The Stereoping Synth Controller is a small studio tool which will be connected with your music synthesizer to allow editing it’s extensive world of parameters conveniently in realtime. Note: The “gate” terminology can be quite confusing here because a JFET has a “gate”, but the JFET is also serving as a noise gate in this particular application.Stereoping CE-1 Midi Synthesizer Controller loaded with Korg Poly-800 midi program and PH-800 faceplate. DTA1 is a transistor which opens and closes the gate of the F1 (2SK381) audio muting n-channel JFET.į1 receives the audio input on its drain, outputs the audio signal on its source, and the amount of audio signal which is allowed to pass through the JFET is controlled by its gate voltage. Once the noise gate control signal enters the Chorus PCB, it passes through R80 which then affects DTA1 (DTA114N). The CN6 connector passes this signal from the mainboard to the Chorus PCB on pin 2. Specifically, IC15 (TC40H174) pin 7 changes from 0V when the signal is allowed to pass, to 5V when the gate is activated. The noise gate circuit is located on the Chorus PCB, but is actually controlled by a signal on the mainboard. Note: This section is mostly academic, and might only be of interest to the technically minded. The switch can either be mounted on the outside of the Poly-800 case for easy noise gate selection, or tucked away inside the case for semi-permanent noise gate behavior. When the switch is flipped in the opposite direction, the noise gate will be once again controlled by the Poly-800 circuit, and will activate normally. When the two position switch is flipped toward ground then the noise gate will never activate, as is the purpose of this modification. – Screw the Chorus PCB back to the front panel, and reconnect CN6. – Locate R80 from the top side of the Chorus PCB.
#Korg poly 800 mod#
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE NOISE GATE MOD Lastly, even in a performance setting, defeating the built-in noise gate allows for other real-time noise suppression to be used, most of which will be more configurable and effective than the synthesizer’s own hardware. This effect can be more distracting and jarring than the noise it is intended to conceal, as the contrast between noise and signal is actually made more evident.Īlso, in a studio setting, modern noise reduction solutions (iZotope RX, et al) work exceptionally well, and can mitigate or even totally eliminate all noise throughout the entire signal rather than just hoping a strong signal will mask any noise present until the gate clamps down without subtlety. In the case of the Poly-800, this muting can be abrupt and cause “spitting” and “fizzing” type noises in the decay tail, especially on patches with long, gradual release settings. Like any noise gate, the Poly-800 noise gate does not truly eliminate noise, but rather just mutes the audio path when the signal drops below a certain threshold. REASONS TO DISABLE THE POLY-800 NOISE GATE Doing so requires modifications to the hardware, but is non-destructive and can be easily reversed, if desired.
#Korg poly 800 how to#
This is a guide on how to add a toggle switch to optionally defeat the built-in noise gate feature on the Korg Poly-800 (original mk1 model) synthesizer. The Korg Poly-800 should NOT be plugged in or turned on while performing this modification! Be mindful of static discharge and electric shock. The usual disclaimers about liability and damaging your equipment apply.