The way I handle non Hz/V rigs is to use the USB on the MS-20Kit to a Kenton USB2MIDI, this then feeds a CV OCD, with Gate and V/Oct.
Normally I just run midi gear this way, (sans CV OCD) but I have 3 CV OCDs, and I find then
a handy utility, just like the Mutant Brain that Eurorack users can buy.
The first synth I intent to test my Volca Modular in is the Vermona 14, as it comes with outputs for V/Octave, Gate. pitch wheel, and mod wheel CVs.
There is a tuning PDF on Korg that would show me how to tune up the CVs on the
Volca Modular.
Does anyone care about the Volca Modular anymore? I’ve never considered buying one before, but I found a few videos that make me do a double take. Maybe it’s not that great for techno but it seems pretty decent as a Terry Riley or Suzanne Ciani machine.
Oh yeah, I bought one about a month ago and I have to say it’s very inspiring. I control it via sync in and use it a lot for ambient sounds. It is exciting and a different approach, as no presets can be saved. I have to write down the patch points on a piece of paper.
That’s a sweet mod. I’d buy a VM in a heartbeat if I knew I could affectively sequence it from my Octatrack. I’m curious though, is there any benefit to this as opposed to just using a cv to midi converter?
What are you using to sequence it? I was thinking of using my Octatrack for that, and then sampling any patches that I make with the VM back into the Octatrack. Seems like an ideal pairing for experimental ambient music.
VERY nice - actually very curious about the economics of boards like this, is it even vaguely worthwhile designing something small to be built if it’s not also manufactured for selling on etc - i.e. are bespoke boards like this not financially viable for the one-off hobbyist, in terms of how finished it looks - obviously shoving a proto board in a box is plan B - but that looks very sweet
anyway - the reason to bump that was wrt those breakout holes
I’m trying to get a different set of cables for the VM - there are two reasons, one, the ones I have (not the Korg ones but quite close gauge-wise afaict) are prone to bending and disappearing in the edge of the receptor because of two - my elderly eyes are NOT what they were a year ago - I seriously struggle to see the holes and because the Korg labelling is mostly not lined up - it is a total PITA lining them up - this aspect more than any other is the headache that could derail this west coast honeymoon
now I’d ideally like to make my own, but I saw these from Tangible waves (pinging @thetechnobear for opinions too ) , a bit pricey to get a whole lot for this device, and the question of wire/pin gauge arises, and thus why your photo is useful
if pins were used exclusively within the VM or AE_Mod would either suffer contact issues if dropping back to the thin jumper types
The reason this is now important to me is that I think the extra metal shining will make it easier for me to discern the jumper tip - to solve the visibility issue I’m going to do the following (a bit like some visibility‘mods’ I’ve done before …
by maybe wrapping a piece of labelling tape over the top edge from under the faceplate and pre-piercing or punching holes in - I genuinely struggle otherwise - even with inconvenient head torch and reading glasses - it’s just too fiddly otherwise - not enough contrast - I don’t want to paint the frame at the top of the mating blocks - way too fiddly, so a temporary solution will do for now
more form with this stuff, it’s not pimp my synth, I genuinely struggle to ‘read’ it otherwise - some additional thin white layers above the black switch covers on all the Pro-1 slider switches - will tone those down to grey one day - but much more usable than black
all these images are showing clear gadgets under bright lights, but that’s not always the operating environment - especially for the Korg VM
Anyway - any tips on the gauge spring ‘retention’ issues, or procuring these pins (name to google) - or cables or solid core wire gauge which I can heat shrink some grips onto
I tried a smoothed off cut paperclip for a pin and it was just about the limit, I could solder these into female/female pins with a wire of my choosing and heatshrink it - but don’t want to ruin the connection over time etc
PS - just about to put an order into CPC - so if there are any passive components I might like to throw on a breadboard to extend the VM functionality then please throw ideas out beyond switches/pots/resistors/caps/piezo etc - especially interested in any low voltage ic chips which could be serviced somehow to offer simple logic clock dividing or whatever - even if additional power is reqd. I’ll do something on Arduino eventually, just looking for some fun that perhaps can get my son tinkering beyond micro-bit and maybe we’ll make steps on the r-pi front as a result
I got 10 made and I think with the shipping they were about £23, with 3/4 of the cost being the shipping.
The cables with the square pins are better, CPC do them, such as these SC1305419. They seem to be easier to get in and a more secure connection.
Most logic chips should be fine to interface directly with VM just check datatasheet for voltage specs, might be worth getting some pin headers and perma proto boards (adafruit ones are good) to make permanent circuits like sequencers etc using say cd4017 or cd4040/4024/4060, might want to get a few shift registers, nands etc (4093 is a simple one)
That took me to these which look more tactile/cabley, i have a bunch of those you linked but in female female and the wire is scarcely more grippable and confidence inspiring - these may just look better and be no better than those stripped from a ribbon (if these will feel too stiff for easy pot access feel free to shout - although 150mm may a bit short to cover all needs, 200 is fine)
will need to google this, but game for experimenting - i need to do an order asap and if i do too much research it’ll not get done
cpc also now do the cliff sockets that doepfer used on og DE so i’ll bung a few of those in and see if i can get some of those dupont cable ‘sockets’ as per your tidy gadget
might even finally get me utilising the scarce chip for the STEIM Cracklebox i’ve had stashed away for about a decade
Just wanted to share a pic of a convenient hack for getting CV/Sync into the VM using jumper cables (e.g. a jumper cable from one source to the CV input tip will halve the modulation strength, handy due to the scarcity of attenuators) - the cable is handy for routing a clock source from the VM to the sync in to bypass the sequencer clock - mucho fun, especially with wonky or fast clock or using the utility to merge the /4 and /3 clocks to get a regular irregular pulse or a function 2 left etc etc
I intend to buy a TRS jack with a bit more room in the shell to house a header block like the one cobbled together and heat shrunk on the end of the cable - so the inputs (or outputs) are virtually at faceplate level and already talking its ‘jumper’ cv language
This cable was handy when slung on the headphone out of my Nord Micro Modular (two DC coupled lanes capable of +/- 3.4V) as a CV/clock distributor to the KVM
The whole west-coast thing is right up my street - loving the Korg despite the tiny size, so inspiring and hands on - always interesting and musical and never the same, incredible depth to it and sounds awesome
Wow, all of those videos are fantastic!!!
My VM is in the mail, so looking forward to experimenting, and this is fueling the anticipation. I love that those videos go from something amazing with zero and one patch, to two VMs run together. I wonder how much more complex you can get with two VMs? Perhaps that should be something to work towards. It looks like Korg knocked this out of the park.
Wow. It’s pretty cool that the CV A/B or C/D of A4/AK goes right into the CV IN jack of Volca Modular, just using a standard 1/8" TRS to to 1/4" TRS (“headphone”) cable. Can play the Volca Modular right from A4/AK.
Can then send clock separately from the other CV jack, over a third line. (I did change the clock rate on the Volca Modular using option 8 on its FUNC startup menu.)
Top Keys:
MS-20Kit is Hz/V S_trig controller for Behringer K-2 (on top of MS-20Kit)
Both of these synths are MUTED.
MS-20Kit is also USB2MIDI controller for Korg Volca Modular (to left of MS-20Kit).
This is a simple non iso-opto solution consisting of a 220 ohm resistor, two wires and a MIDI plug.
Lower Keys: Vermona -14 is MIDI controller for dual stereo Volca Bass (off camera) with Mod wheel control of VC03 pitch and Channel AT control of LFO rate on the two Volca Bass.
Right Keys: The Korg Modwave does a cameo for a bit.
Percussion:
Cyclone TT-78 as master Channel 10 clock.
Moog Werkstatt
2 x Korg Monotribes
) , a bit pricey to get a whole lot for this device, and the question of wire/pin gauge arises, and thus why your photo is useful
