--- In Doepfer_a100@yahoogroups.com , "techmaster242" <techmaster@...>
wrote:

>
> I'm trying to make sense of how everything generally wires together in
> a modular. Obviously, anything is possible, and the experimentation
> is where the fun comes in, but I would like to understand the
> "typical" way that a synth is wired, so that I can know what I'm doing
> when I deviate from it. I'm just not 100% sure of how the signal
> flows from one device to another to form a complete synth. I've
> pieced together bits and pieces, and just wanted to put it all down in
> front of you guys, and see if I'm on the right track. So, here goes.
>
> basic synth:
> midi gets converted to cv by a-190
> cv goes into VCO, which puts out audio signal
> audio signal from VCO goes into VCA, which puts out audio signal
> audio signal from VCA goes into your mixer, recorder, or DAW
>
> a bit fancier:
> gate signal from a-190 goes into VC splitter
> one VC goes into ADSR then VCA to control volume envelope
> another VC goes into VCO sync so wave starts cleanly on every midi note
>
> for a moog type of sound:
> cv from a-190 goes into a cv splitter
> cv's go into same setup as above, but into 2 or 3 chains of
> VCO->ADSR/VCA, slightly detuned from one another, mixing wave shapes,
> etc to fatten up sound...
> all VCA's audio outputs go into an audio mixer, which mixes down to
> one signal going into your DAW.
>
> LFO's can then basically be plugged into any VC input in any above
> setup to provide modulation, or introduce some variance to your sound.
>
>
>
> Am I thinking about this in the right way Obviously, you can run
> VCO's or LFO's into each other's sync inputs and get some chopped up
> waves with weird harmonics and stuff, but I'm just trying to
> understand the absolute basics of how this works before I really start
> tearing up the sound and see what this beast is truly capable of. :)
>

Oh, I forgot one more thing: Filters. I think... I'm totally new to
modular synthesis, but I'm familiar with analog style synthesis,
mainly on virtual analog synthesizers. On a typical virtual analog
synth, you have your oscillators that can generate a sound, LFO
modulation of various parameters, etc... But there are two
adjustments that are the favorites of many people, that being cutoff
and resonance. I can't even describe what they do to a sound wave,
but they definitely fatten it up, a lot. I'm guessing that in the
modular world, a filter is what you want to achieve this effect. But
there are 3 types of filters: LPF, HPF, and BPF. Never in a
self-contained keyboard have I seen a choice between the 3, you only
adjust the cutoff and resonance. So which one does a typical synth
have I've been involved in the car audio world for quite some time,
and so am fairly familiar with what low pass, high pass, and band pass
mean, as it's apparently the exact same thing that a crossover does.
There's a cutoff slope, and I'm guessing what the cutoff adjustment
does is adjust what frequencies it starts cutting at, but I honestly
have no idea what resonance does to a sound, nor do I know which of
the 3 filter types is the "typical" one... These are fairly amateur
questions, obviously, but I really want to understand this stuff, and
know scientifically just what exactly am I doing to the sound waves
when I adjust a certain knob, or wire a certain patch. Plus, I want
to make sure I'm buying the right modules to get the sound I want, and
not make an expensive mistake. :) Thanks!