My first homebuilt analog synthesizer (called The POS) was started in 1986 as a very small semi-modular synth. One large, flat panel with i think 2 VCOs, 1 VCF, 1VCA,and 2 LFOs. The front panel was a piece of hard nylon plastic that i scrounged from my job. All the "modules" were mounted on this one faceplate but were separate circuits. All were very cheap, shoddy designs but they worked. After acquiring the book Electronic Music Circuits i started to rebuild them one by one. Originally i started to build a synthesizer for my bandmate to play in addition to our Moog Sonic Six. He never really took a strong interest in the homebuilt, perhaps it was too weird or something :^) After many rebuilds the POS started to sound and play much better so i decided "hey, if he's not gonna play it- then i guess i will." This was about late 1987 or 1988. the POS continued to evolve and grow, slowly, until 1992 when i moved. It still got played a bit but not worked on much.
1993 i decided to hack up one of the realistic MG-1 units i had just acquired that was kind of beaten up. By this time there were more modules laying around than would fit in the POS so i used a few of them and built an expander unit for the MG-1. I brought out all sorts of connections on the MG-1 to a separate module in the expander. 'Someday' i will post the documents from this project for other MG1 owners to check out. This became the POG1. Eventually in 1996 i chopped the keyboard off the MG-1 and heavily modifryed the circuitry. At about the same time i started working on the POG1 i acquired (most of a) Moog Progidy in trade for a repair job. Missing the keyboard and a small chunk of face panel it had a toasted VCO, LFO, and Trigger circuit. Since i already owned a Prodigy (in good condition) i knew i liked their sound quite a bit, but thought i could make a new synth with the prodigy guts but a lot more function.
Enter
the POG2 which was started in 1998.
At the moment the POG2 is the only synth
i have posted pictures and a description of. Sometime soon i will
post a description and picture of the POG1 which is undergoing some heavy
duty overhauling. Eventually i will do the same with the POS and then it
will also be on this site.
In
early 2000 i started overhauling the POG1.
bigger wooden case for more module space. Grabbed a few more modules from
the old POS which put it in unusable condition :^( Added a spring reverb ---which has since been removed.
One of the distinctive aspects
of the POG1 is the Flying Saucer which
is an optical interface, actually it is a shadow controller. i apply a
bright light to the surface which has 9 CdS cells and it generates control
voltages which i can patch any old way into the POG1. Then by moving
my hands, feet, head, or whole body through the field of light and creating
shadows on the Flying Saucer i can control
various parameters on the synth.---ed--
haven't used the Flying Saucer in years
but i have been comtemplating a newer version of it with a small 8bit micro
brain.
very slightly updated 12/8/09
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