Saturday, 14 September 2019

ARP 2500 - modular jamming 070919

Some more jamming on the old arp.


Vitals on the keys


Just playing around with ideas for a future track.



Video is just from a mobile phone


Modular Jamming 070919 - buchla 100

My friend Mitch (Vitals) visited the other day.
Had some fun jamming with the old gear.

Nothing polished ... working with ideas... hopefully one day something from here will find its way onto an album

 Mainly Buchla 100 .. mixing vintage & new



The audio is just from a mobile phone (sorry)



Friday, 13 September 2019

1/n - NLC Build pics

Some build pics as I put together this module.
The 1/n by NonlinearCircuits is a eurorack format module.
It's a clock divider.
Andrew says this circuit is straight out of the Lunetta playbook.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V9qerry_PsXTZqt_UDx7C-wcuMe_6_gyy6M_MyAgQoA/edit


These pics aren't official ... just my personal notes to help with troubleshooting.
The official build notes are here:
+ Official build notes
Andrew's old blog documents this here:

+ NLC blog

It's wafer thin :-)


 
One of my favourite Monty Python movies

 sOME  pre soldering pics

The 1/n is similar to the divide & conquer module
The main difference, is that you can program your own clock divisions.
You do this by patching.


The NLC 1/n is simply a CMOS 4018 with buffers on all of its inputs and outputs, along with a 4081 to enable further divisions.
The CD4018 is a presettable divide by n counter.
 J1 to J5 on the module refer to JAM 1 to 5 on the IC
CLOCK, RESET, DATA and PRESET are your inputs that enable you to program divisions.
The CD 4018 allows you to divide by 10, 8, 6, 4, or 2..... this is done by feeding Q5, Q4, Q3, Q2, Q1 back into the DATA input.

For interest sake, a CD 4011 should also be able to enable further divisions
Andrew has added a CD4081 to enable further divisions.

A high signal on the RESET will clear the counter to an all zero condition.
A high signal on the PRESET ENABLE input causes the JAM inputs to preset the counter.


i LIKE to put the ICs in first.










jACKS in first.
Line up everything.



tHE shrink wrap is to prevent shorts between the LEDs and jacks.






Nice !

How to use this
The module can be patched to supply a division of the clock signal. 

To do simple clock divisions
 1. patch a gate into CLK (eg a LFO) and select a desired division from the right side column.
    (numbers 4 to 10)... these can be used to trigger external modules ... EGs or drums etc.

To do more complex clock divisions:
1. patch a gate into CLK and select a desired division from the right side column.
    (numbers 4 to 10)
2. patch this into IN. The /4 is pre-patched to the IN jack via internal switching.
3. The 1/n jack is your programmed clock output (the divided clock signal)

Using the JAM & PRE-SET inputs
The J1-J5 (jam) and the PRE EN (preset enable) inputs, enable greater variation in your clock divisions.
1. Patch various signals to J1-J5 (jam)
2. Patch a signal to send PRE EN (preset enable) high.
    This will rest the count to whatever jam inputs are high at the time.
    Something like a Pico RND (erica Synths) or the NLC 2xLFO is good for this.
3. Patch signals into the RESET & IN for even more  interesting patterns

    "This is a good way to develop complex gate patterns but is also very interesting at audio rates too.
     When used at audio rates, the 8 output signals from the right column will all be related
     to each other but different. It is possible to get many interesting effects using this
     module as an audio processor." (NLC build notes)



Links:
+ NLC blog
+ Official build notes
+ CGS 36 - Ken Stone's Pulse divider


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You can find more NLC builds here.
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Thursday, 12 September 2019

LED Wiring

Some very basic info re LEDs
Light Emitting Diode orientation.
The earliest LEDs seem to have appeared around 1962
Before this there were incandescent lamps (you will see these used on early Buchla 100 modules... eg the 123 sequencer)

Anode - positive, long lead
Cathode - flat side, short lead


Note: If there is no flat side marked on the PCB use a multimeter to find the ground.
Usually, the ground is the round pad = .cathode (though I have seen the reverse being used).

In my experience, LEDs usually follow the same convention as used in electro caps.
Most aluminum caps come with the positive lead longer than the negative and when inserting them I aim the longer lead for the square hole.

So with LEDs, usually this holds:
The square pad represents POSITIVE
The round pad represents NEGATIVE

But, to be sure, use your multimeter to locate ground which connects with the cathode.
------------------

Multi colour LEDS


Bi-polar LEDs

These are two colour LEDs
Actually, there are two LEDs in the one case connected to the same two leads
Current flowing in one direction emits one color, and current flowing in the opposite direction emits the other color.

You will probably see these used a lot in synths.
Like regular LEDs, they have just 2 pins : Anode & Cathode
but they also allow two colours (red & green for example) .
Only one colour will appear at a time.... this is determined by the polarity of the connection.

This feature is very useful if you are trying to identify the polarity of a voltage 

I used this type of LED when building the NLC sloth.

The most common colours are red/traditional green, however, other colours include amber/green, red/green, red/blue, and blue/green.

Tri- colour LEDs

 

LED's that provide three or more colours can have two, three or four pins allowing for a wide range of mixed colours. Some have a common Cathode. With other types, the anode is common.
There some types with only 2 leads (anode + Cathode) ....  here, the colour is determined with a built in electronic controller.





Two LED Tri-colour
These have 3 pins but contain just 2 LEDs (red & green) in the one package.
When both the red and green LEDs are turned on, the LED appears to be yellow.
 

The common cathode is the centre leg, which is where the resistor should be fitted.
The outer leads are both anodes. .... allowing the LEDs to be lit separately
Green is the shorter leg.

 RGB LEDs
These contain one green, one red and one blue LED in the single package.
They however have 4 Leads with a common cathode (usually).
This allows simultaneous use of all the LEDs. If you illuminate the different LEDs to different levels you can achieve almost any colour.


These are sometimes called multi-colour LEDs since more colours than just RGB can be achieved.

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

The LED Drive circuit

LEDs are current dependent and thus it is necessary to protect them from excessive current with a resistor. You attach the resistor in series (Rs).
To determine the required resistance use this formula:

Rs = (supply voltage - LED voltage)/LED current.

You can usually find the LED voltage from its data sheet.
Eurorack will have a supply voltage of 12V.
You just need to work out the current.

Links:
NLC nonlinearcircuits Sloth


Bahai Hanging Gardens of Haifa - Israel

These are  Terraces of the Bahá'í Faith, also known as the Hanging Gardens of Haifa.


You can see the garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.



 The gardens rest in the neighborhoods of Wadi Nisnas and Hadar HaCarmel.





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For more travel postcards click here:

Manuals

Personal notes & manuals

 

Abelton Live
 
Access Virus
+ Access Virus -The different versions 
Akai

Alesis


Arturia


Buchla
+ MARF
+ 222e
 + 225e
      *My notes re the 225e 
+ 250e
      * My notes on the 250e
+251e
       *  My notes on the 251e
+ 252e
      * Notes on the 252e
+ 261e
       * Notes on the 261e VCO
+ 266e
       * Notes on the 266e
 + 200e Firmware upgrade 

Coffee


Compressors
+ Modular Compressor -using eurorack modules 

Chords/ scales
Basic Chords for synths - C, F, G, A minor.
+ Basic Chord theory - major chords & their progressions



DaFM Synth
+ My notes on the DAFAM

Deluge (Synthstrom Audible)
 + Arranger View - deluge
 + Song View - Basic
 + Isomorphic Keyboard
 + Resampling - How to Record your performance
 + Basic Freeform Looping & Sampling of Audio
 + Precise Looping & Sampling 1 (Metronome)
 + Precise Looping & Sampling 2 - using a recorded drum kit 
 + Clip view - Sampling - adjusting the end point of a loop 
 + Clip View - basic controls 
 + Loading samples - Browse shortcut - waveform view
 + Loading Single Cycle Wave Forms (to use as oscillators) 
 + Kit section - drums
 + Deluge Scales
 + Effects - Chorus Flanger Phaser (Mod FX)
 + Effects - Filters & EQ
 + Effects - Distortion 
 + Effects - Reverb
 + Effects - DELAy
 + Parameter Automation
 + Sound design - making acid /303 sounds
 + Sound design - Grid shortcuts
 + Deluge - factory reset 

Elektron
  + Digitakt & Korg Volca FM - patch notes sending / receiving CC messages


 Eurorack
+ Endorphin.es
        + Shuttle Control  
+ Expert Sleepers 
        + Expert Sleepers - FH-1 - MIDI Note On/off 


+ Fairlight


GenoQs Octopus
 
Herbs & Stone
+ Liquid foam - instructions (personal)
 
Keith McMillen
 
Kenton

MakeNoise - 0-Coast/Control
 
 
 MaxMSP
 
 
Misc
+ Philosophy index 


Moog General

Moog - Mother 32/ DFAM/ SubHarmonicon
+ Moog Mother 32 - set up mode - assignable output, midi channel, tempo input settings
+ Moog sub harm & DFAM 10 ..... live jam with patch notes


Moog Modular
+ 901 VCO


Oberheim
 
Philosophy
+ Philosophy index

Pioneer
 +Toraz Squid
        + 1. The different modes
        + 2. Randomiser
        + 3. Projects 
        + 5. Pattern Set - Song Mode
 
        + Linn Drum - Cooper Midi 
 
PolyEnd
 
 
Polyfusion


Python 
+ Python for beginners
+ Python for Beginners 2


Roland

+ All my Roland Synth pages can be found here


Snazzy Effects
 
Synton (Fenix)
 
Teenage Engineering
    OP-Z
   KO II
 
XOR



Zoom

Monday, 9 September 2019

Roland CR-78 CompuRhythm - Repair pics

Some repair pics of a Roland drum ..the  CR 78



Just 4 screws need to be removed from the base if you want to open her up.

The drum has been in storage for many years ... in mint condition ... at least externally.


However, it looks like the battery has leaked.


Hopefully, the damage will be easily repaired.

tHIS  is the underside of the drum:






Links:
+ Synth Peter - replacing battery
+ Synth Peter - repairing a Cr 78