Alternatives to Moog Grandmother

[Arpangel]

I'm genuinely lost for words...

Hugh, I forgot to mention, I chucked it through the window, jumped on it, and it still worked! so my repair was a definite success, and I take back any misgivings I had about Moog build quality.

No synth is ever "right" it may come close, but that’s about it

Tony, when I next visit I'll bring the Hydrasynth Deluxe and the UDO Gemini. I really want to see what you make of them. I think you'll like the Hydrasynth sound but I suspect the Gemini will be a revelation both in sound and operation. There are no menus, it doesn't even have a numeric display and there's a knob, button and/or slider (two, in many cases) for everything

... look at the tank itself, haven't done this before, noticed a really bad dry joint on one of the phono sockets, buzzed it through and confirmed it, re-soldered all of them, all OK, been working all day, moved it, put it down "heavily" all OK, no issues, I can't get it to malfunction.

So that cable you suspected before maybe wasn't the problem after all! Well, if resoldering that dry joint on the tank resolves the issue then I'm happy to hear it (not the spring reverb itself though; like Elf I'm not a fan of spring reverb on synths)

I look forward to this Eddy, big time.
Although, im not in anticipation of what they might sound like, it's more about how they push me, or guide me, offer me? musical starting points, how they suggest ways to go, the sound isn’t so important, as that’s a given.

[Arpangel]

I'm genuinely lost for words...

At the very start of my career a computer I was responsible for maintaining had network connectivity issues and I spent about 3 days trying to resolve it without success despite delving into registry entries, drivers, permissions... you name it.

In the end one of my colleagues swapped the network card out for a replacement of the same model. This resolved the issue.

I learned a lot during those three days but I didn't solve it with my fancy ways. Swapping the card out was an unexpectedly blunt lesson in practicality. When faced with an issue sometimes we miss the obvious. It's a learning experience and less likely to happen again, one hopes!

I can understand Hugh's logical, methodical approach, and that's great, as in a lot of situations it’s important to realise the implications of what you’re doing, and how you’re doing it, especially in a "professional" situation.
I'm nowhere near that situation, in fact, I couldn’t give a monkey’s if my Moog or anything else in my studio spontaneously exploded into a million pieces, so attacking something with a soldering iron doesn’t bother me, I can take the consequences if it goes wrong, it's not important, it doesn’t matter, I'll either get another one, or use something else, it’s not the end of the world "I don’t care"

[Hugh Robjohns]

I can understand Hugh's logical, methodical approach, and that's great, as in a lot of situations it’s important to realise the implications of what you’re doing, and how you’re doing it, especially in a "professional" situation.

Fault finding is a skill that can be trained, and I was fortunate that the Beeb helped with that training (as did my father before that who was trained by the GPO).

The most important thing is to keep an open mind and check everything calmly and logically with a 'big picture' overview in mind, rather than leap to thinking 'it must be that' and disappearing down a rabbit hole with blinkered vision.

Eddy's story demonstrates that well, and we've all been there, I'm sure.

...if it goes wrong, it's not important, it doesn’t matter, I'll either get another one, or use something else, it’s not the end of the world "I don’t care"

But other people do care. We've had months (years?) of complaints from you about the GM. Anyone doing a web search for GM Issues will find those threads and may well form an inaccurate view of the instrument's build quality and reliability... all because a simple fault in an oem component wasn't spotted when you decided to furtle around inside the thing to undertake a repair you were not actually equipped to do. An experienced technician would probably have found it straight away because of a better fault-finding technique.... and saved you — and us — from months of misery and frustration.

[Arpangel]

An experienced technician would probably have found it straight away because of a better fault-finding technique.... and saved you — and us — from months of misery and frustration.

It came back as "no fault found"
I'm not blaming the engineer, who knows, it may have been fine when he signed it off.
My "furtling" around didn’t do any harm, and I found the fault.
But such an obvious "visual" dry joint, shouldn’t have passed Moog quality control, the wire and solder were moving around in the terminal, causing intermittent cut-outs, I could see by the colour of the solder, and it wasn’t "bonded" to the metal, you know what I’m talking about.
Now I'm lost for words, except I hope that my solution helps others, if they have similar issues, where to look.

PS

There are some things that don’t sit right with me, in a pro piece of kit that may end up on the road.
Downward facing headers hot glued, with plugs that may fall out (and do, on other similar designed bits of kit I have) plugs and sockets hot glued, used where hard wiring should have been done. Ribbon connectors that are too short, inviting damage when opening cases.
"Hot Glue" used to hold connectors plugs/sockets together is just inviting trouble, looks like the inside of a Crosley record player.

[ajay_m]

It's that confounded new-fangled lead-free solder. For bulk joints it tends to create a fairly dull surface which unlike leaded solder masks dry joints. It doesn't wet anything like as easily, so surfaces have to be degreased and even then with standard flux it can be reluctant to bond to alloys that wet easily with leaded solder. I hate the stuff, hence, I tend to use leaded solder and figure that since there are goodness knows how many tons of lead floating around in the form of roof flashing, car batteries and what have you, that I am probably not responsible for some horrible environmental disaster

Also I would hazard a guess that many of the forum participants are men of 'a certain age' and like Waldorf and Stadtler in the Muppet show, we tend to the irascible at times. You know, some of us tune in regularly to this forum just to see what Arpangel has to say, makes me wonder if there ought to be a 'grumpy old music geezers' podcast.
Hugh: here's an idea. You're doing GearFest this year, right?. Why not invite a few of the more prominent forum participants to a session where everyone can have a grumble about something.... could be great fun!

[Wonks]

It's just poor manufacture of reverb tanks from Accutronics/Belton. They are well known to be below the standard they used to be (quite a long time ago now) and the internal connections to the RCAs are worse on the Accutronics than the equivalent Belton units.

They often give problems on guitar amps and the recommendation is normally to get replacements from other manufacturers who make improved versions. But I doubt that anyone else makes reverb units in such large quantities, so the likes of Fender have little choice but to keep using them. And if they go wrong out of warranty, it's someone else's problem to fix.

[BJG145]

Nice one.

(What's "buzzing it"...? A kind of circuit tester?)

[Wonks]

Short for ‘buzzing out’ for continuity. You can get circuit testers consisting of a buzzer, battery and a couple of probes.

Multimeters generally have a similar continuity test function, and buzz if there’s continuity (below a set low resistance).

[Arpangel]

Hugh: here's an idea. You're doing GearFest this year, right?. Why not invite a few of the more prominent forum participants to a session where everyone can have a grumble about something.... could be great fun!

I don’t know how much Hugh gets paid, but it’s not that much!



It's not getting old that’s the issue, my head is still the same as it was when I was 25, in a lot of ways, but certain things have changed in all walks of life, and change is inevitable, and has to be accepted as part of life, on a personal, global, and cosmic scale.
I just cant accept some things, and I have the time to moan about them now, years ago I didn’t, we shouldn’t moan about anything, it's a bad trait, gets us nowhere, and wastes time and energy.
It gets worse, I’m moaning about moaning.

[adrian_k]

It gets worse, I’m moaning about moaning.

screenwipes please….

[ManFromGlass]

Quick - hit the record button . . . .

[ajay_m]

For some reason I'm reminded of what we IT types refer to as the "QA book of proverbs" given their innate pessimism about the quality of the software we create.
Some examples:-

Every silver lining has a cloud

When one door closes, another door closes

It is always darkest just before it gets really dark.

[Arpangel]

It is always darkest just before it gets really dark.

That’s great, it's in my notebook.

[ManFromGlass]

Some examples:-

Every silver lining has a cloud

When one door closes, another door closes

It is always darkest just before it gets really dark.

Brilliant!
I’m sooo stealing these!

[tea for two]

I downloaded currently free Cherry Audio Voltage Modular Nucleus.
https://store.cherryaudio.com/bundles/v ... ar-nucleus
Includes 22 free modules. Shows 34 free modules when I downloaded.

I set it up
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ZwLD3 ... p=drivesdk
on my wind touschreen laptop (Asus Ux371 i7 16GB 4K screen 13.3inches)
touchscreen necessary for me I'd be pulling my hair ooot using a mouse. This Asus has pen support.
Laptop in tent mode else laptop keyboard would drive me up the wall when on Nucleus.

Best thing : I can take it to bed with me.

[Eddy Deegan]

For some reason I'm reminded of what we IT types refer to as the "QA book of proverbs" given their innate pessimism about the quality of the software we create.
Some examples:-

Every silver lining has a cloud

When one door closes, another door closes

It is always darkest just before it gets really dark.

"I had a problem, I solved it with regex and now I have 2 problems".

Obligatory citation (see the top reply).

Nonetheless finite-state automatons, and thus regex, are one of the most beautiful things in computer science IMHO

[sonics]

I downloaded currently free Cherry Audio Voltage Modular Nucleus.

Not much like a physical Moog though, is it?
Also, I don't think may people play with their Grandmothers in bed...

[Arpangel]

I downloaded currently free Cherry Audio Voltage Modular Nucleus.
https://store.cherryaudio.com/bundles/v ... ar-nucleus
Includes 22 free modules. Shows 34 free modules when I downloaded.

I set it up
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ZwLD3 ... p=drivesdk
on my wind touschreen laptop (Asus Ux371 i7 16GB 4K screen 13.3inches)
touchscreen necessary for me I'd be pulling my hair ooot using a mouse. This Asus has pen support.
Laptop in tent mode else laptop keyboard would drive me up the wall when on Nucleus.

Best thing : I can take it to bed with me.

The major drawback with any software modular, is performance control, you could use a control surface, but you'd have to reconfigure it for every patch.
The whole thing about hardware modular is direct access to everything, whenever you need it.

[tea for two]

I downloaded currently free Cherry Audio Voltage Modular Nucleus.
https://store.cherryaudio.com/bundles/v ... ar-nucleus
Includes 22 free modules. Shows 34 free modules when I downloaded.

I set it up
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ZwLD3 ... p=drivesdk
on my wind touschreen laptop (Asus Ux371 i7 16GB 4K screen 13.3inches)
touchscreen necessary for me I'd be pulling my hair ooot using a mouse. This Asus has pen support.
Laptop in tent mode else laptop keyboard would drive me up the wall when on Nucleus.

Best thing : I can take it to bed with me.

The major drawback with any software modular, is performance control, you could use a control surface, but you'd have to reconfigure it for every patch.
The whole thing about hardware modular is direct access to everything, whenever you need it.

Fo sho aboot performance control that's the reason I have it on touchscreen.
Software has more direct access to modules also easy to swap modules in out also ofcourse being able to save sounds.
It's just wot works for me without splashing oot on lots of hardware modules to then find oot I don't want this and that hardware module to narrow down which hardware module I'd actually use.

::

I downloaded currently free Cherry Audio Voltage Modular Nucleus.

Not much like a physical Moog though, is it?

Tru dat.

Also, I don't think may people play with their Grandmothers in bed...

Ewww Sonics !!

[nathanscribe]

For some reason I'm reminded of what we IT types refer to as the "QA book of proverbs" given their innate pessimism about the quality of the software we create.
Some examples:-

Every silver lining has a cloud

When one door closes, another door closes

It is always darkest just before it gets really dark.

"I had a problem, I solved it with regex and now I have 2 problems".

Obligatory citation (see the top reply).

Nonetheless finite-state automatons, and thus regex, are one of the most beautiful things in computer science IMHO

I always liked "a problem shared is a problem two people now have".