#103

There are multiple NLC threads on MW, and Andrew is very active there. You could ask him directly :slight_smile:

Heā€™s helped me troubleshoot my NLC DIY builds several times.

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#104

Thanks. Iā€™ve read through them and maybe Iā€™ll shoot him a message. Iā€™m still curious about how other people are approaching it, though. :slight_smile:

#105

Really want to hear this.

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#106

+1 to that in 20 characters

#107

I emailed Andrew about the 555 and he said I was wrong with the ResEQ comparison. Itā€™s a resonator/timbe modulator/waveshaper: ā€œIt creates a series of 5 pulses from the incoming signal. The width of these can be CV controlled, en masse or individually, you can also set the amplitude of the pulses and invert them to create your desired waveshape.ā€ Thatā€™s pretty close to the website description, but for some reason it clicked better for me like this.

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#108

anyone here got a lead on what the power reqs might be for letā€™s splosh?

#109

how are you liking the giant b0n0?

#110

This is probably a stupid ask. Just snagged the Triple Sloth. Any tips on getting to know it well?

Intentional opacity aside, Iā€™d like to develop an understanding of Apathy and Torpor. I get that each column has its own speed for the relative ā€œflight patternsā€ (crawl patterns?), but the relative effect of the knobs means almost nothing to me. Advice welcome!

#111

Hi grey,

My neighbor Eric Kandel (Nobel Prize) once said to me ā€œthere are no stupid questions, only stupid answersā€ :slightly_smiling_face:

Andrew sent me this when I asked as he doesnā€™t do manuals:

ā€œI rarely write user manuals, but I always write build manuals which usually have some description of how to use the module. They are all here -
http://www.sdiy.org/pinky/data/data.html

There is also the NLC users group on FB, which is a good place to get tips on using these modules


ā€œ

You can find the Sloths pdf here:

http://www.sdiy.org/pinky/data/SLOTH%20schematic%20and%20BOM.pdf

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#112

Has anyone here used the ARSeq? Iā€™m thinking of grabbing a pre-built one, but Iā€™m curious about othersā€™ experiences and the ways it is being used in different systems. I really like the idea of being able to sequence overlapping envelopes (plus you get an output with the entire 4-stage sequence, which is awesome). The only thing is that the demos posted by NLC are all super, slow and droney - which I like, donā€™t get me wrong - Iā€™m just more interested hearing about different use cases. Thanks in advance.

#113

I just built one. Or rather, I built one with the wrong chip, had to leave it sit for a couple months, got the chip, still had problems, then a couple weekends ago went thoroughly over everything and got it working.

It is indeed very slow. Andrew gives instructions on how to do a couple mods, one just being to switch out the attack and release pots to get different lengths. I built mine with long releases, and theyā€™re very long.

The other mod which Iā€™d like to try is swapping some resistors to make the envelopes snappier. As built by default, even if you give the attack phase zero length, the rise still is a bit sloped, almost like itā€™s going through a slew limiter. He suggests different values to get snappier envelopes, but also warns that that could overheat your IC. Something I want to play with when I have a bit of free time.

If youā€™re having it built by him, talk to him about what you want it to behave like and heā€™ll most likely get you sorted out. Heā€™s very nice. But yeah, mine as built is much more suited to long slow modulation rather than say a quarter note pattern.

#114

That is all really good info. Iā€™m not too worried about the attack stage being not snappy, since I already have two pairs of really snappy envelopes in my rack (Maths/Dopes).

Hereā€™s a question: does switching out the pots require soldering? I have zero experience with DIY electronics, and I donā€™t want to start learning on this particular module - though I have planned on learning once I get a proper workspace going :man_mechanic:

Also, there are a few ARSeqs out there for sale that Iā€™ve been watching, and I donā€™t believe either were built by Andrew.

#115

Definitely a soldering thing, yes. If the people youā€™re contacting built the module themselves, they should be able to tell you what pots were used.

If they did not build it, itā€™s possible to identify the pots by removing the front panel and looking on the side of them. Most pots have markings on the side indicating whether theyā€™re linear (B) or log (A) and also the resistance value. For example, in this image: http://p.globalsources.com/IMAGES/PDT/S1132477833/9mm-rotary-b100k-plastic-shaft-PCB-potentiometer.jpg

The B5 indicates linear, 5 zeros so 100K. More often theyā€™re just labeled ā€œB25Kā€ and such.

I built my ARSeq with 100K attacks and 1M releases, per Andrewā€™s recommendations for long envelopes.

#116

As an aside, for the most part NLC stuff is not the place to begin learning DIY. The more recent modules are primarily SMT, and the build guides and BOMs assume you know what youā€™re doing. Heā€™ll help you out if you have questions about something going wrong. If you did want to build a Neuron/Diff-rect, that is a small build and all through-hole.

Iā€™d recommend starting with kits from Music Thing, Bastl, or Befaco, as theyā€™re primarily or entirely through-hole and very well documented. Music Thing modules in particular are at least in part intended to be learn-to-DIY experiences.

#117

Again, awesomely useful info. Thanks so much.
Iā€™ve contacted the sellers and it looks like both were built with 100K pots. I plan on just grabbing one and playing with it to see if the cycle times are good for what I want to use it for.

Thanks for the DIY recs. I was looking at AI Synthesis to start out with, since they are specifically geared towards baby-stepping n00bs like myself. But Iā€™ll definitely want to look into the 3 you mentioned, especially MT and Bastl since their gear is awesome in general (no experience with Befaco).

#118

I did not build any AI synthesis modules but they look like really good, really gentle slope intros with very good documentation.

My first module was a music thing Mikrophonie, then I built a befaco joystick (which is really fun btw), and then a Bastl Little Nerd. This was a steeper ramp but still a good progression. Then I did a really simple ADDAC module which was a good beginner intro to SMT, and after that itā€™s sort of diversified with mostly positive results. https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/654041

Happy to chat about DIY when you get there. I had never soldered anything prior to this year. There are definitely more experienced people out there but you can benefit from my learning experiences :slight_smile:

#119

If you fancy a Meng Qi DPLPG (and why wouldnā€™t you) that is an extremely easy kit to build as well. The kit is the same price as he sells them built for (when heā€™s selling them) but I really like to build myself when I can. I find it more satisfying :slight_smile:

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#120

I have one DPLPG in the case already - and would love a second!

About the ARSeq - do you know what the power draw is? That info is excluded on modulargrid, and I donā€™t see it on the NLC page either.

#121

I do not, sorry. I am in favor of more power than you think youā€™ll need.

#122

seems to gloop! some subtle use cases upon my return from tour :slight_smile:

3 Likes