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  • Author Author: RoboticDeveloper
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My Analog Synthesizer Adventure

RoboticDeveloper

Having an interest in music and liking synthesizer music I thought it would be fun to create an analog version.  My primary experience has been with digital designs and robotic controllers, but very little analog work. While there are many software solutions available, I wanted the satisfaction of turning knobs and building the synth from the ground up. So I created a series of PCBs that provide the basic components needed for music generation.  I have a sequencer board (working now and fully debugged), an oscillator board (also working), and finally the needed Voltage Controlled Amplifier module board (VCA - fabbed and next on the debug and setup).

 

Basic Operational Theory :

The sequencer board uses simple inverter based osc for the low frequency that drives a counter whose outputs can be patched into the 3 select control lines of an analog 8:1 mux. The mux inputs are set to various voltages via potentiometers.  This provides somewhat arbitrary wave shapes for use with the fundamental frequencies generated by the oscillator board on the VCA board. I am skipping over numerous buffer amps and mixers but they are included and provide more range of tone and frequency options.

 

Advanced future options:

I would like to add a midi input to properly excite the various segments (even though it is Digitally based) so that I can use a keyboard for input. Currently, I used the potentiometers and a simple push button to drive the boards.

  • in reply to RoboticDeveloper

    Don Lancaster wrote for a lot of different magazines that I have read through the years (Popular Electronics, Dr Dobbs and Byte), so I have read many of his articles.

  • in reply to genebren

    I remember the PAiA products!  Wow, thanks for the trip down memory lane.  This project started last December on my Holiday break and continues to this day. I have so little time normally, but this is a long term desire. I just need to get to the holidays coming to finish up the first round. It is funny I remember the author Don Lancaster.

  • Hi there and welcome to the elment14 community!

     

    I am a big fan of analog synthesizers, it was one of the things that got me interested in electronics.  One of my first projects was to build  one of these (while in High School - It never fully worked and I have long lost this):

    image

    Later,  in college, I helped a friend of mine build modules from the PAiA product line.  After he was done with it, he gave me some of the parts and literature, and I continued to build modules and tweak modules as a hobby.  Again, I have long lost track of where the pieces all scattered to, but I do find bits and pieces and odd collections of parts that once belonged to this project.

     

    Good luck on your future synthesizer projects!