Joy of Synths #8: Out of Control b/w Controllers of Voltage
A non-musician’s guide to creating sounds for podcasts, videos, and sampling for music using analog synthesizers.
Out of Control
I hadn’t looked at Pittsburgh Modular.com for quite some time, about a week. They were to announce a new instrument or two by year’s end per an August newsletter. So I was happy to see they had updated their site with a sale that turned out to be 20% off modules over $100, 10% off modules under $100.
Saving $10 isn’t much of a savings, so I went for the 20%. I wanted the free blue cables they were offering on a limited supply. I wanted to be first. They had a live stream at 8pm. I completed my transaction by 8:05pm.
There was a tinge of second thoughts. Do I really need a stereo mixer for Eurorack? Yes, I can work with that. Do I really need to spend $159 right now, when I’ve just spent more than a few hundred dollars on Amazon for a replacement Trimmer/Edger for the lawn, a MIDI Controller on loan, and a USB to MIDI cable?
Plus Amazon has me on notice that within the week I should have a $209 Synthesizer. Let’s see if that actually happens. (Update: It didn’t.)
Second thoughts were soon forgotten. I bought it and it arrived 4 days later with about 30 patch cables (2 were 3 foot cables so it works out.) It has not been installed because that weed wacker arrived, too, so spare time was invested in the yard.
Knocked Out
The K.O. II sampler was announced via email on 11/22/23 for $299. I went ahead and bought it before it went out of stock from Teenage Engineering’s warehouse. I’ll be surprised if it arrives by Christmas. In contrast to all the preorders I have outstanding, this was cash upfront as a proper order.
Hopefully the K.O. II is a sound design tool I can use with analog synths for sampling and adding effects to samples.
K.O. II has a sequencer with MIDI out so it could control semi modular synths with MIDI input or MIDI to Control Voltage converters.
So if I use it to sample a sound bank for videos/audio book then it is worth it. But if I’m not sampling and messing with stuff within 2 weeks of arrival then KO 2 is off to resale. That simple.
But...
For $299 you can buy an actual synth and controller. Like the $199 Behringer Kobol and $69 Behringer Swing keyboard controller I preordered from Ed Nystrom at Sweetwater (800) 222-4700 x1646 (Non-affiliate phone number)
Alas, I don’t have a physical all-in-one sampler (any laptop or iphone is a sampler though less tactile absent dials and buttons). (Non Affilliated links follow.) The K.O. II should still be stocked by stores so call Perfect Circuit as they may be able to tell you the expected inventory and amount of preorders.
https://www.perfectcircuit.com/teenage-engineering-ep-133-ko-ii.html
K.O. II site. https://teenage.engineering/products/ep-133
Manual. https://teenage.engineering/guides/ep-133
In Control: Dealing with Deals
I can’t pass a deal. I went thrifting and discovered 2 sealed flip book animation kits. These were marked green, which meant they were 25% off. I wound up buying those plus two open kits, as the sealed one’s are intended for Holiday Toy Drive. I mean, some kid has to want to draw flipbook animations. Maybe not.
A deal represents money saved, thriftiness, ingenuity. A deal is my hunter-gathering bloodlust unleashed. I hunt deals. I gather the products.
What is oft ignored by myself is what happens after the gathering and collecting and storing of the bounty. The deals get donated. For example, the Wii game system was my introduction to Black Friday early AM hours shopping in 2007. I went to K-mart, and scored one of the limited supply. I felt that surge of adrenaline as I drove off to capture the electronics that eluded others.
Well, a few days ago I put that Wii back in its original box and left it for a new home. Granted, it’s 16 years old, and has been left untouched for probably a decade. I mean, it was useful for streaming Netflix in standard definition 480p in 2010. And that was about it.
I didn’t fare so well with the shopping mania in November, October, September or August 2023. This is my December goal - don’t buy deals. Alas, it helps to think of how it feels to donate old deals to remove clutter. Maybe that will give pause to the purchase of future donations.
Controllers of Voltage
My struggle with learning how to get sound from synthesizers was largely due to the fact that I didn’t understand the value of keyboard and sequencer controllers. You can play a synthesizer by connecting a clock output to the Envelope Generator or Loudness Contour Gate. But this is so limiting. I say this sincerely after trying to avoid keyboard controllers for far too long.
Behringer sells a full line of $299 and below synthesizers without controllers. This keeps the cost down and allows users the freedom to choose their favorite controller.
I strongly suggest being hyper critical of controllers in the form of keyboards and sequencers. Test them during the trial period and return them if you don’t like the feel. This is an extension of a synth so the controller should make some sense to you and be fun to explore.
MIDI or CV Connections
Most controllers will have full size MIDI, or mini adapter MIDI ports. My suggestion is for the controller to also have Control Voltage outputs. MIDI can go wrong on the controller or the synth because it’s sending messages to specific channels. So if your controller is sending messages to channel 3 and your synth is set to read over channel 1, well, pressing keys may not yield any results. The best solution is to reset MIDI to Channel 1 and all should work. But finding that reset means searching in the manual. In contrast, Control Voltage should just work.
Controller Controls
They are called controllers because they control voltage sent to the analog synth. Gate signals are note on/off. You shape this square wave signal of likely 10 volts on/off with Attack/Decay dials on envelope generator module or Loudness Contour on the Model D.
CV, or control voltage, is output in Volts per Octave, or V/O. So if it sends 1.1 volts to an oscillator, then 2.1 is an octave higher. Or note C to C is 1 volt higher.
There may be a modulation output if the controller has a modulation wheel or slider. The B. Swing controller has a modulation output, which is cool.
Behringer Swing Aside
The $69 Swing has proven to be awesome when connected to the Model D via CV and Gate. My use is simply pressing a key, holding it down, then releasing it. I’m not trying to string notes together at this point.
That said, it still has a sequencer which will playback a sequence of notes and rests (quiet counts). It also has the much desired arpeggiator, which will playback selected notes in a variety of order. It also has USB connections so you could use it to control software instruments. For analog synthesizers, it’s a favorite.
Connecting Controllers
The CV output goes to the Oscillator module’s V/O (volts per octave) input. The Gate output should connect to the Envelope Generator module, which then connects to the VCA, or the LC Gate (Loudness Contour) input.
Is More More?
More may be too much. Korg makes the analog SQ-1 and the SQ-64. The SQ-1 is frankly non-intuitive. I’ve filmed a how-to video for it and hopefully will have that edited and posted to Substack by the December 31st newsletter.
The SQ-1 allows for recording 8 or 16 note sequences. Its limitations are its strengths over the 64 note and 4 CV (control voltage and gate) outputs of the SQ-64.
The problem with both SQ-1 and SQ-64 is they don’t show you the exact voltage going out. The SQ-64 allows you to set the note value (C, D, E), which makes sense if you’re playing a virtual piano but not an analog oscillator whose frequency dial may be nearly full left. Analog synths are unpredictable so it’s counter-intuitive for me to go with scales rather than voltage numbers. (That said, you could probably do the math easily).
The SQ-1 uses a dial to set the control voltage. With no read out, it’s harder to get to the voltage within an octave like 2.1 volts to 3.1 volts. The option that costs as much as the SQ-1 is to set up a littleBits Number Reader ($25) and Proto Bit ($12) with an Electronic Music Inventor Kit ($99). The SQ-1 has a littleBits out port that allows you to read the voltage so you can fine-tune adjustments.
The benefit of a sequencer is that it allows you to jump octaves without needing a full length keyboard controller. It also allows you to play a sequence of notes without worrying about manual dexterity.
However, the sequencers I own do not have accent notes. MIDI allows for velocity, which is basically controlling how loud or quiet the note will be (again, this will also be affected by the Envelope/Contour settings.)
In truth, I don’t use the SQ-64 because it doesn’t make sense for building a sound library yet. It will make absolute sense if I connect it to four different synths, as each could play its own sequence. Of the SQs, I prefer the SQ-1 because I finally understand how it works.
Keyboard Controllers vs Dial Sequencers
After buying into the hype that sequencers were more pure synthesis tools, I see the value of keyboards.
Keys allow for the 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 voltage output precision that a dial for CV doesn’t provide without the ability to read the voltage. I want this repeatable precision of keys so I can listen for variations with other key presses.
It’s taken a lot of money on step sequencers to arrive at this conclusion. Key presses are better for sound design events that you can edit into other projects. If you are trying to create music, or a series of notes, then a keyboard can have you covered, as well.
MONOPHONIC
One final thing is most analog synths are monophonic. A monophonic synth plays one note at a time. So I can smash 4 keys down and only voltage from one of those keys will be received by the monophonic analog synth. You would need a polyphonic synthesizer for it to respond to 2 or more keypresses. Or you would need to layer two or more synths, tuned slightly differently, and set up to play two notes at the same time, with 2 or more inputs for the recorder or a stereo mixer like the Okapi.
End Note 11/30/2023
Joy #9 will arrive on 12/15/23 and focus on the MIDI side of controllers. I prefer CV, but MIDI allows for more stuff to happen, like velocity (loud or quiet) and after touch. What follows may be flogging a dead hearse, as they say.
As per last issue, the controller of focus is most specifically this Amazon affiliate link (buy from Sweetwater for $69, not $129) to Behringer Swing 32 Key USB/MIDI/CV Controller. Per Joy of Synths #6, I’m taking advantage of Amazon’s Holiday return policy to see if this is the right controller for me. So far, it is. I haven’t been able to get the Swing controller and Model D to talk to one another through MIDI. It may be that the Model D is set to a different MIDI Channel, or it’s just flat out broke. I mean, if I rotate the Model D some part scurries along inside.
Sweetwater has the Swing for (non-affil link) half the price at $69 but stock is to arrive around Feb 2024. That price is insanely low- I’ve bought a used USB MIDI only Arturia controller for about that price. Not sure if this is a new normal price for Sweetwater or a true limited time price drop. Amazon still prices higher than Sweetwater on Behringer products so it’s worth it to comparison shop.
And just because it’s worth it to tool with the K2 and possibly return it, here’s an affiliate link to Behringer K2 on Amazon.
This issue is sponsored by CoWolves. Buy vinyl at https://discogs.com/seller/cowolves.
All Content Copyright 2023 Anthony Torres, All Rights Reserved.