Sequencer Development (Last Stage)

YouTube via nathanielscott
"So, I have about got the kicks worked out of my first sequencer. Everything works from the start, stop, step push buttons, to the Portamento control, though the portamento is a bit glichey (I need to research way to build that bit with more control).

The video shows some toy keyboards that I hacked to gain gate control over the onboard sequencers. The Casio SK-1 may not really be a total toy but the little grey Lonestar keyboard totally is. I paid three bucks for it at a thrift shop a couple of weeks ago.

I still need to build a better VCO. I have done very little research in this area and I feel that a good VCO would go a long way to a better performance feel, thereby giving better user experience in playing music. (just a thought)

The last bit of the video has music recorded with the sequencer but the VCO is run through a large amp and miked, and also DIed, so are the other keyboards wich include my Poly-61 and Crumar Performer."

sequencer module S4 owyheesound

YouTube via nathanielscott
"This is my first original design. The circuit design is very simple and I give the numbers to the four ships I used to build it towards the end of the video. This system was designed to be compatible with moog systems though I still have to cut down the panel to be the correct dimensions to fit into a moog style cabinet.

Since this video I have added a couple of enhancements like portamento (aka glissando or glide) and others. This has been a fun project and I am looking forward to desiging and builing other useful modules."

triggering poly61 arpeggiator

YouTube via nathanielscott
"Here I use a small toy ten step sequncer to trigger aa Korg Poly 61's arpeggiator."

synth R&D for performance

YouTube via nathanielscott
"I am playing two instruments both are made out of Radio Shack electronic learning kits. The first instrument is an a sort of cheap-o optical theremin that I am playing with my left hand. The second is a ten step sequncer with a very basic square wave VCO. I did build three steps of addition master voltage control which you can see me triggering with the blue buttons with my right hand.

Before I started to take componants off the breadboard and put them into a dedicated enclosure I thought I would see if I could make noise that somewhat resmbled music with homemade electronic instruments.

I got close but in the end I dont think a ten step sequencer is a very musical design."

musical synth R&D

YouTube via nathanielscott
"The first device is an Optical Theremin, and is a Forrest Mims design. The second device is a bent design of Mim's. The last third of the video shows a 10 step sequencer which is where I will be spending more time trying to develop it into a viable performance device.

I have been toying with the idea of building a modular synthesizer. I was fortunate enough to have had access to a minimoog for a year and I am a huge fan of that design but would like a system that is more modular.

I have started by building some very basic ocillators and sequencers, as you can see. I am using Radio Shack Electronic Project Kit 150 in 1, and the Radio Shack Electronic Learning Lab to learn the the basics. So far so good."

QUADRAPHONIC SYNTH - Yamaha CS01 on a Teac 3340s

YouTube via nathanielscott
"I demonstrate a quadraphonic recording I made with a little yamaha synthesizer."

korg poly 61 arpeggiator

YouTube via nathanielscott
"the poly 61 is not limited only to 80s sounds"

korg poly 61 subrtractive synthesis

YouTube via nathanielscott
"With the ocilliscope on yu can see how using a single ocillator a varitey of wave shape can be created. The Poly 61 has two ocillators and each ocillator only has two wave shapes: saw tooth and square, though the first ocillator has a pulse width modulation feature on its square wave form. Using only the first ocillator not ony can variation of a sqaure waves and sawtooth waves can be created but by using the filter section sine wave, triangle waves and far more complex wave forms can also be created."