Analogue systems

If you can't be bothered to read it all, the PS covers it nicely
I have been building a modular out of mainly AS but other assorted bits 
as well. Despite my intention to stay monophonic, Bob persuaded me that 
the RS370 polyoscillator series was worth a look. I'm not a great lover 
of polyphonic synthesisers but the idea of a polyphonic 
oscillator/envelope that I could integrate into the rest of my modular 
persuaded me. First impressions were awful. that was my fault. I was 
looking at the poly module in isolation. There's so much in it that my 
first action was to take an output from it straight to a mixer and amp. 
Nothing wrong with the sound but it was totally flat, lifeless, and 
uninspiring. I tried a few more of the on-board sounds and was equally 
underwhelmed. Ooops. I thought I'd chucked away a few hundred quid. The 
seven oscillators in my mono set up put a bigger smile on my face. Bob 
hasn't let me down before so I thought I'd sleep on it. No such luck. I 
had one of those last thing at night brainwaves. I wouldn't expect my 
RS90s or 95s to work with nothing more complex than a VCA and a simple 
envelope so...
...I searched out headphones (for it was two in the morning) and 
patched a pretty simple organish wave into a parallel series of filters 
(low pass, EMS Synthi, Comb and band pass), dialed in a triumverate of 
LFOs and mixed it all out to a soupcon of reverb then into the 
headphones.
Eventually at about eight in the morning, i tore myself away and 
grabbed an hours sleep before work.
So, it's a bloody good module that will put out some basic polyphonic 
stuff unhelped but slide it in among the rest of the modular and it 
turns from instant to espresso.
So, everything's OK on the modualr but I've a request. Does anyone have 
lurking in their box a simple logic chip (from TI, I think) that goes 
under the name of a 74LS17 - OK, even a 7417 will do at a pinch. I have 
a 4600 with an incomplete MIDI interface that needs that chip to finish 
it. (It's an interesting project but not for this group - if anyone's 
interested, email me and I'll tell you a tale of a project more fraught 
with hassle than the DeLorean)

Cheers

Keith

PS The RS370/376 combination are well worth the cash and you should 
order them today & I need a 74LS17 or a 7417 chip

Keith
Many thanks for this interesting impression of the RS370 series. 
I have been considering this module for some time now, but have not 
been able to find user experiences anywhere.
Would you be able to post some MP3's of your experiments in this 
group ?

best regards from Amsterdam
Joost

--- In analogue_systems@yahoogroups.com, Keith Pomfret 
<k.pomfret@l...> wrote:
> If you can't be bothered to read it all, the PS covers it nicely
> I have been building a modular out of mainly AS but other assorted 
bits 
> as well. Despite my intention to stay monophonic, Bob persuaded me 
that 
> the RS370 polyoscillator series was worth a look. I'm not a great 
lover 
> of polyphonic synthesisers but the idea of a polyphonic 
> oscillator/envelope that I could integrate into the rest of my 
modular 
> persuaded me. First impressions were awful. that was my fault. I 
was 
> looking at the poly module in isolation. There's so much in it that 
my 
> first action was to take an output from it straight to a mixer and 
amp. 
> Nothing wrong with the sound but it was totally flat, lifeless, and 
> uninspiring. I tried a few more of the on-board sounds and was 
equally 
> underwhelmed. Ooops. I thought I'd chucked away a few hundred quid. 
The 
> seven oscillators in my mono set up put a bigger smile on my face. 
Bob 
> hasn't let me down before so I thought I'd sleep on it. No such 
luck. I 
> had one of those last thing at night brainwaves. I wouldn't expect 
my 
> RS90s or 95s to work with nothing more complex than a VCA and a 
simple 
> envelope so...
> ...I searched out headphones (for it was two in the morning) and 
> patched a pretty simple organish wave into a parallel series of 
filters 
> (low pass, EMS Synthi, Comb and band pass), dialed in a triumverate 
of 
> LFOs and mixed it all out to a soupcon of reverb then into the 
> headphones.
> Eventually at about eight in the morning, i tore myself away and 
> grabbed an hours sleep before work.
> So, it's a bloody good module that will put out some basic 
polyphonic 
> stuff unhelped but slide it in among the rest of the modular and it 
> turns from instant to espresso.
> So, everything's OK on the modualr but I've a request. Does anyone 
have 
> lurking in their box a simple logic chip (from TI, I think) that 
goes 
> under the name of a 74LS17 - OK, even a 7417 will do at a pinch. I 
have 
> a 4600 with an incomplete MIDI interface that needs that chip to 
finish 
> it. (It's an interesting project but not for this group - if 
anyone's 
> interested, email me and I'll tell you a tale of a project more 
fraught 

> with hassle than the DeLorean)
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Keith
> 
> PS The RS370/376 combination are well worth the cash and you should 
> order them today & I need a 74LS17 or a 7417 chip