My first modular (Dotcom) just arrived!

[BKN7000]

Woohoo! I just got my first modular and I'm so excited. It's a Synthesizers.com portable 22 cabinet and it sounds great! I really love the quality of everything. The panels are nice and thick and the finish is great, the graphics are sharp, the knobs and switches are tight, feels awesome overall. Props to Roger Arrick and the team at Synthesizers.com for making such a awesome and classic product at that price.

Thanks to all the peeps on this forum too for the posts which helped me in researching what to get.

So I managed to quickly figure out a basic one oscillator patch (midi kb + osc > filter > amp > mixer), but I hit a wall trying to figure out how to use a second envelope for the filter. Can anyone point out how to route the signal? Do I need a separate amplifier if I use a second envelope? Do I need to split the oscillator output (raw + filtered) and combine them again in the mixer? Sorry for the noob question.

[haricots]

Run a gate into the envelope and it's output to the filter input of your choice. You don't mention a envelope going in to your VCA but I assume you are using one. Also, I always have my VCA last and the mixer just before it.

Also, I assume you are using a MIDI/CV converter?

[haricots]

[danox574]

So I managed to quickly figure out a basic one oscillator patch (midi kb + osc > filter > amp > mixer), but I hit a wall trying to figure out how to use a second envelope for the filter. Can anyone point out how to route the signal? Do I need a separate amplifier if I use a second envelope? Do I need to split the oscillator output (raw + filtered) and combine them again in the mixer? Sorry for the noob question.

Congratulations!

Roger's basic patch shows using an envelope to control the filter.



You could combine the raw and filtered oscillator sound in the mixer and vary their levels. You don't need to, but you can! That's the beauty of this!

[Synesthesia]

You could combine the raw and filtered oscillator sound in the mixer and vary their levels. You don't need to, but you can! That's the beauty of this!

That's something i love |:)

[BKN7000]

Awesome! Thanks!!!

[BKN7000]

So I managed to quickly figure out a basic one oscillator patch (midi kb + osc > filter > amp > mixer), but I hit a wall trying to figure out how to use a second envelope for the filter. Can anyone point out how to route the signal? Do I need a separate amplifier if I use a second envelope? Do I need to split the oscillator output (raw + filtered) and combine them again in the mixer? Sorry for the noob question.

Congratulations!

Roger's basic patch shows using an envelope to control the filter.



You could combine the raw and filtered oscillator sound in the mixer and vary their levels. You don't need to, but you can! That's the beauty of this!

Aha. For some reason I thought the envelope was only supposed to be fed as a control input to the amp. The blue patch in the diagram was the missing piece in the puzzle. I didn't think you were supposed to feed an envelope into the filter at all. I think I need to learn more about how the envelope module works... a bit confusing.

[Christopher W.]

You could combine the raw and filtered oscillator sound in the mixer and vary their levels. You don't need to, but you can! That's the beauty of this!

That's something i love |:)

Or one can send two outputs from one oscillator (saw SAW and TRIANGLE) to the two inputs of the filter to get a combined waveform with more energy closer to the fundamental and less up top. Or send an oscillator output to a CV input on the filter to "buzz" up the sound a bit.

Or about seventeen other things that spring to mind with that "simple" patch diagram. Amazing the amount of flexibility that can be coaxed from only a handful of modules.

[BKN7000]

Run a gate into the envelope and it's output to the filter input of your choice. You don't mention a envelope going in to your VCA but I assume you are using one. Also, I always have my VCA last and the mixer just before it.

Also, I assume you are using a MIDI/CV converter?

Yes, thanks. I had midi>cv going into multiples and sending gate to env1 and then the cv to multiples>osc 1. I started sending cv from multiples also to the filter to track, but I wasn't sure yet if that was correct. I had to leave to go to work.

My env was feeding into the vca and the mixer came after, which may be wrong. Per danox574's comment, I think putting the mixer before the amp makes more sense.

All the stuff I took for granted in pre-wired synths... I really appreciate it now.

Or one can send two outputs from one oscillator (saw SAW and TRIANGLE) to the two inputs of the filter to get a combined waveform with more energy closer to the fundamental and less up top. Or send an oscillator output to a CV input on the filter to "buzz" up the sound a bit.

Wow that just blew my mind. This is amazing.

[AnalogBastard]

Prepare to become addicted ! You may find this useful, it's the Owners Manual for the Arp 2600, although it's obviously targed at the 2600, much of the info and principals are universal. Enjoy that synth

http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricula ... rp2600.pdf

[danox574]

All the stuff I took for granted in pre-wired synths... I really appreciate it now.

I actually found modulars because I was telling someone that I'd like to have a Voyager at some point because it had three oscillators and a little bit of routing (ilke OSC3 can be used as an LFO or routed to FM modulate Osc 1). The guy said, why? Just go modular, you can have 12 oscillators if you want.

That got me thinking.

I was all



And then I was like



And then I patched up some madness and I was like



and now it's

[BKN7000]

Hahahaha. I see my future. And I am doomed.

[diophantine]

My env was feeding into the vca and the mixer came after, which may be wrong. Per danox574's comment, I think putting the mixer before the amp makes more sense.

In modular-land, nothing is wrong! (Well, except connecting outputs to outputs.)

But in a smaller system yeah, having the mixer come sooner than later in the patch is probably going to lead to more interesting/fun results. Mixing waveforms is lovely!

[JohnLRice]

Congrats, BKN7000!

[Shy]

The panels are nice and thick and the finish is great, the graphics are sharp, the knobs and switches are tight, feels awesome overall. Props to Roger Arrick and the team at Synthesizers.com for making such a awesome and classic product at that price.

Exactly. Really great price for such an exceptional quality product. Great sound, features, reliability (and the oscillator's tuning stability is unbelievable) and everything. Very honest company and it's great that he makes such serious efforts to make this possible.

Enjoy.

[Dave Peck]

Aha. For some reason I thought the envelope was only supposed to be fed as a control input to the amp. The blue patch in the diagram was the missing piece in the puzzle. I didn't think you were supposed to feed an envelope into the filter at all. I think I need to learn more about how the envelope module works... a bit confusing.

That's the beauty of a modular (or some other synths that have lots and lots of internal signal routing options).

You can patch any OUTPUT on any module to any INPUT on any module and the output signal from the first module will affect the second module in some way.

for example, using that same ADSR envelope, you could patch it to:

-a mod input on a VCA to make the env affect the signal amplitude (volume)
- a frequency mod input on a filter to make the env affect the filter cutoff
- a pitch mod input on the osc to make the env affect the pitch
- a pulse width mod input on the osc to make the env affect the pulse width (note that you'll need to use the osc's PULSE wave output to hear the effect)

[doctorvague]

Congrats! My 5U love started with 1 dotcom 22 portable. I fell in love with the sound as well as the form factor. Have fun!

[BKN7000]

That's the beauty of a modular (or some other synths that have lots and lots of internal signal routing options).

You can patch any OUTPUT on any module to any INPUT on any module and the output signal from the first module will affect the second module in some way.

for example, using that same ADSR envelope, you could patch it to:

-a mod input on a VCA to make the env affect the signal amplitude (volume)
- a frequency mod input on a filter to make the env affect the filter cutoff
- a pitch mod input on the osc to make the env affect the pitch
- a pulse width mod input on the osc to make the env affect the pulse width (note that you'll need to use the osc's PULSE wave output to hear the effect)

There's so much to play around with between just two Q106's and a couple of pedals... I'm not sure I'll even get to use the third oscillator without needing another midi input.

Now that I think about it maybe I should gave gotten two multiples instead of the noise module. Damn I need another cabinet already. Haha

Here's my layout

[fac]

Cool. That's almost the same setup I had for a couple years, except I had a S&H and Slew Limiter instead of the Clipper and Oscillator Aid.

If you need more multiples, look for some Y-splitters on any audio/electronics store.

Some things you should try: Use the VCA's to control the amount of modulation of a given source. For example, if you're going to FM one oscillator with another, run first the modulating oscillator through a VCA, and then to the carrier oscillator. Then modulate the VCA with an envelope or your third oscillator. Try the same with soft sync.

One you start modulating the modulators, you'll learn to treasure that third oscillator.

[AnalogBastard]

The panels are nice and thick and the finish is great, the graphics are sharp, the knobs and switches are tight, feels awesome overall. Props to Roger Arrick and the team at Synthesizers.com for making such a awesome and classic product at that price.

Exactly. Really great price for such an exceptional quality product. Great sound, features, reliability (and the oscillator's tuning stability is unbelievable) and everything. Very honest company and it's great that he makes such serious efforts to make this possible.

Enjoy.

Amen brother, many thanks for Roger

[doctorvague]

Now that I think about it maybe I should gave gotten two multiples instead of the noise module.

Cabinet space is precious, especially in a 22 space system.
Just get some of these:



They also enable daisy-chaining rather than starring out from a single point.
IIRC there's a jumper setting on the oscillators to allow the 1V/Oct jacks to be daisy-chained. That would save a mult section when you're patching pitch CV to all 3 osc's for example.

OK I found it in the datasheet:

1V/Oct Jacks
When J17 is jumpered at 1-2 then the 2 1V/Oct Jacks are independent, when set to 2-3 they are connected to allow daisy-chaining multiple modules to eases patching.

[rezzn8r]

nice system. congrats!

[bwhittington]

Nice system! You'll make use of that third oscillator soon enough.

Cheers,
Brian

[kindredlost]

This is what I was thinking DrVague. In a modest system, a set of "Y" cables is one of the most neglected advantages. I bought many when I first started which prevented me from having to take up precious modular space with multiples. Multiples are really only used in my system for bringing any DC signal to more than two separate modules at a time. Musician's Friend has short and long ones for pretty cheap.

Another fun thing to try with a single oscillator setup is to make the filter self oscillate (full resonance) and track with the midi cv. Then use the Q106 oscillator as an LFO into the filter. Space Sounds!! Yeah.

[danox574]

Damn I need another cabinet already.

That's the spirit! I predict this in 9-12 months.