Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    I use mono often for such things as saxes, basses and other instruments
    that I want only one note playing at a time on.
    
    It also makes a nice lead synth sound with just a touch of portamento
    and maybe some cayenne pepper.
    
    Edd

    Yes -- I use a multimoog, and I can amuse myself making up leadlines
    for hours and hours. They're great -- I used to have a pro-one.
    Only fault I found was a little bounce on the keys, which I had
    to keep at bay by means of periodic applications of RS contact cleaner.
     (Actually, same problem on the moog, but the moog has little push-on
    panels underneath that give you quick access to the contacts).
    
    Really great for whipping out a no-nonsense solo.
    
    AND you could sample it (if you have a sampler) and get some classic
    Prophet-n sounds! 
    
    Richard. 
    
    I reckon someone should make a great little analog performance synth
    today -- something non-programable, flexible to the point of
    instability, with which everyone has the opportunity to sound genuinely
    original.

    I use a bunch of ESQ-1 patches that are in MONO mode.
    
    I've always been attracted to the Minimoog "glide" feature.  Makes
    it sound a little less keyboardly.  The ESQ-1 has a glide feature
    that works best (for solos) in MONO mode so I often flip it into
    mono mode and turn on the glide.
    
    I have an old Satellite Moog (although it's been gathering dust at
    a friends house) which was mono.  It had the most bizarre
    implementation for the keyboard.  As best as I could tell, the
    detection of pressed notes was does my measuring resistance.
    
    It had a wire running the length of the keyboard just underneath the
    keys.  Each key had a contact point that went to ground.
    
    Every so often, a single key would go "out of tune".   You'd open the
    thing up and observe that the contact point for that key had been bent
    sideways slightly.  It could be brought back in tune by bending it
    back into place!
    
    	db
    
    

    Yep, the PRo one has glide -- when you hit the second note before
    releasing the first. Great. I had a Philips Young Electronic Engineer
    kit once that I built an organ with, using the long bit of wire
    tactic. Didn't realise Bob Moog nicked the idea.
    
    Richard.

	I guess I should clarify...

	When I say mono, I mean the old monophonic analog synths - ya know, the
kinds that CAN'T play more than one (or possibly two) notes at a time.

    Gee Dan, it's your topic so I guess you can drive it anywhere you
    want, but I guess I don't understand why you're only interested
    in MONO-only type units...
    
    Is this an "I am curious fellow"-type note where you're simply
    wondering who's using what or are you interested in discussing 
    pro's/con's, technique, etc., of these one note wonders???
    
    I have a mono-track mind....
    
    Edd

RE < Note 1470.6 by JAWS::COTE "Look!! Eeet eees BASSOON!" >

	The reason I ask is because there's always (for me, anyway) a tempting 
ad around for a Moog-something-or-other, an Arp this-or-that...  Being both a
lover-of-many-knobs-n-sliders and a bargain-hunter, I find myself often sorely
tempted to fill my basement studio with these mechanical wonders...

	So, I guess I am wondering if there are others like me.  Or are these
instruments too precarious and oft-need-of-repair, such that no one else even
bothers.  I also wonder how many people use them on stage, counting the
excitement of having to get every knob tweaked in only a few seconds of the
front-man's patter worth the danger of forgetting to turn down the filter-
contour or an obnoxious frequency LFO depth...

	Do others consider the sounds of the current instruments worth 
forgetting the older synths?  Does anybody keep their otherwise useless mono
synth just because of the memories, or do you actually USE it?

	Dan

    I just sold a bunch of old ARP equipment and turned down the chance to
    buy a few other mono/no memory synths (at decent prices, too). For live
    use, it's just too much to fiddle with. 

    I used the ARPs (Oddity and Axxe) live for years and had several
    patches that I used on each one ... but each involved a good deal of
    time in setting up, and since "paper memory" is usually pretty
    impractical on stage, had them memorized.  I usually would do setups
    with the left hand while playing with the right (and usually screwed up
    with both 8-). 

    If you really like the sounds of the older analog beasties and want to
    use them live, then at *least* get one with memory and an auto-tune
    button (like the Memory Moog or OB-Xa/8).  You can get good deals if
    you can be patient.  IMO, trying to patch live is more hassle than it's
    worth. 

    BTW - I still use my OB-Xa (you knew that) and am able to make it do
    things that few, if any, of the new synths can do (well).

-b

    Yes, I realise it's mono, but that's the beauty of it. You just
    let it sit there, waiting to produce it's one superb noise when
    you solo on it. Who need's memory? Ever heard of a sax soloist who
    moaned about not being able to play chords on the sax? And since
    these machines now cost very little, there's no need to ask it to
    try and do lots.
    
    Richard.
    
    Byt the way, the Pro 1 is lots more reliable than a lot of synths,
    and although the memorymoog sounds absolutely superb, has memopry,
    can be midi'd etc, like a contract morris dancer it only works 3
    or 4 evenings a year.

    you CAN play chords on a sax.  They're called multiphonics,
    and the only instrument that makes neater ones are double reeds.
    Tom

    There, Dan.  You see?  We're all in agreement.  So go buy something. 

-b

RE < Note 1470.11 by DYO780::SCHAFER "Brad - DTN 433-2408" >

	Uhh, ... gee, ... thanks guys...  (I think)...

	Dan

    The Emax has a 'mono' mode where it will use one and only one DAC,
    and will not retrigger the attck portion of the sample until you
    cease your legato style, and lift your fingers. A piece of mine,
    featuring an electric guitar lead, once 'fooled' several otherwise
    knowledgeable Commusic noters at once.. "..is that Alan Holdsworth?"
    one said. Of course, to be honest, he was 'listening' from another
    car...
    
    On the analog track, there's a sound in the Kurzweil rack unit that
    sounds for all the world like a Prophet-5 lead sound.. very full
    and warm. Just like me!

    karl_in_the_big_sauna

    
    re: .3
    
      Yeah, the ribbon resistor was a novel way to accomplish the same
    old constant-current-voltage-division problem. You could theoretically
    make a more consistent resistor as a constant film. Real susceptible
    to dirt though.
    
      I still have my Korg MS-20, but I don't use it much anymore, just
    for fx-n-such. The keyboard is too small.
    
      The esq-1 has some great monophonic patches which I use. 
    
    /pjh

Dan -

I think that the D50 is probably so popular because of its programmability
and hybrid combination of analog and digital technology. It is only bi-timbral,
at best, and in many modes is monophonic. You can combine square, triangle,
sawtooth waves plus PCM samples in various attack and loop combinations, ring
modulate in various patch arrangements (called structures), control the pitch
envelope, time variant filter, and time variant amplitude, modulate with 3
separate LF0s per tone, etc. etc. It's like the old patch cord and knob jobs
(sounds kinky) with digital control, programmability, MIDI, built-in reverb,
delay, chorus, f/x, patch memory, displays, etc.. Maybe the D50 will be the
"oldie but moldie" of the near future?

dave 

I still have my Arp guitar synth (Avatar).  I love it dearly, but Mono it
is...  It does have two oscillators plus the ability to route the guitar
sound through the filter, so it is possible to play fixed-offset chords.
I still can't decide whether to MIDI it up, or to sell it.  Has anyone
found out more info on the PAIA CV<=>MIDI box?

Todd.

    I still use the old (circa 1974) Mini Korg for some things.  It's from
    the days when Korg was distributed by Univox.  Serial number 56 or
    something like that. 
    
    It's not very programmable and only has a 3 octave keyboard but for
    some bass and lead lines, it's great.  (It's the ONLY synth on my
    COMMUSIC I submssions.)
    
    Since it's a single oscillator, it's not as full a sound as a
    multi-oscillator synth.  For example, the Korg PolySix can be put in
    "mono mode" (not MIDI mono mode) and trigger up to 6 oscillators from 1
    key depression.)
    
    - John - 

	So what exactly is a 'mini-korg'?  I've seen ads for them, but I've
never seen one or read about it in my catalog of old synths.

	I have the Korg MS-10, which is mono, single osc, single EG, etc., with
patch panel for overriding internal routings.  Is the mini-Korg the same thing?

	Dan

    The Mini-Korg has all of its controls on the sloped panel beneath
    the keys.  Thus you can control some of them with your thumb (or
    other fingers) while playing with the same hand.
    
    I believe the controls are:
    
    	- Master tune slider
    	- Pitch bend slider
    	- 2 Travellers (each a slider that controls a filter at a fixed
    	  frequency, I think)
    	- an Octave switch (32', 16', 8', 4', 2')
    	- a Wave Switch (sine, triangle, sawtooth, Chorus 1, 
    	  Chorus 2) to control the basic sound
    	- Toggle switches for:
    		- attack (adjusts whether a new note played retriggers
    			the envelope)
    		- Vibrato
    		- Delayed vibrato
    		- Portamento
    		- Bright (?).  adds a slightly different kick to the
			 attack
    	- Sliders to control vibrato speed and portamento speed.
    
    These are close but perhaps not entirely accurate.  If you're really
    interested, I could write it all down at home and type it in.
    
    It is older than the MS-10.  The only problem we've ever had with it
    was a bad connection after a beer or cola got partially spilled on it.
    A $10 fix at the time.
    
    Oh yes, a great hidden feature on the five position "octave switch". My
    brother found that if you carefully balance the switch between 8' and
    4', you can get BOTH octaves to sound.  This fattens up the sound a
    lot.  It's like having 2 oscillators tuned an octave apart.  I don't
    know why this works, but it does.
    
    - John - 

    
    re: Dan and the Mini-Korg
    
      Listen to the Cars' first album. The Mini-Korg was the synthesizer
    used. 
    
      I lusted after that synthesizer for a while ($700 new in 1975
    dollars)...alas, I was 15 then and 700 bucks was a lot of money.
    
      The travellers were Fc and Q, I believe. At least you got it to
    twang more with one, and the other (top) one changed the brightness
    of the timbre.
    
      /pjh

RE < Note 1470.21 by ARGUE::HARRIMAN "Hell's only command: 'SET'" >

>    dollars)...alas, I was 15 then and 700 bucks was a lot of money.

	I'm a whole lot older than that, and $700 is STILL a lot of money...

	Dan
    

    
    Mr. Moderator, help me, I can't delete the last note. I got "lost
    in a maze of little twisted pairs"...
    
    
    Anyway, Dan, when you spend 6K+ in two months and are about to spend
    another 3K on an 8 track deck, 700 bucks is beer money.
    
    /pjh_who_really_knows_about_deficit_spending
    

RE: .24

    So is your wife following suit (aka spending $7K on herself) or
    threatening you with _____ (fill in the blank)?

-b