Modular: Quantimator Scales

Bret posted another Quantimator test video. Check it out:

Modular: Quantimator Prototype #3

The third Toppobrillo Quantimator prototype was brought to life today. Between Bret, Josh, and myself we should be able to narrow down all of the bugs fairly fast. Let the bug squashing begin! Now the hardest part is going to be resisting the urge to write music. The Quantimator is really musical as soon as it is plugged into a patch and naturally it wants to be used in that context. It makes me want to play with it and not test for firmware issues. Hmm, I guess making some demos would be a way of working while playing.

So anyhow the image above is an arpeggio patch using the Quantimator with a Fonitronik Sequential Switch. The switch cycles between three notes which are output to an oscillator's pitch input. Modulating the chord selection with a control voltage adds a slight variation to the arpeggio.

Modular: Quantimator Progress

The Toppobrillo Quantimator is coming along nicely. The image above is one of the prototypes that we are using to test out the firmware prior to the production run. We used Pro-Modular for the prototype panels and they came out really slick looking. More information soon.The video below is of Bret testing the module out with the MakeNoise Pressure Points and the MFB OSC-02 Triple VCO.

Modular: Steiner Triple Envelope Generator

Almost done! This is the Analogue Realities recreation of the Steiner-Parker Triple Envelope Generator. Currently I have a few more wires that need be connected to the front panel components and then I'm ready for the first test. So far the build has been fairly easy since the project's documentation is really thorough. Looks like next week I'll have enough time to finish up the build which is great because I'm really looking forward to trying this module out.

More information about this module can be found at the Steiner Synthasystem website.

Modular: iPad/iPhone to Octomod

This a quick and easy patch I created in Pure Data to interface an iPhone or iPad to the Octomod. There are eight sliders that adjust the control voltage being output from the Octomod.

The Pure Data patch and TouchOSC layouts can be found here.

Modular: Octomod Breadboard

Pictured is my attempt at breadboarding the Greg Surges Octomod. The Octomod is an Open Sound Control to Control Voltage (OSC to CV) interface. This interface provides connections between hardware modular synths and software such as Processing or Pure Data. I'm still testing my breadboard out along with the software connections but I'm super excited to try it out for the first time.

Ongoing discussions about the device can be found on the following forums:
Muff Wiggler
Electro-Music
USB-Octomod Google Group

Modular: Doepfer's New Tuxedo

A few days ago I handed over some Rogan PT Series knobs to my buddy Benji (Synthbenji) (Billy Sheen) so he could "update" some of his Doepfer modules. They look quite snazzy now and ready for a night out on the town. Keep it classy San Francisco.

Modular: PIC16F684 CV Quantizer

Recently a DIY PIC-based Quantizer for modular synths was posted on the electro-music Forum. Since I do not currently have one I decided to breadboard it up to test it out. The first few tries were not as successful as I hoped but persistence proved to be the right path. I went through the circuit and narrowed the errors down to a problem with the PIC not programming correctly. It works now and is tons of fun. The link above will take you to the discussion.