aka V-C-F

 When Guido Scognamiglio (Zioguido, GSi) released the D9U drawbard kit on GM-Lab I ordered the kit and built it. It was my first experience of the programming an Arduino Pro Micro and thanks to his excellent code I was able to modify and improve the unit. I then went on to build many projects based on the Pro Micro. GM-LAB I sold the D9U then picked up a set of old Hammond MIDI drawbars so I was able to build a unit based on Guido's design. One thing I didn't like about the D9U was the tiny micro switch at the back of the unit. This was used to switch between 2 sets of drawbars. I realised that it would be easy to use a rotary switch instead and then change the code to allow the adjustment of 4 sets of drawbars. Th CCs for the drawbars are stored in an array: int CCMap[4][9] = { { 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20},  // Upper B { 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 },  //  Upper A { 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 },  // Lower B { 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 ,58 } , // Lo

The Nord Electro 6D has a Fatar TP/80 keybed which is the same as organs like the Mojo 61. However, I was surprised at how stiff the action was. I ended up swapping the key springs with an M-Audio Keystation 61-ES. I think this might use the Fatar TP/9 synth keybed.  That reduced the Keydown by 10g - not huge but it feels a lot better for smears etc. The Prophet 6 uses a variant of the TP/9 There has been much interest in the UB-Xa and some people are unhappy with the lightness of the keyboard so here are my unscientific results: Model No 1ps 3.56g Weight in grams needed to move key from rest White Key Length mm C-C 1 octave mm Nord E6D 15p 53 To the LH edge of the C key Prophet 6 14p 49 136 164 UB-Xa 8p 29 136 164 Behringer Odyssey 6p 21 138 164 So the Electro  with  new springs is very close to the Prophet 6 but the UB-Xa is 20g lighter than the P6. It would definitely be worth replacing the springs if they are the same size as Fatars. They are easy to replace - just carefully lift t

Title says it all really. I have several analogue sequencers that I designed and built years ago and I clock them with a Kenton Pro Solo Mk3. This unit can switch the MIDI THRU port to SYNC24 mode to work with Roland Drum Machines. This is a great solution but does tie up my Kenton which uses with my Editor and needs MIDI THRU for 2 way comms. Arduino and the Pro Micro  I realised it was a simple job to reprogram on of my Pro Micros to convert MIDI Clock and Stop/Start messages. I've used it for a few weeks and its a worker so I thought I build proper unit: Pro Micro 24 Pin DIL Socket 1 x PCB Mounting 1/4 Stereo Jack Socket (my sequencers are all 1/4) 1 x 10K pot (I used a 47K pot) Like my SYNC24 breakout box this will be mounted on the back of an existing 19" rack panel. The code is at the bottom of the post - you  will need to install the MIDIUSB.h library Analog pulses are output on the clock jack connected to Pin 2. When stop is pressed on the sequencer the Stop command  

Here is a CTRLR panel for the Roland Boutique JU06a synth.  Issues and info The panel is now in its 5th revision: Full implementation requires MIDI DIN in and out You can upload all the patches from the JU06a Patch dump and program names will only work over MIDI DIN In Logic Song Position Pointer causes the editor to crash - even when it is turned off! Program change only sent via USB CCs are sent from the panel so you could use it over USB as a controller You cannot change the Model type from software If you change Model type you have to upload the patches again When you get patches each one will load, the panel will update until patch 8-8 is reached JU-06A Mac JU-06A AU Plugin JU06A Mac VST JU-06A PC There are some features that you need to be aware of. SysEx data is only generated in CHAIN mode SysEx data is only sent from the 5 pin MIDI Out Data range is 0 - 255 in SysEx but 0 - 127 in CC mode On the JU06a I route CCs to USB only - reduces data You can set the editor to MIDI channe

Big update for the panel. You can now save a bank of names - it's just the text but useful as a memo of your patches. You can also save and load individual patches to and from the Pro Solo via the editor. The panel has been completely rewritten and is licence free. It runs on Mac to at least Catalina. Standalone and AU component.  Pro Solo Edit plugin running in Logic 10.6 File Dialog Box - Save and Load Patch Na mes and Patch Sysex Downloads: Pro SOlo MK3 Control Mac Pro Solo MK3 Control AU Plugin Pro Solo MK3 Control VST Mac More about the Pro Solo here Sync24 Breakout Box Integrating analogue sequencers with a DAW is easy if you can send Midi Clock and Reset to your sequencer. Fortunately, the Pro Solo can send Midi Clock from any of its 3 Aux outputs. But a neater solution is to set the MIDI THRU to Sync 24 and extract Clock and Reset from there. It means you don't have to use your Aux CV outs which in my case are connected to my SEM. Kenton S24 setting DIN Sync or SYNC 24

Arduino and the development of ElectroBox I already had experience of Arduino when I built a drawbar controller to use with Hammond apps like VB-3 and B-3x. The original code for this came from GMLabs D9U project and Guido  Scognamiglio  posted all the info on GitHub: https://github.com/ZioGuido/Crumar_D9U GSi Homepage GM Lab                                     I have implemented an LFO which cyclically adds or subtracts values from the Pitch Bend data. This is basically a software generated triangle wave LFO that is added to the Pitch Bend output. Crude but effective. The LFO is generated from a wavetable so it would very easy to have a number of different waveforms such as square or saw. The pots are programmable and there is an input for an expression pedal. Pitch Wheel option with expression pedal input ElectroBox V2 - joystick version Thumbwheel/Joystick version housed in a stompbox enclosure Feature list: Joystick X-axis for Pitch Bend +/- 2 semitones Joystick Y-+ve axis for Modu

New panel - much neater and follows the rack controls do does not take up much screen space. Also added a Channel selector. I have 2 units so I can address each one separately -  wooooo! TC M350 Mac TC M350 AU Plugin TC M350 VST Mac      Development notes and early versions I got the Sys Ex messages from here  Useful M350 Sysex info .  I was able to create a CTRLR panel. Program change will of course recall all the parameters but a really useful feature is the Sysex Receive function. When this is lit any adjustment to the front panel are transmitted - it just makes it easier to use. Link for M350 V4 CTRLR Panel   M350.zip Big update for this panel! With V5 you can now name and save Presets so you don't have to rely on a 2 digit number anymore!!! I have 2 M350s one is set to Channel 2 and the other on Channel 3. SysEx Messages F0 00 20 1F ch 58 mm <data> CS F7 ch is Midi Channel 0 - 15 mm is the message CS or CheckSum is the sum of all the bytes after the header  CS is then ca

This is another project based on Arduino and the Pro Micro. Many years ago with the help of friend and fellow musician/programmer, Linden Owen, we produced the CARP1601. This was very loosely based on the ARP1601 analogue sequencer. It was never commercially viable due to the high component count and the cost of those components. 19 pots, 19 knobs, 17 LEDs, 24 switches, 15 jack sockets and then add on PCB, components case and PSU. Anyway, it was a fun project! 3 CARP 1601s with the SYNC24 and MIDI Interface We built about 6 in the end, sold a couple and I was left with 3 units that I have used constantly for more than 20 years. In 2022 I decided to make some improvements mainly to the gate switches. But towards the end of the 2022 I realised it would be relatively easy to add a board to the CARP rack that could provide MIDI Out and provide additional functions over MIDI that were never available on the original CARP. MIDI Interface Board using a Pro Micro The CARP1601 is a basic 16 ste

This is the problem - many newer keyboards do not have 5 pin MIDI sockets and instead use USB to transmit and receive MIDI. This is understandable given many users just use the USB socket on their computer to connect to sequencers etc.  The keyboard I'm using is the Yamaha P121 which is the 73 key version of the P125. Yamaha P121 As you can see from the rear panel there are no MIDI sockets so cannot be used to play another keyboard or send data to MIDI equipment via 5 pin DIN. I want to use the P121 to play my Nord Electro 6D. This has the following benefits: You can play 2 sounds at once on the Nord without resorting to key splits The Electro 6D has a 'waterfall' keyboard whose action and key shape are based on the Hammond organ. This is a very fast and light keyboard actions great for playing organ but the wrong weight and feel for acoustic or electric piano.                                  I have the 61 key version limited to 5 octaves so I have to use the octave shift