[sdiy] Wow! Milton as VC Harmonic Generator

[Peter Grenader]

Instead of using the voltage outs, try monitoring the pulse bank outs and it
will react like a Frequency Divider.

Regarding the upper limit of ops:  Outside of reset and hold, all of the
pulse inputs of this sequencer are run through non-variable one shots which
regulate the on-time to the counter to 30ms.  This is to avoid truth table
traffic jams and sending it into oddball conditions caused by multiple
inputs being activated simultaneously.  But - these oneshots are merely
R/C's to the base of trannies and therefor retriggerable, so the 30ms does
not represent the upper end of operation by any means,

Given that the 4516 counter is designed to run well into the mHz range, the
pittance of audio range operation is no challenge for it at all,so there's
no worry about overheating the part by doing this, as one kit purchaser
feared.

P


Cynthia Webster wrote:

> Howdy all!
> 
> Someone wrote-in asking what the upper frequency limit of a
> Milton 16x4 Voltage Controlled Sequencer is when driven up into audio range
> 
> I just hooked one of the Miltons up here to try it out and it's exciting
> as a sort of quad VC harmonic Oscillator!
> 
> Asking Peter about the upper limit of his creation, instead of a reading
> from his frequency counter, he said, "I don't know, but it's up there!"
> 
> I can see Peter's point, as the limit in upper frequency is not in Milton...
> 
> Instead, it is in the upper limit of the oscillator that is clocking it,
> the impression that I get is that The Milton can keep right on going up!
> (if so however, the dogs in the neighborhood might have a howl over this!)
> 
> I used a Modcan 01A Oscillator and with it tuned to it's upper limit
> (inaudibly high pitch) Milton gets right up there into the upper limits
> of a pianos highest keys.
> 
> Turning all 16 of the knobs to the lowest, the audio output of the Sequencer
> is most mellow sounding.  As you turn up the knobs, real spiky harmonics
> can be generated resulting in ever more harmonic content that ultimately
> gets somewhat raspy sounding, (really wild waveforms on the scope).
> 
> This all gets very interesting when an LFO is presented to the Voltage
> Control input on the Sequencer, as then the harmonic content is under
> voltage control... .
> 
> Turning the clocking VCO's PWM to it's extreme results in a sudden stop
> to the entire sequence, as if Milty stops responding to the clock, if it's
> pulse width is set too far to the right.
> 
> I experimented with using the LFO on the oscillator's PWM input,
> and this was interesting in making the audio output of the Milton
> pick-off or accentuate different harmonics along it's row of 16 LEDS.
> It is fun to actually see it in the LEDs, as well as to hear it.
> 
> Turning up the PWM CV input attenuator resulted in the LFO stopping Milton
> and starting it, with a patterned modulation of it freezing at different
> positions of the sequence, etc.  (3, 8, 11, 16, 3, 8, 11, 16, 3, 8, 11, 16,)
> 
> Lots of fun!
> 
> I'd like to try a patch like this feeding each row's output
> into a different audio channel of a quadraphonic setup.
> 
> Thanks I'm glad that question was asked!
> 
> Happy Bleeping!
> 
> Cynthia
> 
> 
> 
> 
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