Anyone else out there using modular analogue synths live? I've got my system down but I'd love to hear how the other guys are using their modular rigs at their gigs:)
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Analogue Modular Synths Used Live
(7 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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i prefer to take cheap gear to live shows & keep the valuable stuff at home in the studio. too many variables in live situations, faulty power, temperature fluctuations, cleptos, careless bandmates...
Posted 1 year ago # -
The system I used live between 99 and 2001 was designed and built for live use with each module or pair of modules in its own rugged housing. In total there were 9 individual boxes in 3 different sizes and each built to withstand serious abuse. The VCA was a quad module, EGs and LFOs were dualies as were the VCOs. Another had a pair of function generators, a S+H with noise source as well as esoteric units like comparator, lag and general purpose CV VCAs. Each of the two VCFs had their own boxes and one included the envelope follower. It all fit into a camcorder case which I dragged in and out of subways for a few years until it was stolen. The bitch was the power cabling but it was a rugged system with enough redundancy in case of failures. The entire thing was patched with tip plugs.
The THING that I am building now is in the chassis of a military Sikorsky helicopter hydraulics test set. Mechanical and electronic design specs are military grade in all respects. The unit is airtight/watertight with pressure relief valve and capable of dealing with severe physical abuse. Electronically it incorporates its own mains isolation transformer feeding two industrial grade power supplies with AC noise filtering. The outputs are either high level transformer isolated balanced with drive ability for over 200 ft of cable or from a built-in DI to go right into the board. Common patches are selectable via switches but patch points are incorporated into the common front panel for more creative configurations.
So far I have built and tested the following modules for it:
Analog White Noise generator with adjustable bit depth digital hash output (can go from waterfall to scratchy record).Four output sequential trapezoid scanner (similar to doefer A-144 MC).
Ken Stone Wave Multipliers.
Synthacon VCF (3 of them).
My own designed 20 bit voltage quantizer/frequency multiplier.
Super LFO with continuously variable wave shape in addition to Tri, Square, Ramp Up and Ramp Down.
Modules that are currently in construction or functioning digital models:
JH Living VCOs X 6
Arpegginator (my own design CV sequencer)
Pushbutton KeyboardPlanned Modules:
Digital wavetable playback unit (still deciding which from the many options to go with)
Ian Fritz's Bipolar Square device.
AD633/632 balance modulators (like my old system had).
This system is designed from the ground up for constant live use and abuse on all fronts. It will be a tank. Nothing commercially available can really hold up under extreme conditions. If you can't work with electronics at the very least get an old test set chassis from a DRMO auction and pay somebody to build your modules into it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Eric Christian
offlineMemberhollowman, I really like your Rape Machine song but that sample completely ruins it for me... please can you post a mix without it?
Posted 1 year ago # -
soillodge
offlineTech Moderator@Mike- how big is that thing? Sounds like the ultimate live noise wrecking machine. I can't wait to hear what it can do.
btw- not just to poke fun, but every time you mention military grade I think of my time in the military as a supply PO. Where we basically buy civilian stuff at exorbitant prices that is painted OD and given a milspec. I get what you mean about durability and reliability, but often times the milspec stuff just meant that it had to be thoroughly tested by our people before use in the field.
Now if you decide to play live in the middle of a rebel skirmish in the Middle East. You are definitely on point :P
`michael
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Eric Christian I'm very happy to hear you enjoy the track! I assume you are referring to the rude little girl sample? I am working on a new revision of this track so I'll see to using a less profane dialog drop. I have a good one in mind but need to find the DVD ;-)
@soilodge I'll be starting my next world tour in Beirut - and a good chance I may be ending the tour there too considering the climate these days. But my synth will survive
:-)In the military I repaired the avionics systems of FA14 Tomcats, FA18s and FA18 Super Hornets (obnoxiously loud fuckers that they are). Anyway I was always impressed by the ruggedness of the test sets involved so I bought one. I gutted it, stripped all the paint off and went over the entire casing with a wire wheel to get a nice rough scraped up metal look. It looks as tough as it physically is now. Size is roughly 20 X 20 X 24 inches. This is a slow project. Just building these Living VCOs is taking forever due to parts sourcing issues. I really want to get enough of it working to use it this summer. If I can't get HP9 live this summer at the very least I want to get back to doing my modular shows in the Richmond, DC, Baltimore areas.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Just adding clarification on my module descriptions in previous posting...
The Noise Generator doesn't have a true bit depth variation in the normal sense. In fact it is a window comparator. One input is fed white noise and the opther input is fed the inverted polarity of the same white noise. The threshold or window of the comparators is adjustable via control voltage or panel control. Then the two comparator outputs are diode ANDed together for the output. So in the bitwise point of view the maximum number of possible bits is only three but the bits are bipolar so the AND function does weird things when a bit is at negative value and another is positive. A third value between positive and negative gets generated.Also, the Super LFO has a sine output. And the variable wave is derived from dynamically unbalancing the sine shaper network. So the waveform control goes from sine at one extreme to something like Rocket shape at the other. I am dying to see how this sounds modulating a VCO or VCF....
Posted 1 year ago #
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