Artesia

anyone with a Waldorf Pulse Plus mind taking the lid off their machine and doing a little photographing ? i have one here which im rescuing from the dead & someone else bad attempt at a repair.. and half the wires on the CV board arent connected anymore; and rather annoyingly they don't goto one neat point for easy identification of their destination. would anyone like to give a hand on this one ? :) Thanks for reading.

well.. id like to see someone solder those smt's on by hand ...dont think its early model; its ser is 7440070134 also, i have a sneaking suspicion that the assembly & some physical aspects of the design is done by the access virus people. just look at that serial sticker for one.... which may not be as daft as it first sounds; they shared premises together back before they went bust. This super cool big german castle apparently !

what amuses me the most; is what now essentially equates to the synth, -would- fit into a matchbox, or for that matter a pcmcia card or usb stick.... anyone want to challenge waldorf to make a picofield ? ;)

not alot in these frankly.. even when compared to the XT ;) ah well, thats dsp synthing for you :) its a fair contender for the virus market; and its graphical menu systems is very nice :) ..reminiscent of the roland jd & xv synths & the Andromeda. Sounds pretty decent, however i still preferr the q+ ;) ..only this is affordable :) Also afew bugs crop up in using this synth; occasionally envelopes dont redraw on the screen, etc. Hopefully waldorf will address this soon, and it may explain in part why the sods havnt been churning them out by the thousands so far. Tho overall its working very nicely. made from a ridiculously thick steel chassis, alps encoders, knobs are solid milled aluminum - feel real nice :) another bloody wall wart psu :/ btw these are an absolute sod to take appart; so appreciate ;) ..the knobs are fixed on with a dab of superglue and a particular knack is required to break this seal without damaging anything. The volume knob in particular is a sod. cpu & usb comms is - Freescale - MC9S12UF32PBE (16bit 30mhz capable) http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=S12UF&fsrch=1 Audio engine DSP is Freescale - DSP56371 (24bit 180mhz dsp ?) http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=DSP56371&fsrch=1 Flash Memory is - Samsung k9f1208uob (64m x 8 bit nand Flash mem 3.3v) Dac is - akm438?? (some chars unreadable, although likely 24 bit 192khz 106db/snr) http://www.akemd-eu.com/audioconverter/dac/index.html Line out opamp is - NE5532 (stock, decent opamp :) Headphone amp is - national semi - lm1877 (2w a ch into 8 ohms) http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM1877.html Two crystals, one clocked at 11.289mhz (dac ?), the other at 12mhz. UPDATE: Heres a quick comparison of a q+ patch i created, rendered as best i can, exactly the same way on the blofeld. had to use drive curves to beef up the LP a tiny bit, as i used the analog filters on the q+ originally. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nausicaa.valley/ucapps/q/Q99-rec.mp3 http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nausicaa.valley/ucapps/BLOFELD/BLOFELD_QSOUND.mp3 http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nausicaa.valley/ucapps/alesis_andromeda/ANDROMEDA_QSOUND.mp3 (plus another shoddy improv with the andromeda) sounding distinctly different, the blofeld sounds very digital to my ears.. comments welcome :) more about the MC9S12UF32 CPU: The MC9S12UF32 microcontroller unit (MCU) is a 16-bit device composed of standard on-chip peripherals including a 16-bit central processing unit (HCS12 CPU), 32K bytes of Flash EEPROM, and 3.5K bytes of RAM. In addition to the in-chip full-speed USB 2.0 interface, the MC9S12UF32 has built-in the following interfaces and host controllers: ATA-5 interface, compact Flash, secure digital / multimedia, smartmedia, and memory stick. Together with the flexible I/O ports, 8-channel, 16-bit timer, this MCU is well suited for applications such as multi-card readers, USB thumb drives, and USB to external harddisk drives. igh-performance 16-bit HCS12 CPU core * Upward compatible with M68HC11 instruction set * Interrupt stacking and programmer's model identical to M68HC11 * Instruction pipe * Enhanced indexed addressing * Multiplexed external bus * Maximum 30MHz bus operation at 5V * Memory o 32K byte Flash EEPROM o 3.5K byte RAM * Up to 75 input/output (I/O) lines * Integrated Queue controller (IQUE) * 8-channel, 16-bit enhanced capture timer * Full/High speed universal serial bus 2.0 (USB 2.0) * Serial communications interface (SCI) * ATA-5 host controller interface * Flash memory card interfaces o Compact Flash host controller o Secure digital/multimedia card host controller o Smartmedia host controller o Memory stick host controller More about the 56371 DSP: Targeted at audio/video (AV) receivers, home theaters, surround sound decoders, mini stereo systems, digital TV audio systems and automotive audio systems, the DSP56371 is designed to meet the demands of audio electronics system designers by supporting the latest generation decoders, such as Dolby, THX and DTS, among others. The DSP56371 is capable of running delay management, bass management and DTS96/24 while using less than half of the DSP's computing capability. This enables designers to add system enhancements that the discerning audio consumer now expects. The performance increase is made possible through the use of a higher core frequency, fewer memory wait states, a larger amount of on-chip static random access memory (SRAM) and the addition of an Enhanced Filter Coprocessor (EFCOP). By removing the need for external high-speed SRAM and making smaller, less complex boards, the DSP56371 is performance-rich and cost-effective. Multimode, multichannel decoder software functionality Dolby and/or DTS license required * Prologic II * DTS Neo6 * DTS 2.3 * WMA * AAC * Dolby Headphone (DH) * Dolby Virtual Speaker (DVS) Digital audio post-processing capabilities * Parametric EQ * Tone Control or Graphic EQ * Dynamic range compression * Loudness * Bass Boost * Speaker Comp * Fade/Balance * Music Search * Compression Digital Signal Processing Core * 1.25 V core with a 3.3 V peripheral I/O * Object Code Compatible with the DSP56000 core with highly parallel instruction set * Data ALU with a 24 x 24 bit multiplier-accumulator and a 56-bit barrel shifter. 16-bit arithmetic support * Program Control with position independent code support and instruction cache support * Six-channel DMA controller * PLL based clocking with a wide range of frequency multiplications (1 to 255), predivider factors (1 to 3) and power saving clock divider (2I: i=0 to 7). Reduces clock noise * Internal address tracing support and OnCETM for Hardware/Software debugging * JTAG port * Very low-power CMOS design, fully static design with operating frequencies down to DC * STOP and WAIT low-power standby modes * EFCOP running concurrently with core On-chip Memory Configuration * 16K - 48Kx24 Bit Y-Data RAM and 32Kx24 Bit Y-Data ROM * 36Kx24 Bit X-Data RAM and 32Kx24 Bit X-Data ROM * 28K - 64Kx24 Bit Program and bootstrap ROM * 4Kx24 Bit Program RAM * Various memory switches available Peripheral modules * Enhanced Serial Audio Interface (ESAI_0): up to 4 receivers and up to 6 transmitters, master or slave. I2S, Sony, AC97, network and other programmable protocols. * Enhanced Serial Audio Interface I (ESAI_1): up to 4 receivers and up to 6 transmitters, master or slave. I2S, Sony AC97, network and other programmable protocols. * Serial Host Interface (SHI): SPI and I2C protocols, 10-word receive FIFO, support for 8, 16 and 24-bit words. * Triple Timer module * Digital Audio Transmitter (DAX): 1 serial transmitter capable of supporting the SPDIF, IEC958, CP-340 and AES/EBU digital audio formats * Pins of unused peripherals (except SHI) may be programmed as GPIO lines

mios>sd ...WOW ! :)

they are either ALPS or alps like 'copys'.. the ones you are looking for should be on this page somewhere: http://www3.alps.com/WebObjects/catalog.woa/E/HTML/Potentiometer/InsulatedShaft/InsulatedShaft_list1.html there'll be some characters on those pots somewhere indicating part number/value ..find these out and youll be able to find a replacement far easier. heres one place that sells this kind of potentiometer: http://uk.farnell.com/1191725/passives/product.us0?sku=alps-rk09k11310kb

ah yes... the awesome dan-le-sac and scrubious pip ...great little 'rap' ..and a musical backdrop that absolutely drips o' ring modulation :)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7377203.stm Jobs cut at troubled music firm Sound Control website Sound control is to close down its internet and telesales operation More than 150 jobs are to go at a Fife-based musical instrument chain after it went into administration. Directors at Sound Control, which is based in Dunfermline, had been trying to sell elements of the troubled firm. The UK-wide chain of 26 shops has been struggling to compete against other internet-based companies. Administrators Deloitte have decided to shut 10 stores and close down the firm's internet and telesales arm, making 163 people redundant. Largest retailer Sound Control also trades as Media Tools, Turnkey and Soho Sound House. It is the largest musical instrument retailer in the UK, with a £50m annual turnover, employing 338 people. John Reid from Deloitte said: "Following a review of the group's operations, the administrators have made the difficult decision to close 10 of the group's trading locations and bring to an end its telesales and internet sales activities. "These changes to the group's operations have resulted in 163 redundancies with immediate effect. "The administrators welcome interest in the business and assets of the group and are already in discussions with a number of interested parties to explore a possible sale. "However, at the same time as they explore sale options, the administrator will continue to trade the remaining 16 stores." http://www.soundonsound.com/news?NewsID=10049 Sound Control enter administration (SOS announcement) 01/05/2008 The UK's largest retailer closes numerous branches The UK's largest retailer Sound Control, who also own Turnkey and Media Tools, went into administration yesterday, 30th April. According to Deloitte, who have been appointed administrators of Sound Control Holdings Limited, 10 of the retailer's 26 stores have been closed, with 163 of the 338 employees made redundant. The administrators state "the Group [sound Control] has been impacted by increased competition from the internet and the directors had been pursuing a strategy to sell the business." John Reid, one of the two appointed admnistrators said "the administrator will continue to trade the remaining 16 stores, selling high quality musical instruments to the publicâ€. Turnkey's web site states "Whilst the Sound Control Group remains in administration, no orders can be placed. 16 of our 26 retail stores will continue to trade as normal". It also says that telephone sales will be brought to an end. We'll keep you up to date with any further information. For ongoing discussion of the latest developments, check out the thread on the SOS forum.

yup, any business linked to them folded.

http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/29486/Sound-Control-administration-update 14 stores to remain open for 90 days It has emerged that 10 Sound Control stores, including those in Manchester City and Glasgow West, have been closed with immediate effect. Manchester Salford and Glasgow City have remained open These are among 14 stores that will be kept open for 90 days in the hope of turning the business around to get the best price from bidders. The following Sound Control stores, along with Turnkey will remain open for business: Birmingham Bristol Edinburgh Glasgow City Leicester London Manchester Salford Norwich Sheffield Dundee Newcastle Stockton Stoke Dunfermline The following stores have closed: Derby Glasgow West Hull Kirkcaldy Leeds East Manchester City Milton Keynes Nottingham Preston Southampton There is still no further information available from administrator, Deloitte, however a spokesperson from the company commented: “The teams are still all out on site. It’s a waiting game while we try to sort out things, such as staff.†It would appear that access to retrieve stock is not being given. It will doubtless be the big manufacturers and suppliers who are hardest hit. The MIA, meanwhile, has offered to assist any Sound Control staff affected by the situation to find new jobs. The body’s chief executive Paul McManus told MI Pro he would be happy for those made redundant to send their CVs direct to paulmc@mia.org.uk. He will then group them into geographical regions and attempt to match them up with any firms looking for staff in those areas. He commented: “The MIA would like to offer its support to any Sound Control staff who are in the dreadful situation of needing to find re-employment. The MIA has always kept a database of people wishing to find new employment in the industry. CVs are frequently sent to me and I liaise with companies that are looking for new staff. This totally impartial service is offered to people with the only aim being to keep skilled and experienced people in the industry and working. The MIA wishes to offer this service to any affected Sound Control staff and to let every company in the industry know that we will have a collated database that they can enquire about, accordingly.†This website will keep you updated as and when news comes in.

ah yes mediatools.. i once went in there to have a look at / listen to the studio electronics - omega 2 to see how much cop it was.. and yes, its unbelievably well engineered & sounds decent ..however its price could even make modular fans shudder. only problem i had with mediatools was that once they saw me looking at a really expensive bit of kit; they wanted more than ever to try and get me to spend that sort of money. even found myself sitting with two of the staff in their call centre level just as theyd closed up shop for the day; they where still busy giving me the hard sell, trying to get me to buy anything.. followed by suggesting a moog & then an andromeda. of which one i own & the other i have access to. This put me right off them. Also in passing i took the time to note what was written on the whiteboards in this room; every person on the phones had a personal sales target they had to meet; and the more they sold, the higher that goal post moved. ...I absolutely aborr that approach to business :/

As of the 30th of April, both sound control and turnkey are in administration; part of me is sad to see them in this position, the other is well and truely dancing on their grave... whilst i found the customer service at the newcastle and birmingham branches to be quite good; the appallingly careless manner in which things went down in the leicester & london TK stores left me with little love for them; if it wasnt on the shelfs, there would be problems & weeks of them ! ..ultimately i took mine and other peoples business the way of the likes of DV247 & smaller retailers where possible. What i hope this isnt mind, is the start of the demise of the music shop whereby you can actually go into the store to see & play with potential purchases :/

ah yes.. that was the chap... beardy man :)

;D ..mind look up bass shakers at beymas website for solutions for turning anything into a high fidelity sub bass massage chair ;)

bum tiiiish ! :) ..there was one chap who occasionally pops up on rob-da-banks show on radio one (uk); and manages to beatbox in a manner which gives the illusion of polyphony to the extent which allows him to do complete renditions of tracks with, drums, bass, leads, complete vocals & also manages to recreate the various effects and edits with his mouth.. tracks like ronnie size's 'brown paper bag' where largely viewed as childs play by the chap ;) damn, methinks ;) :)

ideally yes; and i often do.. tho usually everything bar afew culprits i rarely use work for me. and 'flattening' elements of the mix when you arent working on them specifically at that time, provide a great way of freeing up resources to make huge mixes without runing out of cpu steam :)

yup buildings always fun.. used it in cubase current version & in ableton live previous version without any issues with it or the hosts. all runs quite nicely on dual core athlon systems with final revision of win xp 64 bit edition. M audio 2496 & focusrite le & 26 on the other machines concerned. btw if you have some plugs that present intermittent issues; dump the audio from the track concerned.. insert it into the mix as an audio stream & turn off the plugin until needed again. this way you can get on with the rest of the mix without fighting with the occasional dubious plugin.

fair do's ..will sit back and watch out of curiousity :) mind quadrasid from refx is $59.99 usd / 37 uk pounds or so ...its not steinberg money ;) ..and from my experience its not crappy unstable either.. and you can have as many virtual chips as you wish.. whereas more chips means building more with this hardware ..and both are doing the same thing of running some code, on some hardware. http://refx.com/?lang=en&page=products/quadraSID/summary sample sounds: http://refx.com/downloads/quadraSID/quadraSID.mp3 mind i guess its worthwhile as hardware if its moved upto a serious dsp powerhouse; where the architecture can support tens, to hundreds of sids ...but then you are creeping towards making something that strictly isnt a sid ..and may as well diversify way beyond its limitations ..in which case its no longer a 'sid' at all.

juicy ...shall have to go mp3 hunting ;) ..the last lot of 'goa' id heard for a while was flying rhino records.

you do realize mind that a simulation of the sid chip based around some digital technology wont actually provide the quirks of the real analog sid sound,, ie: what makes it interesting. may as well hunt down one of the vst plugins ..quadrasid if i recall; at worst the hardware mentioned here wont hold an advantage over it ..and if i do remember right ..and they did actually model the filter behavior (etc) properly in the vst ,,then it should be the nearest thing to a sid chip without having one :)

how such a thing could be made out of really small discrete components & assembled in a batch by machine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface-mount_technology how we assemble things manually here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Through-hole_technology

surely the right discrete components splattered onto a pcb SMT tech style would get awfully close (and would be affordable) ? ;)

cool :) hmm... remarkably like m-audios trigger finger unit (something i posted a while ago) they both seem to be based on resistive technology.

lol.. this is going to end up as a Cessna plane down to mexico for their other great export..

:(( many carrier services suck ..have to packm really really well.. then theres actually counting on it arriving :o :/