Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    I believe Roland makes (or once made) such a device.  Don't know
    the model number.  Will see if I can track it down.  Don't hold
    your breath.
    
    len.
    

Last I heard, PAIA was designing a kit that does MIDI <==> CV conversion.
Don't know if it is on the market yet, but the price was gonna be in the
below $100 range.

I made a design for one on paper using an 8051 and a 12-bit A/D, but
like most of my other "projects", it never made it into the
implementation stage.

Let me know what you find.  I have an ARP Avatar that I'd love to convert
to MIDI in both directions.  Then I'd have a MIDI guitar controller plus
a fat analog sound source available thru MIDI...

Todd.

    I think the box you're looking for is a Roland MPU-101. 

    Thought about getting one for my Arps before I sold them.  The box
    cost more than the Arps were worth.

    Good luck.

-b

    I talked to PAIA about 3 monthes ago and they do have CV->midi and
    midi->cv including a mux which will take midi and produce 8 cv's
    (voice allocation) the real kick is that its only 89$ (as i recall)
    call them (I dont have the number, but get it from Oklahoma City
    directory info). They will send you a catalog.
    
    By the way, Anyone out there have a CAT-SRM synth working or not
    working for sale? Mine just died and I want to midi it.!
    
    

    PAIA stuff usually requires a power supply (hidden cost). Also (from
    experience) their stuff is not generally up to commusic's high
    standards :-)
    
    	- Rick
    

    Anyone have a recent address for PAIA?  Cheap midi to cv sounds
    interesting. Put that old moog on the net ! 
    
    							-Jeff
    

	Having recently obtained a couple of monophonic analog synthesizers with
CV/gate interfaces, I'm interested in either Roland's MPU101 or PAIA's MIDI-CVI
devices.  Has anyone had any experience with either of these?  I have the PAIA
catalog right on my desk and ordering their device is only a phone call away.
They will ship it in kit form or fully assembled/tested.  The difference is only
$20.

	Dan

    
    Re: .7
    
    All I can say is thst every PAIA kit I've built in the past, I've
    always managed to screw up something that took a little time to debug.
    For $20, *I'd* buy it assembled.
    
    							Brian

    
    Review of PAIA Midi<->CV converter.
    -----------------------------------
    
    	I finally build and hooked up the Paia Midi-CV converter I
    mentioned awhile ago in this conference.
    
    In a nutshell, Im impressed and glad I got it.
    
    It cost $79 as a kit (this price has since gone up to $99)
    The kit consists of a 6x8" circuit board with about 75 parts.
    Sockets are provided for all chips, except the main CPU, which
    is this weird staggerred pin 70 pin deal, which I recommend
    buying and using Molex strips as a socket for.
    
    All you need is an edge connecter, jack for your synths cv and gate
    (my cat srm uses a stereo 1/4"), socket for the wierd chip,
     and a +15/-15 supply. I picked up a nice supply from Micromart 
    mailorder for $12. 
    
    
    I'm a experienced solderer and it took me about 2 hrs to solder
    everything on the board, about 15 minutes to wire up the edge connecter
    to the jacks, and about 1 week to debug the thing.
    
    I powered it up and it didnt work, but PAIA has EXCELLENT support,
    and Scott there was very patient and availbile every time I called.
    Turns out my ground connection to my power supply wasn't good
    and I had a floating ground.
    
    Now it works great. I am able to play tempo 1->500 riffs into the
    thing and my cat follows it faithfully.
    
    The unit also has a simulatious CV->midi, which I have not used.
    Also, it has a DIP switch selectable midi channel for in and out,
    and a RS232 port to talk to its firmware OS. 
    
    It comes with a kit manual, and a developers manual for reprogramming
    it and adding additional features to it.
    Also availble is a 1-64 channel mux that hooks up to it and allows
    midi to 16 assignable CV outputs, including MIDI controlllers to
    CV. Sounds great if you have a patchcord synth.
    
    I would recommend spending the additional $20 for having it build
    for you. Overall, im psyched. My circa 1979 fat analog cat is 
    now on midi channel 16.
    
    any questions let me know.
    Pete
     

Could you post the current address and phone number for PAIA ?  

How about for Micromart (where you got that cheap power supply !) ?

    PAIA 1-405-340-6300
    Micromart 1-201-654-6008
    

    PAiA Electronics, Inc. 3200 Teakwood Lane, Edmond, OK 73013
    (405)340-6300.
    Rec'd their new catalog today; no surprises.  
    MIDI-CV interface:
    M-CVI kit, $119.95 + $3p&h
    assembled $139.95 + 3
    IM-CVI manual $10
     It's a board with no cab and no power for an edge-card connector.
    SMPTE card (added to MCVI above), %59.95 + 2 kit,
    $74.95 + 2 assembled.
    
    Aldso, midi keyboard kit circuits board, rom, plans for experienced
    circuit builders, $45
    
    Polyphony back issues, books, and th usual, the vocoder is $99.95.
    no power supply, the rack panel is separate, I don't know why.
    
    Tom

    
    Sounds like this PAIA kit is a good deal.  I saw an article on Studio
    Electonics, the guys who advertise in the back of the music rags for
    their rack-mount MIDIed versions of the MiniMoog.
    
    Their current lineup is the MIDIMoog (the racked Mini), a rack of two
    Oberheim SEM units and a rack of the Roland TR-808.  Coming soon:
    Prophet 5.  
    
    Prices?  Sitting down?  Slightly varying but about $1500 if you supply
    the synth and $2000 if they have to find a used one.
    
    They go in and rehab the unit, add MIDI control well beyond what this
    PAIA thing does....would you believe velocity and CC control of
    parameters on a MiniMoog?  For the Prophet they have obtained the
    source code for the microprocessor and are rewriting it to allow MIDI
    control of almost everything on the machine.
    
    The article also said that the Japanese are now buying up all the old
    analog synths they can find, much as they have sucked up old Les Pauls and
    Strats in recent years.  The first *50* Prophet racks are to be sent to
    a Tokyo music store.  Hmm....
    
    							Brian

    I wonder if they're considering doing any other P5-era synths? It would
    be great to have an OB-Xa (or OB8, for that matter) than responds to
    CCs, velocity, etc. 

+b

    
    Re: .14
    
    At their prices, you could go buy yourself an Xpander.
    
    It's all based on studio musician demand (thus the TR-808, heard any
    rap records lately?). 
    
    							Brian

    No, not that (!) - I mean if they can get their hands on the code, and
    blast a few ROMS ... I already have the Xa, and a MIDI kit on it.  I'd
    fork over a few quid to get some opsys mods.  Otherwise, I can twist
    knobs on the fly as well as anyone. 

+b

    I was wondering, is PAiA still in business? Do they have a
    FAX no.?
    
    I'm looking for a source for CEM synth (VCO) chips. I know Wine
    Country Productions sell them as spares for Prophets, and
    they are priced accordingly - $45 each !!!
    I could use SSM chips, they are still being made (by Precision Monolithics),
    but they have no VCOs.
    
    Didn't PAiA sell CEMs at some time?
    
    Joachim
    
                                        

	I have here a brochure for the new PAIA MIDI/control voltage 
	interface and new MUX Expander cards. (comes in kit or built form)
	You can use a system of these things to accomplish

	midi -> cv, cv <- midi

	midi control change -> CV
	ie: pitch, velocity, CC1 (mod wheel), CC3 (chan press), CC4 (foot),
	CC7 (volume)

	Plus various other modes that allow midi to polyphonic CV and/or
	a mix of control voltages.

	The detailed brochure outlines how you can control up to
	64 analog instuments with a system or control lighting 
	with midi.

	I have the basic midi/cv board and can tell you its good.

	Prices for built items are:

	midi to cv	$139	(one midi to one cv)
	MUX master card $ 99	(midi to 8 cvs, many modes)
				(add up to 16 Muxs for more CV out)
	Buss card with
	power supply	$ 39	(backplane for up to 5 cards)

	Paia
	3200 Teakwood Lane,	Edmond, OK 73013 405-340-6300

	From the latest PAIA catalog:

	MV-8 Midi and control voltage processor

	pre packaged rack system with 8 general purpose midi<->cv
	converters. control 8 synths or 1 synths pitch/velocity/wheel/...

	kit $299 assembled $399

	Single cv<->midi unit kit $119 assem. $139

	vocoder kit $99

	dual limiter kit $49

	1 space rack enclosure (for diy) $19
	2 ""				 $22

	neural network analog to digital converter?
	"maps a continuous voltage onto a 4 dimensional binary
	output ..(two 4 bit D->A converters" kit $35

	lots of midi and music and electronic books
	cv synth modules: ADSR $37,2 VCAs $40, VCO $38
	midi remote keyboard kit, circuit board and roms $45
	37 note AGO keyboard for above $65.
	kits for all the projects in anderton's "electronic projects 
	for musicians"

	and saving the best for last.

	PC-MIDI package: IBM-PC Midi interface kit, includes
	Voyetra Sequencer Plus Jr., VAPI driver, and midi
	interface KIT. $99!

	These guys are cool: PAIA 405-340-6300

Re .19:

Hey, thanks! I've seen the perennial ad for the PAIA vocoder in EM for what
seems like eons, and often idly wondered if they sold anything else- I'm not
silicon- and solder-literate to the extent that I'd attempt a DIY project of
any significance, but kits I can do!

BTW, FWIW, (love that alphabet soup!) PAIA was connected with the music journal
(can't recall the name) which eventually became EM. The news that PAIA has kits
for all of Craig Anderton's projects (oh so welcome) is somewhat understandable
given the amount of shared history.

Thanks again,
	Bob