Friday, 23 June 2023

ARP-2600 - Trigger and gate inputs

The vast majority of synths made today have two primary types of control voltages : 
CVs and gates. 

The CV is for pitch & gates are used to fire envelopes.
Most Eurorack modules output a 1V/oct pitch voltage, and a +5V gate. 
Korg and old Yamahas use Hz but that's another story.

When I first bought my 2600 , I exclusively used the S/H gate
jack as my gate input.
This mostly worked as long as I had a +10V gate.
And if you had installed a gate booster you could boost those
pesky Eurorack +5v voltages to keep the ARP happy.

For about 10 years I mostly ignored those two jacks next
to the S/H Gate thinking they were just outputs from the keyboard
since the arrows pointed out.

Actually, they are inputs !!




After a bit of research I learnt that the old ARP 2600 (& ARP2500)  use an almost 
forgotten system of triggering envelopes.
They use both triggers & gates.

How does this work?
The ADSR is as you'd expect.
The "trigger" is the envelope's cue to start the ball rolling but it wont do anything
unless it also sees a gate.

Here is a common Envelope Shape and how triggers & gates determine the final shape 



ATTACK
When a gate signal is applied, the EG's output will rise exponentially to 10V
(the rate is determined by the "attack" setting).

DECAY
When 10V is reached, the attack phase is ended, and the voltage will decay exponentially to the Sustain level. (the rate is determined by the "initial decay time" setting). In modern synths, we just call this the "decay".

SUSTAIN
The sustain level is adjustable from zero to 10V
The output remains at the sustain level until the gate is removed.

RELEASE
When the gate is removed, the voltage drops to zero volts.
This is called the "Final Decay Time".
The rate of the drop is exponential and is determined by the "Final Decay Time" setting.
If the gate signal is suddenly removed, the envelope will immediately start to decay to zero unless
another gate is inputed. In this case the envelope will then restart the attack phase.

This system of gates & triggers makes very complex envelopes possible 

If you don't have a sequencer with both triggers and gates
you can "trick" the 2600 by plugging into both the trigger & gate jacks the same gate signal.
I've tried this with a Arturia keystep and it works fine.

Another option is to set two VCOs into LFO mode.
I like to use a pulse for the gate, and a saw for the trigger.
It works too !






Links:



Roland MKS series of synths

The MKS range of synthesizers by Roland refers to a series of rack-mounted synthesizer modules produced by the company. These modules were designed to be integrated into larger studio setups or used in combination with MIDI controllers and sequencers. 
They are often misunderstood as just a repackaging of earlier Roland keyboards.
They were widely popular during the 1980s and 1990s.
 

MKS-7 Super Quartet
A juno 106 & TR 707 in a box?
the Juno 106 albeit with voices shared across three timbres (Bass, Chord and Melody). 

4 part multitimbral synth
The Melody section: 2 voice polyphony, 100 presets; 
Chord section: 4 voice polyphony, 100 presets; 
Bass section: monophonic, 20 presets; 
Rhythm section: 11 PCM sounds from the TR-707

Presets are accessible from the front panel 
controllable via MIDI and System Exclusive messages for editing. 


MKS-10 Planet-P
 released in 1984 by Roland.
16 voice
It has just eight preset sounds: two Piano sounds, two Clavi sounds, two Harpsichord sounds, and two Electric Piano sounds. The sounds can be freely combined and stored in any one of the 128 memory patches.

This is a totally analog sound module which is why i really like module.
There are plenty of modules you can buy today that sample and emulate real pianos extremely well.
The MKS-10 being all analog has a sound all its own.
Sounds can be tweaked, but only slightly from the front panel.
These are Master Tune and Volume controls
There is a Brilliance control to adjust the brightness of the sound, and short and long release time settings. 

The effects are pretty basic:
Chorus, Flanging and two different Tremolo.
These can be adjusted using the Rate and Depth controls. 
All effects, filter and envelope settings can be stored into patch memory.


The MKS-10 can respond to MIDI velocity as well as MIDI control change messages for expressive playing and realtime tweaking via your MIDI keyboard controller or sequencer.

MKS-20 Digital Piano
The MKS-20 is a digital piano module that emulates the sound of the Roland RD-1000 stage piano.
The earlier MKS-10 was all analog.

The MKS-20 ses a technique called SAS  (structured adaptive synthesis)
It offers a realistic piano sound along with additional electric piano and harpsichord tones
16 note polyphony.
8 presets for piano and other keyboard instruments (electric piano, harpsichord, vibraphone, clavinet), with 56 variations. 
The first two piano sounds have been likened to a German grand piano sound; the third has been called similar to a Yamaha CP-70 or CP80's piano sound.[
Noteable users were Thomas Dolby & Elton John.



MKS-30 Planet-S
1984-86
a MIDI rack module version of the JX-3P with some enhancements.
MIDI is basic:  the main info it accepts is program change, pitch, key velocity, hold-pedal, pitch-bend and modulation. No aftertouch.
two DCO's (digitally controlled oscillators) per voice, six voice polyphony, it responds to velocity, and has 64 internal and 64 cartridge memory patches. 
 It can be controlled by the PG-200 programmer


MKS-50 Alpha Juno
c1987
It's the rack-mount version of the Alpha Juno-1 and Alpha Juno-2 synthesizers.
6 voices
There is 1 DCO per voice: Pulse, Sawtooth, Sub, noise waveforms. 1 sub-oscillator.
The memory has 64 User slots. there are 64 presets which you can backup to cassette.
There is a 24db analog lowpass filter

Get the  PG-300  programmer if you can find one.
It will give you slider control  over lots of parameters incluing the DCOs (digitally controlled oscillators), LFOs, PW/PWM, high pass filter, VCF (filter) with freq/env/res/LFO/kybd, VCA envelope, chorus, etc.

Or just control it from your DAW via midi.
Velocity and aftertouch are mappable to VCF or ENV


MKS-70 Super JX
c1986
It's a rackmount version of the JX-10 synthesizer which combines two JX-8P synth engines
Get the PG-800 programmer if you can or use MIDI to control.
The MKS-70 does send and receive tones and patches over SysEx

12 voice
2 DCO's per voice (24 oscillators)

MKS-80 Super Jupiter
 The MKS-80 is perhaps the most iconic synthesizer in the MKS series. 
A jupiter 8 in a box?
Its probably closer to a Jupiter 6??
Maybe call it a jupiter 7
These are the most expensive of the MKS range.
Use the MPG 80 programmer to get slider control over its parameters.
MIDI control is pretty basic.


MKS-100 Digital Sampler
The Roland MKS-100 is a 2U rack (velocity sensitive), 8 voice, 12 bit, sampler, featuring a 4 stage envelope, vibrato, 2.8" Quick Disk drive, guitar mode, arpeggiator, auto-bend, and MIDI. Four samples can be recorded at 15|30kHz (32kB per sample). Sample editing includes auto-loop, combine, mix, reverse, level-adjust, and resonant low|high pass filter.

MKS-900 Signal Indicator



Saturday, 17 June 2023

Infinity Worm - Canberra - 16th Sept

 Infinity worm is coming up again in Canberra

CANBERRA: INFINITY WORM IS BACK! From Dekmantel alumni to the head of SOFT CENTRE, underground Australian Aphex Twin collaborators to the producer for Bladee and Charli XCX, Infinity Worm offers more than ever before.
With a longer run-time, immersive laser shows and the sound system Taylor Swift used in stadiums across Australia, Canberra’s premier experimental electronic music festival is back and better than ever.
As always, exceptional music remains the focus.




Escape your expectations for one night of genre-defying music just 15 minutes from Canberra’s CBD which incorporates Eurobeat, psytrance, ambient pop, industrial techno, and more with immersive audio-visual laser shows which defy reality.
Featuring 2 stages with 15+ international and Australian artists, on-site bars, food stalls, Hi-Fi sound systems, and a major artist yet to be revealed - Infinity Worm is Canberra's new frontier for electronic music.
Our beautiful 1000-capacity venue is protected from the elements and has been totally reimagined to increase your immersion in the music. Expect our Infinity Stage to be transformed into a formless void, with the sound system Taylor Swift used on her stadium tour being placed in all 4 corners of the room to allow for lossless audio quality and a centralised stage.
Come. Dance your heart out. Bring friends, or be alone together. Everyone is welcome and we encourage people from all ages, races, genders, and backgrounds to attend.
Sign up for presale tickets here for your chance to win x5 FREE Infinity Worm passes + x5 FREE afterparty tickets + a private driver to and from the show!
TICKET PRICES
Our tickets are tiered by month to encourage you to purchase early. Prices will increase on the 1st day of every month so there's no good reason to wait!
June: $55
July: $65
August: $75
September: $85
Afterparty w/ E3P + Mechatok (Berlin) + Thick Owens: $40
SAFETY
Everyone who is warm is welcome at Infinity Worm, regardless of age, gender, race, colour, and so on. The emphasis is on building healthy pluralistic communities who love music. If you disrupt the experience of other patrons, you will be removed from the show. Harassment, intimidation or discrimination of any kind is not welcome. 

https://fb.me/e/2F0D8G4hZ

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

AKAI Force - using a external audio interface with USB input

 What works?

Most online videos use the TASCAM Model 12 Multitrack Recorder Mixer.
But there are lots of other Audio interfaces that you may have already that could work.
I have installed AKAI force OS 3.1.2

I have an old Zoom R16 mixer/interface & a Cymatic live recorder interface
that was worth a try.

Tick 32inputs/outputs

You have an option for 32 Input/output channels routing in the FORCE.
Shutdown & Restart the force.


Choose new project --> preferences ---> audio device
You should now see the interface in the drop down box.
Pick the interface.

If you use a external audio interface the Forces' own mixer outputs will be disabled.











The Zoom & cymatic live recorder interface seem to work well.


When you wish to use this setting, you will need to open the saved project file 
associated with your interface.
I like to save a template with my basic settings and use this each time I turn on the FORCE.


Pick a audio track and set monitor to merge (auto also seems to work),
thus any incoming signals will be merged with any internal audio clips.









I have a few issues  with using both the external interfaces.
(Maybe its the interfaces, & maybe this will be fixed with later updates)
1. Your  FORCE headphone and audio outputs will now be disabled.
    So you will need to use the interface outputs.
2. The input volume is really low & I couldn't boost it without pushing up
    the vol on the synth itself. My Zoom mixer's faders also didn't work.
    This added unwanted background noise into my mix.

-------------------------------------
So to get this working 
1. OS needs to be 3.1.2 or higher.
2. Interface needs to be class compliant.
    Class compliant means there is no proprietary driver, not all USB mixers will work,
    and not all USB mixers will do individual channels.
3. And make sure you are using a good quality USB cable.


A quick read of the internet came up with these possible interface options.
So if you have one of these lying around unused, give it a whirl.
(ps I haven't tested them myself)
TASCAM US-16x08 USB Audio Interface
TASCAM Model 12 Multitrack Recorder Mixer
Tascam model 24
Focusrite scarlet 18i8  --- 16 channels into the Force
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 
zoom r16
zoom l20
behringer umc1820
M-Audio 192 | 14 
Volt 476 & 276
Apogee Duet
Yamaha Steinberg UR22mkII 
Roland MX-1 (aria)

coffee machines - pumps - pressure profiling

Espresso machines use different types of methods to generate the pressure required for brewing espresso. 

The ideal pressure for brewing coffee and espresso depends on various factors, including the type of coffee machine and the desired flavor profile. Generally, a range of 7 to 11 bars is considered optimal for extracting the best flavors from the coffee grounds.

The type of water pump is a crucial component that creates the high pressure needed to force hot water through the coffee grounds in the portafilter during extraction. They can be electric or non electric.
Here are some of the common types of pumps found in espresso machines:

1.Vibratory Pump: 
This is an electric pump.

They are the most common type used in small home and commercial espresso machines. They operate by using an electromagnetic coil to move a piston back and forth (up to 60 pushes per second), creating pulses of pressure to pump water through the system. Vibratory pumps are compact, reliable, and relatively quiet, making them popular for domestic espresso machines. They take a little bit longer that rotary pumps to ramp up the pressure.

To the left is an ULKA EX5 Coffee Machine VIBRATING PUMP - 48W 230V 50Hz . It's commonly used in the Gaggia Classic, Krups & Saeco coffee machines.

Vibrating pumps normally operate at one pressure. Also because its vibrating its not going to be a perfect 8 or 9 bars. To control that pressure at the group head what is normally used is a bypass valve. The valve sits past the pump. The pump creates the initial pressure and the valve removes some of that water and passes it back into the reservoir, effectively bringing down that pressure to whatever level you wish to use.

Other machines that use this kind of pump are the Rancilio Silvia, the Breville Barista Express, the Lucca A53, Profitec Pro 300 and Rocket Apartamento.


2. Rotary Vane Pump: 
This is a mechanical pump powered by an electric motor.

Rotary vane pumps are commonly found in most commercial espresso & high-end home machines. They operate by using rotating vanes to draw in water and create a continuous flow of pressurized water. The device is a complex mechanism. A motor spins a disc that is offset inside a large, round chamber. The spinning disc is segmented into sections by vanes. As the disc spins, the vanes press against the wall of the outer chamber, diminishing the size of the section, creating pressure. Water enters in during the large phase and is pushed out as the section shrinks.

Rotary vane pumps offer smooth and consistent pressure delivery, making them ideal for high-volume environments where precision and reliability are paramount. Rotary pumps are quieter than vibratory pumps. 


They offer more consistent pressure, and generally have longer lifespans.
These kind of pumps can use a reservoir tank or you can plumb them in.

Machines that use this pump include the Lucca M58, the La Spaziale S1,S2,S3 ,Victoria Arduino Prima One, La Marzocco Linea Mini and the Rocket Espresso Milano. These tend to be the top end of home machines. 
The reason these aren't on smaller machines is because they are larger and heavier than vibratory pumps.

Two common types of pump are the "Procon" and the "Fluid-o-Tech"

3. Gear Pump: 
This is an electric pump.

These are very specialised pumps found in high end commercial & home machines designed for specialty coffee applications. They are used for pressure profiling to emulate any profile curve you want. It uses a pressure transducer to understand the pressure and can then electronically raise or lower the pressure.
You can find these types of pumps on La Marzocco Strada EP and the Rocket R91

Gear pumps use gears to pressurize and move water through the system. They are known for their precise pressure control. Gear pumps offer quiet operation and excellent durability but are less common in consumer-grade espresso machines due to their higher cost.

4. Piston / lever Pump: 
This is a non electric pump.

Piston pumps, also known as lever pumps, are less common in modern espresso machines but are sometimes found in traditional lever-operated machines. They use a piston mechanism to generate pressure by manually pulling a lever or handle. While piston pumps offer a unique and hands-on brewing experience, they require more effort and skill to operate compared to other pump types.

The choice of pump type can affect factors such as pressure consistency, noise level, maintenance requirements, and overall espresso quality. Vibratory pumps are the most common choice for home espresso machines due to their affordability, reliability, and compact size. In contrast, rotary vane and gear pumps are favored in commercial settings for their precision and durability. Ultimately, the pump type is an important consideration when selecting an espresso machine, especially for users who prioritize consistency and performance.

------------------
Pressure profiling
Classic espresso extraction has for a long time centered on pumping hot water (85 - 92°C) through ground coffee at 9 bar of pressure to produce around 30 ml of espresso in about 25 seconds. This idea of using a fixed pressure is behind the design of most electrically driven pump machines.

However, fully manual Lever machines give the coffee maker other options.
9 bar is not necessarily the optimum pressure for all coffee blends, and a 25 second extraction time does not always produce the best results. 

The aim of profiling is to not accept conventional parameters.
Instead search for alternative pressure, temperature and timing combinations to produce the best results for a particular coffee


Machines that you can use for pressure profiling
     (uses a vibratory pump)
+ La Marzocco GS3 MP Manual Paddle Espresso Machine.
+ La Marzocco Strada
+ Decent Espresso machines
+ Sanremo YOU Espresso Machine. ...
+ Rocket R Nine One Dual-Boiler Espresso Machine. ...



+ Synesso MVP Hydra 1 Group Espresso Machine. 
+ Synesso MVP Hydra Commercial Espresso Machine. 
+ Sanremo Opera 2.0 Volumetric Multi-Boiler Espresso Machine.
+ Fiamma Vela Profile Pressure 1
+ Crem ONE Dual Boiler Pressure Profile Espresso Machine
+ Dalla Corte Mina Espresso Machine
   A manual lever offers control over flow rate.
+ Profitec Pro 700 Espresso Machine 
    with Flow Control
+ ECM Synchronika
+ ECM Classika PID





These are some manual lever machines.
+ La Pavoni Europiccola with added 
   Pressure Profiling Kit
+ FlairEspresso 58
+ Flair Pro 2
+ Cafelat Robot Barista Espresso Maker
+ Naked Portafilter - Smart espresso profiler



+ Lelit Mara X
   This heat exchanger coffee machine comes with       mechanical pre-infusion 
   capabilities (giving your coffee a proper 
   bloom before extraction) & pre-set temperatures.
   The MaraX can also be upgraded with a 
   flow control kit.









    dual boiler machine with manual espresso
    flow control device. 
    control over both the brew 
    temperature and steam pressure.
    "Low flow" at start and end of shot -
     user programmable time.
     Programmable pre-infusion parameters
     through LCC.... I love this machine .... well worth the 3K price


Bezzera STREGA
traditional, lever-operated heat-exchange machine 
with manual pressure profiling which lets you experiment \with your shots and get unique results. 

Bezzera ARIA
Has adjustable brewing temperature and shot timer chronometer to keep coffee flow under control.
It has a brewing profile paddle control on the group to adjust brewing pressure 







One final machine worth mentioning is the Heylo Coffee Modular machine.
It uses induction to heat the coffee.
Pressure profiling, Temp profiling and flow rate profiling are all possible.
Something for the future?

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