polyphonic modular synthesis

i recently splurged sold my car for a 4 rack high modular synth consisting of mostly eurorack modules and one frac-rack set of modules. So far the only idea i can come up with to turn what i have into a polyphonic system is to get 2 midi interfaces, and use each one to control 2 different sets of VCos, vcas, and vcfs. This only makes it duophonic, am i naive in thinking that there is some sort of polyphonic VCO for modern modular synths?

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wang activated.

i'm not modular guru (just another idiot, really) but i suppose if you had some sort of module that "filtered" CV you could do something like, midi notes 0-64 = voice a, midi notes 65-127 = voice b. you'd need a module that drew the line, and had a seperate outputs for either side of it. but i don't know if anything like that exists. or maybe some programmable midi->cv unit with multiple outs that does that for you.

also things like CC channels, etc. could let you do that. there are other options, but i don't really know what your modular can do!

probably there are polyphonic vco's, but, er, cv/gate only sends one note at a time anyways? wouldn't get you any further than just having two VCO modules...

another option, i suppose, is using midi to drive step sequencers, rather than notes directly.

d00d, join the Analogue Heaven mailing list. Search the archives before you ask so you don't look too n00b.

I'm pretty sure there is no deeper source of analogue, and expecially modular, geekery. Module manufacturers post there, and so does RDJ (though not so much since he got outed)

OK, just did an archive search myself, and found a couple of units that will play CV VCOs polyphonically from a midi controller:

http://www.oakleysound.co.uk/polydac.htm

http://www.encoreelectronics.com/cont_expres.html

Of course, to duplicate the architecture of a polysynth, you would need X (number of voices) of everything - VCO, VCF and EG. If you have multiple VCOs sharing a VCF and/or EG, then you have a paraphonic synth a la the Korg Poly 800.

Your voices could obviously share control modules (but you would need splitters), and any audio processing after the mixer.

You would want VCOs and VCFs with hyper stable tuning, I guess.

he got outed?

there's also the synth-diy mailing list, where manufacturers also post. i daresay it'd challenge the analogue haven list, but i've never been on that!

  Dr. Elemeno von Hat X: PhD said:

he got outed?

 

there's also the synth-diy mailing list, where manufacturers also post. i daresay it'd challenge the analogue haven list, but i've never been on that!

it's like the sister list. they cross post all the time. obviously, it's diy-focussed. I'm not sure if "building" a modular counts as DIY or not.

  analogue wings said:

  Dr. Elemeno von Hat X: PhD said:

he got outed?

 

there's also the synth-diy mailing list, where manufacturers also post. i daresay it'd challenge the analogue haven list, but i've never been on that!

 

it's like the sister list. they cross post all the time. obviously, it's diy-focussed. I'm not sure if "building" a modular counts as DIY or not.

ill have to go on those lists. I guess i was hoping for a simple solution to my problem but now i realize there is really no other way than to literally get multiple components lioke vcos, vcfs, and vcas

  analogue wings said:

d00d, join the Analogue Heaven mailing list. Search the archives before you ask so you don't look too n00b.

 

I'm pretty sure there is no deeper source of analogue, and expecially modular, geekery. Module manufacturers post there, and so does RDJ (though not so much since he got outed)

 

 

 

 

OK, just did an archive search myself, and found a couple of units that will play CV VCOs polyphonically from a midi controller:

 

http://www.oakleysound.co.uk/polydac.htm

 

http://www.encoreelectronics.com/cont_expres.html

 

Of course, to duplicate the architecture of a polysynth, you would need X (number of voices) of everything - VCO, VCF and EG. If you have multiple VCOs sharing a VCF and/or EG, then you have a paraphonic synth a la the Korg Poly 800.

 

Your voices could obviously share control modules (but you would need splitters), and any audio processing after the mixer.

 

You would want VCOs and VCFs with hyper stable tuning, I guess.

is it a good idea to post about a mailing list like that (you know, a nice mailing list) on watmm and then add that JHWH posts there?

  277: 930-933 said:

is it a good idea to post about a mailing list like that (you know, a nice mailing list) on watmm and then add that JHWH posts there?

Are you worried that the WATMM trolls are going to read a thread called "polyphonic modular synthesis"?

Slightly.

You have to realize we're dealing with some really obsesive, geeky nutcases here.

Well, I did refrain from posting his username, unlike the person who outed him originally.

jeeebus robbie

looking sexy

i see the dalek module

did you get the cyclotron too?

Nice rig there GB3!

Yah, Poly modular is a bit.. expensive.

It would be easier, like AW said to do paraphonic, and it would still sound nice....

Still, the system you have there is quite flexible!

  ten fingers ten toes said:

Nice rig there GB3!

 

Yah, Poly modular is a bit.. expensive.

 

It would be easier, like AW said to do paraphonic, and it would still sound nice....

 

Still, the system you have there is quite flexible!

yeah there is no way im goign to try and do full polyphonic, i already have 2 sets of the basic subtractive synth path i think thats enough for now :). This one item though the - http://www.encoreelectronics.com/cont_expres.html looks very interesting. It seems much more usable and friendly than the MIDi 2 cv interfaces i have now. I bought 2 of them in module format and the thru function on it is fucked up, when i try to send 2 midi signals from different channels over the same cable one of them always gets modulated some how and doesnt spit out the correct CV info.

  pantsonmyhead said:

jeeebus robbie

looking sexy

i see the dalek module

did you get the cyclotron too?

no i didnt, unfortunately the dalek module i got is kind of shitty. It looks very aesthetically pleasing and the knobs are reallly nice. only problem is the module is more of a shower than a grower. It acts as a ring modulator and an LFO, hardly warranting the 2 module space it takes up on my rack.

So far the best modules i got besides the basic necessities are the Wiard Synthesizers 'Miniwave'. ITs basically a wavetable oscillator that is read via a sawtooth wave from another oscillator. It has over 128 waveforms stored inside, sending them through a VCF achieves very juicy results.

You sold your car for a synth you don't know how to use?

i wager i could get a poly evolver or two for my car. that's the route i would have gone.

  acid1 said:

You sold your car for a synth you don't know how to use?

because i dont know how to achieve polophony economically that equates to me not knowing how to use the synth?

i have been salivating over the prospect of a modular synth for 10 years. im not a modular synthesis expert but i think i have a pretty good handle on it

  Quote

i wager i could get a poly evolver or two for my car. that's the route i would have gone.

poly evolver is nice, but modular synth just makes my dick a little bit harder

  Ghostbusters III said:

  ten fingers ten toes said:

Nice rig there GB3!

 

Yah, Poly modular is a bit.. expensive.

 

It would be easier, like AW said to do paraphonic, and it would still sound nice....

 

Still, the system you have there is quite flexible!

 

yeah there is no way im goign to try and do full polyphonic, i already have 2 sets of the basic subtractive synth path i think thats enough for now :). This one item though the - http://www.encoreelectronics.com/cont_expres.html looks very interesting. It seems much more usable and friendly than the MIDi 2 cv interfaces i have now. I bought 2 of them in module format and the thru function on it is fucked up, when i try to send 2 midi signals from different channels over the same cable one of them always gets modulated some how and doesnt spit out the correct CV info.

I see what you mean...

You're lucky to even have thru on your midi -> cv modules. I just get midi -> cv/gate/trigger period! heheh

You could also hard code chords into patches... if you're wanting to mainly play chords on a synth like patch with your polyphony anyhow... You could even sync a sequencer module to midi clock and time a chord progression with it....

Also, although with your module format, you'd need to do alot of converting....

http://www.moogaudio.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=mofo004

Is an absolute steal in terms of the functionality it provides (4 chan mixer/2x lfo/s&h/white noise/4 way multiple/slew limiter/2 chan attenuator). I'd like to get one with my dotcom modular when its together, although I love the dotcom's slew limiter functions (glide only on up, only on down, or both, pretty simple circuit but just imaging how much more depth it could give to a sequence only sliding on up or down intervals makes me want it that much more).

Happy patching!

n00b

  kokoon said:

n00b

h@x0r