Muff's Modules & More

[Mongo1]

Hi,

I'm working on the panel for a new dual VCO right now, and I am running short of jacks. Notably, right now I don't have a jack for external sync for either VCO.

One thing that occurs to me is that it might be possible to combine the jacks for linear and exp FM, since I have a knob set aside for each of these. I can't think of a time when I've used both Linear and Exp at the same time. Doing that would free up the jack space needed for sync.

Alternately, I could just forget about external Sync. I currently have a switch that will allow A to Sync B, or B to Sync A. That switch has a center off position so nobody is syncing nobody...

The 'Track' switch takes the Course and Fine controls from A, combines them and runs them into the course control for B. My idea here is that you can use the 'Fine' control on B to set an offset, and then track whatever the tuning is on A. The 1V/Oct and FM inputs for each oscillator would still be independent.


Opinions?

Thanks
Gary

[satindas]

Hey Mongo... Nice panel! I love those tick marks. How did you do them?
I had a go at squeezing in your sync input. Yeah its pretty cramped but I think this might work. I've used this "staggered" idea before when I have a non square (terminology?) number of jax ( Appendage - 17 jax) and it seems to work quite nicely. I can't see how you could squeeze in another jack so as to have independent sync inputs for each osc unless you lose the switching. But then you wouldn't need the switching anyhow.... I think!
Anyhow , just a suggestion.

[Mongo1]

Thanks!!! I like that a lot.

I guess the idea is that if I switch the Sync switch to A->B, then the B would receive sync from A UNLESS something is plugged into that jack. In that case the Something would be used to sync B. Reversing the switch would cause the A unit to get synced accordingly. That would be a nice simple solution to this. If I put the switch in the middle position I think the jack would end up being useless, but I can live with that!

I can't take credit for the tick marks. I think I may have stolen that from EmDot. If I recall, there is some program that allows you to make graphics like that, but it's a pain in the neck to use. It's easier to pilfer an existing design

Thanks again!
Gary

[satindas]

Hi Gary,
Just to put my other 2 penneth in .... I think the sync switch is a nice idea but, with limited panel space methinks you really would be better off with independent sync ins. You'd then have the choice of syncing from either the pulse or the saw and the choice of internal or external sync sources. The internal sync would obviously be achieved with just one patch cable, leaving the other sync input for "synced sync" ! Alternatively you could have both oscs synced to external oscs. You seem to lose much of this functionality with the switching....unless of course you can manage to squeeze in that second input....
What do you synk?

[Mongo1]

You raise some good points there.

I know this will shock many in the synth community, but I almost never use the sync inputs for anything. Maybe I'm missing out on something glorious though. Please feel free to enlighten me on what I'm missing.

That being said, I think I like your idea. Perhaps I can put the sync jacks back in, and then change the 'Track' switch to be a Pull Switch on the B Fine control.

I was originally going to set this module up so that I had a waveform selector switch for each VCO, with a single output for each. I've moved away from that idea though. It seems too limiting.

Another thing I've thought about a million times is changing the FM to be a single input per VCO, and then using a pull-switch to determine Linear or Exponential. I can't recall ever using both Lin and Exp FMs at the same time.

One thing I haven't mentioned that is definitely going to happen is a pair of 8-way switches and moog pointer knobs for the Coarse controls. I've already breadboarded up a nice little voltage reference and resistor chain for the switches.

Gary

[satindas]

A nice demo of the sync effect !
( play button is just above the share icons )

http://audiocookbook.org/sound_design/oscillator-sync-mode/

note : rather than a manual sweep, the effect is usually implementad with adsr modulation of the master osc

[Mongo1]

Cool!
Thanks for the link

I went out and drilled my first attemp at a panel tonight.
I went ahead and made space for the sync jacks.
Hopefully I'll get this going by the end of the weekend.

Gary

[emdot_ambient]

Another good example of what sync does:


It's one of the main tools I used to use on my JX-3P. It allows for some pretty nice harmonics/wave shaping while maintaining the fundamental pitch of the master VCO.

[Mongo1]

Thanks Emdot! I appreciate the help....
Gary