Analogue Bus » Prototype!!

This is what is being finished tonight!

bryan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:35:54 +0000

GOODBYE SLEEP!

CRY!!!!!

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Finished my fraken triwave!

bryan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:31:58 +0000

Will try to explain this beast later right now we will just settle for a picture of it resting in the modular

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Lookie at these….

bryan — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:16:54 +0000

We are thinking of adding these to our shop. Mind you all of them are currently missing cables.

What do you think non-bananafied people?

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First shot of yet unamed cigar box synth layout

bryan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:32:57 +0000

This is a silly first glimpse of what the new cigar box synth may end up being laid out like. All the parts are just sitting on the surface currently. There will be a metal tab 8 key keyboard. It will have 8 rotary controls above each key with push buttons. The controls adjust the pitch of each key to anything you want. The push button locks in the step or arpeggio step. The 4×4 RGB 24-bit key pad will be embedded down into the cigar box with only the buttons barely sticking through. The tops of the buttons will be capped with the same wood as the box. This will allow a nice glow effect around each key and not distract too much from the aesthetic I am trying to go for. The 8×8 LED RGB matrix will be embedded down in the cigar case flush with surface. It will have a fine mesh grill (dunno which metal yet) over it so it does not distract too much but is able to confer the information. Next to the LED matrix is 3 more rotary controls. One controls function and the other two are value adjustments course/fine. The button pad will also be used for entering parameters for the synth. Typically a synth that has a engine like the cigar box synth has, has many controls. The last few parts going into case are in the front is a embedded to surface linear softpot. This can be assigned to many modulation sources. On each side will be a pot that is connected to a lever or will have a knob with a gear and then a second reduction gear that turns the pot. Dunno which style yet. On the back will be power, headphone out, main out, MIDI In/Out.

Synth features:

1. 6 voice oscillators with 6 normal waveforms and then an optional wavetable lookup.

2. Oscillators can modulate each other and can do hard synch, FM, etc.

3. 4 envelope generators.

4. Formant filter

5. Two-pole ladder filter.

6. Multi-stage mixer

7. And more + magic!

The first one will use a simple main processor to handle the mundane tasks but we will be moving to the new Illuminato IXM processors. When this move happens they cigar boxes with the new processor will have a small wireless range using XBEE and will be able to work in parallel with other cigar synths to cross modulate, and do other wild things (I hope). Including if one cigar box is on an old firmware it will flash up on the led matrix a new firmware is available and be able to over the air upgrade itself (I think)

Here is a crappy layout shot:

Main circuit bending project: Yamaha PSS 170

bryan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:27:41 +0000

This one is taking a bit of time for some reason. Its not that tough of a bend just cut the 8 data lines between the main CPU and the Yamaha FM synth processor.

Mods added:

MIDI retrofit using a HighlyLiquid UMR kit.
16 body contacts
10 banana jacks and a set of 15 stackable banana patch cables
8 Data bus glitch switches
8 chrome inset red LEDs that line up with the data lines from the CPU to the FM processor. It is nice for debugging (sorta) and a really cool effect.
(Attempting) pitch bend knob
(Attempting) rotary tune selector
(Attempting) loop system with rotary loop start/end rotary knobs and a loop speed pot

We have gotten into circuit bending….oh dear hide the toys and the dog

bryan — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:36:22 +0000

Once again a bunch of crappy shots and will go back and explain tonight…..

Hybrid Synth we are working on…

bryan — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:21:10 +0000

Here are some pics will explain later…. will also get better shots

Step sequencer prototype internals nearly complete!!

bryan — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:24:20 +0000

I got the 8 channel 12-bit DAC soldered tonight and a 64 channel analogue input multiplexer done. So I just need to build the digital I/O mux/demux and then hook it all up. Then begin writing software all over again because of internal hardware system change. Will post pics tomorrow. The prototype is being mounted into a RadioShack enclosure. Actually two of them are being build so two of us here at AnalogueBus can work on different sections on the software. Only one of the prototypes will have the TKB/Programmer style manual gate for a track. Neither of them will use the final design of ball bearing matrix buttons and RGB LEDs with light pipes. The control surface is a whole different project due to complexity. We have two other styles of control surface though as backups.

Evaluation board for the 8×8 crosspoint patch module came in!!!

bryan — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:09:51 +0000

So I got the eval board in so now I can hook it up to my controller and test it out with making some crazy patches on my modular. After that I will make a real prototype to plug into my A-100. Then I will begin work on the prototypes for the 16 channel attenuator sub-module for the patcher module and the prototype for the 64 jack pre/post mix signal insert sub-module for the patcher module. This is going to be a very cool module. The original idea to make this patch matrix came from the now discontinued Analogue Solutions Synapse http://www.cykong.com/Synths/AS%20Synapse/AS-Synapse.htm Ours is like it in most ways except that its a Eurorack module and its only 8×8 patch connections (64 total patches) compared to the semblance which had a 16×16. Also ours will be controlled by CV instead of MIDI and ours will also have a USB port to load/save patch configurations. Also ours like the semblance will have a system on the module to store/load patches so in this way it is like the Buchla Model 210e control and signal router. Ours will work with CV or Audio signals. It will have the two sub modules that allow you to pick 16 of the patch points to attenuate via pots and cv and a sub module to insert another signal pre/post patch.

Oh well enough chatter I got work to do and this does not explain the module well.

Here is a pic of the eval board for the analog crosspoint switch:

Start of the Open Sound Control to CV module

bryan — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:32:33 +0000

This is the alpha prototype of the OSC to CV module. Notice in this picture it is missing the CV interface with the 32 jacks and op-amps etc. That prototype section is being built this weekend. I am waiting on the amps, jacks and the 4051 analog demux chips.

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