Do you guys really believe that Moog should resume development of the SL8 synthesizer? This was supposed to be released in response to the Yamaha DX7 FM synthesizer.
What made the SL8 unique is that it was supposed to have used a Texas Instruments TMS9995 16-bit microprocessor, which is the same chip you’d find in the TI 99/4A and the Tomy Tutor graphic computers (I actually had the latter myself). The Memorymoog also had a videogame system microprocessor, the 8-bit Zilog Z80A, which was used on the ColecoVision/Adam videogame systems, the MSX computer system, and various early 8-bit arcade machines.
But… I wonder if Moog could’ve built new synthesizers around the MOS 6502 (8-bit), 65816 (16-bit) or the Motorola 68000 processors, which were also associated with videogame systems of the '80s and '90s?
Thats looking back about as far as you can go though I think Moog probably neds to make a CV version of one of these:
Moogjunkie, you know IM just messing with you, but I am curious as to why you keep bringing up antiquated designs and wanting Moog to build those, the latest idea you have submitted you want Moog to start delving in Microprocessors? Don’t get me wrong, Im down with 8 bit sounds but are you really seriously proposing that idea that Moog go digital or are you just being fecetious? Do you want Moog to look backwards or forwards?
If those style processors are what you are looking for, check this out:
This is using the same chips as found in the atari 2600. You want to make the Maniac Mansion theme song? This is the module to do it. This is a eurocack design by The Harvestman and it is called the Zorlon Cannon
I wouldn’t categorize the TI 99/4 or the Z80 as videogame processors. They were used in video games as well in synthesizers because they were reasonably cheap and available in their day. Chosing a microprocessor has nothing to do with the type of instrument or the sound you want it to make, save for the fact that it obviously has to be powerful enough to perform the tasks at hand. Machines with software envelopes need a faster processor than machines with analog enevlopes. The Z80 was common in many synthesizers at the time; it was also used in the Prophet 5, Oberheim OB-Xa, and Roland Jupiter-8, to name a few. Oberheim chose the 6809 for the Matrix-6 probably because it although being 8 bit has a multiplication instruction which enables them to perform modulation attenuation relatively easily. Or perhaps they’d employed someone who loved the 6809. Either way, it doesn’t really affect the end result, except if you choose a processor that’s not up to the task, which is more a case of bad design than anything else.
