First Thoughts
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Coming out of the box, the first thing that I noticed about the CV-5 is
it's size. It's clearly the largest single channel MIDI->CV convertor
around, measuring 6.3" W X 3.0" H X 9.9" D. While not as compact as the
competition, it's physical size serves to hint at the power under the hood.
Plugging in and setting up was a breeze. When Kyle shipped the CV-5, he knew that my target application was the EML, so he pre-scaled the box to 1.2v/oct. Firing up the box only involved plugging in the wall wart, and running a pair of 1/4" cables for CV and GATE to the EML, and then running the Audio_OUT from the EML to the CV-5...
Huh? You run the audio back to the CV-5?
Yep... The CV-5 has a panning circuit built-in... Run a mono signal in, and then run the Left and Right OUTs from the CV-5 to your mixer. By default the CV-5 will listen to MIDI PAN_POSITION (MIDI Controller 10) and react accordingly. This is VERY cool... More later. :)
The fun of the CV-5 comes from the various modulation options, controller
assignments, panning control, and 2nd channel features... Yes, there is an
interesting 2nd channel hiding under the hood here.
Something that was pointed out to me (thanks Kevin!) is that the panning
circuit makes for a great way to setup a MIDI controlled effects mix!
Setup the audio path as:
The CV-5 is priced at $249, and the CV-4 (which is basically a CV-5 minus
the audio circuits) is $199.
Highly recommended.
For more specific information or to place an order, head to
JKJ Electronics
Using the CV-5
Details
The main LFO in the CV-5 offers 13 different waveforms to choose from,
including a very cool "8-stage" set. If you run one of the 8 stage
waveforms to the Filter CV, you can get a much more interesting effect than
merely sweeping the filter cutoff with a static waveform. It's a bit hard
to describe, but there's more "life" to the sweep. The LFO has very smooth
waveforms, even at high speeds.
There is a second LFO in the unit which can be used for vibrato. This is a
fix frequency Triangle wave running at 6hz. This is a very welcome addition
since it frees up the main LFO for doing various special case work such as
Sample and Hold effects or sync'd ramp sweeps.
Both voltage GATEs and Switch Triggers are available at the same time on
the machine. This is great for complex setups where you want to trigger an
envelope on a machine that is different that your primary synth.
Under the hood in the CV-5 is a variety of additional MIDI->CV conversion.
There are three additional CV outputs which can be configured in a number
of different operating modes. These are in addition to the dedicated main
channel pitch and filter CV outputs:
In this mode, you are given three additional CV signals which you
can route in and around your synth. The CV outputs are set to track
the AUX controller, and MIDI controllers 16 and 17.
In this mode, two outputs remain assigned to MIDI controllers 16 and
17, while the third CV out is used to handle duophonic synths. The
2nd CV out will track the lowest MIDI note being played, while the
primary CV out will track the highest. Note that there is no separation
of GATE signal here, this is a pure duophonic mode for use on modular
synths and multi-VCO machines as the ARP Odyssey.
This mode gives a 2nd channel of MIDI->CV conversion with dedicated
pitch, GATE, and filter outputs. The conversion tracks on the MIDI
channel just above the main channel number. These are some limitations
here, in that there is no LFO, Portamento, or pitch bend on this
channel. But, with the dedicated GATE, this mode can be very useful
in providing secondary control of various aspects in a modular system,
or dedicated control of secondary envelope generators.
Sequencer Control is probably one of the most powerful features of
the CV-5. Most other MIDI->CV controllers may provide a GATE output for
triggering a sequencer, but generally that GATE just tracks MIDI clocks.
The CV-5 has a VERY full implementation of sequencer control, including
a separate clock divider for the SEQ_CLOCK output. There's also a
dedicated RUN output which fires when the MIDI START or CONTINUE command
is received.
One thing to make clear is that independent of the various modes of the
second MIDI->CV channel, the CV-5 always has a secondary CV output. This is
able to be controlled by many sources, including pitch CV.
As talked about a bit before, the Panning circuit in the CV-5 really sets
this box apart from anything else on the market today. You can feed a mono
signal in, and then get a LEFT and RIGHT signal out. The position of the
pan is set to follow the MIDI PAN controller (#10), but can also be setup
to follow the LFO or MIDI controller 4. Panning under an LFO sync'd to MIDI
clocks is EXCELLENT! Also, the overall gain of the audio circuit is set to
track the MIDI VOLUME controller (#7).
Set the effect for 100% wet. Then, by panning hard left you will get a 100% dry mix,
panning center will be a 50/50 balance, and panning hard right will be 100% wet. Very Nice!
Outside of Portamento simply being ON or OFF, there are three modes of what
to do with a note that is sliding and the key is released. You can select
from "Stops on Key Up" (the pitch stops gliding when the key is let up like
on most analog synths), "Finishes on Key Up" (the note continues to glide
to it's destination), or "Finishes only on Legato notes" (pitch will glide
only when the previous note is held - Very musical!).
While other folks are running a linear Portamento, the CV-5 offers
exponential shaping. To hear it is to understand why this is a nice feature.
It's always nice to see someone realize that musicians don't like relating
to MIDI clock ticks when trying to setup LFO synchronization. On the CV-5,
you specify LFO sync values in terms of meter such as 1/16, 1/8, etc...
You can set up a mix of modulation sources, such as LFO, Aftertouch and
Pitchbend all running to the same destination.
Roland style 24ppq DIN Sync is available on the unit as standard.
The CV-5 is configured via sending program changes to the unit, and as such
some very interesting effects can be had. For example, change the LFO
waveform, speed, and MIDI sync options on the fly for a sudden "ramp to
nowhere" effect in the middle of a tune. Or at the end of a tune, switch
suddenly to "Portamento continues on Key Up" for a nice fading trailer on a
lead line.
Once you setup the CV-5, the configuration will be saved to a EEPROM based
memory to become the power-up configuration. EEPROM memory in short means
NO BACKUP BATTERIES TO REPLACE! Wah Hoo!
With the fact that the CV-5 does *NOT* have a slick digital interface for a
front panel, comes a feature... This board would be incredibly easy to
internally mount in a synth. Since all of the programming and setup is done
via MIDI Program Changes, there is no day-to-day need to have access to the
box.
For those that need it, a Hz/v option is available for the unit.
Downs
Sigh... This is something that, while adding to the "blinky lights" feature
of any setup, really is useful to make sure that something is getting to
the box.
As I mentioned way up at the top, I didn't *have* to go through a
tuning/scaling process, but just to say I did, I did. The process that's
laid out in the manual is concise and works well. But there's a bit of
wiggling back and forth that has to be done with trimmers. I prefer a
digital approach to this task, but you can often zero-in on a hard to trim
machine a lot better with trimmers. It's a love/hate relationship. :)
I've sent Kyle a number of suggestions on the manual. I should point out
that all of the information that you will ever need is here, including
hookup and performance notes, and even a sample GATE->STrig conversion
circuit! Most of my comments to him were centered around organization
suggestions.
Summary
Looking for a great Multi-Channel MIDI->CV convertor? See the Encore Expressionist
Copyright 1998, Mark Pulver - mpulver@midiwall.com
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