SergeModular

> The prospect of digital creeping into the soup. We've seen some other
> builders dabble in the arts of zero and one, is he going there? Some
> say digital envelope generators are a slippery slope while others say
> it matters not one bit.

Rex has sensibly avoided making big changes to the original Serge
designs, concentrating on "quality issues" instead. I can't imagine
him going digital - it wouldn't really be a Serge Modular any more.


Redesigning with surface mount is equally unlikely, especially as
some parts are already discontinued and won't be available in SMD.
More likely, he'll continue mking classic Serge while he still has
a stock of parts.

> Here's another question for the community. How do we support the large
> number of older panels that are out there? Last I checked, STS is not
> inclined to rebuild or repair anything more than about 10 years old. I
> guess most of us do our own repairs when necessary or know someone who
> can do them but this is likely to become more of an issue as time goes
> on.

It would be a generous gesture if Rex released some of the
older docs for stuff he no longer supports. Also, the kit
instructions would be helpful as they give give the wiring
information - they useful if a wire falls off or if you
need to change worn out pots.

> Are there any quirky parts we should buy a few of while the
> through-hole stuff is still pretty plentiful.

Pretty plentiful? Don't bet on it. They're going fast.

Useful ICs include LF353N or TL072, LM3900N, LM324N, 4558.

Depending what modules you have, also consider CA3080, CA3130
(noise gen), CD4066 & CA3140 (ASR) LM3046 (PCO/NTO/PHA),
RC4136 (PHA). SAD1024 in the WAD. Lots of CMOS logic in the
TKB, sequencers and quantisers. Pop the hood and make a list.


But - chips don't die very often, so no need to panic.

> Any thoughts on the rearrangement conundrum? I'm sorely tempted to cut
> up and repackage a late '70s panel into a more modular configuration.
> Frac rack frames are cheap and service bureaus make very nice panels
> to spec. Has anyone done this?

Serge boards are 6" long. Frac rack panels are approx 5.25"
high, and I'm not sure how deep the racks are. Bananalogue
have done something similar, but designed their own boards
to fit.

> Want to compare notes? I mentioned it to Rex once (what was I thinking?)
> a it must have sounded like blasphemy to him. He told me to not put any
> reference to "Serge" on the new panels.

He might own the rights to STS and SMMS, but I'd be very
surprised if he holds the rights to the name "Serge".
I notice Bananalogue have the word "Serge" on their panels,
so maybe you could ask them if Rex's lawyers have been in
touch. Anyway, you'll have real Serge boards inside.
Sounds like sabre rattling to me - but I'm no lawyer.

> Somebody else suggested I'd be throwing away resale value but I'm not
> interested in selling it off, quite the opposite.

You could keep your options open by not throwing the old front panels
away...



Steve