freqbox and wind synthesizer

[dr_floyd]

Received Freqbox #44 today, and after some initial experiments with a fretless bass (mixed results), I tried it with the Akai EWI4000s wind synthesizer.

Wow. Controlling the envelope follower with breath control leads to all manner of subtle musically interesting and useful artifacts. The results are semi-predictable in a good way, and can be subtle or outrageous. Can't wait to try pitch to voltage and vary other parameters. And also with other Moogers.

Also, the tone quality of the oscillator is excellent. Excellent job, Moog folks!

[GregAE]

Received Freqbox #44 today, and after some initial experiments with a fretless bass (mixed results), I tried it with the Akai EWI4000s wind synthesizer.

Wow. Controlling the envelope follower with breath control leads to all manner of subtle musically interesting and useful artifacts. The results are semi-predictable in a good way, and can be subtle or outrageous. Can't wait to try pitch to voltage and vary other parameters. And also with other Moogers.

Also, the tone quality of the oscillator is excellent. Excellent job, Moog folks!

DF -

Since the EWI4000S has no CV outputs, you must be doing a MIDI/CV conversion in order to get a CV input for the FB's Env Follower, correct? Or did you mean something else?

- Greg

[dr_floyd]

GregAE - first tests used only the audio out from the EWI, and the breath amplitude controlling VCA and VCF on the EWI were tracked by the env. follower on the Freqbox input. I could find threshold levels using just my breath to cause various things to happen with the Freqbox.

Today I ran the EWI through a Roland SPV355 Pitch to Voltage synthesizer and ran both the audio, pitch CV and env. fol. CV from the SPV into the Freqbox. Lots of cool audio results. I'm unable to record/post anything at the moment though.

The Freqbox tracked 4-5 octaves perfectly in tune from CV (depending on the EWI patch being tracked and converted) but got a tiny bit sharp on the top octave and a little glitchy on the bottom - both of which could have been caused by the EWI/SPV combo. Also keep in mind what K. Lightner said about temperature changes and osc. stability, which I did not test here.

One caveat which I didn't anticipate but which makes sense in retrospect is that the Freqbox needs an audio input to make a sound. In other words, just putting a pitch CV into the Freq CV input won't trigger the Freqbox oscillator, so that complicates the stand alone oscillator function a bit. Maybe there is a way around this, but I didn't stumble across it.

The Freqbox is far more interesting than I anticipated.

[latigid on]

One caveat which I didn't anticipate but which makes sense in retrospect is that the Freqbox needs an audio input to make a sound. In other words, just putting a pitch CV into the Freq CV input won't trigger the Freqbox oscillator, so that complicates the stand alone oscillator function a bit. Maybe there is a way around this, but I didn't stumble across it.

Could you not just patch from the Osc. Out instead of Audio Out?

[dr_floyd]

latigid on - You can use the Freqbox osc out as the output signal, but you get none of the sync effects, only frequency and waveform, so you still have to route to some other device to get some sort of envelope.

On the Freqbox itself you can use the osc out to audio in and have a constant trigger for the env follower and sync circuits (for all manner of great bizarre stuff - but DO NOT bypass while doing this trick because the direct osc sound is MUCH HOTTER than processed output, I guarantee), but the VCA envelope is just on constantly. The env in on the Freqbox is hardwired to modulate the frequency of the VCO not the amplitude of the VCA, which is what I'm interested in when using the wind controller.

Now I see on page 15 of the manual: "... so that when there is no input signal you can't hear the VCO at the output.."

I'm going to have to ask Moog to tell me how to add a CV input jack directly to the VCA.

[latigid on]

So you're saying you want the FB to drone when you are not playing into it, and sync to audio/respond to dynamics when you are?

[dr_floyd]

I would prefer more flexibility with the routing of the dynamics response. Currently the env. follower controls frequency, but from my wind synthesizer perspective, I would prefer to use the env. follower to open the VCA (loudness) or to control the Waveform, and use other modifiers for frequency (foot pedal, LFO, S&H, env. gen. - more controlled sources).

[earsmack]

I would prefer more flexibility with the routing of the dynamics response. Currently the env. follower controls frequency, but from my wind synthesizer perspective, I would prefer to use the env. follower to open the VCA (loudness) or to control the Waveform, and use other modifiers for frequency (foot pedal, LFO, S&H, env. gen. - more controlled sources).

I think the env follower does both. It controls the pitch AND the loudness of the VCO. Look at the diagram in the manual on page 16. Env follower is hardwired to VCA but controllable via the Env Amt pot to the VCO. I would agree though that modifying the pitch of the VCO (via env fol) is of limited usefulness unless you have Sync enabled or keep the env fol setting low.

[dr_floyd]

Yes, it does do both, but it would be better for my purposes if I could separate the env. follower to control only loudness and use something else to control frequency. Even the env. amt. CV input is hardwired to frequency.

But with additional equipment there are usable work-arounds. The Freqbox is great, and since it's analog there should be some ways to mod it.