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synthesist
Joined: Feb 17, 2011
Posts: 79
Location: austria
Audio files: 2
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 Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 1:05 pm Post subject:
intercepting oscillators and stuff |
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hey,
I am still trying to build my stripboard soundlab mini synth and there are still so many troubles.
One thing is that I can listen to my oscillators if they are plugged straight into my diy-amplifier. The sound is damn loud. Actually I can already pick up the oscillators when they share the same ground-connection with the amp.
But if I pick up the signal after it passes the filter and the vca, the sound is so silent - I almost cant hear it.
My question is: what kind of amp or preamp do you normally use to play your soundlab? I mean my hommade amp sucks, but I can listen to my weird sound generator with it.
By the way,
The volume poteniometers are weird. If I turn them halfway clockwise, the sound gets louder, but if I go on and turn it all the way, it gets more silent again!?
please help me. |
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RF
Joined: Mar 23, 2007
Posts: 1502
Location: Northern Minnesota, USA
Audio files: 28
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| Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:19 pm Post subject:
Re: intercepting oscillators and stuff |
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| synthesist wrote: | But if I pick up the signal after it passes the filter and the vca, the sound is so silent - I almost cant hear it.
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It sounds like you are not getting a CV into the VCA. Turn the Master volume up, and back off the VCA just a tad...then either the LFO or the Envelope Generator into the VCA should allow you to hear the volume getting louder and softer.
| synthesist wrote: |
My question is: what kind of amp or preamp do you normally use to play your soundlab?
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Most any amp should work fine. I've used 386 amps to computer speakers to PA systems with my Soundlab.
| synthesist wrote: |
By the way,
The volume poteniometers are weird. If I turn them halfway clockwise, the sound gets louder, but if I go on and turn it all the way, it gets more silent again!? |
That sounds like you've got the pot wired wrong.
You'll get it figured out...  Focus on one issue at a time. I'd start with the volume pot. Hang in there - and let us know how you are doing. Troubleshooting is just part of DIY, and most of the people here will be glad to help.
good luck!
bruce
_________________
www.sdiy.org/rfeng
"I want to make these sounds that go wooo-wooo-ah-woo-woo.”
(Herb Deutsch to Bob Moog ~1963) |
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synthesist
Joined: Feb 17, 2011
Posts: 79
Location: austria
Audio files: 2
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| Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 12:14 pm Post subject:
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hey RF,
thanks for your help.
It took some time to reply, cause i had to make a real faceplate. The first one was made of cardboard...
I am pretty new in this buisness, but I am sure I didnt wire the pots wrong.
Pin 1 gets the signal, Pin 2 is the wiper - it leads the attenuadet signal to the VCF, Pin 3 goes to ground. I used 3% tolerated resistors between the pots and the VCF (R30, R33, R39), may this be a problem?
The pots really act totally crazy. They are not really mixing like they should.
The white noise gets loud if I turn the oscillator 2 off all the way. I can hear oscillator 1 only when turned on all the way - but then it gets too loud... and so on...
There is also something wrong with the LFO, but right now I am picking up the signal at the VCF output. It is loud enough and sometimes it sounds mindblowing good.
So if the VCA doesnt get a CV it shouldn't matter at the moment.
I am pretty sure that the mixer is the problem.
I thought about making a photograph-picture of my stripboard-frankenstein-soundlab. But if I would release it on the forum, you wouldnt want to help me anymore 
also I would lose my dignity
and maybe they would clear my profile from this forum... (
bye. |
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kjackman
Joined: Sep 05, 2010
Posts: 69
Location: Utah, USA
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 6:35 pm Post subject:
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Nah, I seriously doubt any of that would happen. We've all been there at one time or another. Everyone here started as a beginner. Some of us still are.
Learning to troubleshoot is hard. Learning it completely on your own without support is just plain crazy!  |
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synthesist
Joined: Feb 17, 2011
Posts: 79
Location: austria
Audio files: 2
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 11:48 pm Post subject:
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oh yeah!
I fixed the mixer. The volume pot for oscillator 1 must have been broken -so I replaced it.
Also I forgot to ground the resonance pot - so the filter selfoscillated the whole time.
Today I will try to fix the VCA and LFO. |
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