Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Doepfer A-127 VCRF Re-Design

I almost missed this between all Doepfer's other MusikMesse announcements;
As of April 2013 the Voltage Controlled Resonance Filter A-127 is available in an improved version.
Instead of the CA3080 chip (not available anymore) that was used in the original versions, new high-end circuits (SSM2164) are now used.

Doepfer A-127 Triple Voltage Controlled Resonance Filter
"The SSM2164 chip contains four independent voltage controlled amplifiers (VCAs) in a single package. High performance (100 dB dynamic range, 0.02% THD) is provided at a very low cost-per-VCA, resulting in excellent value for cost sensitive gain control applications.
Each VCA offers current input and output for maximum design flexibility, and a ground referenced -33 mV/dB control port."

A-127 + Expander
This is probably the Doepfer filter that i use the most, and the brand new re-design also promises to reduces the noise floor and the distortion clearly, according to Doepfer.
(The noise that i never really noticed before...)

The price of the new A-127 VCRF remains unchanged.

Check out how to make an A-127 expander module HERE.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

More Darkness: Doepfer MAQ16/3 Dark Edition


It seems that Doepfer is extending their successful  'Dark'-product-range even more with their latest announcement.
A new version of the MAQ16/3 MIDI Analog Sequencer will be black and feature Dark Energy-style knobs.
There's not much additional info, but i guess the inside of this fantastic sequencer will stay the same.

It looks great, and this is not the first time that a black MAQ will be available, but those models had the same style of knobs of the original MAQ, only in black...

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

New Doepfer A-157 Pictures / Dark Flow Announced

Doepfer posted their latest design and a bit more info on the upcoming A-157 (Mini Schaltwerk) Trigger Sequencer Subsystem modules on their website.
Hopefully the finished modules will be shown later at MusikMesse this year (10th-13th of May in Frankfurt, Germany)

A-157-1 Mini Schaltwerk design
The name 'Mini Schaltwerk' seems appropriate now, because it does look a lot like it's larger Schaltwerk brother.

" The LED/button matrix module A-157-1 is the core of the subsystem.
It is used to set or reset the trigger event on each of the 16 steps of each of the 8 rows.
The trigger output module A-157-2 outputs the 8 trigger signals and has an LED display for each trigger.
We will probably add a mute button or mute switch for each row that allows to turn the trigger output off/on independent for each row.
In the final version the modules A-157-1 and A-157-2 will be probably merged into one module only because both modules are essential for the subsystem.

The module A-157-1/2 (or the merged module that will contain both units) can be connected to a simple control module or a more sophisticated control module which is planned for the future (similar to the A-155 and A-154 conceptual design where the A-155 includes a simple control unit that can be replaced by the A-154 which offers a lot of additional functions).

At the beginning a simple control module A-157-3 similar to the A-155 control unit will be available.
It offers only the functions clock, start/stop and reset (both with manual controls and control inputs).
For this standard control unit the tempo (clock) is the same for all 8 rows, the direction is forward and the length of each row is 16.

We also plan a more complex control module A-157-4 that allows additional functions like 128 memories for trigger sequences, different clock/start/stop/reset for 2 or 4 groups of rows (e.g. common for rows 1-4 and 5-8, or in pairs), independent first/last step for each row, independent direction (forward/backward/pendulum/random) for each row, one-shot mode, LC display and so on.
But these ideas are very preliminary and we will have to find out which functions are essential."

Doepfer also mentions that there are also plans for an A-157 stand-alone version adapted to the design of Dark Energy and Dark Time with the same case dimensions and wooden side panels (provisional name "Dark Flow")

Release date: ~ fall 2013 (only A-157-1 ... 3, so far there is no release date available for the planned module A-157-4 and the stand-alone unit Dark Flow !)

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Doepfer Pre-MusikMesse 2013 Announcements

Dieter Doepfer made a few announcements today about the upcoming new modules and about the MusikMesse 2013, that will be held from the 10th to the 13th of April 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany.

I'm looking most forward to the new A-157 Mini Schaltwerk prototypes, i cant wait until the are finished.:
Doepfer stated that they " ...will hopefully show the "large" version of the trigger sequencer A-157/miniature Schaltwerk (8 rows with 16 steps each).
The 8x16 button/LED board is ready but I cannot guarantee that the controller board will be also ready for the Musikmesse."

One of the earlier
A-190-5 prototypes
They will also show the prototype of the new version of the A-190-5 Polyphonic USB/Midi-to-CV/Gate Interface (with LCD) and the A-190-8 USB/Midi-to-Sync Interface at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt.
These modules will be available about summer 2013. 

The other news:

The small version of the multiple A-180 is available in April 2013 (2 HP only, name: A-180-2)

The module A-171-2 (licensed copy of the Serge/CGS VCS) will be available about end of April or early in May 2013.
(It will be interesting to see how the Serge's new deal with TipTop works out - expect a surge of Serge for your Eurorack this year /PP)

A-171-2 Serge
Slew Limiter
prototype
The re-designed A-130 (linear VCA) is now delivered with a precision VCA circuit (SSM2164) instead of the CA3080).
The new A-130 is DC-coupled.

The re-designed A-131 (exponential VCA) is now delivered also with an improved VCA circuit (high end THAT VCA circuit instead of the CA3080).
The new A-131 is also DC-coupled.

The A-135 will be available from about May 2013 in a revised version with DC coupling of the signals and single outputs, i.e. it can be used also as 4 separate linear VCAs with manual gain, CV in with attenuator and signal in with attenuator.
Because of the DC coupling it can be used also for modulation signal processing (i.e. voltage controlled mixing of control signals).

So, a lot of updates, can't wait to see the first pictures of the A-157 combo coming from MusikMesse.
Are you going to MusikMesse this year and want to contribute pictures to PatchPierre.Net?
Feel free to contact me via the comments, email or Twitter, thanks in advance!