Dream Modules

Doepfer has released a clock divider that works with prime numbers. I have ordered one. I think I suggested this a few years ago.

I had not previously heard of Erthenvar but they do a series of dividers, including Fibonacci numbers. Outstanding.

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Memory is a strange (and increasingly unreliable) thing. I first suggested primes in a Yahoo Groups poll in Feb 2010 with a fuller explanation a few days later:

"The reason this idea came to mind was a recent piece in The Times referring to a lecture by Marcus du Sautoy at the Royal Society available here entitled The secret mathematicians, it concerned the use of maths in art and starts with a piece by Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time. It uses rhythms of 17 and 29 beats - as these are prime numbers, a sequence would not repeat (at least until you get to 17*29).
I think La Monte Young used primes too.
The lecture also refers to the Fibonacci series which I think is mentioned in a later post but I haven't got there yet.
Anyway, as I play with long automated noises, I thought prime-based rhythms would be fun.
A prime number is only divisible by one and itself (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17 etc).
Cheers, Nick"

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Trautonium

Trautoniks Trautorium

The March Sound on Sound reviews the Trautoniks wondrous recreation of the Trautonium.
Regrettably, it sells for €5,000, which puts it beyond my budget.

But there is Doepfer's implementation of the Mixtur-Trautonium which is affordable.

I already have the ribbon controller, so I just need the A104 trautonium filter and the A113 sub-harmonic generator.

Doepfer Trautonium patch

The patch suggested by Doepfer (towards the bottom of the page on the link above, or see right) requires, in addition:

• 2 A110 oscillators - tick
• A118 noise generator - I think I have one of those
• mixer A138a or b - tick
• two VCAs A130 or A131 - tick (the second is to use with an A177 and a foot controller) 
• A140 ADSR - I do need more
• A145 LFO - tick

So most are already in stock. I have been saying for a while that I'll do one more case in an old leather suitcase and what could be a finer subject for such a case than a Trautonium. The plan is

1. get the modules
2. set up a Trautonium in Case 1, to settle the requirements in terms of modules, accessories and space required
3. source a suitable suitcase and transfer the bits to the new home (power supply the Xeus and also the Outs  from Case 1) [I guess the Outs isn't really necessary and the 2nd VCA can go straight to the speaker.]
4. recycle Case 1 as a carrier for cables, wall warts, speakers(?) and other necessary bits for two other cases when travelling.

A note on sizes:

• A198 ribbon 8HP 40mm deep 40mA
• A104 filter 20HP 45mm deep 30mA
• A113 sub 26HP 90mm 30mA
• A110 vco 10 - 55 -70
• A118 noise 8 - 40 -20
• A138 mix 8 - 35 10
• A130 VCA 8 - 45 - 20
• A177 foot  4 - 30 - 10
• A140 ADSR 8 - 50 - 20
• A145 LFO 8 - 55 - 30 

It should fit, with room for a few extras: I'd like to add a random CV generator (perhaps the Heisenberg to break the Doepfer monopoly) and a VCLFO for rhythm and also allow space for the wall wart, patch cables and a mini-speaker (maybe even a pedal, if I bother with one), so I'll come up with a requirement for the case size.

• Case 1 internally is 260x345 
• the depth must be 90 for the A113 - the depth requirement applies to the main portion of the case, not including the lid
• An Altec Lansing speaker is 90x55
• the wart is 70x70x160 + cable
• plus a space for patch cables
• that doesn't include the foot controller

So, extending the width from 345 to 450 should provide storage for the speaker and wart and the patch cords might be left in situ (if the lid allows) or in a bag (if not).

Initial conclusion, 260x450x90(main) or imperial 11x18x4(main) inches (rounding up). That (see right) might do - ending on eBay tonight. Bought for £33. I'm hoping that the ribbon controller (about 600) will fit in the lid diagonally (I'll wait and see rather than invoke Pythagoras), otherwise I'll play with some sort of scabbard arrangement using a snooker cue case or similar. More news when received.

Regarding the diagonal, a quick approximation with the measuring tape suggests it will not fit. That is deemed acceptable, because a case large enough for it to fit would be too large for all the other kit. Everything is a compromise.

Instrument 1 Version 2

Doepfer A143-4

I had to unplug the first multi-source Dream Machine patch in an enforced house tidy and will take the opportunity to reconfigure the modules.
While the Doepfer SoU and the Heisenberg have some discipline, I found the Wogglebug and NoiseRing too chaotic for my purpose, so I will concentrate on the first two.

Makenoise Phonogene

Doepfer's A143.4 Quad VCLFO is now available and so I have ordered one of those plus a 138c mixer and another 175 inverter from EMIS.
And with a windfall due to arrive, some more esoteric modules are on the cards, notably the Makenoise Phonogene.
And there's a camera fair on Sunday bringing the possibility of a second case.

More Manuals

Back from Edinburgh, and back to work on TI.
The first few modules are in the rack and so I'll start with the manuals:

Doepfer A164.1 Manual Gate
Doepfer A150 VC Switch
Makenoise Wogglebug
Plan B Heisenberg
Malekko NoiseRing

Previous instruction listings here.

I'll simplify back to the Doepfer Dream Machine variant then try the different generators.