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mikko-apo | 3 years ago
> The team uses software to prototype their instruments before implementing hardware designs. With the basic software platform already functional, developing the wavestate using Compute Module 3 took a fairly modest year
From that I would assume that software is developed on regular PCs and it took a year for them to get the software running on CM3 and hook up the CM3 to the two circuit boards and various systems. Which is super fast.
> The setup has two circuit boards. The main panel board contains all of the user interface elements, including display, buttons, knobs, wheels, and other synth-specific controls, along with MCU microprocessors to support them and communicate with the CM3.
Main board has all the physical buttons, knobs wheels, displays etc and MCUs are used to communicate with CM3
> The other circuit board has subsystems for audio, MIDI, the musical keyboard, and power, plus the socket for the CM3
The 2nd circuit board has D/A converters, midi connectors, keys and power and the CM3.
The CM3 is basically responsible for all the computations on the device. It gets inputs from various sources and outputs constantly digital audio to the DAC, midi to the midi out, data to the display etc.
I guess this would be the part where details would have been nice, but there's probably lots going on. How they ensure low latency function of the synth platform, how does the development process go, how does the CM3 integrate with the various systems. Each of those would be very indepth stuff, but imo the HN relevant part how they sped up the overall development of the platform and that is covered by the article.
Anyways, the cool part is how the three devices use the same hardware, so Korg can basically recycle both hardware designs, components and software from synth to synth. This speeds up development and reduces costs. Super cool.
Comparing that to how synths were made in the 80s, where you had to have a separate board per voice and replicate all the analog components between voices and keep their power usage and heat in control.
Thomann has nice pictures of the synths. The reuse is very obvious:
https://www.thomann.de/fi/korg_wavestate.htm
https://www.thomann.de/fi/korg_opsix.htm
https://www.thomann.de/fi/korg_modwave.htm
The insides of Yamaha CS-80 from 1977 (weight: 82kg) look a bit different
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_poihkLM5Go
Of course, with modern components a CS-80 clone (Black Corporation Deckard's Dream mk2) fits in to rack format and weighs only 4.5kg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNf0kpidGc4
but the assembly of the DIY kit looks pretty painful:
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