got my cp-251 and my mf-102, now what?

[Keith collins]

so i just got my cp-251, and i went through the manual as best i could. i'm not very good with terms like "voltage" and "VCTG's" so i had a hard time making sense of it. i hooked it up to my prodigy, and i managed to get the sample and hold effect going, but wasn't too impressed with that in of itself... for $300 i'm hoping it can do more.

i've been told that i can do "lot's of stuff" with it, but going through the manual, and trying to follow the diagrams as best i can hasn't produced much... beyond what sounds like my prodigy with a tremolo effect.
do i need an expression pedal?
is there a cp manual for idiots anywhere around here? or else, can someone just draw me some easy to understand diagrams of some cool effects i can do with this set up?
i would much appreciate it.

maybe i just don't have any patience cause it's so damn hot out.

[godzilla]

get a whole lot of patch cords, try reading the manual again and follow the examples within it.

good luck, sorry i don't have the time right now to think of anything else, and no you don't need an expression pedal

[chris allert]

so i just got my cp-251, and i went through the manual as best i could. i'm not very good with terms like "voltage" and "VCTG's" so i had a hard time making sense of it. i hooked it up to my prodigy, and i managed to get the sample and hold effect going, but wasn't too impressed with that in of itself... for $300 i'm hoping it can do more.

i've been told that i can do "lot's of stuff" with it, but going through the manual, and trying to follow the diagrams as best i can hasn't produced much... beyond what sounds like my prodigy with a tremolo effect.
do i need an expression pedal?
is there a cp manual for idiots anywhere around here? or else, can someone just draw me some easy to understand diagrams of some cool effects i can do with this set up?
i would much appreciate it.

maybe i just don't have any patience cause it's so damn hot out.

you can do a lot of stuff with a cp251, (reviewing my earlier posts, i sound a little fanatical about it). but i think it's kind of important to be able to think intuitively about voltages and signal flows. i don't think it takes a technically inclined person to do this, but it does at least take a willingness to learn the basics of subtractive synthesis.

the cp251 with the mf102 is a very powerful combination. you might start by patching the smoothed output of the cp251 into some of the different cv inputs on the mf102 and patching the synthesizer's audio out into the audio in of the mf102. you can also do a lot of fun things with the mf102's lfo in conjunction with the cp251. for example, patch the mf102 out into the cp251 sample/hold in, then patch the sample/hold out into various places on your synthesizer and you'll get a lot of interesting rhythmic sounds.

but as i said, to really get the most out of these modules, you need to read the manuals from cover to cover and make sure you understand them. so find a comfortable air-conditioned place, and read the "tour" section of the manual very carefully. also read the mf102 manual very carefully.

it may also help if you can play with a modular synthesizer to get a better understanding of subtractive synthesis. unfortunately i can't think of a good free wysywig modular synth emulator off the top of my head, but maybe someone else can think of one for you to try. miller puckette's puredata is a lot like using a modular synthesizer, but it doesn't look exactly the same visually.

you could also take one of peter randlette's classes at the evergreen state college if you want to drive down to olympia a few times a week for a few months. but maybe there's somewhere in seattle where you can take classes on using a modular synthesizer and get access to analog modular gear.

i think the cp251 does a lot for $300, but it doesn't really do anything all by itself and it will take patience to learn to use it.

i think the heat is getting to me too. at least it's not as bad as yesterday. to those in other parts of the world, i know it's not really that hot here, but we're not as strong as people living in harsher climates. it was 101F in olympia yesterday, which would seem like a hot day even to a texan, i'd think. (:evil: <-- it was this hot)

[varice]

i think the heat is getting to me too. at least it's not as bad as yesterday. to those in other parts of the world, i know it's not really that hot here, but we're not as strong as people living in harsher climates. it was 101F in olympia yesterday, which would seem like a hot day even to a texan, i'd think. (:evil: <-- it was this hot)

Yep, even in Texas 100+ degrees is too damn hot!

Keith, don't let frustration (or the heatwave) get to you - no one is born with the knowledge of control voltages and how to patch modular synths - we all have to learn about this if we want to go there...

it may also help if you can play with a modular synthesizer to get a better understanding of subtractive synthesis. unfortunately i can't think of a good free wysywig modular synth emulator off the top of my head, but maybe someone else can think of one for you to try.

Clavia has released a free software demo program of the Nord Modular G2 synth. Although it is intended to be a demo of the excellent G2 hardware synths, it functions quite nicely as a stand alone PC software monophonic modular synth. Anyone who wants to dive into modular synth patching (for free) should check it out:

http://www.clavia.se/products/nordmodular/demo.htm

The G2 Manual (which can be downloaded from that site) has sections about the basics of synth concepts and patching...

And for more about G2 synths in particular, check out:

http://electro-music.com/forum/forum-43.html

[asd]

Not that I know a lot now, but a couple of things helped me (as a not technical person). I read through the manuals of the fooger's I had and looked through the others online that I didn't. I also went through and physically patched every example that they gave in the manuals (especially the 251) and tried tweaking all of the different settings and knobs to try to figure out exactly what was doing what.

I also read a bunch of different things online. This board (and its archives) were useful and people help answer specific questions. I also read some different introductions to modular synthesis on different manufacturer sites (I can find the one on the synthesizers.com site if you're interested).

Stick with it though! I'm always reading or rereading different things and picking up on stuff I missed the first couple times around.

[Keith collins]

thanks gang,
this is definitely more than a stomp box, and i guess i come from a generation that expects stuff to run itself as soon as it's out of the box.
frustrating, but on the other hand the challenge is what turned me on to analog synths in the first place.

since my last post i've managed to find a nice patch i like and i've already incorporated it into our live set. it will be awhile before i can take advantage of all it's capabilities.