PatchPierre Mobile Template (beta)

Good news for PatchPierre.net visitors on Android, iPhone and other mobile devices. As of now the site is visible in the mobile template, with quicker loading times and easier browsing through the posts.
The site now automatically  changes into the new template when you visit it, but you can also get there by scanning the QR code or following this URL:
http://patchpierre.blogspot.com/?m=1

Nokia / Symbian users can still download the
PatchPierre Mobile App HERE ( 3500+ downloads already )

UPDATE December 25th 2010:
Thanks to the OVI-store, people on Android,iPhone or other mobile devices can also use the OVI-Template of the PatchPierre site... it even looks better than Blogspot's own template.
Try it out and point your browser to http://tinyurl.com/PatchPierreMobile 
( Don't forget to bookmark it! ) 

SiteTip II : Doepfer A-100 series modifications by Nick Keller.

Another nice site i stumbled upon in the last weeks in my search of Doepfer DIY info is the Doepfer A-100 series modifications site by Nick Keller at http://www.analoguehaven.com/usercomm/diy/

This site offers some great (and easy-looking) Doepfer-modifications, complete with step by step explanations and pictures. Most of the modifications are simple but very usefull and consist of adding more switches, inputs and outputs to the frontpanel. Very interesting stuff... I'm looking forward to try some of the examples and hope that the parts i ordered from Doepfer will arrive soon, so i can start experimenting on my first Doepfer-projects.

The mods described will most likely void any warranty and, if not done carefully, can damage the circuit board, IC chips, and faceplates.

Quotes III : Robert Moog

" I'm an engineer. 
I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers... They use my tools."

Robert (Bob) Moog

DIY Projects I : The Beginning

I bought my first prototyping board (or breadboard) and some jumper-wires last week, it's time for me to start learning about electronics and electonic circuits.

The board i got was of the Velleman brand, and to be sure i had enough room on it i bought one of the bigger boards, still for under 20 Euro's.
I also bought a small Velleman Voice Changer Kit (MK171 - 9,95 Euro) , the only audio-related DIY-project i could find to experiment with. Like i said earlier this stuff is quite new to me, and my first attempt will be the mounting of all the parts of the kit onto the breadboard. This seems like a good practice for me to learn more about the components and their functions.

I did learn a lot on YouTube last weeks about the basics of breadboarding and electonic components, and there are a few good (and free) tutorials on the MIT OpenCourseware site ( both video's from lecture 12 are highly interesting and deal with basic sound creation with electonics ) The 559 pages thick lecture notes PDF  that completes this course is also free available at the site, and features the whole course on paper.

The kit is a voice changing kit that can basicly changes your voice into a high, low or robotvoice. I haven't heard yet how it will sound, but the idea and basic modification possibilities are looking great.

I see this as a sort of a side-project, that will hopefully merge into my A-100 system at one point and i'm looking forward on how it will sound. I'll keep you updated.

A-114 Dual Ring Modulator

A Ring Modulator is a signal-processor that produces a signal out of two different audio inputs.
This output signal is the sum and the difference from both inputs, and leaves the original frequencies out.

It is an ideal module for producing metallic or bell-like sounds, but you can also (re-)create other weird sound-effects with it, like for example the distinctive "Daleks"-voices from the classic Dr. Who series, created in 1963 by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Besides voices, you can also input all kinds of other (amplified) instruments through the ring-modulator.

The Doepfer A-114 Dual Ring Modulator is in fact two ring-modulators in one, which makes it even more flexible. Theoretically you can use the output of the first ring-modulator as input for the second one. The A-114's manual has some nice other examples on how to start patching, but with a bit of imagination you will quickly come up with your own ideas.

You can find some more interesting ring-modulation (DIY) info HERE

PatchPierre Mobile App for Symbian Update

Version 3 of the PatchPierre Mobile App is now available in the OVI-store. 
The ultimate way to watch PatchPierre's content on your Nokia device. It works on all Symbian and selected S40-devices.

The app enables easy browsing through the PatchPierre posts and comments and also links to the original articles.
Added in Version 3 are the PatchPierre Twitterfeed and my YouTube Videosection with jams, demos and other music made my me. Find it on the web at http://www.youtube.com/netpierretv

The app will stay free in 2010, the 1 Euro that it will cost in 2011 will be spent on upgrading my A-100 system and maintaining the blog. 

All other donations are welcome too, there is a PayPal donation button in the blogs' right column.

Click HERE for a direct link to the OVI Store


More screenshots after the break:

50th PatchPierre Post

Wooooot!

Funny how time flies....It's time for a small celebration.
The reason is because this is my 50th PatchPierre post.
What started out as a personal  hobbyblog has turned out to be quite an impressive collection of interesting posts... (if i may say so myself...)
When i started it, in March of this year, i never expected it to go this fast, and i am still impressed by the number of readers and the variety of countries where they come from.

I would also like to take the opportunity in this post to thank a few people here for their inspirational and motivational support throughout the process of shaping this blog;
In the first place i would like to thank Marc Weerts ( @MarcJX8P ) from the band 87PM ( ocean-coast.kara-moon.com ) for the idea of the subtitle of the blog (Connected Chaos), and for his valuable feedback in all these months.
I would also like to thank Loek van der Helm ( @wonderhelm ), mainly for his technical (PatchPierre-app)-support.
Last but not least i would like to thank Tony Steventon from Synovatron Electronic Music for his most recent input and all the positive feedback.

Thank you (and all other regular readers) for the support and for keeping this blog alive. Without you all it wouldn't be what it is now. Please feel always free to comment/react on my posts, and if you have any topic-suggestions, tips or sites that i should know about, please let me know.
I hope this blog will stay interesting in the future, i still have many (wild) plans for posts and DIY-projects ( My first set of switches,sockets and LEDs will probably arrive next week ).
I'll keep you updated!