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Can you break an analog synth by pushing it too far


zlemflolia

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Pretty sure the answer is no but I just want to double check

 

If you really make the parameters insane (max tempo, max resonance, max everything so it sounds like it's screaming) there's no risk of some internal component overheating and melting or something is there?

 

Can you safely use any parameters you want for any period of time?

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Can you safely use any parameters you want for any period of time?

 

Yes, unless the electrical circuit is really badly designed. Have never heard of a commercially produced synthesizer with such a problem.

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The parameters won't break your synth.

 

Im sure that some parameters have a greater effect on your synth life than others, like ones that could pulse current instead of constant flow. Although Im no EE but Im sure the effects of this are vastly out-weight by factors such as where you keep your synth: hot/cold/dirty/clean/smokefree or if you drop it.

 

Most electronics die at the same time as their peers. So if the synth is known for craping out after a certain amount of play time, it usually won't be far off.

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Depending on your monitors/speakers you might break them.

 

I remember temporarily breaking my macbook speaker by recording a yowza mcbowza (no lie) and playing it with loads of added distortion and shit. Made a pop and stopped working for a while. Good times.

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all analogue synthesizers have a destruct sequence that is triggered by a certain configuration of the ADSR envelope only known to synthesizer engineers, and to be used in an absolute emergency.

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Guest Chesney

A typical filter chip has 14,000 filter sweeps in it's lifetime, choose them wisely.

Take a 1/3 off that number if you sweep with full resonance.

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Look I'm just asking lol, like I said I was 99.99% sure this is a dumb question but I am now 100% sure. And this is now the first result when googling this so now anyone else can see the answer too.

 

They say oscillators can become detuned and shit like that from extended use and that's the appeal of analog, how would I know whether that can be taken towards an extreme where a capacitor is blown or some bs

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Look I'm just asking lol, like I said I was 99.99% sure this is a dumb question but I am now 100% sure. And this is now the first result when googling this so now anyone else can see the answer too.

 

They say oscillators can become detuned and shit like that from extended use and that's the appeal of analog, how would I know whether that can be taken towards an extreme where a capacitor is blown or some bs

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/

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The synths will only break if they are male synths as they are pushed much harder than the female ones.

 

To properly sex your synth you have to open it up and count every capacitor inside. Even numbers = Male, odd numbers = female.

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The synths will only break if they are male synths as they are pushed much harder than the female ones.

 

To properly sex your synth you have to open it up and count every capacitor inside. Even numbers = Male, odd numbers = female.

StephenG is correct and make sure to include the ceramic capacitors in that count. Just because their portly doesn't mean that they don't need lovin'.

 

However I want to add that even though you are told to only couple male to female/female to male connections with your non-polarized capacitors, you can couple them bisexually, full on male and male. But make sure you use plenty of protection and coating or else you'll lead to some nasty discharges and clumps of solder paste all over the place.

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i used to be able to make my RM1X have a seizure by pushing it to the max..

nice

 

I love how digital stuff can sound when it's pushed beyond recommended usage, sometimes moreso than analog..

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i used to be able to make my RM1X have a seizure by pushing it to the max..

nice

 

I love how digital stuff can sound when it's pushed beyond recommended usage, sometimes moreso than analog..

 

Yeah there's something about the complexity of digital systems when you start to push them to their limits, there's more of a rugged "geography" to the texture where analog stuff is more fluid like air or water. Saturating the sequence memory of a paleolithic sequencer and data-fucking any old sound module with it is a pretty good time.

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Guest sonnyskare

One time in college we plugged the speaker output of a 10 watt guitar amp into the composite video input of an analog projector.

 

That's the kind of thing you don't want to do.

wew lad

 

seriously though that's funny as hell

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i used to be able to make my RM1X have a seizure by pushing it to the max..

nice

 

I love how digital stuff can sound when it's pushed beyond recommended usage, sometimes moreso than analog..

 

 

 

3 words:

 

Intelligent Pitch Shift

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