• From: hackney grid
  • Registered: 2008-07-09
  • Posts: 328

Topic: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

I am looking for a MIDI retrofit for my Polysix and I stumbled on this website... Does anybody know this brand or had experience with one of their retrofits?

The Polysix one is only 79 euri and by the looks of the Install guide, it seems a pretty easy job to undertake even for a chap with very little soldering experience like me... since the cheap list price and straight forward installation, one could probably afford getting it fitted professionally for a small fee.

The link: http://www.chd-el.cz/index.php?id=4

Any ideas?

signalsum

cimabot's Website

  • From: near rotterdam
  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 1,656

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

I think you get a good value for your money and it is not like you are f*cking things up like with synhouse crap.

i don't need the gear, the gear needs me 
http://www.mono-poly.nl/

mono-poly's Website

3 Reply by INTERFUNK (edited by INTERFUNK 2008-09-03 15:17:26)

  • From: PLANET AU-DA
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 368

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

the interfaces are great !!! simple to be installed - that

Orgel!
  • From: CPH S
  • Registered: 2008-07-14
  • Posts: 635

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

I have been thinking about buying the juno interface for a long time, but every time I think, now i'm gonna do it, i look in the manual and think, WOW that's way to complicated....

Home is where your hardware is!!!
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5 Reply by INTERFUNK (edited by INTERFUNK 2008-09-03 15:38:08)

  • From: PLANET AU-DA
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 368

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

i was also not very happy about reading a complete manual...but you do not really need all features...if you are happy with NOTE ON / NOTE OFF - it will be just a simple plug & play thing....

Orgel!
  • From: PLANET AU-DA
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 368

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

we have also that juno-60 interface....and a kenton PRO-DCB - the kenton is easier to use - but not really better..... sometimes i get dropouts with the kenton....the CHD has more features...finally you will get more for your money by bying a CHD interface...

Orgel!
  • From: CPH S
  • Registered: 2008-07-14
  • Posts: 635

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

INTERFUNK wrote:

we have also that juno-60 interface....and a kenton PRO-DCB - the kenton is easier to use - but not really better..... sometimes i get dropouts with the kenton....the CHD has more features...finally you will get more for your money by bying a CHD interface...

But isn't programming it hard? Syncing the lfo and app, which are the real benefits of buying on of the two, seems overcomplicated and it looks like you have to browse through the manual every time, to find the charts and correct settings...?

(The reason that i'm very skeptical it that i know that I won't use it if it's too hard)

And BTW.. Lets se som pics of that setup sounds like you have some nice gear!

Home is where your hardware is!!!
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  • From: hackney grid
  • Registered: 2008-07-09
  • Posts: 328

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

Uhhmmm...looks like I am buying it!

signalsum

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  • rude66
  • robot des duivels
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  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 1,844

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

hmm.. the mono/poly in poly mode via midi.. i like the sound of that. can you also still do tricks like letting the arpeggiator play one vco after another? if so, it sounds very tempting..

10 Reply by INTERFUNK (edited by INTERFUNK 2008-09-03 21:50:49)

  • From: PLANET AU-DA
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 368

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

@  Erroraudio

well if you want to sync the lfo, you must check the manual ..... but finally it

Orgel!
  • From: Ghetto Studio, London
  • Registered: 2008-07-09
  • Posts: 747

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

Yep, mono/poly one for me after payday!

+++ Dont be scared honey, thats just the resonance knob +++
  • Registered: 2008-07-09
  • Posts: 237

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

any simple ways to midify the juno 6?

13 Reply by TONY COPS (edited by TONY COPS 2013-06-03 15:18:10)

  • From: Montreal
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 980

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

edited

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  • From: Austin, TX
  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 184

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

Here is a neat little Jupiter-4 calibration tip for you: the manual says to turn a trimpot on each voice board to calibrate the pulse width of the square wave so that with the waveform selector on pulse (with a manual value of 1) you have a perfect hollow square wave.

I calibrate mine to be not be truly square so that when apply PWM the wave gets more narrow almost to the point of disappearing.  This gives you a much stronger sounding PWM effect and you can still get the true square wave from the waveform selector switch.  The down side is the manual pulse setting of 4 is inaudible but its worth it to me as I always thought the PWM was a little weak compared to something like the Korg Mono/Poly.

  • From: Montreal
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 980

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

Thanks for the tip, It might have to wait until next calibration but I'd like to give that a try.

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  • From: Austin, TX
  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 184

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

Yeah I suppose a better solution would be to swap out a resistor (or few?) to increase the mod depth.. but thats still a neat solderless trick

  • From: hackney grid
  • Registered: 2008-07-09
  • Posts: 328

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

Ordered the Polysix one... does all I need it to do, note on/off, Arp sync... Can't wait to install it smile

signalsum

cimabot's Website

  • From: beyond
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 156

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

looks great indeed, i need one for a jup-4 ... downloaded the readmes ... nothing on cv/gate as far i can see ... does the machine need cv/gate for the midifit to operate?

touch your fear, dont be afraid!
  • From: Montreal
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 980

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

No it doesn't, it uses the same electronics as the keyboard.

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  • From: beyond
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 156

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

great!

touch your fear, dont be afraid!
  • From: ragnaricii
  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 90

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

Honey Peters wrote:

any simple ways to midify the juno 6?

i think only kenton does midi retrofits for the juno6, but i might be wrong. would be great to have, or cv/gate in, but i guess thats impossible due to it having dco's.

  • From: CPH S
  • Registered: 2008-07-14
  • Posts: 635

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

inkinen wrote:
Honey Peters wrote:

any simple ways to midify the juno 6?

i think only kenton does midi retrofits for the juno6, but i might be wrong. would be great to have, or cv/gate in, but i guess thats impossible due to it having dco's.

I think http://www.dtronics.net/ 's midi kit for the juno60 fits the Juno6

Home is where your hardware is!!!
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  • Registered: 2008-07-09
  • Posts: 237

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

I just found this place
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~concuss/mods.htm
It will cost me 99 pounds for a DCB kit. They also have some 38 pound kit for a tr909 mod for hi-hat tune, kick true tune, and snare hpf with cv input.

24 Reply by TONY COPS (edited by TONY COPS 2013-06-03 15:18:03)

  • From: Montreal
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 980

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

edited

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  • lowlow
  • LowLow Roboter
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  • From: IT
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 30

Re: Cheap and simple MIDI retrofits...too goood to be true?

TONY COPS wrote:

Wow, I got my Jupiter 4 back this afternoon!

It's like getting a new synth, it's been calibrated and it sounds a bit smoother now, in a good way.
The CHD midi kit is great, it works through the keyboard CPU so you can still get portamento and the assign modes (poly/unison).

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 … G_3311.jpg

I love the Jp-4 arpeggios but Live's arpeggiator is a lot more useful, it's great to be able to use both together.
This Jupiter is nice to use a a mono synth and I'm glad I'll be able to sequence it now.

http://media.share.ovi.com/m1/roundedth … /audio.jpg

arpeggiated sequence and bass : Jupiter 4

/me wants CHD JP-4 retrofit ASAP !

thanks for sharing your experience with it

lowlow's Website