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Roland TR 330

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Roland TR-330  (late 1972 / early 1973 ??)

This is a bit of an odd one with respect to the name. It's pretty rare too. The TR label belies its roots - it's from the Roland family of Transistor Rhythm Machines.


Did Roland base it on the TR-33 and add a zero - thus TR-330 ??
She probably lies between the TR-77 which came out in 1972 & the TR -66 which was first manufactured in 1973. (It's definitely not as advanced technically as the TR-66 which is why I think it comes before the 66 & after the 77).
And I think it sounds a lot like my TR-77 too.

Take special note of the wooden cube shape. The 330 was the first of Roland's drum machines to take this appearance which would finally evolve into the ground breaking CR-78 in 1978.

There is heaps of bass and great analog percussion - claves etc. There are 8 drum sounds.The Kick is very very good. Reminds me of my TR-808. Lots of bottom end.

The voice board has trimmers (variable resistors) for tuning the oscillator's pitch & resonance....and/or for some very nice distortion. Nice warm & round analog sounds.

The circuit boards & speaker slide out of the wooden sleeve very easily They are held in with just 4 screws on the bottom.
And it has it's own built in speaker which you won't find on any other Roland drum of this vintage.
The speaker isn't of the highest quality but if you like rather cheezy distortion you will love it.

I don't have any service manual or schematic so if anyone out there has one I'd be forever grateful.

The tempo slider is unusual. It displays the tempo both in modern BPMs (40 to 280) and in the traditional classical way ..... in Italian, as was the custom before the invention of the metronome.
The old way is def more romantic. Largo (rather slow; stately), andante (walking speed) & presto (Very fast) are words you rarely see on a drum machine.

There is one "Balancing" knob which sets the volume of the Kick  & Hi hat. It can completely mute the hi-hat or totally remove the kick which I think is very useful.

There are 10 Preset patterns. Waltz, Slow Rock, Rock Beat, Bossa Nova, Mambo, Cha-Cha, Beguine, Rumba, March, Swing.
Size: 9-1/2" wide, 7" high, 12" deep. Weight 10-1/2 lb.



On the rear panel we have a jack for an external amplifier. There is also a jack for a foot-pedal control.

The speaker is on the top. Tempo switch to the left. To the right is the transformer. Careful with this if you open your 330 up. There are high voltages here which can be lethal.

At the bottom is the clock & tempo board. I haven't modded this one yet, but I reckon here is a good place to start looking for that external sync input. Above the tempo PCB is the power regulation board.

This is the underside of the machine. On the right we have the voice board. The left is the pattern board. I haven't opened it up but I understand that its completely made from diodes..... the famous diode matrix where we have a network of intersectinghorizontalandverticalbuses. All discrete logic. Nice !!!

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For more info on the history of Roland Drum Machines click here


Elektron Party : MM,A4 & Rytm drum

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The boys are back together.
A Elektron MonoMachine SFX-6 (keyboard version) ,
a Analog Four and the Rytm Drum





Udaipur - India

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This is such an underrated place.
So very very beautiful. Reminds me of Venice.
It's quite a big city with lots to see.

Give yourself at least 4 days. A week would be nice.
Some pics of the water front:
 Panorama from one of the bridges.

 It's New Years Eve: the calm before the storm.

Udaipur is very romantic. It is  the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar,
in the state of Rajasthan
Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh. With the  emergence of artillery warfare in the 16th century it was decided to move the capital to a more secure location... away from the old fortress of Kumbhalgarh.


 Roof top nightclub. The perfect place to see the New Year in.


Lobby of the Lake Pichola Hotel

The lake Palace is in the distance.
The Lake Palace covers an entire island in the Pichola Lake.




Korg SR-120 (Mini Pops 120) Drum Machine.

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The Korg SR-120 came out in 1976.
In that same year Korg also produced the Mini Pops MP120, the Mini Pops MP35  & the Mini Pops MP 45 Rhythm Machine.
The SR-120 is identical to the MP-120. This was the final drum which Korg produced under the mini pops label.... and was supposed to be their best. It has all the bells and whistles.


She boasted 6 sounds (BD, SD, Cy/HH, low conga, high conga, claves) and 16 presets (slow rock, swing, bossa nova, beguine, rumba, mambo, samba, waltz, tango, polka, foxtrot, march, rock 1 to 4).
making 32 patterns.
The sounds esp the Kick are awesome.

The Korg 120W

This version has a wood case, but they also came covered with tolex.
The cube shape also seems to be catching on both with Roland & Korg. Roland's CR78 is just two years away.

Korg, in addition to the tolex version, re-branded these as Univox SR-120s which came in a road case with lid & handle (the 120-P).
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb9n2PhmfCo
Another important point to make about the 120 is its use of a ROM (read only memory) chip to store the patterns. Looks like the identity of the ROM is a AmericanMicro Semiconductor uPD471D

UPD471D

The Roland CR-68 & 78 also followed this trend with ROM chips too.
Earlier machines of both companies used what's called a diode matrix to store the patterns.

The mini pops 120 schematics indicate the use of both a diode matrix and a ROM chip.
The diodes are easy to fix. However replacing a integrated circuit made in 1976 is much trickier, if you can't find a replacement chip.



There are lots of mods for this machine if you can find one that works.
A good place to start is here:
http://www.estecho.com/gear/Korg_Mini-Pops_120.php
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For more info on the history of Korg Drum Machines Click Here

KORG Rhythm 55 (KR-55) Drum Machine

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Korg released both the KR-33 & KR-55 in 1979. They are the successors to Korg's successful Mini Pops series of drums. The KR-55 looks a bit like a old school calculator, but don't let it's appearance fool you.
 This was quite cutting edge for its time.  There is a micro-processor involved in rhythm making. Gone are the days of the old diode matrix.


Its built in sequencer has 48 preset patterns (Waltz, Samba, Cha Cha, Afro, Enka, Rhumba, Bossa Nova, Tango, Slow Rock, Swing, Rock, etc.). There are 16 Intro patterns & 16 Fill-In patterns though sadly you can't  program your own patterns. (Roland had  just brought out the CR-78 one year earlier which had this feature as did the Roland TR-606 which  wouldn't come out till 1981).


There are 12 analog sounds: Bass Drum, Snare Drum, 2x HiHat, Cymbal, Low Conga, High Conga, Rim Shot, Claves, Cowbell, 2x Tom Tom. The sounds are commonly described as snappy & metallic.

Here is a great video I found on youtube which gives a really good example of these sounds.







The rhythms are not mixable like on some of the old Minipops drums, but the tempo and volume knob do allow for a little tweaking. There is also a "swing" control to add a bit of spice to the groove.

 In his excellent SOS review, Gordon Reid discusses the TR-33 & TR-55 "History of Korg - Part 1"

"More successful [than the Sigma] were the KR33 and KR55 rhythm units, which replaced the ageing Mini Pops series. These were more sophisticated than their predecessors, generating analogue sounds that were far more realistic than the noise-based thumps and hisses offered by the earlier DoncaMatics, Mini Pops, and units from competitors."

Here is the Korg KR-55 manual


There is a Trigger out , but no trigger in. Thus un-modded, it's impossible to sync with external gear.There areseveral triggering modes:I understand that The KR-55 runs at 8ppqn so you will need to use a clock divider if you wish to sync it to midi or sync24.
  
It can also be externally controlled via the footswitch jack for the Start/Stop & Intro/Fill switches.


There are no individual outs for the 55 but there are faders for most of the drum sounds.that allow you to mix the volume levels of the bass, snare, cymbal, hi hat, conga/TT, Rim Shot/Cow Bell/Claves.
There are lots of mods on the net on how to get individual outs.

The Korg Rhythm 55 was used by Jean-Michel Jarre (Magnetic Fields) and Depeche Mode  in 1981 (Speak and Spell) & Cabaret Voltaire.

Modding:
Analogue solutions midi kit looks nice but has a fee of £109 for the kit.  I may end up doing it but would love individual outs along with it.
http://www.analoguesolutions.org.uk/mods/kr55.htm 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33zfpZ9RBK8

Here is a great place for some modding (esp for multiple outs) :
http://alienatedsynthesist.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/kr-55-clock-in-mod.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31603983@N05/sets/72157628641466671/ 

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For more info on the history of Korg Drum Machines Click Here 

TKB Build - Part 3A - Main Board

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TKB - Touch Keyboard Sequencer - Build Part 3 - Main Board. (Resistors, Caps, etc).

*** Click here for the TKB Build Index ***

Before we begin there are some preliminary pics of the PCB


I'll start of with least temperature sensitive components such as the IC header sockets, resistors & diodes.



Mouser #:571-5103308-3
Mfr. #:5103308-3
Manufacturer:TE Connectivity
Desc.:Headers & Wire Housings 16P 2 ROW HEADER LP
These modern headers connect the Main PCB to the rest of the keyboard. In vintage TKBs, the headers used were slightly different:


Notice the silver arrow which is used to check the header orientation.
Vintage TKB headers.

Back to the Modern PCB: 
Looks like the four 22pf caps on the left need to be swapped for 100pf.

Looks like the surface mount 100n caps need to be soldered to the underside of the PCB across pins 5/4 & 11/10.  of the  LM 324s --- to be confirmed.

The LM 324 is a low power quad Op-Amp

The SMD caps lie under the three LM 324s on the top right

Almost finished the easy part ... soldering the resistors, diodes, caps & headers..
I think its a good time to stop and compare this board to a vintage TKB main board. This one is a unrestored TKB -- also from the late 1970s.

Notice the bud box below is self powered.... in fact it has two PSUs, and was once part of a much larger system.

 Top pics of the main TKB PCBs (vintage on left)

The underside of the PCBs.



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*** Click here for the TKB Build Index ***
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TKB Build Notes - Index - The Human Comparator Kit

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TKB Build Notes - Index - The Human Comparator Kit.
This is the main Index for the build notes for the Serge TKB (Touch Keyboard Sequencer).
Many thanks to Zthee (The Human Comparator) for making this build possible.

I'm documenting my experiences as I put the TKB together to help me trouble shoot in the future .
Hopefully, this will also help others in their quest to build the TKB & more importantly, to learn the
Art of Electronics & of Electronic Music.

1. Pics of the kit before starting.
2. Some pics and info of a vintage TKB.
3. Starting the build - main PCB -  resistors, diodes, headers, caps, etc.
4. Main PCB - Transistors & ICs

This index will be updated as the project progresses.
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Zthee's previous project was the TTSH (Two Thousand Six Hundred).
This is a clone of one of the greatest synthesizers of all time, the mighty ARP 2600.
My build notes for the TTSH are here:
TTSH Build Notes




TKB Build - 4 - main PCB - Semi-conductors

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*** Click here for the TKB Build Index ***
 
The diodes (6x 1n4148) are already in. Transistors & integrated circuits to go.
The main board uses 10 transistors:
One PN4250 & nine PN5179. (my vintage TKB uses nine EN5179s)

 This is a pic of a vintage EN5179.

Today the PN5179 and EN5179 are very hard to get, so they have been replaced with the more common 2n3904.

The PN4250 is unchanged from the original.

There are 9 types of ICs used on the main board.
These are:

1. LM324N. We need 4 of these.
     Mouser #: 512-LM324N    
     Manufacturer: Fairchild Semiconductor
     This is a quad Operational Amplifier.

2. 4042. We need just one of these
     Mouser #: 595-CD4042BE  
     Mfr. #: CD4042BE
     Manufacturer: Texas Instruments
    This is a CMOS quad clocked D-type latch.
For more about latch circuits click here:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/electronics-projects-how-to-build-a-latch-circuit.html

 3. 4050. We need 3 of these
      Mouser #:     595-CD4050BE    
      Mfr. #:     CD4050BE
      Manufacturer:     Texas Instruments
     This is a non-inverting hex buffer.
    
Some info on buffers:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electronic/buffer.html

 4   4051. We need 3 of these.
      Mouser #:     595-CD4051BE     
      Mfr. #:     CD4051BE
      Manufacturer:     Texas Instrumen
    
      The CD4051B is a single 8-Channel multiplexer having three
       binary control inputs, A, B, and C, and an inhibit input. The
       three binary signals select 1 of 8 channels to be turned on,
      and connect one of the 8 inputs to the output


5. 4069 - We need two of these.
      Mouser #:     595-CD4069UBE   
      Mfr. #:     CD4069UBE
      Manufacturer:     Texas Instruments
      The 4069 contains 6 CMOS inverter circuits.

     For more info click here:LOGIC INVERTERS
   
    

6. 4081 - We need two of these.
     Mouser #:     595-CD4081BE     
     Mfr. #:     CD4081BE
     Manufacturer:     Texas Instruments
     This is a Quad 2-Input. AND Gate.

For more info on Gates click here: LOGIC Gates
7. 4516 - just one is needed.
    Mouser #:     595-CD4516BE    
    Mfr. #:     CD4516BE
    Manufacturer:     Texas Instruments
    Desc.:     Counter ICs Binary Up/Down


8. 4520 - We need just one.
    Mouser #:     595-CD4520BE   
    Mfr. #:     CD4520BE
    Manufacturer:     Texas Instruments
    Desc.:     Counter ICs Dual Binary Up

9.  MM74C150
     This is a 16 line to 1 line Multiplexer
      Datasheet info

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*** Click here for the TKB Build Index ***
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Flying Fox - Jodhpur - India

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What a great way to see the fortress of Mehrangarh in Jodhpur, India.
Flying over these magnificent battlements is so exciting.





Zip 6: The Magnificent Marwar (300m) You fly over two lakes an land on the tip of a fortified tower that rises 30 metres out of Ranisar Lake.

Battlements of Rajasthan

 Flying Fox - cable - over Mehrangarh Fort.


The medieval "Blue City" of Jodpur.

Korg PS 3200 & Volca Beats.

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I just love mixing up my Korgs.
Here we have a old 1978 Ps-3200 & a modern Volca Beats.
They are sequenced via a Doepfer Dark time.

My thanks to Paul for tweaking the gear. I'm currently waiting for the Korg SQ-1 and when it's here I'll definitely upload more videos.

The Dark time uses the V/Oct standard.

The CV design of the MS-20, MS10, and the PS-3200 always used the Hz/V standard.



This provides excellent pitch stability, however it also limits the number of the step sequencers that are able to correctly control the PS3200. The Dark Time is working well in this instance as it's using midi, not CV and gate. My PS-3200 has been midified.

And yes, GATE OUT Polarity (+ polarity vs - polarity) and SYNC IN/OUT Polarity ie, + (rise), - (fall) can also be a problem  

Korg uses S-Trigger ("short circuit trigger", sometimes called "negative trigger"). This involves keeping the voltage high, and then shorting the trigger circuit whenever a note is played.

The Dark Energy uses a positive trigger which isalso called V-Trigger  or "voltage trigger". This method involves keeping the voltage low (around 0 V) and producing a fixed positive voltage to indicate when a note is played.


As a descendant of the SQ-10, the SQ-1 supports the Hz/V standard so it should enable me to perfectly control the MS-20 or MS-20 mini and the PS3200.
Until then, the Dark Time is doing fine.

Roland (Rhythm) TR-77 & Bentley (FR-8L) Rhythm Ace Drum

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The TR-77 was Roland's very first drum machine. It was released in 1972. TR stands for Transistor Rhythm. As it is Roland's first drum machine, its place in the history of Roland and indeed in Electronic music history, is assured.


Officially named the Rhythm Tr-77, it was in reality a updated Rhythm Ace  FR-7 &/or FR-8L
The FR-7 appears to be very very rare (In fact I have never seen one in real life or even a photo). More common is the FR-8L  To make things even more confusing, in the UK, the FR-8L was  re-released as the Bentley Rhythm Ace and in the USA she was sold as the Hammond Auto-Vari 64.

 the Hammond Auto-Vari 64


1972 was the foundation year for Roland, who also released in the same year, the TR-33 & TR-55. The 77 was Roland founder's (IkutaroKakehashi) baby as he migrated from the old company, Ace Tone. The Tr-77 became Kakehashi's flagship product. 

Here are the TR-77 & the Bentley Rhythm Ace ....... united once again.
The differences between the two machines appear to be small, however they do sound different. The Bently/FR-8L is also slightly shorter than the TR-77.

The TR-77 has two additional patterns (the Western & the 6/8 March) over the Bently.
and also a Samba 1 & Samba 2 rhythm. The Bentley has only 1 Samba Rhythm.


The Bentley has 5 faders for Volume,Tempo, Cymbal/HH/Maracas, Guiro, Snare, Bass Drum.
The TR-77 has 6 faders for Tempo, Fade Time, Volume, Bass D, Snare D, Guiro & Hi-Hat/Cymbal/Maracas.

As you can see from the pics above, these drums were designed to sit on top of an organ.
The wood finish and the built in music stand indicate their designer's original intentions.
However, I think they are the warmest sounding drums I have. I really dig them.
The voices are generated by "tuned resonance" type circuits. Though neither has the kick of a 808, there is a smoothness to both that I truly love.



The Bentley Rhythm Ace (FR-8L)

Both also have that lovely start/stop metal bar that can be seen on their extreme left.
Why don't more drums have this?

The Roland Rhythm TR-77


The Roland Tr-77 Rear

 TR-77. Start, High Impedance & Low Imp outputs.

Here is a interesting video where a Roland TR-8's handclap is routed to an individual out and then run into the Footswitch stop/start of the TR-77. This allows the TR-77 to start and stop on command via an audio signal. The handclap on the TR-8 were placed on steps 1 and 14 of the sequencer and the TR-77's tempo was hand-adjusted to match. 





TR-77

Both the TR-77 & Bently FR-8L have no sync abilities without modifications.
Nor do they have seperate outs for the individual drum sounds.
 The Bentley Rhythm Ace FR-8L rear

Bentley FR-8L

Bentley FR-8L
These drums are ripe for modding.
Here are some links to start you on your modding and/or circuit bending way.
3. Burnkit2600 TR-77 mods (trigger inputs, External clock Sync,Tone Mods).
4. Warren Cann from Ultravox  (his experiences modding the TR-77)
5. CircuitBenders (FR-8L & the TR-77)
6. Circuitbenders (Tr-77 External Power conversion to reduce hum & background noise)
7. Bently Rhythm Ace with Buchla & Euro (using a envelope follower to sync)
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For more info on the history of Roland Drum Machines click here

Socceroos - Football's Asian Champions of 2015

Conn Min-o-matic Rhythm Drum Machine

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I picked this up very cheaply. Might be fun to mod.
If anyone has the schematics for this drum and is willing to share I'd be eternally grateful.

 I think this dates from 1966 - all analogue goodness with discrete components.

pretty simple to use with only 9 push buttons and 2 knobs global volume and tempo frequency - See more at: http://www.polynominal.com/site/studio/gear/guest/conn/index.html#sthash.FasTlVLl.dpuf
 A drum machine can't get much simpler than this. Nine pattern buttons & two knobs for volume & tempo.

 There are 5 sounds: kick, snare, conga, Hihat, claves, metronome click.

Sadly there are no seperate outs
If you do decide to mod this please be very careful. Once the cover is removed you run the risk of electric shock. This will KILL YOU.
Rear mounted tone control, 1/4" phono output jack & Hi / Lo output level selector.

This is not the simpliest drum to mod. The Rolands & Korgs tend to seperate their PCBs into PSU, rhythm & voice sections. Not so here. Everything is on one PCB.

The PSU is here. Be very careful !!!


There are 6 pattern presets: Waltz, Ballad, Foxtrot, March,Teenbeat, Latin, metronome.

Here is some info about C.G.ConnInstruments
 
There are 6 pattern presets, no possible variations except the Double Beat function:
- Waltz
- Ballad
- Foxtrot
- March
- Teenbeat
- Latin
- metronome - See more at: http://www.polynominal.com/site/studio/gear/guest/conn/index.html#sthash.FasTlVLl.dpuf

Serge TKB build - Part 5 - Potentiometer boards.

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This is the fifth stage of the Serge TKB build - Potentiometer boards.

The further I get into this project the more I realize this is not just a clone that I'm building. Like the original TKBs of the 1970's this project also comes as a kit. It has the blessing of Serge Tcherepnin himself and is the real deal brought to 21st century standards.

*** Click here for the TKB Build Index ***

The virgin Pot Boards


The first part of this section involves inserting 64 x 1M resistors.
That's 16 resistors per board..
This is so much easier to do in this modern kit as these 4 boards replace the wires that joined the pots & resistors found in vintage TKBs.

 Can you imagine having to wire this up back in the 1970's ??? :-(

And you will need 4 of these headers.

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 *** Click here for the TKB Build Index ***
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CGS 86 - Build notes for the Serge Touch Keyboard

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Firstly, I'd like to thank Ken Stone of Cat Girl Synths for making this kit possible.
You can find his build instructions here:
http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/cgs86_trk.html

Useful Links:
1. Muffwiggler Thread
2. That famous Synapse Article by Arpad Benares (care of Cyndustries)
3. PAiA - Touch switches (like those used on their Programable Drum Set)

I'm currently waiting for some pots to arrive for the TKB build.
The Serge TKB also uses a touch keyboard and it seems logical to build the CGS 86 at the same time.
I think these two projects share many common concepts. If I understand this correctly, both use the capacitance principle (not FSR - force sensing resistors).

It looks like the two BC547 transistors on the small driver PCB make up the emitter coupled astable oscillator (Multivibrator circuit). They produce that famous square wave of 100khz. 

The second larger PCB is called the detector since it detects when the output of the astable osc changes. When you touch a key, some of that square wave is shunted to ground and the Op Amp's (The LM3900's) output goes +ve in response.




I'm hoping the CGS 86 will compliment the TKB. Possibly, I'll instal them in the same boat.

Here are the virgin PCBs:

You will need two of the larger green PCBs if you wish to use all 16 touch plates.


IC headers, Resistors, Diodes first.



kORG SQ-1 sequencer - First impressions & tests

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This (the Korg SQ-1) just arrived yesterday so I'd though it would be fun to test with a few of my Korgs.
I was surprised by just how small it is when compared with its older brother, the SQ-10

Barely the size of a Korg Volca. And it runs on batteries. First a test with the MS-20 mini.No Midi used here. All old school CV/trigger




 .

A comparison of the controls of the SQ-10 and the SQ-1 above.


One interesting observation I made regarding the clock speed of both sequencers.
was that if I connected the multiple pulse out of the SQ-10 into the sync in of the SQ-1,
 the SQ-1 ran at twice the speed of the SQ-10.

Korg equipment (eg KPR-77, DDM-110 & DDM-220) uses 48 pulses per quarter note. I guess the SQ-10 is the same. But it seems that the SQ-1 runs at the Roland standard of 24 pulses per quarter note (PPQN for short)..... thus the doubling of its speed when clocked by the SQ-10.

The SQ-10 is a S-trig sequencer.

The SQ-1 can be both a S-trig & V trig sequencer..
Re Gate out polarity of the SQ-1.
When the Mode button is unlit, -ve polarity (volatge fall) is selected - This is the S-trig.
When the Mode button is lit, +ve polarity (volatge rise) is selected - This is a V-trig.
The Gates output level are 10V.
The Sync Out jack outputs a 5V pulse (15ms long)
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A brief summary of  Sequencers & Sequencing Resolution - PPQN

You will often see the letters PPQN or PPq used in reference to old drum machines & sequencers.

What does it all mean and how does this help one to clock a Roland drum machine to a Korg SQ-10 sequencer? Early sequencers and drum machines had resolutions in the order of 24 or 48 pulses or 'ticks' per quarter note (ppqn).

A sequencers resolution is defined as its ability to divide the beat of a quarter note into
a pulses. The more pulses, the more accurate a sequencer is.

Common divisions used by sequencers are :
24 parts - 24 ppqn
48 pulses - 48 ppqn
96 parts - 96 ppq
192 ppqn, etc etc etc

MIDI clock = 24 pulses, so called "ticks" per quarter note
Roland equipment (606,707.727,808.909) use 24 pulses per quarter note (PPQN for short), known as DIN Sync24.
A notable Roland exception is the CR-78 which uses 12ppqn.

Korg equipment (eg KPR-77, DDM-110 & DDM-220) uses 48 pulses per quarter note.
Oberheim (DMX) & Linn is 96ppqn.
The SCI Drumtraks handles 24, 48, and 96 ppqn
EMU drumulator - 24ppqn - needs a din to 1/4 Y cable,


(To be continued)
If there are any mistakes or omissions, please write to me.
J

Amer Fort - Rajasthan - India

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The Amer Fort & palace was built in the 16th century by the Rajput Maharajas.
It's divided into 4 sections or courtyard, each with it's own gate, style and history :
















Korg SQ-1 Vs monotribe.

Roland CR-8000 Drum Machine - Mods

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The Roland CR-8000 came out in 1981.
It's without a doubt one of Roland's classic drum machines with roots that go back to the  famous CR-78 (produced in 1978) & the TR-808 (which came out just one year before in 1980).

The unmodified drum weighs in at 3.2Kg, with 11 knobs & 32 buttons.
I really like the the digital data encoder. It's very accurate at giving a precise BPM reading.


The digital tempo display was not a feature on the slightly earlier CR-5000 
The CR 8000 also has twice the number of presets as the 5000.
Unmodified, the CR-8000 also has a trigger out (+5V pulses) so you can clock external gear.
Sadly there is just one audio output but unlike the CR-5000, the 8000 has DinSync (24ppqm).
dinsync I/O at 24PPQ

DRUM (weight: 3.8Kg) Main panel features a display, a data encoder, 11 knobs and 32 buttons.
- See more at: http://www.polynominal.com/site/studio/gear/drum/roland-cr-8000/roland-cr-8000.html#sthash.bPBX691N.dpuf
DRUM (weight: 3.8Kg) Main panel features a display, a data encoder, 11 knobs and 32 buttons.
- See more at: http://www.polynominal.com/site/studio/gear/drum/roland-cr-8000/roland-cr-8000.html#sthash.bPBX691N.dpuf

Roland CR-8000 CompuRhythm - mods

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The Roland CompuRhythmCR-8000 came out in 1981 & is without a doubt one of  Roland's finest drum machines. Often referred to as the "poor man's 808" I think it has its own unique character that is neither TR-808 nor CR-78.... but something in between. It's high hats are legendary and that bass drum certainly has a kick to it, but it has some serious flaws. A lack of individual outs, and its very basic programmability are some of the limitations.

Moddifying the drum will help this instrument reach its true potential.
My friend Paul A (aka: Cobramatic), has given me permission to document some of his mods.

Paul used a combination of mods from Josh Gumi's excellent site GumiElectronic and some
Analogue Solutions mods but he also came up with a couple of mods to the mods on his own.
Most of the mods involve replacing fixed resistors with pots. The mod for the bass decay is awesome and uses just a cap and a few more resistors.

Gumi's site describes dozens of mods but Paul wanted to keep everything within the original case. So due to the lack of room a choice had to be made re the ones that appealed the most.

With this many mods there is just enough room to get 24 mini pots and switches in the top cover
(maybe a few more if you are brave) but closing all up afterwards is a real challenge with all those wires.

Obviously a breakout box is another way to go for those with the skill and patience to use ribbon cables and connectors. Plus you could also add switches to everything & even some "tone pre-sets" using fixed resistors if you are really game.

Paul did the 6 main individual outs - a must-do in his opinion. It's also theoretically possible to take out all 13 drums but this involves much more wiring. And beware, that steel plate on the back is 2mm thick and needs some careful and rigorous drilling to get through.

Paul doesn't like the suggestion of utilising the existing footswitch and sync jacks
because then you loose that valuable functionality. (especially the sync pulse outs). They are invaluable with CV/gate synths and modular's. He also uses it to sync up his modded Bentley Rhythm Ace for even more analog goodness.

 Josh's suggested voice swap to get the Tom's on a different output is a very good idea which will possibly be a future mod. For now Paul has left it out ... you know, you can't do everything.

"The sound bending is way way greater than a normal machine of course - going from crazy tuning to booming decays (open up decay all the way) and overdriven sounds". Paul now has tuneable bass drums, hats, cowbells, toms, snares and to top it off, "the worlds snappiest clap".

At the last minute he added the snare boost circuit and mounted that next to the on off switch
(so he didn't have to open her up again!).


Final thoughts
"There are an amazing set of tones now available. the Bass Drum (make sure you also do the separate decay mod circuit), Snare, Clap and Tom's are really worth doing. Hats are great too - I did my own hats mod to switch between  808 style and noise/sizzle maracas sounds which also gives the ride cymbal a fantastic harder metallic strike. The cowbell is cool if you love it but I notice it did  introduce a slight noise hum into the snare channel - no idea why, but it is not critical  and can be turned down when not using the Cow Bell"..

"Be very careful when you open her up - there is a high voltage power section that you must be very careful with while testing the mods". Paul taped plastic over this section so he wouldn't accidently touch it.
It's good to play safe. Electricity can KILL YOU

"I (Paul) also blew the fuses because I accidently let the voices board slip onto the programming board while powered up - ooopps, this could have blown the whole project and I did it twice!!! Be a lot more careful than I was and don't even try it if you cant identify the High Voltage power zone from the rest. You have been warned!"

(Sorry that the pic is upside down)

Some people say that the CR8000 is a poor mans 808 - but with these mods Paul say's he will take it any day of the week  Plus at way way way less than an 808 price even if you add $100 of pots, components, knobs and wires, you can get for yourself a highly customisable & awesome sounding analog drum machine with dinsync in and out (get a dinsync / midi swing convertor and you are set).
This coupled with the amazing "Register and Arranger" section which are not available on any other machine.
make this one brilliant piece of kit.


It's great for jamming. Plus you get to have 8 programmable 2 bar presets and 4 programmable fills which you can mix with the other presets at will. Programming it is easy once you get the hang of it (but yeah, obviously not as good as on a 808 style machine).

"This baby is definitely my favourite drum machine now - hands down.(thanks again to Josh Gumiela for the well documented mods and info on his site)".

Many thanks to Paul for his efforts. May it encourage others to get out their soldering irons and have a go.

More Links:
1. CR-8000 description& features.
2. Roland CR-8000 :: GumiElectronic
3. Roland CR 8000 with mods mov - YouTube
4. Roland cr 8000 analogue solutions tonal mod video


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For more info on the history of Roland Drum Machines click here
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