jaytee
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Posts posted by jaytee
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Doh! What's it doing there?!
thanks TK, lifesaver as always.
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Sorry for the dumb question, but where the heck is R80 on the MB-6582 base PCB? I've been looking for about twenty minutes and feel like I'm going crazy.
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The sammiches were always one-off kits; I don't believe they were ever sold as just PCBs.
I could swear SmashTV had SID module PCBs available as recently as yesterday or the day before; maybe I'm imagining things though. In any case, keep checking back; he can be slow to restock, but he always does eventually. I don't think he's offered parts kits in a long while, but they're all standard, easy-to-source parts.
Alternatively, the module Eagle files are available; you could have your own boards made pretty cheaply and easily.
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@latigid on, you did another run of PCBs? I've recently been thinking about doing an MBSEQ... I tend to sequence all my music from my computer, so an external sequencer doesn't really fit with my normal workflow, but I'm looking into musically enriching activities for when I'm really not feeling my normal recording routine. I had originally dismissed the SEQL, since I didn't think boards were available, but it might be more ideal for quick, off the cuff jams; I don't need a studio "brain" like the full SEQ seems to be.
anyway, do you have boards? I can't guarantee I'll buy one, but I'd like to at least price out a build to see if it's feasible right now.
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I really hope to build one. I've wanted a 2600 ever since I found out it was R2D2's voice, lol. Hopefully I can at least get a PCB and panel, I don't mind waiting to slowly collect parts if it means I can spread the cost out over a year or so. I did the same thing with SID chips, and I'm finally starting my MB-6582... I'm a patient man.
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Sorry to bump this thread, but @Rowan, did you see they're doing another run of the TTSH? I was just cruising through some of the MB forums I rarely visit and saw you mention it, figured I'd give you a shout out if you missed it during the first two runs. I know I was kicking myself for not jumping on when I had the chance; I'm not gonna let another opportunity go by.
just so I'm not completely derailing this thread, I'm gonna put down the MB SID as my favorite DIY synth. I personally have a sammichSID that I managed to snag in a trade as an unbuilt kit about a year after the kits stopped being made. Phew! Best (music) decision I've ever made. I'm about to start working on an MB-6582 though, which I've listed after basically since I found out about them. Took me a couple years to get comfortable enough with MIDIbox and DIY in general to understand what goes into building an MB-6582—the sammichSID was my first DIY project and I never would have gotten through it without the detailed build guide—and then another couple years for board availability and funds to finally line up.
Why is it my favorite? Well, for one, I really appreciate that it's a completely original project. Stuff like the x0xb0x and TTSH is awesome, and I don't want to dismiss the amount of work that goes into reverse engineering an analog synth like that, but there's something really romantic about knowing that the the MB SID was basically designed from the ground up by one guy working in his spare time. It's really inspiring, isn't it? Like TK just sat down one day and thought "Why doesn't my dream SID synthesizer exist?" so he opened up his laptop, got out his soldering iron, and a few years later, he unleashes the definitive SID synthesizer on the world.
Which leads me to my second reason: it's a goddam badass synth. I feel like a lot of DIY project synths end up somewhat feature limited or even incomplete. Meanwhile, the MB SID implementation puts most *commercial* synths to shame. Even just the "Lead" engine is crazy powerful, between the multi-stage envelopes, mod matrix and trigger maps. And then you tell me that there's a 303 emulator mode, a drum machine mode, and a poly/multitimbral mode? *And then* you tell me that not only can I stack two SIDs for stereo, but I can then stack four of those stereo SIDs and operate them all independently or as part of a "super-poly" mode?
It sounds hyperbolic, but when I read interviews with Bob Yannes and he talks about how he originally envisioned that the SID chip would be sold to synth manufacturers as a building block for their designs, similar to CEM/SSM chips, I can't help but think that the MB SID must be pretty close to what he had in mind (probably without the VCA/envelope glitches though, lol, but that's just what makes a SID a SID).
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nvm
in Fleamarket
I PMed Androsid, never got a response. In any case, I'm all taken care of thanks to @Psykhaze. I don't think he has extra SIDs left, but he gets my solid recommendation as a stand-up seller.
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Have you looked into @Altitude's thread on powering an MB-6582 from a single supply? IIRC, you just use any ol' 12V DC wall-wart, then regulate it on the board to 9V and 5V with a 7809 with a more efficient 5V switching regulator with a very high frequency. It requires a couple jumpers, but otherwise works with the MB-6582 PCB just fine. Seems like the simplest solution.
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I just need a handful, it probably makes more sense for someone in Europe to handle the GB and to just add my small amount to the order.
Maybe it's time for a new thread, if anyone wants to take charge?
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Not trying to step on anyone's toes, and specifically trying to *avoid* pestering ALBS with small orders, hence the effort to get the next GB going.
@kristal=, can you tell me what the minimum order amount would be for an ALBS group buy? I checked their website, but couldn't find specific information on this; I'm gathering that they don't do a lot of business in English.
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I wouldn't be opposed to running the GB, but I'm in North America; I imagine it would be cheaper if someone in Europe is home base? Although maybe not, if most of the buyers are NA too...
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This has happened just often enough in the last week or so that I want to get to the bottom of it.
During the last few long sessions with my sammichSID, about 3-4 times I've looked down and realized that it has, seemingly spontaneously, changed banks and thus patches. For instance, I'll be using patch B022. My mix will sound weird, I'll look down, and it has switched to A022. When I go to the ensemble page, it displays that I'm in Bank A, but when I go to adjust it, it jumps straight to C, as if it thought it was still in Bank B; I have to notch it up (to C) then back down to get back to Bank B.
It's entirely possible that this is error on my part. The last issue I had with my MB SID turned out to be some garbage CC automation that had showed up in my DAW somehow. Is it possible I'm sending some kind of Program Change MIDI message unintentionally (using Ableton Live, FWIW)? Is there a MIDI message that changes only banks and not patch numbers?
I haven't "caught" the issue happening yet; as I said, it's only been a handful of times over the last week or two. Normally I would hook up a MIDI monitor to see if that's what's causing it, but I would have to leave it running for a day or two to catch it and then sort through once I notice it's happened. Not impossible, but I just thought I'd ask for a little guidance first.
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Is your external input tied to ground? On a sammichSID, the input is a switching jack, so if there's nothing plugged in, it *should* tie to ground automatically, if it hasn't developed a soldering fault. If there's anything plugged into that jack....unplug it!
It might also be the VCA leakage. I've noticed that some patches tend to leak worse than others.
A bad/noisy power supply can also cause noise issues.
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Any chance we can get another GB going?
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Wow, those sold fast! Got it just in time. Just OOC, @smashtv, how many sets were sold in that last batch?
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nvm
in Fleamarket
nvm
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Any chance you're willing to sell the 8580 chips separate?
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Been waiting on a restock of these myself. Stock status never seems to line up favorably with budget. And then they just disappeared....
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Honestly, if the idea of building a MIDIbox from scratch seems daunting, you're probably better off with one of the other options out there.
Look into buying a Commodore64 and getting an MSSIAH cartridge for it. This is a MIDI-controlled SID synth that runs directly on the C64 hardware. If you want some DIY experience, there are plenty of C64 mods you can add to make it more like a musical instrument. Analog pots, stereo SID chips, etc. This kind of set up is nearly as awesome as a MIDIbox, and comes with the cachet of running on the actual C64 hardware.
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Kind of disappointed that the new sammich batches just fizzled like this.
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On May 2, 2016 at 3:45 PM, Academic Planner said:
The initial email went 3+ years ago, the waiting list was established over 1 year ago, we hit over 50 preorders (list not completely updated) and there hasn't been any sort of official word on an update. I'd think it's pretty safe to say this isn't happening. Compound this with the recent Volca FM release and this is making even less sense. Prove me wrong? (again)
Volca FM is a three-voice toy of a synth. Hardly compares to the MBFM, aside from both using FM synthesis.
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I've used it, but never bothered to make a demo of it.
It's pretty much what it says on the tin. Send audio through the SID filter. If you like the sound of the filter, it's probably useful for you. The reason you don't see it used much is the relatively small userbase of MB SIDs, combined with the fact that the SID filter is a bit lackluster compared to other analog filters.
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Might want to post the price here. Also, a little confused, since the only MB808 on eBay is in Regina, not Vancouver. (May also want to change the title of that listing if it's yours, since it doesn't pop up when you search for MB 808).
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8 months since the waiting list started... Is this actually happening?
Cherry Jammer blog
in Design Concepts
Posted
Did this ever go anywhere?
I currently use an Axis 49 together with some software magic to achieve a Wicki-Hayden layout. Now don't get me wrong, I like this set up a lot. I've never been much of a player-of-instruments, so it really just functions as a more-intuitive note input device and musical sketch pad, meaning my requirements are rather modest co pared to someone who is looking to play live keyboard parts.
That said, there's always been a few things about it that irk me and ever since I got this set up four years ago, I've been looking for alternatives, either DIY or commercial (and come up dry). The main things I want to address:
- The Axis is USB MIDI only. I would love to control hardware directly without a computer in between; normally I would look at a USB-MIDI host device, but because I rely on software to get a Wicki-Hayden layout, that won't work.
- The Axis 49, when turned 90° for Wicki-Hayden, is not quite wide enough to provide for optimal fingering in all keys. Right now it's set up in the best compromise layout, allowing good access to the most common scales, but there are a few scales with sharp or flat roots that are impossible to play without "wrapping" from one side of the keyboard to the other.
- No aftertouch or other expressivity beyond velocity. I feel like a grid layout would be even better for polyphonic aftertouch control than a piano keyboard; you don't need to stretch your fingers as far, so you may achieve better control.
@Wilba, as you mention, I could gut the Axis and install a MIDIbox core. This could at least solve the first problem, allowing me to define note assignments at the hardware level and add DIN MIDI. I even have a second Axis 49 (I bought two to achieve the ideal "jammer" layout, with the notes on the left-hand keyboard mirroring those on the right, but I find I rarely use the second keyboard in practice) so I wouldn't even be risking my prized, now-out-production main keyboard. However, that still doesn't solve the other two problems, which are honestly the most important to me.
I've looked into dozens of possible DIY solutions for making my own velocity-sensitive keyboard, and most of them are less-than-satisfactory. There's one person who built an isomorphic keyboard using a different Cherry modification technique (cutting off the bottom so the plunger can go through the PCB and hit a tactile switch on a second PCB underneath); this seems less than ideal. I've looked into having my own silicone membranes manufactured to do something like what is inside the Axis 49, but with the silicone as the actual button (like a TV remote or Monome); this gets expensive quickly, but could maybe work. And I looked into a company called Sensitronics who make sheets that when coupled with a properly designed PCB allow for any layout of FSRs you can imagine; I like this idea the best, but don't know what I would do for the actual mechanics of the keys.
I had the "brilliant" idea of using SPDT switches and timing the difference between the make and break...only to find this thread (which is how I ended up here) telling me that no such switch exists.
Le sigh... Anyone come up with any other ideas in the last few years? It's surprising to me that nobody manufactures a part that can do this.