Show us your rear!

The rear of your rack, that is.  Is it neat and orderly, or does it resemble Paris Hilton on a bad hair day?  Here's mine -- you be the judge:

Synthesizers.com Modular Form Factors Table

This handy-dandy table, from Synthesizers.com, lists every modular series currently in production plus a number of vintage brands, with the physical dimensions of the modules, the type of patch cord jacks used, and the required power supplies. This is great information for anyone planning to build a Frankensynth modular, as I have with the Discombobulator. Note that this isn't necessarily all of the information you will need; there are still issues of required case depth and mounting hole patterns to consider. (For instance, Synthesizers.com and MOTM modules are close to the same height, but they don't use the same mounting hole patterns.)

SMPTE time code

This is an expanded version of a post that I originally posted to the Help! forum of VSE on 17 January 2008.

What SMPTE basically does is encode a time code into an audio signal, kind of like the way a modem encodes data into an audio signal that you can send down a phone line. The idea is that you can record a SMPTE time code signal on one audio track of a multi-track tape (this is usually called "stripe-ing" the tape), and then when the tape is played back, the playback of the time code can be used to synchronize other things (such as sequencers) to the tape. This works because if the tape slows down, say, then the time code slows down too. Because SMPTE (the acronym stands for "Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers") was originally intended to synchronize video sources, it counts time in terms of hours, minutes, seconds, and frames from an arbitrary zero-time starting point.

Because SMPTE is used to sync audio to video and film, there are a number of different standards for the number of frames that constitutes one second, according to the visual medium being used:

• 24 fps: Film
• 25 fps: PAL video, used in Europe
• 30 fps: Black-and-white NTSC video, USA and Japan
• 30-drop: Color NTSC video, USA and Japan. This one is an oddball that compensates for the fact that NTSC color video is not exactly 30 fps; it's slightly slower. Instead of dividing the time code second into a non-integer number of frames, which would be really awkward, it has the frame counter skip two counts at the beginning of certain minutes, in a repeating pattern, so that the time code stays within a few milliseconds of the video. If you tried to sync audio to NTSC color video using 30 fps time code without the drop frames, at the end of an hour, the audio would be about four seconds ahead of the video.

So what does the electronic musician use SMPTE time code for, and how is it used? SMPTE time code is used in electronic music primarily to synchronize a sequencer (or some hardware containing a sequencer, such as a drum machine) to a taped audio track. Some seqeuncers have the ability to generate and read SMPTE time code directly. Some MIDI interfaces, such as the MOTU MIDI Time Piece / MIDI Express can generate a SMPTE signal to stripe a tape, and then on playback, read the SMPTE and translate it to MIDI Time Code (MTC). Consider a setup with tape, a SMPTE-reading MIDI interface, and a drum machine being driven by MIDI. At the start of the production, the SMPTE generator in the MIDI interface is used to "stripe" a time code on one track of the multitrack tape. This starts from some arbitrary starting point on the tape, which the SMPTE generator encodes as time zero, with time counting up from there. Audio tracks are then laid down on the tape, at a tempo regulated by a click track generated by a drum machine playing at a set beats per minute (BPM). The audio tracks may start at some arbitrary time past time zero on the tape.

After the audio tracks are recorded, the simple click pattern programmed in the drum machine is replaced by a full-up drum sequence. It is then needed to play back the multitrack tape in sync with the drum machine, so the result can be mixed down. The track of the multitrack tape which contains the SMPTE code is routed to the SMPTE reader on the MIDI interface. The tape is positioned at the start of the audio and the SMPTE time at that point in the tape is read. This is then programmed as an offset into either the drum machine's sequencer, if it has the ability to do so, or perhaps into the MIDI interface. When the tape is played back, this offset is subtracted from the current SMPTE time to determine where the drum machine should begin. Playback is started, and the MIDI interface reads the SMPTE time code and translates it to MIDI time code which is routed to the drum machine. The drum machine then plays back in sync with the tape. Further, unlike simple protocols such as DIN sync or MIDI Clock, the SMPTE/MTC combination allows the tape to be started at any point in the song and the drum machine will start at that same point -- no hand cueing is necessary, since the SMPTE code indicates actual time and not just clock ticks.

To summarize: For electronic music production: 1. If you aren't syncing sequencers to tape, or syncing two tape machines, or syncing audio to video, you don't need SMPTE. 2. If you are syncing to tape, but video isn't involved, you can use whatever frame rate is convenient. Most people who do this use either 25 or 30 fps because when you do time calculations, it makes the math easier.

Further reading on SMPTE time code:

• Wikipedia entry
• Phil Rees Music Tech's SMPTE writeup
• Leitch Technology (now owned by Harris) application note on SMPTE (PDF)
• Midicase.com's introduction to using SMPTE for synchronization in music

Future of large-format modulars?

I've noticed that over the past two years, most of the action in new and different modules for modular synthesizers has been in the small formats, particularly Eurorack. In addition to the ever-growing Doepfer line, the past two years have seen the emergence of Plan B, Livewire, and Harvestman, plus the beginnings of the Cwejman modular line. Analogue Systems continues to grow its impressive product line too.

On the other hand, in the most widely adopted large formats, there isn't nearly as much going on. Synthesizers.com has focused most of its development effort for the past couple of years on re-creating the Moog 960 sequencer modules -- a worthwhile effort, as far as it goes, but not exactly new. Cynthia has introduced two modules, but is concentrating mostly on offering its existing line in multiple formats, and they have dropped several older modules from their line (was I the only person who bought the StereOSpace?). Synth Tech had big plans a couple of years ago, but the business suffered a setback with the incapacitation of one of the principals (plus the tragic death of Stooge Panels co-founder Larry Hendry). They introduced the MOTM-480 and 485 filters, the very under-appreciated 510 WaveWarper, and the 650 MIDI interface. But a number of other planned modules, including a cloud generator and a fixed filter bank, had to be put on the shelf.

It's not all gloom and doom for large format manufacturers. Modcan continues to grow its line, particularly the MOTM-compatible B-series. Bridechamber's offerings also continue to grow (mostly in the MOTM format), and include a number of kits. However, there is nothing like, say, Harvestman's digital mangling modules being offered by any large-format manufacturer.

So is small-format the future of modulars? Are those of us with fat fingers facing a future of twiddling tiny knobs and breaking off teensy weensy 3.5mm jacks?

My latest acquisition

My latest Ebay acquisition -- The E-mu Morpheus:

 I've been on the lookout for one of these guys for a while.  Unlike most of E-mu's Proteus-based ROMpler modules, the Morpheus doesn't usually turn up on the used market very much.  I've been watching the occasional one appear on Ebay for a couple of years now, and they usually sold for around $400, which is about double what most of this era of E-mu modules goes for.  However, recently several turned up on Ebay at once, and I was able to win this one at around $200.  

Going back to the late '80s, when E-mu first started selling the Proteus modules, one of the big complaints about then was that they had no filters.  When E-mu finally decided to rectify that, they didn't just implement software versions of the standard 2-pole and 4-pole filter types commonly found in analog synths.  Instead of trying to re-create the analog domain, they took advantage of the software environment to create a huge variety of formant filters, comb filters, and some arbitrary filter equations probably never seen before (or since) in a musical instrument.  Then, they gave each filter 2 or 3 variable parameters which can be tied to either the note value (which key is being played), velocity, or various MIDI Controllers.  For example, one one filter type, the "morph" parameter controls the resonance; on another, it controls the number of notches in a comb curve.  

Another feature that I was surprised to find, because I've never seen it commented on before and the older Proteus modules don't have it, is a very flexible and powerful universal event generator.  It has eight steps, and for each step you can independently set time, slope, and shape (there are a huge number of linear, exponential, circular, and arbitrary shape choices).  You can also set certain steps to be skipped or repeated based on certain events happening or not happening.  

Like most of the Proteus-based modules, it has the notorious "peephole" user interface.  You press a button to select a category of parameters to edit, press other buttons to move the cursor to a parameter name field.  You turn the rotary encoder until the parameter you want appears.  Then you press the cursor buttons to move the cursor to the parameter value, and turn the rotary encoder to change the value.  I already have a Metro sequencer file with a bunch of virtual faders that are set up to send Proteus sysex sequences; I can edit most of the parameters on my Proteus/2 with it.  Hopefully it won't be too much trouble to alter the sysex templates to edit the Morpheus parameters.  There is a patch editor specifically for the Morpheus, called MorphEdit, but it's Windows only, and I'm running OSX.  

And: the build quality of the Morpheus seems to be much better then the Proteus/2.  The Morpheus' case is metal, unlike the plastic cases of the earlier Proteus modules.  And the buttons and the rotary encoder feel better then the rather flimsy ones on the Proteus/2.  It didn't come with a manual, but you can download manuals for nearly all E-mu products on their support page.  

NAMM post mortem

So besides the Solaris, the most interesting I saw in the NAMM videos was the Arturia Origin. Basically, it's a sort of soft modular system that is loaded up with all of the classic-analog emulations that Arturia is known for, such as Minimoog-V and CS-80V, along with the ability to cross-patch them in any way desired. VAs aren't really my cup of tea, but if I were into it, I would definitely be looking at the Origin. Other bits that jumped out at me: G-Force's M-Tron Pro, which looks like it is poised to go beyond just being an amazingly accurate Mellotron emulation (even though that's an impressive accomplishment in itself), with the addition of Opitgan and Birotron sound banks. Dave Smith Instruments showed a rackmount/tabletop version of the Prophet 08, and Access had their bite-size version of the Virus TI. For those who can't stand even the slightest hint of digital circuitry in their synths, there was the appropriately-named Moog Voyager Old School. Akai brought a newly expanded version of their very good MPD drum pad controllers, the MPD-32, with more faders, dedicated DAW controls, and a neat tempo generator that can create a master MIDI Clock from a tap tempo.

There don't seem to have been a lot of really innovative or out-there products this year. The Solaris was probably the most advanced synth present, but this wasn't the first time it has been exhibited (it was at Musikmesse Frankfort last year). An outfit called Sonivox announced a software package called Anatomy. I've read the description twice now and I'm still not quite sure what it does; it's a package of vocal samples with processing options, or a physical model of the human voice tract, or possibly both. In another example of the recent throw-objects-on-a-table-and-interpret-it-as-a-drum-pattern school of synthesis, an outfit called Percussia exhibited a product called Audio Cubes. They sense each others' presence, where they are in relation to each other, and which sides are facing which way. They connect to a computer using USB, and with an included appliction, they can be induced to either play loops, or send MIDI data to external synths and applications.

Solaris demo

I've got one of these puppies on order. See the demo vid here, from SonicState. If you're interested, they have a couple of money-saving deals on pre-orders. The John Bowen Synth Designs site is here, and it includes a forum where users can ask questions and interact with Bowen himself. He's been really good about taking user suggestions concerning the design of the Solaris.