MonoMiK

Device type	Standalone synthesizer module
Purchased when	10-May-2008
Purchased where	DIY project
Price including S&H	TBD
Condition when purchased	DIY
Current condition	in development/build
Status	in development/build

Another try to squeeze a modular synthesizer into a small box and make everything controllable via MIDI. Currently, not all features are fully defined. This is what currently exists:

• Two dual VCO modules providing 5 waveforms (sawtooth, triangle, sine, pulse, square)
• A VCO mixer module to mix the waveforms (including inverted sawtooth) and provide a sub oscillator for 2 octaves per VCO. Waveform selection is done on this module, the main/sub signals are available on the backplane, including the signals running through the 4 VCAs on the module, which are controllable by the front panel knobs. An overdrive display per VCA is also present
• A ladder VCF module which holds ladder filters originally designed by Moog (transistor ladder) and EMS (diode ladder)
• Two dual ADSR envelope modules, where one envelope per module can be controlled from the front panel, while the other envelope can just be controlled via control voltages on the backplane.

A ring modulator and a dual state variable filter will also be added, maybe it even gets a modulation matrix in the style of the EMS synthesizers. But this might also be replaced by analog switches to be able to store the patches to memory.

After the MiK-one, which was more a educational project, i got a lot of potentiometers and knobs for an attractive price. So i decided to build a synthesizer with a lot of knobs, which should be very small but still has a bit of the flexibility of a large modular system. The overall architecture is not yet finally defined and depends on the remaining space on the boards and in the enclosure. I try to combine the much advanced analog electronics (compared with the MiK-one) with the flexible routing system of the MiK-one, but i have to find a compromise here and there to get everything together.

Read this blog for updates or check the following RSS feed.

• Back in business
• Backplane fun
• VCO mixer 2 completed
• Deveopment continues
• The next module - and a larger test - and a new hoster
• ADSR module presentation
• Another module - VC-ADSR
• End of vacation
• Making of... the ladder VCF module

Continue reading on the following pages, they will fill up with more information with the time.

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