EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 45, Issue 09 This issue's topics: Digisound Modular Synth - address wanted Ensoniq SQ1 quesrions Oberheims: another post from the man with too many questions (3 messages) Original EPS specs (2 messages) Pc MIDI Card Question about sound boards What BOOKS for DIY electronic music, etc? (3 messages) What is a COMPRESSOR and anyway to build one Which MIDI Card for PC? Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1992 11:03:50 GMT From: "(Sean Ahern)" Subject: Digisound Modular Synth - address wanted Greetings... I hope someone out there can help. I no longer have an up to date UK address for whoever is supplying PCB's etc for the Digisound range of modular synths. The information I had seems to have got buried in-transit, and may have been out of date anyway. Anyone have a current address? Any info on the state of play as regards new (past two years!) modules? Email replies preferred, I'll repost information I receive. Thanks folx. White Rabbit ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 12:15:56 CDT From: exit03 UNDEFINED Subject: Ensoniq SQ1 quesrions I need help with using the sequencer on our Ensoniq SQ1 synthesizer. Anyone know how to set it up to record and playback? Please help. Thanks. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 16:36:09 -0400 From: Dana Nibby Subject: Oberheims: another post from the man with too many questions Does anyone have an Oberheim Matrix-1000, 6, or 6r? Could you tell me a bit about it (the 1000)/them? Is the 1000 actually analog or is it subtractive synthesis? Is it a module? (are the 6 and 6r modules as well?) How many voices/polyphony do they have? What is the sound like? How would you compare a synth like the Matrix and the Juno 106? Would anyone who owns a matrix 1000 be willing to make me a cassette of some of the sounds if I send a cassette with return postage? The music stores in my area have a scanty selection of synths. I'd be using the synth for techno/house dance, and dark/ambient/soundtrack material. My current set-up is boss DR-660 drum machine Amiga 500 (8-bit sampling) - A VFX-SD if I can find one, or an ESQ-1/SQ-80. This will/would be my main synth. Thanks, Dana ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 21:39:17 EDT From: Keith Hall Subject: Re: Oberheims: another post from the man with too many questions I don't own a Matrix-1000 myself, but I do have a friend with one. It is a module and it is analog. The catch here is the oscilators on this unit are digital. The sine waves are produced by digital oscilators and from there the unit is all analog. The benefit of this is that there is little of a tunning problem which Voltage Control Oscilators have. So as with many old analogs you must constantly tune the machine (if there is no self-tuning algorithim). I believe it has 16 voices, but with most old analog units (this is not actually that old) it is capable of only playing one patch at a time (not multitimberal). The sounds are really nice, but be ware, you have to edit them through midi software. That means you must buy a software package (I think it must be purchased) for your computer and use it to edit and create the sounds. This takes away from the beauty of most analog units where you can simply turn a knob to open a filter. But the sounds truely are full, fat, whatever you like to call it. Dana, hope you have luck finding a nice analog machine, I'd like to pick one up soon. I'm glad to see someone else is interested in TECHNO. I love the stuff. I try to catch all the RAVES in D.C.. Keith Hall khall@s850.mwc.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 09:40:33 PDT From: "(metlay)" Subject: The Matrix-1000 Keith's data on the Matrix-1000 are essentially correct, Dana, except for the polyphony. It is a six-voice unit, not a sixteen-voice. The amount of circuitry per voice for a true analog machine has prevented any synth so far from breaking the twelve-voice barrier. Most affordable units have either six or eight voices. If you want to learn how to program analog, I suggest a machine with a front panel, like a Juno 106 or better yet a Chroma Polaris. -- metlay | and she's a master of return hitting atomic city | giving rhythm to her posts | so you read her and think hey it sounds good metlay@netcom.com | and wish her posts had a soundtrack too (f. ercolessi) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 12:24:25 -0400 From: Dana Nibby Subject: Original EPS specs Can anyone tell me what the specs are on the original Ensoniq EPS sampling keyboard? (not the 16+) It has an 8 track sequencer, yes? What about voices/polyphony? - Does it have an effects processor and if so, how many bits, how many effects can you do simultaneously, and what kind of effects can it produce? - How much memory does it come with stock? I guess the easiest way to answer would be... What's the maximum time you can sample for at 44 khz? How much memory does the expander add? (in seconds) Can the expanders still be found? Should I not bother buying an EPS if it doesn't come with the expander? - Is the EPS quirky? Should I be looking out for a certain operating system? What should I be looking for when buying one used? The EPS seems to be the best unit for the price for my purposes. I already have a drum machine w/16-bit sound, and for producing techno, it seems that having a high-quality drum sound is more important than anything else. The EPS is 13-bit sound, right? From what I've read, the human ear isn't capable of discerning much after 14-bits.. esp. when it's under a continuous drum beat. Hell, I've produced ok sounding demos internally on my amiga using only 8-bit sound pumped through a tascam mixing board. I'm not concerned with what people with $2,000-$3,000 stereo systems hear, if that's what the great debate is mainly concerned with... or people with super-sonic/trained hearing. Err.. I know this should have been posted to the EPS list, but I don't know its address. Could someone give me the address please? Thanks, Dana ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 21:22:22 EDT From: "Henry,Otto,W" Subject: Re: Original EPS specs Original eps specs: ours works fine, but complicated to learn because of limited readout and matrix menu accesses. No effects but has a respectable sequencer. Percussion sounds quite good. Has disk drive. System has to be loaded into memory from disk. It would be nice to have the extra memory,but not necessary. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1992 14:27:10 LCL From: I5FGILI@UTFSM.BITNET Subject: Pc MIDI Card I am new to the list and didn't know if this question was made before. My interest is to make music with my PC. I have a Yamaha keyboard and access to other Synths. I would appreciate if someone could inform me what is the best choice for a Midi-card for PC. Are all the cards compatible within? If not, which of them have better software (sequencers, etc.). I've heard abouth Soundblaster Pro, it seems to be a good card (it has D/A & A/D converter) , but is the MIDI interface really good? If someone knows good programs for sequenzing (shareware, comercial, etc.) they information would be appreciated too.... ..try to understand my English... Thanx in advance, all information welcome. Francisco Gili Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria Valparaiso - CHILE ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 08:21:17 GMT From: "(Savitsky Vladimir Vladimirovich)" Subject: Question about sound boards One small Russian company is highly interested in any information about dealers which are selling the computer sound boards and MIDI interface boards for IBM-compatible hardware like MT-32, Pro Audio, AdLib, SoundBlaster etc. If anybody can send us addresses and names of these companies, we would be very thankfully. Also we would rather prefer the German companies but any information will be appreciated. Please write us to address jvm@medicine.msk.su. It's our first letter into this conference so sorry for possible misunderstanding With great respect V. Savitsky ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1992 12:51:46 GMT From: "(Stephen Ashley)" Subject: What BOOKS for DIY electronic music, etc? hi sorry about the first attempt, something went wrong Can anyone recommend some good books, or other material, on Do-It-Yourself electronic music, audio electronics, guitar effects, electronic sound effects, etc etc etc im interested in anything that might make music/noise or reprocess it, or distort it, or amplify it, etc etc etc from basic audio electronics to the strangest of strange sorry if this is in an FAQ, but i couldn't find it if there is a lot of interest i'll post a summary thanks stephen ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1992 13:03:00 EST From: wbf@ALUX2.ATT.COM Subject: Re: What BOOKS for DIY electronic music, etc? > Can anyone recommend some good books, or other material, The current issue of HOME AND STUDIO RECORDING magazine has a PAiA construction project for a gate project. Bill Fox ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1992 15:41:33 MET From: Andrea TONI Subject: Re: What BOOKS for DIY electronic music, etc? > Can anyone recommend some good books, or other material, > on Do-It-Yourself electronic music, audio electronics, > guitar effects, electronic sound effects, etc etc etc > im interested in anything that might make music/noise > or reprocess it, or distort it, or amplify it, etc etc etc > from basic audio electronics to the strangest of strange .. Me too !! Me too !! Please spread the news !! If you are interseted I did send a circuit for a simple "Stars Box" in r.m.s few weeks ago ! It is a simple 4 OSC and one noise gen circuit using BC108 transistor cheap to build and sound-effective ! Tell me your e-mail and I'll send it to you (stephen ??) -- Ciao, ------------------------------------------------ENV---ENV---ENV---------------- Andrea TONI (andrea@sihp03.si.estec.esa.nl) | | | Planetary and Space VCO-->VCF-->VCA--> DUCATI 900SS Science Division (SI) | | | ------------------------------------------------LFO---LFO---LFO---------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1992 17:17:22 PST From: Eric Tsang Subject: What is a COMPRESSOR and anyway to build one Hi, I would like to know the functionality of a COMPRESSOR. Is it a Automatic Gain Control Amplifier ? I want to use one for MIC(vocal) recording. Is there any simple way to build one. I know they are quite expensive, I need to pay $200 for a new one. It would be really great if there is a circuit availble. Thanx in Advance. Eric tsang@usc.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1992 11:03:37 GMT From: "(Ingo Gringer)" Subject: Which MIDI Card for PC? Sorry, I know, this is shurely a FAQ, but I didn't this group very often... I'm looking for a cheap MIDI-Card for a PC (may be an XT). It can be a built-in-card or something to use the connectors on the back of the PC (LPTx, COMx). Is there something recommendable? Thanks for any hints! Ingo ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************