What I meant was the Serge's I've either owned or have recently put on a
scope have a relatively low signal level (amplitude) of about 2.25 volts
(5.5 volts RMS) - right about line level. Now - please remember all of
these were over 20 years old and possibly this has changed since. Compare
this to other (newer) modulars (Doepfer, MOTM, etc etc) , and the Serge's
are about half the amplitude, and in some cases, less than half than this
'new breed' which run between 5 to 8 volts (10-16 p to p).
So, to get a healthy record level you've got to run them hot - you have to
turn the volume up high(er than you would than with these other systems).
And like any audio device, the higher the signal level, the more susceptible
you are to system noise.
Now, an interesting tidbit that I've noticed - when I had the Serge's here
and also with the non shielded Steiner - if I'm using the system and just so
happen to turn my stove on (my kitchen is adjacent to my studio), I will
actually hear the electronic spark ignition through my speakers coming form
the outputs of the synth (unplug it, the ignition goes away)! This doesn't
happen with the other equipment that uses shielded cabling. Is this due to
a non shielded architecture? - not sure, but probably. Is this particular
anomaly a reason for concern? Absolutely not - unless of course you come up
with a sonic brainstorm when you just so happen to be frying an egg or
something.
John P wrote:
scope have a relatively low signal level (amplitude) of about 2.25 volts
(5.5 volts RMS) - right about line level. Now - please remember all of
these were over 20 years old and possibly this has changed since. Compare
this to other (newer) modulars (Doepfer, MOTM, etc etc) , and the Serge's
are about half the amplitude, and in some cases, less than half than this
'new breed' which run between 5 to 8 volts (10-16 p to p).
So, to get a healthy record level you've got to run them hot - you have to
turn the volume up high(er than you would than with these other systems).
And like any audio device, the higher the signal level, the more susceptible
you are to system noise.
Now, an interesting tidbit that I've noticed - when I had the Serge's here
and also with the non shielded Steiner - if I'm using the system and just so
happen to turn my stove on (my kitchen is adjacent to my studio), I will
actually hear the electronic spark ignition through my speakers coming form
the outputs of the synth (unplug it, the ignition goes away)! This doesn't
happen with the other equipment that uses shielded cabling. Is this due to
a non shielded architecture? - not sure, but probably. Is this particular
anomaly a reason for concern? Absolutely not - unless of course you come up
with a sonic brainstorm when you just so happen to be frying an egg or
something.
John P wrote:
> I read this before and don't quite get it. What do you mean exactly
> when you say ' low signal level' and 'hot' I thought they meant the
> same thing but not the way you use it here. The Serge signals start @
> several volts p-p and that's what you see all the way thru. The only
> time I've had significant noise was with a grounding problem. AFAIK I
> don't get RFI either.
>
>
> Peter Grenader wrote:
>
>> Believe it or not, the shielding that the non-banana format provides is
>> worth the hassle of mults. Serge gets around this somewhat by a
>> comparatively low signal level. Problem is, you've got to run it hot to
>> compensate for that. Problem is then - like anything else you run hot -
>> you start to get system noise.
>>
>> The most interesting mutation of this was the Steiner-Parker modular system.
>> It used 1/8 inch jacks, but shields were floating (he might as well have
>> used banana's). There are no grounds connected to any of the jacks, the
>> cables braided housings served as a faraday shield only.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> cuari7 wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>>> .. special mention to Paul Schreiber who offered
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> some tech advice and also gently reminded me that my
>>>>
>>>>
>>> comment 'every
>>>
>>>
>>>> synth I've ever owned has gone wrong' did not apply to my MOTM
>>>>
>>>>
>>> system
>>>
>>>
>>>> LOL... (FWIW Paul offers a back to base $5 repair on ANY faulty
>>>>
>>>>
>>> module and has
>>>
>>>
>>>> a workforce of 1).<<
>>>>
>>>>
>>> He, he. Paul, you sneaky devil, couldn't spare us the commercial,
>>> huh? (I'm gonna seek Peake on ya'! ;-P)
>>> But joke aside, I must recognize that Paul does provide excellent
>>> support AND a fantastic product (the cleanest one by far, and some
>>> of the best-sounding filters around). The problem (at least for me)
>>> with MOTM is its bulk. Takes up twice the space of an equally-dense
>>> Serge. It is my goal to eventually have a small-to-mid size MOTM
>>> system to complement my Serge, but not 'till I buy a new house.
>>> I also wish Paul sold his modules with optional banana jacks.....
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Keep on Patchin'!
>>>
>>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Keep on Patchin'!
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> Keep on Patchin'!
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>