[sdiy] How Many Oscillators?

[Cornutt, David K]

From: Michael Zacherl [mailto:sdiy-mz01 at arsprototo.at]
> 
> So my POV is, that things like formfactor, electrical 
> compatibility etc. 
> are even more important than deciding _now_ what modules 
> you'll about to 
> have. But even then physical things are not limited as they appear to 
> be. That's modular fun!
> If you don't care how you box looks like your main concern could be 
> supply voltages etc.

Amen to that!  I'm just starting off in modulars
myself, and one of the first things I realized is that
you can quickly drive yourself crazy with compatibility
problems if you don't think about that issue beforehand.
Form factor, power, and patch cord connector types
all play into it.  For starters, I'm limiting myself
to the MOTM form factor, although I'll probably break
that rule soon as there are some Blacet and PAIA things
I'd like to have; I'll probably mount those up with
adaptor panels.  For power, initially I'm sticking
with +/- 15V and MOTM distribution boards, but there
are some modules that require +5 for logic so I'll have
to add that soon.  For connectors, I wanted to stick
to everything having 1/4" jacks, but all the small-
form-factor stuff uses 1/8".  And then there some
Modcan and Cynthia things I'll want eventually -- and
they use banana jacks, which creates a bit of electrical
difficulty... I have a grand plan to eventually build some
universal power supply boxes that include all of +/-15V,
5V, and +/-12V (the latter is what a lot of the European
stuff like Doepfer and Analogue Systems uses), and use
the same type of connector on all modules.  Each one will
be wired up to the pins it needs to get the power it uses.
I am looking at some 8-pin DIN jacks for this purpose,
since nobody seems to use them for anything else.  
(I really wanted to use Amphenol circular connectors like
we use on our stuff at work, but they are just too
expensive.)

> > In the process I am trying to determine how many oscillators 
> > would be practical. I have seen common synthesizers with 
> two and three 
> > oscillators each with a few different choices of waveform.
> 
> Have a look at VCO made by Oakley, MOTM and synthesizers.com .
> They are all great and different.

I have an EML 101, which is a 4-osc synth, and since I've
had it I have found that I can do a lot of interesting
things that I couldn't do with a 3-osc synth.  Two of the
four on the 101 are switchable between audio range and LFO,
and that makes a big difference too.  (Ideally I wish all
oscillators could be full range -- continuously sweepable
from a few cycles/minute all the way to 20 KHz.  But I
recognize the practical limitations of building such a thing.
We're talking tuning and scaling across 20 octaves...)

In my modular I want at least one or to oscs that are capable
of more complex waveforms.  The Blacet Miniwave and the
Cynthia Psycho LFO are two that I've got my eye on.

Let me just throw in too that I think right now is the
best time that has ever existed to get into modular
synthesis, even better than the "golden age" of the '60s.
With modern ICs and design tools, today's designers can
design and build afforable circuits that can do things
that Moog and Buchla could only dream of doing in 1965.
And with modern manufacturing, low-volume production is
a lot more practical than it used to be, which means
more specialized things can get to market at a reasonable
price.  Plus we have the Internet, and quite a few of
these talented people are right here on this list
soliciting opinions directly from the customer.  I am
going to make it a point to buy and build modules on
a regular basis.  The next few years will be fun!