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Uxmal - Mexico

July 19, 2018, 5:10 am
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The zone was first settled in 500AD and Uxmal was founded c. A.D. 700.

It's 62 kilometers south of Merida, in the Santa Elena valley, forming the centre of the Puuc ("hill" or "chain of low mountains") region.

 This is the house or "Pyramid of the Magician" ...aka "Pyramid of the Soothsayer"

In the 9th and 12th centuries AD it became the seat of Mayan political and economic power.


, Uxmal is not laid out geometrically. Its space is organized in relation to astronomical phenomena, such as the rising and setting of Venus.

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The house of the magician rises 90.5 feet (27.6 metres) in three concentric sections.  The temple at the top section has a doorway in the form of a Chac mask. It is also known as the House of the Dwarf (“Casa del Enano”) because of an ancient legend stating that it was built overnight by an enchanted dwarf who then became the city’s ruler.
 

Uxmal is a dry grass savanna area. Water was provided by cenotes (wells formed by sinkholes in 
limestone understrata).






















 tHE Ballcourt - Pelota
 Constructed during the 9th and early 10th century.
Notice the "rings"
Pelota was a prestigious ceremonial activity and was associated with rulers and at the same time the humiliation of captives. The game was played with a solid rubber ball, whose diameter varied between 20cm and 35cm. The ball could only be touched with the hips, elbows and knees. Players wore leather protective clothing.




 The Cemetry Complex
 iTS not a real cemetery. The name comes from the relief's of skulls and crossed bones.












To be continued....
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Polyrhythms, Polymeters , etc

July 21, 2018, 7:57 am
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This is an open ended post and I'll probably edit it as I go along.
Arturia just released their new drum machine .. the Drumbrute Impact.
It sounds awesome and I'm so on the verge of buying one. The specs of the drum claim the sequencer is capable of Polyrhythms. Is this the case ? A few of my muso friends argue that the drum does polymeters not polyrhythms. What exactly are polyrhythms and how do they differ from polymeters?

It seems that there is a common misuse of the term PolyRhythm to mean PolyMeter and vice versa.

A few definitions first:
"A PolyMeter is when two or more musical phrases have a different number of beats within DIFFERENT  sequence lengths ; each cycles independently & the sequence will complete when each completes the number of bars of the others beat number
e.g 4 beats kick x 5 bars = 5 beats snare x 4 bars"
The beats have a common pulse or tempo .... they fall on the same grid... but have different lengths (different numbers of beats).

A PolyRhythm is when two or more musical phrases have a different number of beats within the
SAME  sequence length : eg 3 beats of kick will play in the same time as 5 beats of snare .
The beats have different pulses or tempos but the  bars line up to be the same length.


A good example of a polyrhythm can be found in Nine Inch Nails'"La Mer".

Its a beautiful soothing track. At 1:20 the drums start. They play four beats against the three beats of the piano.

A very basic example of a polyrhythm is the "Hemiola" .
It's found in lots of African music, and also in Baroque ... such as in Handels Water Music Suite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEXVKvzYQ6M
It refers to three beats of equal value in the time normally occupied by two beats.
This is also known as triplets over duplets.
By Dr clave at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18641682

The Hemiola is a 3:2 polyrhythm.
The polyrhythmic formula is X:Y or X over Y.
Y is the basic pulse.
X is the counter rhythm

A polyrhythm can only occur if there is no number beside 1 that will divide into both.
Thus 3:2 is a polyrhythm. As are 4:3, 5:4, 3:5, or 4:7

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In comparison, the key to creating polymeters appears to be the ability to change the sequence (or bar or pattern) length (which the Drumbrute can certainly do). The basic example of polymeter used above (4/4 time signature): 4 beats kick x 5 bars = 5 beats snare x 4 bars" 

The 4-step loop is juxtaposed with a 5 step loop. As the two loops play it will take 5 repetitions of the 4-step loop, and 4 repetitions of the 5 step loop for both to end up at the same place.

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To anyone reading this that has purchased a new drumbrute,..... can you please let me know if the drum is capable of polyrhythms or is it polymetric?

And what other instruments are capable of polyrhythms?
+ MakeNoise tempi --- when in machine programming mode
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVUC2UjrvGQ
+ Squarp - Pyramid sequencer
+ Buchla 252e
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7IVvYWT69g&t=84s


+ Abelton


Links:
Muffs: polyrhythms modules

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Modular on the Lounge 4

July 21, 2018, 8:03 pm
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Thanks Terry and Stella for hosting.

Lots of fun.





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aNDREW AKA Virusinstaller



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Paul aka Allinaire


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gARETH


Modular in the Kitchen.


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AJ


Wow... a ER 301 Sound Computer

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Ben



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rORY

 Folktek Mescaline

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New Sound Waves meeting today

August 11, 2018, 3:41 pm
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Hope to meet you here.
Beer is $5
& there are Lots of synths

It will be held at Monster Mouse Studio

https://www.facebook.com/newsoundwaves/

Upcoming events:
A DIY synth workshop
This first workshop is aimed at beginners or anyone who wants to learn how to build a Eurorack Synth case. It is held in cooperation with Sydney-based Metro Modular and will provide participants with a robust 6Ux104HP carry-case with a lid (optional).

I had the pleasure of seeing the early prototype of the case everyone will build.
https://djjondent.blogspot.com/2018/07/new-sound-waves-eurorack-case-build.html

Details and registration:
http://newsoundwavesrecords.com/new-sound-waves-diy-workshop-001-case-w-psu/
There will be plenty of help on hand. So come along if you want to know more about modular synths.
 https://www.facebook.com/events/521408411610797/
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Dark Psyde of the Moon

August 15, 2018, 3:47 am
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New Sound Waves - Meeting Sunday 12th Aug

August 15, 2018, 3:52 am
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Ian Fritz 2 x AD/AR - build

August 23, 2018, 10:18 am
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These are not official build notes.. just some pics to help future trouble shooting.
The module was actually really easy to build and uses easy to find parts.


It's a cost-effective alternative to other designs & will take just about any signal you feed it and generate an envelope. Quite a dense build and only 4 hp.



If you use a trigger pulse, the unit's output is an attack-decay (AD) envelope.
If you use a gate its output is an attack-release (AR) envelope.

 The BOM called for
2 x 9mm 250kA Logarithmic alpha potmeters or similar AttackA, AttackB
2 x 9mm 1MA Logarithmic  alpha potmeters or similar Dec/RelA, Dec/RelB

 I couldn't source the A250K pots so used B250K pots instead.

From the build notes
"other potmeters with different values or taper are also possible but they change the range in possible attack and decay/release times (or the curve)"



"The trigger pulse may be initiated by any signal with a positive-going 1.5 V crossing, for example, a trigger pulse or a waveform from an LFO, noise source or chaos generator."




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For more Euro DIY builds click here:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/diy-index.html
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Temple of Kom Ombo - Egypt

August 27, 2018, 3:40 am
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This is quite a late temple (as far as Egyptian history goes). It was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC with some later Roman period additions. It's about 30 miles (48 km) north of Aswan, on the bank of the Nile. Virtually every Nile cruise that sails near the area includes a visit to this temple.

Although today the temple that you see is from the Grecian - Roman period, the area had been inhabited since the pre-dynastic period of Egyptian history. It was constructed on the ruins of a much older temple called "Ber Sobek", or the house of the god Sobek. Ber Sobek was built by King Tuthmosis III and Queen Hatshepsut in the 18th dynasty. Queen Hatshepsut is famous for that amazing mortuary  temple on the West Bank of Luxor.


The temple is unusual in that it is dedicated to two gods.
The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with his wife Hathor, and their son Khonsu.
Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris ("Horus the Elder"), his wife Tasenetnofret, and their son Panebtawy.

Above is the crocodile god Solbek.

Kom Ombo means "the hill of the gold".
"Kom" (in Arabic) means the small hill.
"Ombo" (in Hieroglyphic) means "the gold".

above we have a Ptolemaic king making an offering to the the falcon god Haroeris ("Horus the Elder")
and the crocodile god Solbek (behind).

The temple’s double dedication is reflected in its symmetry. It has twin entrances, two connected halls twin chambers, and twin sanctuaries, etc, etc.

These wonderful wall carvings depict the Ptolemaic kings presenting the offerings to the gods.

This relief depicts a running lion biting a slaves hand.

The Nilometre... used to record the annual level of the Nile river.
This particular Nilometer was constructed during the Roman period and is connected to a smaller water well by the bank of the Nile


Snake charmer. Our guide said he was one of the many Nubians who were displaced when the Nile flooded their hometowns after the construction of the Nasser Lake.



Preserved papyrus shaped column

winged solar disk and two cobras.






 Coptic cross ???
There is much graffiti. Coptic ??? This temple was once a Coptic church.

Mummified crocodile.
Captive crocodiles were kept within the temple and many mummified crocodiles can be seen in today's temple museum.


The stone capital of these columns have the shape of the lotus flower. This is one of the most important and sacred plants in ancient Egypt.





Above are medical and surgical tools..... must have been gruesome back in those days... scalpels, saws, dental forceps... some things really haven't changed much in 2000 years.
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For more travel postcards click here:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/travel-postcards-index-my-travel.html

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Roboto - Synthrotek

August 28, 2018, 1:41 am
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Some pics of a recent DIY build - the Roboto eurorack module by Synthrotek.
Its pretty cool .. reverb, vocoder, pitch shaper, vibrato , etc ... very flexible.

The official webpage is here:
http://www.synthrotek.com/products/modular-circuits/synthrotek-roboto/

Assembly instructions are here:
http://www.synthrotek.com/kit-assembly-instructions/modular-circuit-assembly-instructions/synthrotek-roboto-assembly-instructions/


I bought a barebones kit which included the PCBs, faceplate, a vactrol & one microcontroller ic....labeled R1



The heart of the module is the HT8950. It is a CMOS LSI voice modulator IC which provides seven steps to shift the frequency of an input voice, producing a dramatic change in the output. The HT8950 provides two special effects: vibrato and robot. The vibrato effect is generated by alternating the frequency of an input signal up and down at a rate of 8Hz. The robot function, on the other hand, converts an input voice into a robot voice

R1 is a PIC16F1823 microcontroller. It's already programmed.







......

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For more Euro DIY builds click here:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/diy-index.html
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Sydney Fringe Festival

August 28, 2018, 3:22 am
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Splosh - Build notes - NLC module

August 28, 2018, 7:22 pm
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These are my build notes for the Nonlinearcircuit splosh Eurorack module.
This module takes 4 CV or audio inputs and mixes them up into 16 outputs.

Andrews blog:
http://nonlinearcircuits.blogspot.com/2018/04/lets-splosh.html

Build notes and bom are here:
https://www.nonlinearcircuits.com/wiki/doku.php?id=modules:splosh

The module works by using 8 different rectifiers.
Rectifiers are generally used to convert AC to DC.
This module uses 16 diodes. ...LL4148 diodes

C = custard
T = treacle
N = natto
B = batter




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Timbre & Timbre - Dual Timbre - NLC build notes

August 30, 2018, 8:22 pm
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These are my build notes for the Nonlinearcircuits Dual Timbre module.
Its in Eurorack format. The original timbre module was based on the Buchla easel timbre waveshaper circuit.
  The tri2sin circuit has been dropped, there is an input attenuator for each section.


This is simply a dual version of the Timbre!, It is all smd (the single version is thru-hole).
Andrew's blog notes are here:
http://nonlinearcircuits.blogspot.com/2018/01/timbre-timbre.html

The NLC build notes and bom are here:
https://www.nonlinearcircuits.com/wiki/doku.php?id=modules:timbre_timbre

GET those ICs on first.

To be continued.................

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For more Euro DIY builds click here:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/diy-index.html
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Egypt

September 5, 2018, 7:37 pm
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Zlob - Dual VCO

September 5, 2018, 7:39 pm
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Some pics of a recent build.


To be continued.
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NLC - CellF Voice - Build notes

September 5, 2018, 7:48 pm
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I've had this PCB/panel for 4 years... finally getting around to building this.

All resistors & ICs are smd, caps & transistors are thru-hole. This is for the cellF neural synth project.
Each board has. 
2 tri-core VCOs 
2 LFOs 
2 LPGs 
3 VCAs 
VC spring reverb 
diff-rectifier 
jerkoff chaos 
2 281 EGs 
Sauce of Unce. 
Pots and sockets mount on PCB, no wiring (except to reverb tank). 

I'm building version 2.0  

Regarding the NJM13700 .
I'm using   regular LM13700 SOIC . they will fit (in addition to some NJM13700s)
These are transconductance amplifiers.

Notes:
+ NLC blog
+ Build notes - official version 1.3
+ Voice - prototype working 
+ 

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Vectrex - Game

September 14, 2018, 4:10 pm
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New Toy !
This dates from 1982.




A post shared by jono (@dj_jondent) on
Vectrex was the first company to bring vector graphics to the home audience via a vector monitor.
This was a time when most arcade games used vector graphics.

I remember playing asteriods on an Atari back in those days and the vectrex is probably the closest thing I'll get to experience this today, short of buying a vintage arcade machine.
This video is a very cool... recreating asteiods with lasers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkHjG759ABY


So I'm lucky to have found a working vectrex.
Considering if I should mod it or leave it alone.
Will probably mod it.
I'm interested in using the monitor for video synthesis.

One peripherial I don't have is the light pen.
There are however a few sites with hacks for making my own.
 http://www.playvectrex.com/vectech/mvlp/mvlp_f.htm
and:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6On2AFPx6pc

The working end of the pen is a cheap silicon L14G3 phototransistor


The other periphery are the 3D glasses
...so so rare.





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3 trins -video synth plugin - 2xSPDT & 4XSPST

September 27, 2018, 1:28 am
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Some pics of my build for the 1st of 4 new plugins for the 3-trins video synthesizer by
Gijs Gieskes

The official plug-ins page is here.
http://gieskes.nl/instruments/files/3TrinsRGB1/Plugins/

 *****3trins facebook******


This (as the name implies) uses 6 push button switches.
Two single pole, double throw (SPDT)  & four  single pole , single single throw (SPST)
 
aND the other side:


 The upper header first;
Finished.
Such a simple build. Now to try some patches:

Patches following:
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3 trins RGB +1 - plugin SPST & SPDT

September 27, 2018, 1:45 am
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Some pics of my build for the 2nd of 4 new plugins for the 3-trins video synthesizer by

Gijs Gieskes

The official plug-ins page is here.
http://gieskes.nl/instruments/files/3TrinsRGB1/Plugins/

 *****3trins facebook******


slightly different to the previous build.


This SPST & SPDT uses a CMOS 4066. It's a Quadruple Bilateral Analog Switch.






2n3904 TRANNIE



tOP header


Testing the perspex guards.... the transistor needs to be bent down for everything to fit.


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Egypt

September 27, 2018, 4:25 am
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3Trins Plugin: 2xVideo in Negative

September 27, 2018, 4:38 am
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