Tag: DIY Project

Waveform Magazine PT2399 Delay – DIY Build

Waveform Magazine Project 1 - PT2399 Delay Module - DIY Build

When it was announced that there would be a magazine dedicated to modular synthesis, you can imagine the feedback from the modular community. Waveform Magazine was born in the summer of 2019 and upon its release it created a following.

To much of everyones surprise, not only was this a magazine that reviewed modules, manufacturers, artists, etc.. it also contained its very own DIY projects.

Project #1 was a upcycled karaoke reverb PCB that would be transformed into a eurorack delay. Otherwise known as the PT2399 Delay or Waveform Magazine Project #1, this little 5HP module inspired a whole new group of DIYers due to its new found glory of being published.

Waveform Magazine PT2399 Delay Module

PT23.. what?

At the heart of Waveform Magazine Project #1 is the PT2399 chip. The PT2399 is a CMOS echo/delay processor developed by Princeton Technology Corp.

This digital chip includes an ADC (Analog to Digital converter), 44Kb of RAM to store the samples and a DAC (Digital to Analog converter). This chip was created as a simple solution to add delay/reverb/echo to karaokes and set-up entertainment systems. Pretty rad eh?

The PT2399 is readily available and has a minimum delay of 30ms and a maximum of 340ms (that could be extended up to 1 second at the expense of sound quality) which makes it perfect for delay, echo and reverb effects.

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Waveform Magazine Switchenator – DIY Build

Waveform Magazine Project 3 - The Switchenator - DIY Build

Front Completed Switchenator

Issue 3 of Waveform Magazine (Winter 2020) is chock full of reviews, interviews, gear and even a new DIY Project. For their third DIY project, Waveform have provided us with another utility module that requires zero power and allows attenuation and signal toggling on the fly.

Waveform Magazine Project 3 is known as the one and only Switchenator!

We were thankful to take this build on and see what this module was all about!

To sum it up, the Switchenator is a dual passive attenuator and dual switch for Eurorack systems…. and it’s a little 4HP beast.

What’s this Waveform Magazine again?

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As previously mentioned in our Gateway Oscilloscope write up, Waveform Magazine is the first and only publication dedicated to modular synths. With that being said, we were stoked to receive the Winter 2020 edition of Waveform earlier this month partially due to all of the new gear reviews and industry news that they provide.

One of our favorite features is interviews with the modular synth manufacturers. It’s really cool to get to read about their journeys into modular synthesis and how they started their businesses. The interviews are so well written, it almost makes it feel like you know the owner of the modular company upon completing the article.

Note: In case you missed the opportunity to get the first three issues of Waveform, you can still pick them up over at the Waveform site (which we HIGHLY recommend you do!)