Ok, I read the blurb on the newletter on it, I saw the video… WOW. Very impressive. VERY COOL. But kind of usless. Go check out the video if you’re not up on this, but the idea is that they’ve routed the lights on the wheels to the LFO… so the beating flashes to the Rate of the LFO. Very cool, but can think of something more useful.
I often mention my friend Doug Slocum, a very long time friend of mine that had a little company called Synthetic Sound Labs. He was an Authorized Moog Service Center back in the day when the Model D was popular. He designed a whole series of modifications for the Model D for people such as Manfred Man and Chick Corea. These included an additional LFO, an envelope generator (for cool things such as the opening of ELP’s Hoedown)… but the one I liked most was the Tuning Lights. This was a simple LED mounted inbetween Osc 1 and 2 that flashed to the beating between the 1st 2 oscillators, allowing the performer to “tune” oscillator 2 to oscillator 1 to: synchronis or near, 3rd, 5th, and so on… WITHOUT making a sound. You could do this visually just by watching the pulsing of the LED as you turned Osc 2’s knob. Talk about USEFUL! Probably the most useful MOD done to a MiniMoog EVER. Bob designed the MiniMoog for LIVE performance, and this really facilitates the performer in a VERY useful way.
Anyway, I wrote this in a letter to Moog Music, and they simply replied, “Thanks for your Lettter”. Ok. Maybe it’s being forwarded on to someone who can evaluate the idea.
Ok… you PERFORMERS out there… the ones that use the Voyager on stage for live performance… Wouldn’t that be a REALLY USEFUL MODIFICATION??? Just grab that Osc 2 knob and tweek 'til you see the wheels flash at just the right Rate… and your set for your next song and you didn’t make a sound. Perhaps the Pitch Wheel for that AND THEN the Mod wheel for the LFO thing, 'cause maybe you need to set that silently as well. The only thing is that the modification SO FAR is only available to Select and Signature models. Now, THAT’S a big boo-hoo.
I’m gonna forward this to Doug and ask him to come in here and tell you a bit about himself and what he thinks about all this stuff. He really needs to be a part of this forum.
I’ve been absent from the Synth scene for many, many years. I’m glad to be back, thanks to Chris (X24) and a new analog synth project!
The History:
After computer chips and firmware started taking over “hybrid” (digitally controlled analog synths) in the early 1980’s, I gave up the business. The reason? If I wanted to modify a synth, I would need not only the electronic schematics, but the computer source code.
I frankly didn’t bother to ask… If you were a manufacturer of synths and had a great algorythm for (ie) assigning Midi notes, do you think that programmer would want to give away the technology? Probably not.
That’s exactly why SSL (Synthetic Sound Labs) was abandoned – Back then.
But this is now. The industry is in a different place and so am I. I’m curently finding my way through the SteamPunk genre. A great example site is: www.steampunkworkshop.com.
I’m currently building a completely custom SteamPunk synth. I’m using 9700 PAiA modules, ThereMax, and various other bizzare machines and custom technologies, to create a machine that, I hope, will TRUMP any previous efforts in this regard.
How cool! A steampunk synth! I am currently working on a steampunk drum brain made out of an old Yamaha DD-50. It will look awesome when it’s completed.
I’ve got a thread on the General Topics Moog forum. There’s some of my pictures, linked to Flickr. I’d love to see some of your pics. My drum module isn’t quite done yet, but it’s a good start!
Hey Chris & Doug, this is yer Cousin Vinny with the Maple Jade Voyager Select, in the Great American Southwest Looking forward to a smashing reunion…I shall say no more in this venue, at this time…
Let’s not be too harsh on the flashing wheel mod, fellas - I actually have it (there’s a story behind how I got it so quickly…it makes for a nice testimony to some excellent Moog service) and ya know, it’s pure fun…is it practical? Nah…but it’s a hoot. I truthfully haven’t experienced the kind of drift on the V’ger that would make the tuning light mod as essential as I agree it would be on the Model D - my V’ger has been pretty solid-state. I’m also awaiting the free CP-251, as are many on this forum and am planning on buying the VX- and the rackmount bracket…once my V’ger is semi-modular, if there’s anything I can’t do at that point, then I might have a better idea of what mods I might wish for. For the moment, I bathe in the green glow…
Good to have you here and very much look forward to the Relayer beer, or two, or three reunion.
Re: the Tuning lights… They were not so much designed to manage the old Mini oscillator drift, but rather to enable a stage musician to create a sound (live) that required a certain “beat” of the oscillators. Since the Mini was not programmable, the live musician had to constantly be aware / informed of his machine’s setting / status. With the tuning lights, he could immediately see differences and correct as required for the piece that he was playing.
In keeping with the SteamPunk genre, the offical name for this creation is:
ElectroPneumatiTonal Harmonic Transmogrifier.
(I invented the term, but still can’t say it quickly, so don’t feel bad.)
And… Since the EPTHT (above) will have a vocoder built-in, the module should possibly be named:
The “PolyPhonetic DupleOrator” Perfect description, don’t you agree.
While there are many deceisions that need to be made as to asthetic / form factor / usability, etc, these are all weighing heavily on the design.
I’m currently leaning strongly toward a pure Moog style modular approach (patch cords only), but (with positive experiences with EML 101 synths) there are numerous “normalized” connections that really should be made to prevent “patch cord hell”.
While I’d like to have a modular synth, I’m torn as how to best “normalize” (create standard patch arrangements) and have the flexibility of a true modular machine. IF I create a normalized patching system, can (or how does?) the normalization get physically wired???
Suggestions are VERY welcome, but don’t feel slighted if I don’t use your idea!
I like the names that have been chosen. Haven’t chosen a name for my electronic drumset yet, though I have a “working name”. The Electric Drumulator. Needs work. So does the rest of it. Needs copper and brass. And gears. I’d like some animated features as well, like motors and lights. I was thinking of adding a wall wart to power one, maybe two, VCR motor(s) and a few LED’s. I may make some electrodes to go on there, as well, perhaps.
Well, I’ve heard sound samples, and for the price, it can’t be beat! The thing is, you have to solder everything! I, for one, would build a system just for the sake of building one to use. But building a large modular? It would take YEARS to build a System 55 with FracRack modules.
I think you’re missing the point regarding the tuning lights: The tuning light mod is not to help with drift at all. It’s actually a tool for synth players that are using it for live performance. On stage, when you’re in-between songs, a most annoying thing is for the keyboard player to tweak OSC 2 Frequency knob as he adjusts it in relation to OSC 1, to root, 3rd, 5th, etc. When tuning together for example, he always “fine tunes” as he hears the “beating” of the oscillators until he gets the sound he wants. This beating, or pulsing between the oscillators can be sent to an LED, or in this case, the wheels so that this annoying operation can be performed by the player SILENTLY. If his preference is to have OSC 2 tight to OSC 1, he adjusts until the LED blinks very slowly. If he wants a wider tuning - sort of the way Keith Emerson likes his synth sounds, you go for a faster flashing, hence more ‘beating’ between oscillators. But the thing is, he can SEE the flashing to set this knob to a precise position WITHOUT having to make a sound, or put on headphones.
So you see, the flashing wheels thing can be made EXTREMELY useful for the live performer.
I notice you’re from the Great Adventure area. Didn’t you work on David Sancious’ keyboard rig (he had a setup that included a Mini and a Polymoog, circa late 70’s)?
Underneath the TUNING knob was an LED that gave you the beat rate between the oscillators.
If I recall, it was fairly simple to implement - just an XOR gate with square waveshapes from each oscillator.
Remember the Polymoog was a TOS synth, so they use the high frequency generators (total of two for entire tone division system) for the waveshapes to the XOR gate.
I don’t know why this feature was not implemented widely, especially for the minimal circuit cost. Would’ve been handy in the SEM-based Oberheim polysynths…
MC,
I agree. More tuning lights are a good thing, particularly in live performance situations. My MiniMoog tuning light mod was a simple darlington transistor that was fed the waveforms from two osc into the base, and the collector drove the LED. No XOR circuit - I like simple. I can’t recall what waveform I chose right now, but I promise to publish the circuit as soon as I get around to it.
Doug
Wow, funny this should come up a day after I had my first experience first hand with PaIA. It was on Friday that my best friend had brought his PaIA system over to integrate with my LP. Lots of fun, none on video or photo, so no proof, unfortunately. Just us jamming together. What I noticed is this. The stability of the VCO’s on the PaIA are very good for a DIY machine. Meaning they stay in tune with a 1-2% tolerance. I know there’s a huge difference between 1 and 2 percent, but my ears are kinda tone deaf.
Good luck with that, Christopher. I hope he agrees. 
Haven’t chosen a name for my electronic drumset yet, though I have a “working name”. The Electric Drumulator. Needs work. So does the rest of it. Needs copper and brass. And gears. I’d like some animated features as well, like motors and lights. I was thinking of adding a wall wart to power one, maybe two, VCR motor(s) and a few LED’s. I may make some electrodes to go on there, as well, perhaps. 
