Control Level Question...

LetterBeacon · Joined: Mar 18, 2008 Posts: 454 Location: London, UK

I've noticed a few modules have control voltage level pots on them. Why would you need to increase the level of the control voltage, and what effect will it have?

Cat-A-Tonic · Joined: Mar 24, 2008 Posts: 42 Location: Yokohama, Japan

Usually those knobs are for attenuation rather than amplification, or in some cases bi-polar offset.
You can think of them like a depth/amount control.
It is often advantagous to NOT have everything running at full blast.
Try it out and you'll understand.

External attenuators, bipolar mixers, and gain boosters are incredibly useful in getting the right amount of voltage to a device that has no attenuators of its own.

For example: the Metasonix TM-3 Dual Oscillator benefits greatly from processing the control voltage of a sequencer or whatever through the 4th channel of a Blacet Mixer Processor (which has gain boost, bipolar offset, and attenuation).
This allows a much fuller range of frequencies to track with varying levels of sloppiness/accuracy.

Sometimes it is useful to process a CV through a VCA for voltage controlled depth of voltage control!

elektro80 · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:49 pm Post subject: Re: Control Level Question...

elektro80 · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:59 pm Post subject:

An common "problem" with most fixed architecture synths like say the Odyssey is that you might easily come up with interesting patches, but the place where all the interesting stuff happens is so within a very narrow sweet spot on the controls you have available.

Using a modular system you can establish new control points within these sweet spots, you can scale control signals and more.. in order to explore and extend the actual playability and the expression of the original patch design.

What originally showed up within a millimeter or four of travel of the pots on the Odyssey suddenly becomes an unlimited universe of wonderful sounds.

LetterBeacon · Joined: Mar 18, 2008 Posts: 454 Location: London, UK

Thanks for the replies!

I think I understand - increasing the level of a control voltage means you have finer control?

A module that I'm hoping to build fairly soon is Yusynth's Minimoog VCF. As an example, could you explain to me what I could expect to happen if I turned the Control Level pot up? Would that mean that I could control the Emphasis more finely?

Thanks - sorry for the newbie questions!

doctorvague · Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:33 pm Post subject:

elektro80 · Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 5:56 pm Post subject:

varice · Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:56 pm Post subject:

elektro80 · Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:21 pm Post subject:

The original Clavia NM concept seemed so good at the time. Various forms of integration with DAWs and computers soon became the new big thing ( and some think it still is ). However, we all now know that updating the goddamn software needed to keep the integration shit for some reason became unmanageable for the various vendors.

And how many USB ports are our computers supposed to have these these days? Dozens? And how is all this stuff supposed to sync and handle latency issues? Rolling Eyes

So far the only real outcome of the integration fad is that our amazing new gear now becomes redundant doorstops within a year or three.

And how pleased will the many software based synthesists with DAWs stuffed to the rim with plugins be when the recession sweeps the table and takes NI and the lot into Chapter 11?

Shocked

Right, that was a rant.. in case it wasn´t that obvious..

Just for the record, I don´t have a problem with software based instruments or DAW integration as such, but it really sucks that the we suddenly have accepted that the effective lifespan of such devices and instruments has been reduced from several decades to a year or three. This is both offensive, hilarious and not a good trend at all.

Hey, I´m still ranting.. Shocked

varice · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:09 am Post subject:

LetterBeacon · Joined: Mar 18, 2008 Posts: 454 Location: London, UK

Thanks very much - crystal clear!

MyPasswordIs123456 · Joined: Nov 05, 2007 Posts: 25 Location: account is locked

elektro80 · Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:38 pm Post subject:

The basic ones most have in their system are:

Q125 Signal Processor
Multifunction module provides signal inversion, attenuation, amplification, and adjustable voltage source.

Q105 Slew Limiter
Limits the rate of change of a signal. Useful for creating Glissando (Portamento), as an envelope generator, or a gate delay.

Q130 Clipper/Rectifier
Voltage controlled clipping of signals and rectification of signals to create new waveforms and modify control signals.

And the Q108 VCA of course.. and we must have envelope generators too.

A couple of Q119s are great for this too.

Mind you, you won´t be getting your act into the exciting new lands of messed up patching unless you have 2-6 Q125s.

And then you mix and match with stuff from other companies.. or build stuff you find here at electro-music.com

elektro80 · Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:42 pm Post subject:

A point to make is of course that it might be easier to get into control voltage bandwidth management and control point issues by the way of the NM-1 and G-2.

MyPasswordIs123456 · Joined: Nov 05, 2007 Posts: 25 Location: account is locked

I got all these modules except the q119. As well as 3 other filters, bunch of attenuators and a VC Envelope. I haven't experimented a lot with the clipper except for punchy envelopes. The sweet spot for modulation input is very narrow, and attenuating the signals is tidy. I'd love to find a way to have a more limited range.