Random Video: Jamming on Doepfer A-100 Modular

Found on YouTube:
A short jam showing the possibilities of a Doepfer A-178 Theremin Controller and an A-198 Ribbon Controller combination.

Video: Jamming on Doepfer A100 Modular

" Edwin (Duo Blank) jamming on Doepfer A-100 modular synth triggering sounds notes through theremin and ribbon controllers."

Uploaded by duoblank

Wooden Ribbon Controller Project Part 2

My project is going great so far.
Most of the woodwork seems to be finished.
I carved out the whole  59.7 x  2.4 cm. strip where the fingerboard should come, about 3 mm deep across the whole surface.
I carved a bit too deep at places, but i will fill that up a bit with filler, so that should turn out fine.
The pressure sensor needs a flat surface, so that needs a little bit of extra attention.

I painted the wood 4 times now, with a glossy mahogany varnish, and it looks quite amazing IMHO...
It will get one last layer of varnish after the final assembly of the whole project
I screwed an iron ring at the top (but that might become an brassy one), and i am planning to screw one at the bottom for  attaching a shoulderband.

I changed my mind a bit about the old fingerboard that i wanted to use, but i will order a new pressure-board from Doepfer next week.
I also need to find a smaller piece of wood that can cover up the USB-connector or find another good way to hide the connections.

That does mean i have to wait a few weeks before i can take the last steps and finish the whole project.
I will keep you updated...

Wooden Ribbon Controller Project Part 1

Today I decided to pick up an old idea that i had for a long time.
Whenever i play the Ribbon Controller, i tend to hold it like a guitar, not like most do on a tabletop surface.

I have always loved the combination of wooden elements and synthesizers.
This combination was/is still very popular since the early 1970's.
Look at all those (Mini)Moogs and many other synths with wooden side-panels for example...
That is why i also decided to make my Ribbon Controller out of wood.
It looks like a found a nice solution to an earlier project too.

So today i bought myself a nice piece of wood in the local woodshop.
On forehand i had the idea that the handle of an axe might be the kind of thing that i needed.
They had a few different sizes, but i found a hardwood unpainted axe hande that was 90 centimeters (3ft.) long and perfectly shaped and curved.
I might make it a bit shorter later, but for now this will do just fine.

I dismantled my old Ribbon Controler (i do own another one, the newer version) and drawn out the shape of it on the axe handle. I used 3 screws to fixate the fingerboard while doing that.
Next up is the carving... i want to sink the fingerboard into the handle, but that means i need to carve at least half a centimeter deep.

I already carved the first bit like the last picture shows, but i still have a long way to carve.
But i need to get myself a new chisel now so you will have to wait how this project will continue.
I will keep you updated... but don't expect this to be finished before 2012.

Ribbon Controller versions

Ribbon controllers, old model on top

One of the most used parts of my modular setup is without doubt my A-198 Ribbon controller.
You can read all i ever wrote about it so far HERE.
I love improvising with the manual controller and the sensitivity of the manual makes it fun to play with.

In combination with the A-156 Dual Quantizer and a A-170 Dual Slew Limiter it is quite easy to play, even for beginners.*
Together with and the different scales that are available on the A-156 you can make your ribbon-sliding-skills sound very impressive.
* I should note that is also easier to play the Theremin modules using these two modules.

From 2005 the A-198 (and R2M) manuals are equipped with an even more sensible pressure sensor.
The improved sensor now works along the entire manual.
So how can we distinguish these two models?
The newer version is white on top, instead of the greenish grey color of the old model's touch-surface.
The new version also does not have the text 'A-198' printed on it.

Ribbon controllers, new version at the bottom. Note; the orange stickers are not standard

The Doepfer R2M (Ribbon-to-Midi) is the stand-alone version of the A-198 with MIDI and CV/Gate outputs. R2M offers a lot more features than the A-198 (e.g. quantizing, gate function even in the hold mode, inverse scaling and many more)

Currently from June 2011 the cases have changed from silvergrey with black printing to black with white printing... also very slick...

Quick Tip IV : Ribbon Cable

A small personal advice for owners of an A-198 Ribbon Controller or R2M manual controller;

Please unplug the USB-cable when you are not using the instrument.
The weight of the cable has more then once broken the USB-connector on my Ribbon Controller.

Or try to keep the controller and cable on a flat surface...

...also see THIS post.

Best Friends Forever IV - XL Edition

This next quick patch is a small extension of my earlier Best Friends Forever posts.

Although i don't always use this patch, i do like the simplicity of it, getting me more out of my Slew Limiter.

As blogged earlier, I use the A-182-1 Switched Multiple mainly to switch between my keyboard ( via MIDI ) and my A-198 Ribbon Controller.
For this i split up this Multiple in two halves, the upper half controls the Gate, the lower half controls the pitch ( CV )

The black cables that go into the Switched multiple are for ( quantized ) Ribbon Control if channel 2 is selected, the yellow ones are for keyboard control, via channel 1

The only advantage in this patch is that i am now using both halfs of the A-170 Slew Limiter, the lower ( and more extended half ) for the Ribbon Controller, the upper half for the incoming output of the MIDI-CV Interface.

Best Friends Forever III

My next unseparable combo is a threesome this time.

This is another essential combination for me, because i use my A-198 Trautonium/Ribbon Controller a lot to control my A-100 system.
The yellow patchcables between these modules always stay connected whenever i start a new patch.

The Voltage Control output ( pitch control ) of the Ribbon Controller goes straight into the A-156 Dual Quantizer.
This module divides the signal into various little steps that provides many different possibilities to scale the notes that are played, allowing the player to play more accurate notes and scales.

Note that I use the lower and more extended half of the Dual Quantizer.
The upper half has less functions and can only divide the signal into steps of 1 /12th Volt = 1 Volt per Octave


Last in the line is the A-170 Dual Slew limiter. With this one i can add a subtile portamento to the signal.

Again, only the lower half of the module is used in this patch, because this half has more possibilities.
The slewrates are adjustable from low to mid or high, and it has separate controls for rise and fall times.

This patch gives me all the control that i need, and i cannot do without any one of these in my live-setup.

Ribbon Controller USB-connector Project Part 1

After a few weeks of randomly disturbed signals, the USB-connector of my A-198 Ribbon Controller finally broke a pin... or two.

It's not the first time this happened, last time was a little over 2 years ago.
It is just one of the very few weak spots of the whole A-100 system, it might be cost-related, but i'm not sure about that.

Back then, Doepfer was so kind to send me a USB connector for free, and i know that if i'd mail them i can get one again, but i'm not sure this solution will work very long, as i use this Controller a lot lately.
The weight of the USB-connector (and cable) is just too big, and the way i hold it (guitar-style) is probably not the best way to hold it (?)





My plan is to by-pass the USB-connector by wiring the cable in another way. I'm still not sure how exactly, but i'll see. And you will.

Best Friends Forever II

Two other modules i hardly ever unwire are the A-190 MIDI-CV/Sync Interface and the A-182-1 Switched Multiple.
I use this combination to quickly switch between my Keyboard and my A-198 Ribbon Controller to control various sounds.

Like i did with my A-180, i split up the A-182-1 into a 2 x 4 Multiplier.
The lower half handles the Gate signal while the upper half handles the CV/Pitch.

The yellow cables from the A-190 go directly into the Multiplier, and the black cables that go into the Multiplier come (almost) directly from the A-198 Trautonium/Ribbon Controller's outputs, one rack lower.
With the red switches i can now manually decide what instrument i would like to use for the sound i am working on...

If i switch it to 1 it uses my MIDI keyboard, if switched to 2 i can use my Ribbon Controller.