Welcome
to
PATCH
HELL
The Jim Patchell Synthesizer D.I.Y. Web Page
This website
was first posted in December of 1998.
Last updated Nov 6
Welcome to my do it yourself
analog synthesizer
page. It is a bit more than that, but this is the primary
purpose.
I have been building my own analog synthesizers since 1974. I
originally
started building the circuits that John Simonton (Paia) published in
radio
electronics, and I started right in on trying to improve on
them.
My
first wholly scratch built synth was completed in 1978, and I guess
you could
say I started out big. It was a four voice polyphonic
synth. The
keyboard scanner was originally implemented using my Polymorphic
8813.
Soon, I changed over to using the 6504 micro processor.
I stopped for a while, right around
1990, partly
because of
the nice digital synthesizers that were available then, and even nicer
ones
now I have to admit (I love my Nord Modular), and also, because no body
seemed
to care about analog any longer, let alone, building one
yourself. That
has all changed now. Interest in analog synths is back up,
and
now that I
have been introduced to the Internet, I have found out there are a lot
of other
people out there who share my interest.
Things are a lot different now than they were. It seems that finding the custom chips from CEM and SSM is very difficult. And besides, I don't like to design circuits that use parts that may become unobtainium. It costs a lot of money to make a PCB, I don't want to have to throw them away because I can't get parts.
I have started to design a new set of modules. This projects is now pretty much complete. There are still a few things that need to be fleshed out, but it is now a fully working synth. Hopefully, soon, I will be able to do a piece with it.
Plus, I hope to restore some of the old equipment I built a long time ago. I have three synths and a vocoder that are full of spider webs.
Zaca Design is a consulting firm that I work for. Need custom equipment built? Zaca is the place to go.
Pacific Southwest DIY Meet 2004 Photos
Pacific Southwest DIY Meet 2003 Photos
Synth
Modules
For Sale
Parts For Sale
The Jim Patchell Verilog and VHDL Archive
The
Jim Patchell Gluten Free Webpage
Building Odd Musical Instruments
New
The love of my life
Here
are some photos
from early outings I had with Noni...Now, on the first two, you will
note, I did not take any pictures of Noni...I am not exactly sure why
that was. These were pretty early dates...and I was still not
exactly sure how Noni felt about me...I just don't know...:-)
A Day at the Botanic Gardens
A day at the Zoo
Well, in case somebody didn't know...I now have a very lovely young
lady in my life. Noni Kimbel and myself are getting married
on
December 30, 2006 at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara,
California. The Christmas party was very important.
Because
of my work, I was not able to go north to Seattle to celebrate the
holidays with my family. The Kimbels were very gracious in
sharing the day with me. Little did any of us know that a
mere
six days latter our two families would be joining. It was on
December 31, 2005 that I proposed marriage to Noni.
Christmas Day 2005 with the Kimbels
It was, however, 10 days latter that I go the answer...
Noni Says Yes
And about two months after that Noni finally got her ring.
Noni's 50th Birthday
Contents:
Secrets
of the OTA
Spindle
Controller and Spin Stand
My
First Synthesizer Project
Old Data
Sheets
Synth
DIY FAQ web page
Protel
PCB Utilities
Polyphonic
Synthesizer Boards
Control
Voltage
Splitter
Roland
MT32 firmware mods
Transistor
vbe
matcher
Seven Segment Decoder Pal
My
Home Studio
Voltage Controlled
Vocal Filter
Experiments
Archives of some old
drawings and
articles(new)
DIY
Digital Synthesizer page
Paia 8700
SMB-1
Synth Module Board
Old
VCO Circuit
Midi
To Relay Controller
Midi Light Dimmer
Midi to CV interface
Do
It Yourself Tips
Restoring
one of my old Homebuilt Synthesizers
Links
Do It Yourself Mixers
Microprocessor
Page
Tau
Synth Circuits
Power Supply Tips
Use full Components for
Synthesizers
TX816
Editor for Atari ST computer
Bell Labs Voice
Synthesizer
Picture of Various Things
pictures of my home made
electronic
equipment
Don't
you
hate it when people post pictures of themselves
The
Family Piano
My
Work
Room
Manuals
Schematic and owners manual for the Korg Poly 800
My Music
This is a collection of some of my music. I am a Joplin fan, so that is what I tend to do.
1. The Strenuous Life by Scott Joplin(mp3 3.5M)
2. The
Entertainer by Scott Joplin (MP3)
3. Elite
Syncopations by
Scott Joplin (MP3)
4. The
Cascades by Scott
Joplin (MP3)
5. The
Chrysanthemum by
Scott
Joplin
6. The
Great Crush
Collision
March by Scott Joplin (MP3)
7. Maple
Leaf Rag by
Scott Joplin
(MP3)
Equipment used
(sorry, old recording, no
SYNTH
DIY in this one):
Yamaha
TX816, Yamaha TX81z, Yamaha FB-01, Kawai K1r, Oberheim XK controller,
Yamaha
SPX90, Teac 40-4, Art 2408, Marantz PMD430. Digital Mastering
was
done on
an Echo Layla. Midi Sequencing Atari Mega ST4 running Cubase
2.0.
The Literary Section
Books
I have read
Stories
I have written
Santa Barbara Atari Computer Enthusiasts (SBACE)
Yep, I own
Atari Computers.
Read
all about
mine and the
Atari Club
Model
Railroading
South
Coast
Society of Model Engineers
Model
Railroad
Union
Pacific
Transportation Innovation
Anyway, all for now. Hope to hear from you all.