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Han Van Pass - Vietnam

March 5, 2020, 4:12 pm
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Hai Van Pass is about 20km long. The mountain pass is part of the National Route 1A in Vietnam. 
It's part of a mountain range (Annamite Range) that juts into the East Sea of Vietnam
It was made famous by the guys at top gear.


They did one of their hilarious episodes in Vietnam.

The road joins the city of Da Nang and Lang Co in Hue Province.     WE traversed the road by bus. travelling from Hue    
The road itself is ancient ...dating back to the 14th century. Back then it was the boundary between the Champa and Dai Viet Kingdoms. 

You can still see the grand gate at the summit of the pass. This was the border crossing between the two kingdoms. 


There are lots of  hairpin bends on the road.
But the dangers are compensated for by spectacular views.
You'll see steep mountains, plunging into the ocean, deserted sandy beaches and lots of untouched forest.


The name Hai Van translates as a ‘Sea of Clouds’ in Vietnamese


This spot, is roughly half way from the top to bottom of Vietnam on a map.
It marks the junction between the colder North & the warm tropical south.


During the Vietnamese-American War, this pass connected the war-ravaged cities of Hue and Da Nang. It must have been a very sad spot. The gate is riddled with bullet holes.
Today, most of the traffic uses the Hai Van Tunnel... bypassing this road.
So its relatively peaceful and quiet (by Vietnamese standards).

The Hai Van Tunnel was built in 2005. It is the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia.

From the summit you see the city of Da Nang in the distance.
We stopped there for some pork buns & baguettes.



For more travel postcards click here:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/travel-postcards-index-my-travel.html
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Lyra Build - part 3

March 6, 2020, 11:03 pm
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Part 3 of the Lyra 8 Build

Part 1  of the Lyra build is here
Part 2  of the Lyra build is here


Building the lyra is very different from what I'm used to. The separation of the synth into a control pcb & the main PCB should make trouble shooting easier. I first started connecting the pots to the PCB with left over resistor wire, but in hindsight, insulated wire would be better. ... less chance of shorts.



Lots of cleaning up to do post soldering.
This is the keyboard.


Closeup of the rear of the keyboard section.

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

Part 1  of the Lyra build is here
Part 2  of the Lyra build is here
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sYNTHstrom Audilbe Deluge

March 12, 2020, 8:35 pm
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Willem Twee Studios - The Netherlands

March 11, 2020, 7:36 pm
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Happy Pi day

March 14, 2020, 7:35 pm
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NLC Shat Noir - build - part 2

March 18, 2020, 9:52 am
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This is part 2 of my Shat Noir build.
It's a Eurorack format module.
Part 1 is here:
https://djjondent.blogspot.com/2019/07/shat-noir-phaser-build-notes.html

Sorry for the delays in finishing the module.


The trimpots




Start building the vactrol box

uSING  strip headers





with LEDs, usually this holds:
The square pad represents POSITIVE
The round pad represents NEGATIVE
Anode - positive, long lead
Cathode - flat side, short lead



 The light dependent resistors











Tayda: A 1851 --- linear B 100K



Calibration:

The CV drive is an anti-log circuit, it works a little differently as
both the CV and phase pots must be adjusted to find the sweet spots. 

If one of these pots is at zero, the other will not have any effect.
The In2 pot is 0 at centre, the incoming signal is inverted below that.
it is intended as a feedback input for one of the stage outputs, but
shove in whatever you want of course.



There are 2 trimpots .. feedback & range



"The 1M feedback trimpot pot should be set so the circuit just starts to scream when the panel pot is at max. This can vary a lot depending upon the signal source and its frequency.
Best to leave it in the middle to start and adjust if your module is too squeaky.
The 1M range trimpot sets the operating range for the CV and Phase panel
pots. Again leave it in the middle to start and adjust if you find the
panel pot operating range is t
oo narrow or wide. You may need to adjust
the 470k* resistor sitting next to the trimpot as well. Generally it is
happy about in the middle".




Links:
+ NLC Blog
+ BOM
+ Wiki

------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click here to return to the NLC Build Index:http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/non-linear-circuits-ncl-index.html 

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OPTIGAN ios app

March 19, 2020, 2:41 am
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Get this while its free
(only 1 week)


You can download it from the Apple app store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ioptigan/id1143470101#?platform=ipad

It's an optical organ ... or a chord organ from the 1970s.
It was sold by Mattel.
Author PMDrive1061

Very lo-fi, but I like it.
Used optical discs to sample prerecorded music.

This reminds me of the Soviet ANS synthesizer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANS_synthesizer

Cool samples


Other synths on the same lines that uses optical discs are the Panoptigon from Quilter Labs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX0yEojVHhE

and

The Vako Orchestron
Kraftwerk made heavy use of the Orchestron on their albums Radio-Activity (1975), Trans Europe Express (1977) and The Man-Machine (1978). 

There were only about 70 to 100 Orchestron's made
-------------------------
Links
https://optigan.com/
https://www.ioptigan.com/


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The algorave movement

March 20, 2020, 5:44 am
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What is this?
It's a combination of 2 words .... Algorithm & Rave.

"An algorave is an event where people dance to music generated from algorithms, often using live coding techniques.Algoraves can include a range of styles, including a complex form of minimal techno, and the movement has been described as a meeting point of hacker philosophy, geek culture, and clubbing.

Although algorave musicians have been compared with DJs,they are in fact live musicians or improvisers, creating music live, usually by writing or modifying code, rather than mixing recorded music."
 (Wikipedia)

Basically, artists code live on computers.
The code produces music and controls visuals.
The visuals usually include the code itself, so the audience can see the music as it evolves and is written.
The software is free & opensource. Much of it will run on really basic computers (eg a raspberry pi ) making this form of music easily accessible to everyone.

Their logo is a Spirangle.
It's a cross between a triangle & a spiral.


Currently, there is live performance of artists coding and performing all around the world.
It's taking place today,  March 20.
This is also known as the March Equinox ... actually it occured a 2.49pm in Australia.
This marks the arrival of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere & Autumn in the Southern.


The coding festival is called Eulerroom Equinox
http://equinox.eulerroom.com/schedule.html

They also have a facebook page

Check out my page on Sonic Pi
It's a great tool to get you stared on coding.


TidalCycles is also a great resource for music coding.
 as is Gibber


Hydra is a good place to start learning to code visuals

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NLC Dual LFO / VCO

March 20, 2020, 5:26 pm
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 These are  my build notes for the nonlinearcircuits Dual LFO/VCO module.
Its Eurorack format.

 These are the virgin PCBs



icS first



I'm waiting on some parts.
The LM13700 is a general purpose op-amp.

The DG202 is a CMOS switch. Its a quad SPST switch.
The DG 212 should also be ok to use.

The "DG " stands for double gate.
Double Gate CMOS  (DG)
 Traditional CMOS technology is approaching physicial limitations was we approach the nanoscale regime.
One such solution is the double gate transistor, proposed in the 1980s.
"Multigate transistors are one of the several strategies being developed by CMOS semiconductor manufacturers to create ever-smaller microprocessors and memory cells, colloquially referred to as extending Moore's law."

to be continued...............

Links

+ NLC Wiki
+ NLC Build guide and BOM
+ NLC Blog
+ CMOS  info
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Click here to return to the NLC Build Index:
 http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/non-linear-circuits-ncl-index.html 
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Sync the ARP 2500

March 21, 2020, 8:04 pm
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Syncing the ARP 2500.
Master or slave?


 ARP as the master .
It sends a 8V clock.
The 1027 sequencer also outputs 10V pulses from the "position gates"
As a master its easy. esp with a modular synth like the TTSH or a 2600
This also works quite well with my eurorack.


Use the clock out.
It's a 8V pulse per step.


ARP as a slave.
I'm again using the ARPs clocked sequential module ... the 1027 .
It's a 10 position sequencer.

The step input.
Electrical specs:
According to the manual, the perfect input for step, repeat, on & off is +8.0V.
The 1027 sequencer however, outputs 10V pulses from the "position gates"
and the manual suggests connection the "s" input to the "position gates" ... so I think 10V pulses should be safe to use.

Another way to sequence the sequencer is via the "VC frequency".
... this controls the clock frequency

----------------------------------------------------
I've found 3 methods that work.
The first two use a clock signal that triggers the step input on the 2500.
So the ARP 2500 is the slave.

The first uses a Kenton  Pro solo Mark 2
I used a Deluge as the master Midi module ... sending midi clock to the Pro solo.

The settings are as follows:
This also works for Buchla.

 Method 2 
Elektron Analog Keys.
The A4 should work the same.
Go into your global settings and set CV C or CV D to Clock.
If you only have a standard mono cable use CV C as this sends the clock to the tip.
(CV D sends it to the ring)


tHE length of the pluse can vary. My 2500 responds well to 24ms length, but its also ok up to 32.
8V pulses work fine. Probably 10V will be ok ??





Set the clock control to trigger.



tHE third method was using a roland SH 101

tHE "gate out" voltages are perfect.


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ARP index

March 21, 2020, 8:44 pm
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This is my blog index for all things ARP
I'll try to keep this updated.
You can always find the link to this page on the right of the blog home page.. Under "Blog Index"

ARP 2500

+ Sync the ARP 2500
+ ARP 2500 - modular jamming 070919
+ Oscillator Cores & Exponential Converters
+ RIP Alan R. Pearlman
+ Moog Mother Drums
+ 1050 Mixer sequencer - Build notes
+ 3Trins RGB + 1c
+ NLC 1006 filter 
+ ARP 2500 - My Monday Fix
+ ARP 2500 - Modcan'd
+ Arp Sat arvo jam
+ ARP 2500 - My Resonator Addiction
+ arp 2500 - VCO 1023 Module tests
+ ARP 2500 Patch sheets
+ ARP 2500 - Filter bubbles
+ arp 2500 - SOME LIVE TWEAKING of the 1045
+ ARP 2500 - Module 1045 - Voltage Controlled Voice
+ ARP 2500 - Vintage Brochure
+ ARP 2500 DIY cabinet
+ ARP 2500 sales brochure from 1971.
+ Scanimate Matrix Switch Panels
+ ARP 2500 - The Speed of Life
+ ARP 2500 & NLC 
+ Tokyo Modular Synth Festival 2015
+ ARP 2500 - Future Deep House
+ ARP 2500 - Sample & Hold (videos 1 and 2)
+ ARP 2500 - SAMPLE & HOLD / RANDOM VOLTAGE (1036 module)
+ The ARP 2500 & the 1005 MODAMP module
+ ARP 2500 - Envelope Generators
+ ARPParty
+ ARP 2500 - Patch 3
+ ARP 2500 - Patch No 2 
+ ARP 2500 - first patch

ARP 2600


+ Acidic ARP 2600 
+ ARP's 2600 & Arturia's MicroBrute - party !! 
+ ARP 2600 - groove sequence
+ ARPParty
 

 TTSH


+ TTSH - ARP 2600 - Build notes - Index
+ TTSH - Arp clone - first impressions (video)
+ Building the TTSH - A 14 minute Video Diary

General Misc


+ Synthesizer shopping in Tokyo
+ Eurorack NLC 1050 Mixer sequencer - Build notes
+ NLC Serious Filter - ARP Odyssey 4023
+ NLC 1006 filter
+ The αρπ Filter (alpha-rho-pi) with a kilpatrick Phenol
+ ARPParty 
+ ARP Modular Synthesizer Lab (MSL)

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Making the Lyra panel

March 30, 2020, 5:28 pm
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I've had lots of emails asking how I made the panels for the Lyra Synth.
These weren't made by me.
However, you can make them yourself.The .brd files are here:

A BRD file is a CAD file created by EAGLE
The faceplate is actually a PCB.
Here is what the file looks like when opened in EAGLE
 You can also import designs from Eagle into Altium or KiCad


 The pic above is using KiCAD
 oNCE you have imported these files into your CAD program of choice, you will need to export them as Gerber files.

Using KiCAD as an example:
select File - 
select Plot


 Select Generate Drill files



You need to compress the final files into one zipped folder.

The files can now be sent to your PCB manufacturer.
I'll use JLCPCB as an example.
Use the quote now button

Upload the zipped file then
Check in the Gerber Viewer.

You are just about there.
Tweak colour, etc for your personal taste.


Let me know is there are any mistakes, errors or omissions.
Cheers J

Links
 + Lyra 8 build - part 1 
 + Lyra 8 Part 2
 + Lyra 8 Part 3 is here
 + Making the Lyra Panel face plate
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248r expander

April 1, 2020, 3:30 pm
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This expander I think only works with the 248r mark 1 MARF

Some build pics.





Waiting for some parts.
To be continued ......................

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Arturia ispark

April 1, 2020, 3:31 pm
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In these uncertain times every distraction is welcome.
To help you make music while in isolation Arturia are releasing their i-spark drum/synth for free.
It's for the ipad.
Free iPad app until Apr 30

Coco, my puppy is practicing his social distancing.



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The Ship of Thesus

April 1, 2020, 3:31 pm
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During this Covid 19 Epidemic I've started to repair some old synths.
With time on ones hands, I can consider the old question of the Ship of Thesus or the Theseus Paradox.
The story goes that after the Greek hero Thesus returned from slaughtering the Minotaur
his ship was left in the harbour as a memorial.
As it's timbers rotted, they were gradually replaced.

Plutarch, wrote about this boat:

"The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place, insomuch that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same".


So after a few hundred years, when all the old timbers had rotted and been replaced, is the ship the same ship that Thesus once sailed. And if the old rotting timbers were kept safely and then in the future used to make a second boat, then which is the true ship of Thesus ??

So this makes me ask what is the limit one should repair a vintage synth.

 Old Serge Paperface

Do I let nature take its course and let it slowly decay ?
Do I replace some of the components? Do I replace all the old components?
Is the aim to make it sound like it did when new?
Does a synth with vintage components sound the same as the same modern synth?



In answer to the last question I think no.
I have an old ARP 2600 & a TTSH and though they are close , they don't sound identical.

The same is for my Korg MS20s (I have 2 vintage ones), and one modern.
In fact all 3 sound different (though you can hear that they are sonically all MS20s).
And I won't touch the insides of the MS20s as they sound great in their individual ways.


I'm divided about what the correct answer is when repairing historically important synths.
It really depends on how valuable to history, the synth is. 
I think if the synth is unique,  it may be better to simply maintain it until technology is available to restore the original components.

We can always build a modern equivalent that people can use in the meantime.
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NIN Ghosts V & VI

April 3, 2020, 2:33 pm
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Nine Inch Nails have just released 2 new albums:
GHOSTS V: TOGETHER and GHOSTS VI: LOCUSTS.  

 They are making  these available for free! These releases are part of the GHOSTS series


I'm sure these will help everyone during these difficult times.
They can be downloaded from the NIN website.
https://www.nin.com/

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Arp 2500 sequenced by a Roland TB 303

April 6, 2020, 3:48 pm
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The 2500 is being sequenced by a Roland TB 303. 
This is the first of a series of experiments done during these COVID 19 lock down days.

The 303's Gate is triggering the 1046 quad envelope generator. 





The 1004-P VCO is sequenced by CV from the 303. 
A second VCO 1004-T is running in LFO mode and also modulation the 1046.



tHE audio is being filtered through a 1006 Filtamp module. 
The drums are from a Synthstrom Deluge. 
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Hoi An - Vietnam - day pics

April 6, 2020, 6:02 pm
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Hội An is a beautiful city on the Central coast of Vietnam.....about 100km south of Hue.


Its architecture is facinating ... its a mix of French, Chinese, Japanese, Portugese.
It's very well preserved. and the food is great too. tHESE pics are of the modern outskirts of the city where you will find cars & traffic.






Cars and bikes are banned from the city centre which sits upon the Thu Bon river.







...

The Japanese bridge.
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NLC Dual LFO/VCO - part 2

April 6, 2020, 6:02 pm
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 pART 2 of my NLC dual LFO/VCO build
Part one is here:
https://djjondent.blogspot.com/2020/02/nlc-dual-lfo.html

 This module is a DIY eurorack format module.


tHE  LM13700 op amp
DG 202


The DG202 is a CMOS switch. Its a quad SPST switch.
The DG 212 should also be ok to use.

The "DG " stands for double gate.
Double Gate CMOS  (DG)
 Traditional CMOS technology is approaching physicial limitations was we approach the nanoscale regime.
One such solution is the double gate transistor, proposed in the 1980s.
"Multigate transistors are one of the several strategies being developed by CMOS semiconductor manufacturers to create ever-smaller microprocessors and memory cells, colloquially referred to as extending Moore's law."






Time to build the top PCB







Re the LEDs
Andrews notes say
"Use 3mm LEDs, bipolar ones look good. If red/green use 1k for RL. If red/blue use 4k7 for RL"
I couldn't find suitable Bi-polars, so I used standard Red LEDs.




Links

+ NLC Wiki
+ NLC Build guide and BOM
+ NLC Blog (old)
+ NLC blog (new)
+ CMOS  info 
+ NLC DIY info
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Famous 303 Bassline Patterns - page 1

April 8, 2020, 2:27 am
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This is part 1 of a  list of some favourite  TB 303 patterns.
I'll add to this over time.
If you have any patterns that you think should be included or there are any mistakes do let me know.

1. Phuture - Acid Tracks  
2. New Order - Confusion
3. Edge Of Motion - Set Up 707
4. Access : Dj Tim & Misjah
5. Josh Wink - Higher State of Conciousness
6. Fast Eddie - Acid Thunder
7. Everyone needs a 303 by Fat Boy Slim
8. Funalogue by Hardfloor
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1. Phuture - Acid Tracks 




The track is very simple. Just 8 notes repeated over and over again.B,B,C,C',C,D#,D#,C'.
"One critical aspect that this track brought with it was the fact that, although the notes themselves remained the same throughout, the sound itself underwent continuous tweaking. " (Attack Magazine)


--------------------------
2. New Order - Confusion


The pattern is very simple. It uses just 2 notes: G & A#

Step   Note     Transpose     Accent     Slide    Time

01      G           No               No           No      Note On
02      G           No               No           No      Note Held
03      G           Down           No           No      Note Held
04      G           No               No           No      Note On
05      A#         No               No           No      Note off (rest)
06      A#         Down           No           No      Note On
07      A#         Down           No           No      Note On
08      A#         No               No           No      Note Off
09      A#         Down           No           No      Note On
10      A#         No               No           No      Note off
11      A#         No               No           No      Note on
12      A#         No               No           No      Note held
13      A#         No               No           No      Note on
14      A#         No               No           No      Note on
15      A#         No               No           No      Note off
16      A#         No               No           No      Note on


New Order - Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction)


BPM 134
Square wave
Cutoff: 75%
Res: 66%
Env: 66%
Dec: 66%
Acc: 0%

1 g2 S
2 g2 S
3 g2
4 g2
5 g2 R
6 g1
7 g2
8 g2 R
9 a#2
10 g2 R
11 a#1 S
12 a#1
13 a#1
14 a#2
15 g2 R
16 a#1

---------------------------------
3. Edge Of Motion - Set Up 707

There are two parts to the 303 bass line.
It's just 2 notes .... C & C-high

Part 1


Part II



------------------------------------------------------


4. Access : Dj Tim & Misjah
https://youtu.be/4o4joooH5tg

BPM 134
Square wave
Cutoff: 66%
Res: 100%
Env: 66%
Dec: 33%
Acc: 20%

1 a2
2 a2 R
3 a2
4 a3
5 a2 A
6 a2
7 a2
8 a2 R
9 a2
10 a2
11 a3
12 a2
13 a2 RA
14 a2
15 a2
16 a2 R


-----------------------------

5. Josh Wink - Higher State of Conciousness
Just 2 notes : G & B. (the second G note is transposed up from the rest). Sometimes the simple things in life are the best.


Notice the layering of tonal elements ..... the artist is playing the same thing at different octaves


BPM 134
Square wave
Cutoff: 100%
Res: 75%
Env: 50%
Dec: 0%
Acc: 66%

1 g2 A S
2 g3 A
3 g2 AS
4 g2 AS
5 g2 A
6 g2 A
7 b2 A
8 g2 A
9 b2 A
10 g2 AS
11 g2 A
12 b2 A
13 g2 AS
14 g2 AS
15 g2 A
16 b2 A


------------------------------
6a - Fast Eddie - Acid Thunder
https://youtu.be/muRee6zYXCg
Real TB 303

1 D# - Note On
2 Note Tie
3 F# - Accnet - Note On
4 E - Note On
5 Note Tie
6 Note Tie
7 G - Accent - Note On
8 Note Tie
9 Note Tie
10 (high)C - Note On
11 Note Tie
12 B - Note On
13 D - Note On
14 Note Tie
15 D# - Note On
16 Note Tie

6b.  Fast Eddie - Acid Thunder
For a xoxbox

1 D# - Slide - Note On
2 D# - Note On
3 F# - Accent - Note On
4 E - Slide - Note On
5 E - Slide - Note On
6 E - Note On
7 G - Slide - Accent - Note On
8 G - Slide - Note On
9 G - Note On
10 (high)C - Slide - Note On
11 (high)C - Note On
12 B - Note On
13 D - Slide - Note On
14 D - Note On
15 D# - Slide - Note On
16 D# - Note On

--------------------------

7. Everyone needs a 303 by Fat Boy Slim
There are a few variations out there:

1 -d#2 D A
2 -d#2 D A
3 -c#3 A
4 -d#2 D A
5 -g#2 D A
6 -d#2 D A
7 -d#3 A
8 -d#2 D A
9 -c#4 U A
10-d#2 D A
11-f#3 A
12-d#2 D A
13-a#2 D A
14-c#4 U A
15-d#3 A
16-g-4 U A

 Variation 2 ( Roland TB-3)
 (accent on all notes)
1 -C  glide
2 -C  rest
3 -A
4 -C
5 -F
6 -C
7 -C - one octave up
8 -C
9 -A# - one oct up
10-C
11-D# - one oct up
12-C
13-G
14-A# - one oct up
15-C - one oct upE
16-E one oct up

------------------------------------------
8. Funalogue by Hardfloor
https://youtu.be/24eoF-1VcSc
 It's actually 4 patterns ... just chain them together


First Pattern (chain these two together in song mode):

1. A1 S A
2. A1 S
3. A1
4. A1 S
5. D3 S
6. D3
7. E3 S
8. E3
9. E3
10. G3 S A
11. G3
12. D3

1. R
2. R
3. A3 A
4. A1 S A
5. A1
6. D3
7. D#3 S
8. D#3
9. E3
10. G3 S A
11. G3
12. A2

Second Pattern (chain these two together in song mode):

1. A1
2. R
3. R
4. A1
5. R
6. R
7. G2
8. R
9. A2
10. A1
11. R
12. E2

1. R
2. R
3. E2
4. R
5. R
6. E2
7. G2
8. R
9. A2
10. C1
11. R
12. C3

--------------------------------------------------------

The import/export text format can be used to share patterns online via forums or email.  
The structure is as following: 
Four fields per line. Pitch, Gate, Slide and Accent which are delimited by white space.  
The pitch is represented in a tracker-fashion, example c-3 or g#4 and must be three characters wide.  
The gate is 1(one) for note on or 0(zero) for note off. 
The slide is 1 for slide on or 0 for no slide.  
The accent is 1 for accent or 0 for no accent. 
The number of steps in the pattern is determined by the number of lines, so make sure to remove any preceding or trailing empty line
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