version is more highly sought. Years of Production: 1975 - 1981

1976
++Electro Harmonix Big Muff (transistor and op-amp) 
++Electric Mistress (a stereo flanger)
++Deluxe Electric Mistress
++ Memory Man
++Deluxe Memory Man
++Rhythm-12 Drum Machine 
++Attack Equalizer ( 3-band rotary EQ)
++Little Muff Pi Op-amp version of 1971 Little Muff Pi.
++Little Big Muff Pi (EH-1009, EHSP1). One knob version of the Big Muff V3 

1977
++ Big Muff Version 3. EH-3003, the "Face Model" in new red/black graphics w/ ON/OFF switch. All units from here on use Version 3 graphics. (1977 to 1978).
++Big Muff Version 4.(1977 to 1978).
    EH-3003/EH-1322, the first op-amp version w/ ON/OFF power switch.
++Crying Tone Pedal ('77 Chassis)
++Mike Matthews Dirt Road Special, EH-7050/1313 (AMP) 
++ EH-8000 Guitar Synthesizer ‘77-78 
++ Hogs Foot Bass Booster 

1978
++ Big Muff Version 5. (1978 to 1980)
     EH-1322/EH-3003, op-amp version w/ TONE BYPASS switch instead of "OFF ON".
++ Deluxe Big Muff Pi (EH-1330 & EH-3053/3054)
++ Deluxe Electric Mistress EH1318A
++Slapback Echo (Used ReticonSAD1040) EH1315
++Stereo Slapback Echo.
++DRM-16 (DRM = Digital Rhythm Matrix), EH-7450
++Domino Theory  
++Little Big Muff Pi (EH-1322 V4/5 circuit). Op Amp version.
LBM EH-1322
 
1979
++Full Double Tracking Effect (used Panasonic MN3005) 
++Crying Tone Pedal ('79 chassis)
++DRM-15  (EH-7451) (DRUM)
++3-Phase Liner  
++ Space Drum - ‘79 
++ Little Big Muff . EH3034 transistor version  
++ Muff Fuzz. Op-amp version 
++ Deluxe Electric Mistress Version 2 ...EH 5150
 

1980
++ Big Muff Version 6 (1980 to 1983)
     EH-3003/EH-3034. Changed back to transistor circuit w/ TONE BYPASS switch.
++ Deluxe Big Muff Pi (EH-3053 and 3054A, B, and C)
++RTG - Random Tone Generator
++DRM-32 (EH-7460). (Drum)
++ Crash Pad (drum)
++ Sequencer Drum
++ Clockworks
++ 2 second Digital delay

1981
Super Space Drum II -'81 (not sure this was ever produced) 

1982 
16 second Delay 
64 second Digital Looping Recorder
EHX declared bankrupt

1984
Matthews launches New Sensor Corp., a new USSR-based company

1990
++Sovtek starts production of EHX pedals in Russia 
++Mike Matthews' Red Army Overdrive.
++Sovtek Big Muff Pi (V1) (Green-gold paint)
++Sovtek “Civil War” Big Muff Pi V7 (Blue Gray Paint). A rebranded Red Army
    Overdrive. Commonly referred to as the 'Civil War' Big Muff for the 
    blue and gray US Civil War colours used.
    
1994
++Sovtek “Green Russian” Big Muff Pi  V7.
    A.K.A - Bubble Font and Tall Font Big Muffs. (c1994-2000)

++Sovtek prototype Electric Mistress (only 5 made). 

1995
++ Sovtek Green Russian Big Muff Pi V7.
     Bubble font version. Slightly different circuit to the tall font version.

1998
++Sovtek “Black Russian” Big Muff Pi  V7D.
c1998 to 2000. Identical circuit to the green Russian. 

1999
 ++ Sovtek Black Russian. Big Muff Pi V8 (c1999 to 2009)
      Small box version. Slightly different circuit than the previous edition. 
      I think the pic below is a 2004 version 8,


2000
++Electro Harmonix Pi NYC reissue V9. (2000 to present)
     EC3003 (2000), EC3003A (2000), EC3003B (2007), EC3003C (2008), 
     EC3003D (?),    EC3003E (2013)
    
2001
++Mogwai Big Muff Pi V9. "ROCK ACTION"
    A special branded stock USA reissue BMP made in a limited run for the band Mogwai.
++Double Muff. Two 1969 Muff Fuzz circuits in one box. Discontinued in 2008.
 
2005
POG (Polyphonic Octave Generator)

2006 
++Little Big Muff Pi V10 "XO". Three knob nano sized Big Muff. 
     2006 to present.  PCB Numbers: EC-D1, EC-D2, EC-D2 Revs A - E, EC-D3

2007
++ Big Muff Pi USA reissue V9. Circuit revision B.
++Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai’s

2008
++Big Muff Pi USA reissue V9 .Circuit revision C.
++Bass Big Muff V11. This replaced the Russian made Big Muffs.
    The BBM was based on the green Russian Big Muffs and the original 1970s Big Muffs.
    Circuit board is populated with SMD components.
    Transistors are BC547C which were used in the last black Russian Big Muffs. 
++Nano Muff Overdrive. Reissue of the 1969 Muff Fuzz/Little Muff Pi.  
 
2009
++Tone Wicker Big Muff Pi V12
     2009 to present.
++POG 2

2010
++Germanium 4 Big Muff Pi V13. This is a fuzz pedal and overdrive combo.
++Nano Double Muff.

2013
++Deluxe Bass Big Muff. Version 11A

2014
++ Nano Bass Big Muff Pi, Version 11B.
++ Nano Big Muff Pi. Version 10A .

++ Deluxe Big Muff Pi. Version 10B. 

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Dating EHX Pedals etc
The vintage EH pedals, all have codes stamped on the underside of the potentiometer.
 EHX often used CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply) brand cans, or “pots”.

The first three numbers are a code identifying the manufacturer : CTS.
The next two numbers are the year
The last two numbers are the week of the year they were made.

So a pot stamped 1377615 was made in the 15th week of 1976. Note that this does not mean a pedal with a 1976 pot was actually made in 1976, it just means it was not made any earlier than 1976.
The pedal could have been made months or years or more after the pots were made.
Russian pedals & pots on USA made pedals from around 1999 do not have date codes.
------------------------------------------
Links
EHX
Wikipedia
Reverb - a brief history of EHX pedals
Pro Guitar shop
Gilmorish
Kitrae
EH Man's Extravaganza
My Big Muff build notes


Sunday, 15 October 2017

EHX - Deluxe Electric Mistress - Version 1 - EH 1318A

A very early Electrix Mistress, deluxe.
I think this dates from 1978.

This uses the SAD 1024 Bucket Brigade chip.
The marking in pencil is a reference to a later version ? Version 2 or 3 used the EH 5150 PCB.

The EHX Delux mistress is a early flanger.

Flangers have been around for ages .. since the 1940/50s.
Les Paul in 1945 ??
They originally used two tape recorders ... one running slightly out of sync / slower than the other.
From what I've read, the first flanger using an bucket brigade delay ICs was the Eventide instant flanger FL201 in 1976 This beauty had CV controls that allowed modulation of the effects using modular synths.
The  Eventide used two Panasonic MN3001s clocked at 2.7 MHz.

Eventide today make a software version of this classic rack effects unit.


The PCB is labelled EH1318 A which makes it a Version 1 from 1978.
Notice the curled knob with pointer.
The IC's are: 1x LM78L, 1x 4558, 1x SAD1024A, 1x LM324, 1x LM311N, 1x 4013BE
with one transistor ... a 2N5087.





Links:
 + Metzgerralf - V1 pics
 + How the Flanger works - detailed
 + Reverb - Eventide FL201


Saturday, 14 October 2017

Cairns to Darwin - Bus trip - (CAPE CRAWFORD TO Darwin) - Day 4

 DAY 4 - CAPE CRAWFORD TO KATHERINE


 


* Historic Daly Waters
* Bitter Springs for a swim at this significant Aboriginal site
* Adelaide River
* Arrive Darwin for end of tour dinner

...
 
 Daly Waters
....



Elsey Station Cemetry... just 300m from the homestead

Elsey Station, ninety kilometres south of Katherine

Jeannie Gunn OBE, 'The Little Missus', born on 5 June 1870, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, died 9 June 1961. She was buried at Melbourne. 

I just finished the book after returning home. It's a great backround to the trip. Attitudes have certainly changed. Earlier editions recount the "nigger hunts" carried out by the men of Elsey Station. A shameful period ... but they did happen. In 2000, the Mangarayi people received the title deeds to Elsey Station - their traditional home.

The Elsey homestead


The Kitchen of Cheon the Cook.

Floating around in the warm Bitter Springs in the Elsey National Park, near Mataranka, NT.