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Welcome!
I've always been interested in electronics and music. I played in a band in the '60's
with a
Farfisa organ and a Vox Essex Bass amp (I still have both).
My introduction to electronic synthesizers was
an ARP 2600 at Evergreen State College and later on an ARP Odyssey.
My first synthesizer was an Ensoniq EPS-16+ but I longed for analog. I starting with a PAiA
Fatman and then progressed to a Matrix-1000, Sequential Circuits Six-Trak, Arp
Odyssey, Arp Avatar / Sequencer, and finally began to build my
modular in 2001. My electronics experience started in middle
school and by high school I had a part time repair business which
helped fund my electronics college education. Here is a photo
of my high school repair bench. |
The
Synth This
synthesizer has now grown to over 100 modules and
I never imagined it would have gotten this large. Originally
I
wanted to keep my synthesizer all analog but a small portion of my modules are
now digital. I have a few out-board digital effects units
but I still prefer my reel-reel tape for echoes and delays. Hopefully you'll find some useful information here.
I've documented my modular designs, many of my module
modifications, and my synthesizer projects
with reference information and photos. |
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This
Site I
make nearly everything I do public domain. I've learned from
others and this site is help others learn from what I have done. I'm
delighted by the number of emails and feedback I receive from people using
this site.
Send
me an email if you have a question.
My
Help
I've
done electronics repair and restoration for decades. I used
to operate my own electronics repair business and I restore vintage
radios as a hobby. I repair a lot of tube radio,
audio, and music equipment and I've done microprocessor and
digital system design for Tektronix so I enjoy working on vintage
synthesizer restoration. Most of my synthesizer, organ, and
amplifier collection were purchased broken for parts but I usually
then end up restoring them - I just hate to part out
vintage equipment. I have the time and interest to be able
to help and assist fellow Synth-DIY'ers with their projects and
formed Modular Synthesis, LLC to help. I've even helped successfully
diagnose and repair modules by email. Contact me if I can be of help or assistance
with your project, design, repair, or restoration.
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Contact me if I can be of help or assistance
with your project, repair, design, or restoration.
Repairs, custom projects and customer
testimonials
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Items that I have
currently for sale |
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I spent 34 years at Tektronix working with some of the best people in all parts of the company:
Computer Graphics, Video
& Networking, and Test & Measurement. I've since retired to enjoy my hobbies and now have time to
devote to my music and electronic projects as well as volunteer at the vintageTEK
museum.
My professional information on
LinkedIn
My
Tektronix memorabilia
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My 1949
Chevrolets - my other hobby |
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My designs are
indicated with a superscript¹
Modifications of existing designs are
indicated with a superscript²
5U Modular Synthesizer
My modular synthesizer now consists of
127 modules including Analog
Metropolis, Barton
Musical Circuits, Blacet,
Bridechamber, Catgirl Synth,
ElectricMusicStore,
Encore, Flight Of Harmony,
Ian Fritz, Jürgen Haible, Rob
Hordijk,
Larry
Hendry,
Magic Smoke
Electronics, Moon
Modular, MOTM, Natural
Rhythm Music, Neil
Johnson, Oakley Sound
Systems, Synthcube,
Synthesizers.com,
Synthmodules.com, YUSynth,
and
about two dozen of my own designs.
Here is a painting of my modular synthesizer that my son gave me.
5U Modular CV Keyboard
I rebuilt an ARP-3604 keyboard with a wood cabinet and updated electronics.
5U Modular Cabinets and Power Distribution
I built a 19" rack cabinet (30
modules and 2U standard rack) and a four stack of wood cabinet (96U). I
later replaced the 19" rack cabinet with a four stack wood side cabinet
(36U+10MU).
4U 200 Series Format Modular Synthesizer
I built a small cabinet for my initial 200 series modules. Much like my 5U system, it grew significantly so I built this 36U slant
cabinet
5U ComputerVoltageSource Module
I designed the ComputerVoltageSource module
using an AtomPro28. Features include:
8 analog inputs (0 to 10 volt with 0 to -5 volt offset
at 10 bit resolution)
8 analog outputs (0 to 10 volt at 12 bit resolution)
3 digital inputs
MIDI in / out
I2C expansion (for additional inputs and outputs)
2x16 LCD display.
Synth Display Modules
I built an external display using a 2x20 LCD module with MIDI
or serial input and three display modes.
I built two dedicated displays for my programmable
PSIM (2x8 LCD) and ComputerVoltageSource (2x16 LCD) modules.
MIDI Bass Pedals
I built a set of MIDI bass pedals using Hammond
organ pedals and an AtomPro24 controller. Features
include:
Normal, Mono, and 'Sticky" modes
(sticky=note held until next note played)
Normal, One-Shot, and 'Sticky"
arpeggiator modes
5 built-in arpeggiator sequences and a user-recordable 100 note sequence
Normal, -1 and +1 octave select
MIDI in merge
Internal or MIDI clock
External LCD note display
88 Key MIDI Keyboard
I built an 88 key MIDI keyboard from a salvaged Kurzweil
Ensemble Grand Mark III digital piano. I used the original keyboard
controller and built a custom wood cabinet.
MIDI Processor
I built a MIDI processor which is self-powered and provides multiple transformations.
Features include:
Key transpose
Channel transpose
Keyboard split
Keyboard reverse
Specific continuous controller transforms
A440 Reference Oscillator
I designed a 440 Hz sine wave reference oscillator using only two 8 pin DIP
components.
Hammond Vibrato Scanner Module
I built an external electro-mechanical vibrato and
chorus using a Hammond Organ scanner and delay line. A small DC motor and
speed controller varies the vibrato frequency.
AVR Synth
I built the AVR Synth PCB to have a small format synthesizer but
never completed this project.
Synth Controlled Laser Light Module
My first laser was a modified Ramsey Electronics laser light (LLS1)
with CV control of the motor speed. I built an AVR plug-in that replaces the 555 timers
to interface to my synth 5 volt CV levels. Later I built a full X-Y laser
for synthesizer CV control.
PAiA Fatman Mods
My son has a PAiA Fatman and we enhanced
it with a number of modifications. Some of the modifications were from various sites
on the internet and some I designed. I consolidated all the modifications into a single document.
Modifications include hard sync, lower frequency range, separate VCO
attenuators, sub-octave generators and attenuators, ring modulator and
attenuator, LFO filter modulator, and separate VCO tuner output.
Organs, Keyboards, and
Amplifiers
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I have information and photos
of my various keyboards, amplifiers, Hammond organs, and Leslie speakers.
Electronic
Projects and Restorations
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This is my non-synthesizer
electronic projects page. I have information and photos
of two 70's stereos, projects such as an FM transmitter and
scrolling display, and various repair and restoration information for amplifiers, speakers, and turntables.
