Music Thing Random Sequencer

Music Thing Random Sequencer from Tom Whitwell on Vimeo.

DIY shift register sequencer module for Eurorack modular synth. Full details: http://musicthing.co.uk/modular/?page_id=21

Muffs discussion thread here

Prototype shift register sequencer

"Breadboard prototype of a 16-step random sequencer, something between the Wiard Noise Ring web.archive.org/web/20090410072322/http://www.wiard.com/1200/NR/Noise_Ring.html the CGS Gated Comparator cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs13_gated_comparator.html and Nav's BITSY navsmodularlab.blogspot.com/2011/10/bitsy-stepped-cv-generator-recorder.html

Looping starts about 30 seconds in - until then it is just taking random data and turning it into voltages.

It takes random noise (haven't tuned that part very well yet, as you can see), to fill up 4 x 4 step 4015 shift registers, shifted by a clock input. The shift registers are looped - either after 8 or 16 steps.
8 of the steps are fed into a DAC0800 analog/digital converter, which produces a 0-8 volt output.
Plenty left to do..."

Shift Register sequencer v2

"The two buttons at the bottom add 0s and 1s to the binary sequence while it plays."

Untitled [Radio Tuner Module by Tom Whitwell?]

No description for this one. Curious if it's FM, AM, or both.

Update via Tom in the comments: "Hi Matrix, it's a simple FM radio with voltage controlled tuning, based on a very old idea from Don Buchla (and his amazing $1,250 Quad Polyphonic Tuner). Thanks for the link!"  Also see this previous post.

Prototype voltage controlled FM radio by Tom Whitwell

"Breadboard FM radio controlled by Makenoise Maths. Some way to go until it's module ready."

Update via Tom Whitwell in the comments: "More details / audio etc here over at Muff Wigglers"

DIY Spring Reverb Module

flickr By Tom.Whitwell

Details via Muff's

"I was just about to buy an A199 spring reverb when I decided to save 4hp of space and build my own.

The circuit is based on Roy Mallory's tech note and tone control, which is useful - a symmetrical cut/boost of bass and treble. The drive, recovery, tone and blend buffer take the four amps in a TL074.

The gain on the drive circuit is reduced quite a bit - R10 is 660R rather than 62R (it's R1 in Mallory's article), and the recovery circuit has a variable drive.

I put a couple of phono jacks on the back of my Doepfer case, so it's easy to plug in an external tank - a nice rich 6-spring 9EB2C1B (mainly because I built the circuit with the 8EB2C1B from a fender amp)"

MusicThing · DIY Spring Reverb Module

Arduino-powered modular synth master clock

flickr By Tom.Whitwell

"Midi / pulse clock divider, with swing, running on arduino"

MIDI Beat Clock from Tom Whitwell on Vimeo.

Guitar Pickup Simulator

This one in via Tom Whitwell of Music Thing. BTW, you can now follow him on Twitter.

"My latest DIY thing - good for plugging synths into stompboxes and guitar amps.

Simple passive circuit in a 1590a box.

Circuit comes from this article by Jack Orman: www.muzique.com/lab/pickups.htm

It's half a 10k audio transformer (a Triad TY-141P), a standard guitar volume/tone circuit with orange drop .1uf cap, then a 10ohm carbon comp cap and a 470pf cap to simulate a long cable run.

Basically, it rolls off some top end, but also makes the impedance of whatever source you plug it into a bit more like a guitar pickup.

So, synths sound better through stompboxes, particularly finickity fuzz boxes. It's also a bit like a DI box...

The switch selects no/half/full transformer coils. A bit like single coil v humbucker pickups."

flickr by Tom.Whitwell