Elektor Formant
The Elektor Formant analog modular synthesizer designed by C. Chapman was published in 1977/78 as a series of articles in the European magazine Elektor. The articles were later compiled into a book and a year later there was another book, (not in English) with additions and extensions by M. Aigner.
Description
The Formant uses the 1V/octave control voltage standard.[1]
Front panels
The front panels are 6U to match up with the size of the double Eurocard (200 mm x 160 mm) VCO PCB, the other PCBs are single Eurocard (100 mm x 160 mm). This was already a standard PCB format for Elektor projects.[2]
Book 1
Part 1 - Formant description and construction
- Chapter 1 - Introduction
- Chapter 2 - Keyboard and keyboard interface
- Chapter 3 - Keyboard construction and power supply
- Chapter 4 - VCO
- Chapter 5 - Construction of the VCO
- Chapter 6 - 12 dB VCF
- Chapter 7 - 24 dB VCF
- Chapter 8 - Resonance Filter Module
- Chapter 9 - ADSR
- Chapter 10 - VCA
- Chapter 11 - LFOs and Noise module
- Chapter 12 - COM
Part 2 - Playing the Formant
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 - Extending the Formant
- Chapter 2 - Control settings of individual modules
- VCOs
- VCFs and RFM
- VCA
- ADSR envlope shapers
- LFOs
- Noise module
- COM
- Chapter 3 - Control settings for the simulation of different instruments
Book 2
Chapter 1 - Additions for the keyboard
- Touch controller
- Рortamento on/off switch
- Pitch detector
- Digital keyboard controller
Chapter 2 - Extensions to existing Formant modules
- VCF extension
- Triangle/sine converter for Formant LFOs
- Digital Noise Generator (DNG)
- Coloured Noise Circuit (CNC)
- Stand-by-switch and headphone output for the Formant-COM
Chapter 3 - Adaptation of various Elektor circuits to the Formant
- Resonant filter module
- Ring modulator
- Phase shifter
- Elektor Kriminizer - European/American police siren[3]
- Digital reverb - Totally obsolete[3]
Chapter 4 - Power supply and distribution panels
- Power supply
- Front panel proposals with mains power switch
- Panel for keyboard output voltage and keyboard gate signal
- Multiple-jacks modules
Chapter 5 - New Formant modules
- ADSR-controller
- VC-LFOs
- LF-VCO
- Digital Noise (DNG)
- Envelope Follower (ENV.-F.)
- Sample and Hold (S & H)
- Waveform-Processor (WР)
- Mixer
- A440 standard (440 Hz tuning)
Apendices
- A - Patch diagram templates
- B - The natural tone series
- C - 256 step sequencer
- D - Stabilized +9V power supply
- E - FET op-amps for the Formant
- F - IC and transistor pinouts
Table of relevant magazine articles
Issue | Month | Year | Article name | Author | Page | Key components | Comments | Corrections |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
025 | May | 1977 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (1) | C. Chapman | 5-14 | Introduction to synthesizers and basic operation of Formant | ||
026 | Jun | 1977 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (2) | C. Chapman | 6-14 | Kbd and kbd interface | ||
029 | Sep | 1977 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (3) | C. Chapman | 9-42 | 723 | Kbd resistance divider, kbd case and description of PSU and module case | Mar 78, 3-07 |
030 | Oct | 1977 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (4) | C. Chapman | 10-40 | μA726 | Discussing VCO and waveforms | Jan 78, 1-31 |
031 | Nov | 1977 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (5) | C. Chapman | 11-41 | μA726 | Construction and adjustment of VCO | Jan 78, 1-31 |
032 | Dec | 1977 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (6) | C. Chapman | 12-27 | CA3080, CA3080A, CA3084 | VCF | Feb 78, 2-16 |
033 | Jan | 1978 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (7) | C. Chapman | 1-34 | CA3080, CA3084 | ADSR | |
034 | Feb | 1978 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (8) | C. Chapman | 2-10 | Dual VCA | ||
035 | Mar | 1978 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (9) | C. Chapman | 3-26 | LFO and noise source | ||
036 | Apr | 1978 | Formant – the Elektor Music Synthesiser (10) | C. Chapman | 4-33 | 4136 | Control and output module, wiring diagram, expansion possibilities | |
036 | Apr | 1978 | Vocoders (1)[4] | C. Chapman | 4-27 | |||
037 | May | 1978 | Vocoders (2)[4] | C. Chapman | 5-21 | |||
041 | Sep | 1978 | 24dB VCF | C. Chapman | 9-43 | CA3080, CA3080A | 24 dB HP/LP VCF | |
042 | Oct | 1978 | Resonance Filter Unit | Not Given | 10-12 | Resonance filter | ||
046 | Feb | 1979 | Formant – An invitation for our readers | Not Given | 2-39 | Requesting reader contributions | ||
047 | Mar | 1979 | Ring Modulator and envelope follower[4] | Not Given | 3-14 | LM1496N | ||
054 | Oct | 1979 | Programmable Sequencer[4] | C. Voss | 10-38 | |||
058 | Feb | 1980 | FET Opamps in the Formant | Not Given | 2-09 | Upgrading the FET buffers to FET op-amp buffers | ||
063/064 | Jul/Aug | 1980 | Legato gate interface for Formant | M. Bertuch | 7-15 | |||
063/064 | Jul/Aug | 1980 | Sample and hold for synthesisers[4] | J. Binder | 7-43 | |||
089 | Sep | 1982 | Synthesised Sound Animation[4] | Not Given | 9-52 | |||
102 | Oct | 1983 | Music quantisizer | Not Given | 10-30 | ZN427, ZN426 | hex code | Dec 83,11-41 |
See also
Further reading
- Formant-Pro - Modulares Sound-System MSS 2000 by Hans-Joachim Helmstedt, Elektor-Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3895760994[6] - "don't buy, cheap-quick-and-dirty approach"[7][8]
References
- ^ Rick's electronic-music projects, Formant by Rick Jansen
- ^ Elector Formant synth, Mod Wiggler Forum, Dec 2013
- ^ a b Le FORMANT : les extensions (livre 2), YuSynth
- ^ a b c d e f Included at Articles parus dans Elektor, en relation avec le Formant, YuSynth
- ^ Compiled by Mike Gorman from the original magazines
- ^ FYI: new Elektor Formant book, Synth-DIY email list, 25 Oct 2000
- ^ new Formant book arrived, Synth-DIY email list, 6 Nov 2000
- ^ Customer reviews, Amazon.de
External links
- Scans of Elektor at Archive.org
Scans of Elektor at World Radio History- Elektor Formant and Next Generation Formant by Harald Antes, VocLog
- Scans of French Formant books 1 & 2, YuSynth
- Elektor Formant Music Synthesiser book 1, Archive.org
- Elektor Formant Music Synthesiser book 2, Archive.org, in German
- Elektor Formant synthesiser, synthforbreakfast.nl
- Synthesizers & Modules > Elektor Formant files at Cloned Analog Gear - archived
- Posts tagged Formant at Matrixsynth
- Formant synthesiser built by Rick Jansen
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