Modular synths straight into SQ-5

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This topic contains 23 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by Profile photo of whatsoup whatsoup 3 years, 11 months ago.

Viewing 9 posts - 16 through 24 (of 24 total)
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  • #90801
    Profile photo of moebius
    moebius
    Participant

    True, some kind of a limiter that can handle modular levels. I wonder if there are any DIY projects for that. Unfortunately, I´m still new with electronics, as you can obviously tell from my posts :). But I´m willing to learn and take your bulletpoints as a starting point for further research.

    #90803
    Profile photo of volounteer
    volounteer
    Participant

    @moebius

    i would ask why they made those levels so dangerously high in the first place
    ask them if they have a way to ensure they are kept at a safe level to use with standard level gear from other companies

    also you could probably find a smart HS nerd or an amateur radio operator or other person with the skill to build it for you

    #90808
    Profile photo of whatsoup
    whatsoup
    Participant

    @volounteer Keith has already mentioned the solution, and it’s a line level module that sits in the eurorack case. this will attenuate the eurorack voltage making it safe to go into the mixer. But in eurorack land case space is precious and modules are expensive.

    #90812
    Profile photo of volounteer
    volounteer
    Participant

    @whatsoup

    how much is a new SQ if you damage the old one
    or how much are repairs and how long would that take and how much hassle

    how much is a line level module for your rack?

    which option is better considering the risk versus cost

    #90817
    Profile photo of moebius
    moebius
    Participant

    The levels are just the norm in Eurorack land, like we have -10 in consumer devices and +4 in audio pro. In modular, these high levels are what all modules are built to.

    Simple interfaces that are likely below the SQ´s quality are around 120-200 bucks for a stereo pair of IO.
    Real good ones are more in the range of 300-450 per pair (like Vermona TAI-4 or ACL).

    The bigger issue is space, as you have 2×104 hp for example, so 4 channels of IO would consume 30 of them. Worse for people going live with a skiff (small flat eurorack system), they often have just 104 or 84hp. That´s why I thought about an external converter. Could be a second skiff when using eurorack IO modules as the solution. Or something in pedal/DI box format (beware of spaghetti cabling outside the modular). Personally, I´d prefer something 19″ based, so there is enough space to grow, no eurorack space is wasted and it´s still a clean setup.

    I don´t know how much effort it would take to build something that works on SQ audio quality level and simply attenuates/boosts levels at a fixed rate, like the pad button found on mixers (and a fixed preamp for the other direction). I will see if I can find people and instructions in the DIY sections of the modular forums.

    #90824
    Profile photo of whatsoup
    whatsoup
    Participant

    @volounteer this is why I’m trying to find out the odds of actually frying something. If it’s just a matter of keeping the levels down, I trust myself to keep that under control. If it’s not that simple then maybe I will take it more seriously.

    If it was just a matter of buying one line level module then I absolutely would get one to avoid the risk, but when there is multiple outputs to deal with it’s not feasible to have multiple modules to cope with it all. There are eurorack mixers to use before going into the line level modle but I would lose individual control of each channel the SQ provides. Frying the desk would be a nightmare. Luckily the repair centre is only down the road for me, but I wouldn’t like to think of the cost in that situation.

    I don’t want to tempt fate but so far so good

    #90826
    Profile photo of volounteer
    volounteer
    Participant

    @whatsoup

    good luck finding a solution you like.

    makes me glad that I only do much simpler things in my small home studio.

    not sure exactly what you are doing but could you record the synths in the DAW and then play them on the SQ.
    Or is there a risk of frying the PC too?

    #90827
    Profile photo of volounteer
    volounteer
    Participant

    @moebius

    makes me wonder why the rack folks have such high levels at all.
    do they sell their own mixers that work at those levels?

    what would you do with the rack gear without the SQ?

    maybe it is just my systems training but I ensure that all the interfaces always match before I commit to two devices (or more).
    avoiding problems is preferred to fixing them for me.

    #90834
    Profile photo of whatsoup
    whatsoup
    Participant

    Thanks @Volounteer. The SQ is my audio interface with the computer so that’s the way it is. There is ways to avoid what I’m doing but I’m taking the risk now instead of paying lots of money for a less adequate solution

Viewing 9 posts - 16 through 24 (of 24 total)

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