Clik here to view.
Smell the Solder
Welcome. I've been into musical electronics for a while now. And surprisingly, I've found that hacking this stuff has been almost as fun as playing it. Because I've relied so much inspiration from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dead Keys on an Old Korg? Try CaiKote 44!
My first synth was a Korg Mono/Poly and I still love it. I've had it for 4-5 years. I got it off eBay and half the keys didn't work. Luckily, since it was cheap, I didn't have too many qualms about...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Buying Parts and Using Digikey
Before I dive into my circuit modifications, I'd like to talk about how to buy parts. As a non-professional electronics person, it can be hard to know what specific items to buy. I mean, if someone...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Add Sample-and-Hold to Korg Mono/Poly
After my success with fixing the dead keys on my Korg Mono/Poly, I decided to try some of mods that are out there on the Internet. One that seemed within my grasp was to, once again, follow the Old...
View ArticleClik here to view.
TR-707 Driving the Arpeggiator on my Polysix
Recently, I purchased an old Roland TR-707 drum machine. In addition to the drums sounds (and the classic Roland x0x step programming interface), I was excited at the possibility of using the 707's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Big Polysix Modification Adventure
Well, I'm finally starting in. I'm doing it. My Polysix better look out. It begins. New Fatar Keybed with Aftertouch is on the Left. Stock Polysix Keybed is on the Right.A while back, I added...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polysix Plan -- Replacing the Key Assigner
As introduced earlier, I'm replacing the keybed in my Korg Polysix with a keybed that has velocity and aftertouch sensitivity. My first step is to figure out how to wire the new keybed into the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polysix - Basic Key Assigner Timing
As discussed previously, I'm trying to replace the "Key Assigner" in my Korg Polysix as the first step in replacing the synth's keybed so that I can have aftertouch and velocity. The heart of the Key...
View ArticleClik here to view.
High Frequencies - Polysix vs Mono/Poly
As you know, I have both a Korg Mono/Poly and a Korg Polysix. I've had the Mono/Poly for longer and my visceral response to its sound is what motivated my purchase of the Polysix. Being from the same...
View ArticleClik here to view.
High Frequencies -- Polysix Adjustments
Continuing from my last post, I've been exploring the high frequency performance of my Korg Polysix and Korg Mono/Poly. I'm trying to add more sizzle to the Mono/Poly and I'm trying to reduce a bit of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
High Frequencies - Mono/Poly Filter Adjustments
Following from my previous post, where I re-calibrated the filters on my Korg Polysix, I wondered if re-calibrating the filter on my Korg Mono/Poly would add some of the high-frequency sizzle that I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
High Frequencies -- Signals Inside Mono/Poly
Continuing down the road of this post, I'm trying to put a little more sizzle into Mono/Poly. I perceive that its highest frequencies aren't as present as they should be. In previous posts, I showed...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mystery Circuit - Polysix Post-Effects VCA
Continuing my journey to understand the frequency response of my Korg Polysix, Johannes made a comment at the end of this post that that I should examine the effect of the "compressor/expander" circuit...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mystery Circuit -- Polysix Post-Effects VCF Explored
After this post, I got a response on the Polysix Yahoo Groups from The Old Crow saying:The circuit is a dBx-style noise shaper: the more amplitude the dry signal provides, the wider the response of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polysix - Resonance-Controlled VCA
On the Korg Polysix Yahoo Group, there was a question posed about the purpose of the resonance-controlled "VCF" that was on the KLM-368 PCB. After some consideration of the schematic and after...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polysix - Replacing the 8049 Key Assigner
I've finally resumed work on my earlier plan to replace the key assigner in my Korg Polysix. My purpose is not actually related to the key assigner -- my purpose is actually related to adding...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polysix - Trimming the New Keybed
As I introduced in this post, I'm replacing the keybed in my Korg Polysix with a new keybed that'll have both aftertouch and velocity sensitivity. The new keybed is a Fatar unit that I bought from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polysix - Cabling for the New Keybed
Continuing from this post where I began preparing my new Fatar keybed for installation in my Korg Polysix, I've now begun to prepare the cabling from the keybed to the keyscanning electronics. I got...
View ArticlePolysix - Keybed plus Arduino plus a Mess
Following this post, where I completed the cabling for connected the new Fatar keybed to the Keyparts UK controller, and following this post, where I replaced the Korg Polysix key assigner with an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polysix - Boosting the New Keybed
As discussed in this post, my new Fatar keybed had too many feet and, overall, its height was a bit too short. So, in the previous post, I showed how I cut the feet off so that it wouldn't interfere...
View Article