Pro-One Calibration and J-Wire Cleaning

I recently cleaned the j-wires and re-calibrated my Sequential Circuits Pro-One. I cleaned the j-wires and the contact bar with isopropyl alcohol and cotton swaps, although proper contact cleaner is recommended. I also gently bent a few of the wires to improve the connection to the contact bar.

I knew about the calibration problem prior to any of this maintenance, but I noticed it even more after cleaning the j-wires. I’m not sure why this would be the case, but I resolved to take a stab at the calibration myself having not attempted it before. Looking on the scope I could see that an octave on the keyboard was actually a quarter tone sharp and therefore unplayable. I made the necessary adjustments for both oscillators and now it sounds great.

After the calibration I produced this sequence entirely on the Pro-One in a single take by programming two short sequences into the on-board sequencer. The first sequence was played at several pitches to create a progression. I also switched off the oscillator sync at the same time I switched to the second sequence to create an octave doubling of the melody then re-enabled the sync at 1:41.

Pro-One-Sequence-Calibrated

Ostraka with Miditerranean

I recorded this all analog synthesizer jam recently while my friend and fellow synthesist Michael Moline, otherwise known as Miditerranean, was visiting. I played an arpeggio on the Roland MKS-80 while Michael made noises on my Pro-One. In addition I played a few notes on the Roland Juno-106 for some additional melodic content.

Ostraka_with_Miditerranean

D.O.G. (DKO/Ostracon/Ghostband) Debut

Don’t miss the debut of D.O.G. Three people, three bands, three totally distinct concepts. This event features performances by DKO, Ostracon, and Ghostband, Wednesday, November 30 at the Honey Lounge, 205 E. Hennepin, Minneapolis, MN (Doors at 9:00pm, 3 bands, $5 cover, 18+).
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Parasite

Call it a bomb whistle or a filter sweep. In any case this descending analog tone is doubled on another layer with a twenty-second delay. Over the top of that I introduced some glitchy analog crackles about a minute into it.

Parasite