## New synth: mono sequential stepper

Device/Module Wishlist

Original topic on PlanetZ: https://forums.scopeusers.com/viewtopic.php?t=12324

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Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2004 11:41 pm
by Spirit
One of the great "weird" factors of my favourite old synth, the Korg Mono/poly, was it's ability to cycle through it's oscillators.
There were four oscillators, each with its own octave selector, tuning, waveform and level. You could also sync up various oscillators or cross-modulate.
The crazy part came in when you could play though them in poly mode, one at a time. (In fact you could only do this in arpegiator, mode, but let's extend the concept here to normal playing...)
Transferring this to a Scope synth, I think it'd be most interesting to replicate that ability.
Imagine having slight (or huge) variations between oscillators - you play your riff, but the addition of an extra note, or pause, or landing on a particlarly oddly modulated socillator would result in a really different output.
Advance this idea a little further and you could have say, four oscillators and be able to select a basic "playing pattern". That is you could say "play the oscillators in this order: 1,1,2,2,3,4" or "1234321". So in some ways it'd be like an arpegiator, but instead of notes you are defining the oscillator playing order.
Likewise you could selectively send modulation to particular oscillators, so that, perhaps you had heavy vibrato only on numbers 3 & 4, but delay routed to oscillator 1.
You get the idea.
Now obviously this would only work with a mono synth, but then that's OK, this would definitely be a speciality lead machine, and that would lead to some excellent, specific controls for leads rather than trrying to be a general everything device.
This might be a nice change from endless emulations, taking just an under-used idea from the past.
So, if it gets built I want to be beta tester !

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Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 4:07 am
by wavelength
what you are describing (and what the M/P did) is basic wavetable sequencing. as you may know, my 'sparC' does most of what the original Mono/Poly did (and some things the M/P couldn't), minus the arpeggiator/ wave-sequencing. when developing the sparC i was not sure how important the wave-sequencing feature would be to users and decided not to implement it, as the arpeggiator feature would have been a much more involved development process (and sequencing software already provides excellent arpeggiating options, although not as it would apply to wave-sequencing).
it is a fairly cool option, though...
- Stephen

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Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 11:29 pm
by Spirit
Hi Stephen,
I did check out your device - and was very impressed with the sound. You're doing some great work.
I dialled up some of the classic sounds I used to get on my beloved Mono/Poly and they were replicated very faihfully. I remember I used to have this huge cross-modulated drone as the intro to our whole set (many years ago), and I got it back !
But the ability to "step through" the oscillators was perhaps what I liked about it the most (hence this suggestion).
Probably it may seem a bit obtuse to some people, but in operation - and combined with an arpegiator, modulation routing, and oscillator order sequencing, I think the results could be quite amazing. A dedicated weird mono lead machine...
Certainly a big step away from the "all purpose VA" that is so common at the moment.

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Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2004 2:18 am
by wavelength

> On 2004-04-18 00:29, Spirit wrote:
> Hi Stephen,
> I did check out your device - and was very impressed with the sound. You're doing some great work.
> I dialled up some of the classic sounds I used to get on my beloved Mono/Poly and they were replicated very faihfully. I remember I used to have this huge cross-modulated drone as the intro to our whole set (many years ago), and I got it back !
> But the ability to "step through" the oscillators was perhaps what I liked about it the most (hence this suggestion).
> Probably it may seem a bit obtuse to some people, but in operation - and combined with an arpegiator, modulation routing, and oscillator order sequencing, I think the results could be quite amazing. A dedicated weird mono lead machine...
> Certainly a big step away from the "all purpose VA" that is so common at the moment.

i'll see what i can do...

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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 8:15 am
by Jngaelin
A vote from me !!!

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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 10:21 am
by next to nothing
u have my vote as a former Mono/Poly owner and current SparC owner

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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 7:38 pm
by scary808
I too have been craving wavesequencing. After toiling over it for a while, I realized that I could pull it off with the granugater in MODIII(kind of). The granugater is quite the groovy device. I was a bit foggy about what it did for a while but I love it now. I even built my own displacer with it

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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:08 am
by Michu
Spirit
one of Flexor modules, Granular Sequencer
allows you sequencing thru up to 16 various audio sources with controllable fading between them.
you use external ramp signal for control,
so it is hugely flexible
unfortunately, you cannot do separate voices thing.

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Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 12:20 pm
by johnbowen
Spirit,
This sequencing through of the oscs sounds a lot like what Dave Smith has on his Evolver. Have you checked this out yet?
john b.

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Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 12:34 pm
by Spirit
I haven't even heard of the Evovler, but thanks for the pointer.... Anyone have a link ?

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Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 2:24 pm
by wavelength
http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/
If we're talking hardware here, the SIDstation and the Monomachine offer this feature as well, I believe...
http://www.elektron.se/

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Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 7:10 pm
by hubird
I would immediately buy a (Scope) synth like that!
I'll check that link BTW