From analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Fri May 14 16:28:37 1993 Received: by bottom.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (5.65/3.910213) id AA18957; Fri, 14 May 93 16:24:42 -0400 Errors-To: analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Sender: analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Received: from cmp-rt.music.uiuc.edu by bottom.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (5.65/3.910213) id AA18935; Fri, 14 May 93 16:24:38 -0400 Received: by cmp-rt.music.uiuc.edu (AIX 2.1 2/4.03) id AA03575; Fri, 14 May 93 15:25:38 CDT From: dacc@cmp-rt.music.uiuc.edu (Andrew C. Crowell) Message-Id: <9305142025.AA03575@cmp-rt.music.uiuc.edu> Subject: Re: EML 400 To: analogue@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Date: Fri, 14 May 93 15:25:37 CDT In-Reply-To: ; from "Simon Peter Gatrall" at May 14, 93 2:19 pm X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL5] Status: O Previously, Simon Peter Gatrall wrote: > > Excerpts from internet.analogue: 14-May-93 Re: Quiet isn't it... by > Chris Meyer@well.sf.ca.u > > The EML 400 allowed variable-length notes - you could program that on > > one of the rows of sliders. > > The EML 400 is a very cool sequencer. It's organized into sets of 16 > notes. I think there are 2 sets of 16, or maybe we had 2 400's chained > together, I forget. Anyway, there are 3 sliders per note, and a couple > of slide-switches. One slider is for duration and the other two can be > used for whatever. Usually, the second slider is used for pitch. The > slider gives 1 octave, and the slide switch has three positions, so you > can actually have a three octave range. You can then plug the third set > of sliders into a filter input or anything on a modular synth. The > great thing about this set up is that you can continuously modify the > sequence while it's running. Everything is visable. I really miss that > aspect of analog equipment - most current equipment gives you a pitiful > 20x2 character window with a few buttons to navagate through 100 > variables. It's no wonder the average synth owner uses presets. And not to forget, the EML 400 had it's own synth module, the EML 401. This was a really wonderful device, inasmuch as you not only had the programming capabilities that one finds on similar EML gear (the 100, 101, 200 and so on), but the module _also_ contained a variably-programmable quantizer. Now, this thing was a _bitch_ to put into no-foolin' equal-temperment scales, but it had the fun of being equally-capable of being programmed to a vast range of microtonal scalar intervals, as well. A really neat feature, one that had/has a lot of potential... Also, I see no-one's mentioned that the sequencer panels were extendable and you could get 16-step extensions for the existing 16+16 panel that was a part of the 400/401 combo. Is true, tho...you could chain several of these up, using the klunky multipin cable, and have sequences for days... D.A.C. Crowell Computer Music Project/School of Music University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign (dacc@cmp-rt.music.uiuc.edu) -- From analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Fri May 14 14:23:06 1993 Received: by quark.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (5.65/3.910213) id AA03904; Fri, 14 May 93 14:21:32 -0400 Errors-To: analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Sender: analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Received: from ANDREW.CMU.EDU by quark.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (5.65/3.910213) id AA03893; Fri, 14 May 93 14:21:28 -0400 Received: by andrew.cmu.edu (5.54/3.15) id for analogue@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu; Fri, 14 May 93 14:21:23 EDT Received: via switchmail; Fri, 14 May 1993 14:21:23 -0400 (EDT) Received: from unix11.andrew.cmu.edu via qmail ID ; Fri, 14 May 1993 14:19:45 -0400 (EDT) Received: from unix11.andrew.cmu.edu via qmail ID ; Fri, 14 May 1993 14:19:43 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mms.0.1.23.EzMail.2.0.CUILIB.3.45.SNAP.NOT.LINKED.unix11.andrew.cmu.edu.pmax.ul4 via MS.5.6.unix11.andrew.cmu.edu.pmax_ul4; Fri, 14 May 1993 14:19:42 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: Date: Fri, 14 May 1993 14:19:42 -0400 (EDT) From: Simon Peter Gatrall To: analogue@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Subject: Re: EML 400 Cc: In-Reply-To: <199305141749.AA26803@well.sf.ca.us> Status: OR Excerpts from internet.analogue: 14-May-93 Re: Quiet isn't it... by Chris Meyer@well.sf.ca.u > The EML 400 allowed variable-length notes - you could program that on > one of the rows of sliders. The EML 400 is a very cool sequencer. It's organized into sets of 16 notes. I think there are 2 sets of 16, or maybe we had 2 400's chained together, I forget. Anyway, there are 3 sliders per note, and a couple of slide-switches. One slider is for duration and the other two can be used for whatever. Usually, the second slider is used for pitch. The slider gives 1 octave, and the slide switch has three positions, so you can actually have a three octave range. You can then plug the third set of sliders into a filter input or anything on a modular synth. The great thing about this set up is that you can continuously modify the sequence while it's running. Everything is visable. I really miss that aspect of analog equipment - most current equipment gives you a pitiful 20x2 character window with a few buttons to navagate through 100 variables. It's no wonder the average synth owner uses presets. Obviously there are some good things about modern digital synths, but it's taking a long time for manufacturers to get back to the point where people can have a good conceptual model of what's happening inside their equipment just by looking at it. -s!mon From analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Fri May 14 13:53:50 1993 Received: by quark.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (5.65/3.910213) id AA02189; Fri, 14 May 93 13:50:18 -0400 Errors-To: analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Sender: analogue-request@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Received: from nkosi.well.sf.ca.us by quark.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (5.65/3.910213) id AA02184; Fri, 14 May 93 13:50:14 -0400 Received: from well.sf.ca.us by nkosi.well.sf.ca.us with SMTP id AA23743 (5.65c/IDA-1.5 for ); Fri, 14 May 1993 10:49:54 -0700 Received: by well.sf.ca.us (5.65c/SMI-4.1/well-930413-1) id AA26803; Fri, 14 May 1993 10:49:32 -0700 Date: Fri, 14 May 1993 10:49:32 -0700 From: Chris Meyer Message-Id: <199305141749.AA26803@well.sf.ca.us> To: analogue@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu, steve@crl.hitachi.co.jp Subject: Re: Quiet isn't it... Status: OR The EML 400 allowed variable-length notes - you could program that on one of the rows of sliders. The other trick is having a clock that feeds the sequencer have variable duration pulses. Programmble frequency dividers that allowed you to mix differnt divisions could be faked into doing that. The Roland CSQ-100 was a real-time entry sequencer that recorded the lengths of notes as you played them, but this of course does not allow knob-tweaking while it's running. - CM