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.

Happy Modding II - Joystick Spring Removal

The A-174 Joystick Controller outputs 2 control voltages, generated by a spring-loaded X/Y cross potentiometer.
Two springs inside the module take care that the controlling lever returns to it's centre position if untouched.

One very easy modification is the removal of a spring from this module


The process of removing is quite simple, and is described clearly on the Doepfer DIY page / section 4.2.10.

I decided to remove one spring only, the horizontal one. ( X-axis )
This way the Controller stays fixed, even if i let go of the lever, and doesn't automaticly go back to the middle.

If you do this to the Y-axis ( vertical ) of the module, the lever would fall down to it's lowest position due to gravity, which also can be handy in some situations, but not mine at the moment.

This small modification adds just that tiny bit more flexibility to my setup.

Note: Pay attention that warranty is lost if the joystick is modified !

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.

Doepfer Landscape ( Picture )

Most Wanted I - A-195-1 Pitch-to-CV/MIDI Interface

If there is one module that i am looking forward to, it must be the A-195-1 Pitch-to-CV/MIDI Interface.
The Doepfer Future Modules page tells us it will be an
"interface for conversion of a monophonic audio signal (e.g. singing, wind or string instrument) into the corresponding pitch CV (1V/Oct.), loudness CV and gate. Simultaneously the values are transmitted via MIDI"

Great idea, you sing, whistle or play a tune into a microphone and your A-100 will follow.

I used to own a Roland CP40 Pitch-to-MIDI converter that did the same, i bought it second-hand, and i saw the potential but sold it later ( and regret it now... kinda )
The CP40 was a small light-weight plastic desktop module, not very expensive at the time and had some basic changeable parameters like Bend, Octave Shift and Expression.
It worked as expected, not completely flawless, but good enough for impressive sounds. Too bad it was MIDI, and not analog.

...and that is why i am looking forward to this forthcoming A-195-1 Pitch-to-CV/MIDI Module ( note: No release date so far )
I bet Doepfer is still thinking hard about how this module should look.
The module has been in and out of the Doepfer brochures over the last years but i recently saw it was also back on the Doepfer Future Modules page now. Are they making progress?
There was a Poll on the A-100 forums a long time ago before i joined them, but at that time there wasn't much response to that, if i am correct.

I hope we will see a release date soon, i am sooo looking forward to this, even more to the Pitch-to-CV conversion than to the Pitch-to-MIDI conversion
Ofcourse the module should have some basic functions like a gain for the input, a slew controller plus some other functions of the CP40, but i trust the engineers at Doepfer... ;) I'll leave that to them, but the "loudness CV and gate" are a good start.

A-174-2 Modulation Wheels CV Source

Last week i received my latest A-100 Module.
It's the A-174-2, Modulation Wheels CV Source, a module with two wheels.
I got the original version, with a spring loaded wheel at the left side with bipolar voltage output, and a wheel without spring at the right side with only positive voltage output.

It doesn't make any sounds, but it does offer me more (voltage) control over the sound. Both wheels deliver two identical voltage outputs.

First times i tried it out was in combination with the filters, adding voltage to the cutoff range and adding resonance... very basic stuff, but impressive.
This should also work very well with the Voltage Inverter Module (A-175), i can't wait to try this (and more) out soon.

I can't say it is the prettiest module because the wheels are quite large, but they feel great and seem to react very accurate.

CD-Tip I : Secrets of Synthesis by Wendy Carlos

This CD ( a 2003 enhancedCD re-issue by East Side Digital ) is a nice introduction into analog synthesis by the American synth pioneer Wendy Carlos

Secrets of Synthesis ( originally from 1987 ) is a lecture by Carlos with her own audio examples. The main topic is 'Electronic Orchestration' - the use of analog ( and digital ) synthesizers in ways that orchestral instruments sound.

Some of the audiotracks are an introduction to synthesis, and some of it is aimed at the more experienced musicians.
A great tutorial CD in my opinion, with some very good information and great and usefull insights.

One short soundexample: Secret of Synthesis, discussion with musical examples ~ Introduction
01 Secret of Synthesis, discussion with musical examples~Introduction by NetPierre
Wikipedia: Wendy Carlos
Ordernr: East Side Digital ESD 81702 or ESD 81692

Booktip I - Analog Synthesizers by Mark Jenkins

Analog Synthesizers - Understanding, Performing, Buying - by Mark Jenkins

One of the most interesting books about synthesizers and synthesis is probably this one by Mark Jenkins, has 336 pages, and was published in 2007

The book starts with basics like 'what is analog' and goes through the aspects of analog sound by the hand of the different components of a synthesizer.

A large part of the book is about the history of synthesizers, and there are also a lot of interviews; with Robert (Bob) Moog, Keith Emerson, Hans Zimmer, Rick Wakeman, Jean-Michel Jarre and many more.

The book is complimented with a lot of nice black/white pictures and also includes a tuition and sound-sampling CD with over 30 different analog synthesizers, spread over 79 tracks

ISBN: 978-0-240-52072-8

Happy Knobbing II - Colored Switches

I finally found what i was looking for for a long time.

A year ago ( or so ) i saw an A-100 system with colored switches on it.
For a long time i have been looking for them too, and now finally i found them and ordered them. ( pretty easy after all, via Conrad )

They are just small plastic mini-sleeves, and they fit perfect on the A-100's switches.
They also provide a little bit more grip and make the switches easier to handle.
I ordered them in all the four available colors ( green, black, yellow and red ), so i can sort of 'color-code' the system as much as possible. Not sound-improving, but just nice eye-candy... again.

Distortion I ( Picture )