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[unclejambo]

Hey,
New to the forum but you can probably expect a good few silly questions from me in the future My understanding of electronics is basic at best so please bear with me.

Looking for small and mid-size keyboards that make for deep and rich sounding bassline synths. Not really particularly interested in the noisy glitchy side of things but that might come with time.

Anyhow, I've currently got a casio pt-1 and have seen videos of somebody getting the kind of sounds I'm after. I've read up a little on here and some guy mentions adding a potentiometer to the trim-pot points on the board. How does that differ from just adjusting the trimpot to either extremity? I've read also, in reference to people bending other models, about swapping out the clock for one with a lower frequency. I'm wondering if anyone has done either on this model and what their advice might be.

Does lowering clock speeds enough to get really subby bass from such a keyboard impart any delay between a keystroke and the sound playing? Like I'd still want a playable synth.

Any other suggestions of keyboards that can generate the sounds I'm after would be really appreciated.

[Bogus Noise]

Anyhow, I've currently got a casio pt-1 and have seen videos of somebody getting the kind of sounds I'm after. I've read up a little on here and some guy mentions adding a potentiometer to the trim-pot points on the board. How does that differ from just adjusting the trimpot to either extremity?

It doesn't really differ in theory, it's just a hell of a lot easier to tweak a sound by adjusting a pot that you've stuck on the front rather than opening up the keyboard  to change it.
You also have the option of using different value pots for more range.

Does lowering clock speeds enough to get really subby bass from such a keyboard impart any delay between a keystroke and the sound playing? Like I'd still want a playable synth.

Yeah, this does happen with some keyboards. I've swapped crystals on Casio SA keyboards and they do respond slower at slower speeds. They also take longer to turn on, so give it a few seconds before panicking that it's busted!

Something else that may help your quest for bass is learning to tweak the amplifier stage of the circuit. Many toys have crappy little speakers which would distort if they had too much bass going to them, so the amp stage attenuatese the bass a bit.

You may or may not need this mod - some toys and keyboard put out loads of bass, other times you'll be getting sounds that are pitched down but mainly hearing the top end. I stress that this is something I haven't properly delved into yet, but look at the "add more bass?" section on this page to read a little bit more about it.

http://weltenschule.de/TableHooters/KidsCom_MixMeDJ.html

Hope that helps

[unclejambo]

You also have the option of using different value pots for more range.

That was kinda more my point as the existing trimpot doesnt really take it as low as I want to go so do you suggest trying out different value pots before attempting a clock mod.

What you're saying about the amp sections is that there's essentially a hi-pass filter before it hits the amp/speaker so even if you get the keyboard producing deep bass you mightn't hear it without removing the filter. Could you even jump the audio to a jack before it hits this section or would that not give a hot enough output for amps, mixers etc?

Cheers for the reply and I'll peruse the link with an electronic boffin mate of mine

Anyone elses suggestions of instruments they've bent that make for bass heavy synths I'd love to hear... bear in mind I'm looking for a responsive keyboard rather than drone/noise machines.

[Circuitbenders]

Anyone elses suggestions of instruments they've bent that make for bass heavy synths I'd love to hear... bear in mind I'm looking for a responsive keyboard rather than drone/noise machines.

you're looking for something you can actually play? You might have come to the wrong place there 

You'll be lucky to get any really deep bass out of any toys as the sound tends to break up and get drowned in aliasing noise when you pitch things low. Having said that, there are a cuple of the better built V-techs i've come across where the audio stays more or less intact when you take the clock rate down.

Whenever i've put together demo tunes from only bent sounds i usually have to resort to sticking something through the subharmic generator on my Aphex Aural Exciter

[jamiewoody]

on a pt1, you can add a pitch control. i did on my convertmate 300 (same thing).


the pitch control slows the "clock speed" down, so it effectst he drums too! they sound GLITCHY slowed down! ;-) i added a few switches here and there, i found a bass boost, trebble boost...there is a lot of cool weirdness to be found in a pt1! ;-)

[unclejambo]

on a pt1, you can add a pitch control.

Awesome, any pointers on how to add the pitch control?

you're looking for something you can actually play? You might have come to the wrong place there 

Haha I gathered this might be the case. Figure I'll try take clock speeds down as far as I can while retaining some playability.

Cheers for the info this far all

[electoyd]

to add pitch control you need to find out whether its pitch is controlled by a resistor or a crystal.  If its a resistor the you replace or just add a potetiometer, you would have to try diff values.  If its a crystal then you de solder the crystal and attach an oscillator circuit like the ltc1799 to one of the points that the crystal occupied, you'll know which one because only one will work.  You can get ltc circuits from the get lofi site, you just have to add a few things.  You may want to attach the original crystal somewhere and add a switch so you can flip between the original clock speed and the contollable one.

[jamiewoody]

the "anti-theory" method is to go out and get a variety of potentiometers, 1k, 100k, 500k, 1m and so on...

connect them to jumpers via clips, and start poking around until you find something you like.

also, look at what others are doing. but, have lots 'ofun poking around until you find things you like. you may find one or 2 body contacts, pitch control, voltage starve, etc.