Arxiu mensual: gener de 2011

El sintetitzador més simple, controlat amb un sensor linial

simplest_synth
Després de bastant de temps, una nova entrega del projecte 50 maneres de tocar Una Plata d’Enciam. Aquest cop vull ensenyar-vos els principis més bàsics de la síntesi d’audio. És un projecte molt senzill, bàsic i barato, amb grans possibilitats d’èxit fins i tot per la gent sense experiència en electrònica.

Recordo de les èpoques de la universitat en què estudiava els circuits RC, les equacions diferencials associades, i com la corba de càrrega i descàrrega d’un condensador és una funció exponencial. En aquest circuit aconseguim carregar i descarregar el condensador de forma cíclica, gràcies a dos transistors que s’obren quan el condensador està carregat, i es tanquen quan el condensador es descarrega. Escollint els valors de resistència i condensador adequats la freqüencia de ressonància està dins l’espectre audible, que podem escoltar amb un petit altaveu. Amb una resistència variable podem aconseguir variar la freqüència, aconseguint un petit theremin o tannerin.

i aquí va el video mostrant com es construeix aquest petit sintetitzador, i com es pot tocar una cançó com Una Plata d’Enciam.
més informació a la wiki

Tannerin: slide theremin synth

tannerinThis is a tannerin, not a real theremin. It is played with a slide (similar to a ribbon sensor), and the most known performance with this synth is Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys (Pet Sound album, 1966). Brian Wilson plays the instrument adviced by Paul Tanner, who was at the time using the instrument, build by Tom Polk.

The Tannerin is an electronic instrument that produces a pure sine wave, variable over three or four octaves. It is played by sliding a knob along the length of the instrument, on some models starting and stopping the tone with a contact switch located on the pitch knob and operated by one’s forefinger. You can see the video how Brian Wilson plays the tannerin:

Gravant un disc antic de Louis Armstrong

>Canon EOS 550D and Terratec DMX6 FireChristman has gone, and I have a new camera that I want to use as a full HD video recorder.

Last week I recorded an 1961 Louis Armstrong recording from LP to mp3, using my new Canon EOS 550D as videorecorder, and my new (but 8 years old) Terratec DMX6 Fire 24/96 audio interface as audio recorder. And everything using open source tools (linux OS, Ardour DAW, ffmpeg video processing). The album is called Sincerely. Louis Armstrong, and the song is called If, and I bought this old single years ago in a Barcelona flee market. Google thanks, I found information about the single:

http://michaelminn.net/armstrong/index.php?section6#19550118b
Decca 29421: Sincerely (Louis Armstrong With Sonny Burke’s Orchestra – 1955)

Armstrong, Louis (Trumpet, Vocal)
Burke, Sonny (Conductor)
Candoli, Pete (Trumpet)
Young, Trummy (Trombone)
Bigard, Barney (Clarinet)
Ruffell, Donald (Saxophone)
Gentry, Chuck (Saxophone)
Koch, Jos Cook (Saxophone)
Kyle, Billy (Piano, Celeste)
Shaw, Arvell (Bass)
Deems, Barrett (Drums)

The resulting video is not realiiy full HD, just HD (1280×720) because the video combines the camera recording and a screencast, and the combination of screen and nvidia graphics card limits the overall resolution.

The resulting wav and mp3 files have fine quality. The recording levels are OK, without saturation, and the only noise you can listen is the noise expected from an old LP recording, just the noise that some people like to listen in this sort of ancient recordings.

So this video is a test of the capabilities of my Canon EOS 550D as a video camera, and my Terratec PCI audio interface as a linux compatible device.