Let's Design and Build a (mostly) Digital Theremin!

     Sorry I am sure this question has been answered but I missed the answer.  Can volume be set closer louder and closer softer on a D-LEV or is it just one way?  Switching might take a bit of getting comfortable with.  Also love to own one.  Have many instruments to trade, Sitar, accordion, etc...
Thanks 

"Sorry I am sure this question has been answered but I missed the answer.  Can volume be set closer louder and closer softer on a D-LEV or is it just one way?  Switching might take a bit of getting comfortable with."  - Yngvox Moogsteen

It's just the sign of the "Sens" knob on the V_FIELD page.  I use 50 for closer=louder, more traditional players use around -50 or so.  Closer=louder solves a lot of problems IMO, so it's too bad it wasn't the default from the git-go.  You can also instantly make it a lefty instrument via a knob on the SYSTEM page.

"Also love to own one.  Have many instruments to trade, Sitar, accordion, etc..."

Can't say I'm super interested in an instrument trade, but thanks for the offer!  If you would like to get on the "interested" list please email me (address is in my TW profile).

 Have many instruments to trade, Sitar, accordion, etc..."Can't say I'm super interested in an instrument trade, but thanks for the offer!  If you would like to get on the "interested" list please email me (address is in my TW profile).

Thanks for reply.  Very interesting instrument but unfortunately I have to wait.  I have more instruments than cash.  They are kind of a playable retirement plan.  But I must do some diversification or liquidation ,especially guitars, no new additions to the musical portfolio without a withdrawal.  Unfortunately.......
Darn.....
Thanks again

D-Lev Filtering Spreadsheet Bugfix

The filtering spreadsheet simulation apparently wasn't ready for prime time, found some bugs in it today (mistakes were made) - an update:

https://d-lev.com/support/d-lev_eq_2023-04-03.ods

The "cello_8" preset filter again:

I verified it via the super nifty program "Japa" (LINK) and it's in the Mint package manager.  The same author designed a ton of SW tools, as well as a reverb and pipe organ synth!

Open FPGA tooling for the Tang Nano 9K now supports the PLL blocks: https://github.com/YosysHQ/apicula/pull/160

"Open FPGA tooling for the Tang Nano 9K now supports the PLL blocks: https://github.com/YosysHQ/apicula/pull/160"  - ekahn

Thanks, I haven't been following this very closely at all.  Don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but does it seem like it might be ready for prime time any time soon?

In The Mood For... ???

I'm trying for a new violin preset.  Without a string oscillator and more formants I can't nail a violin in general, with all that string resonance and bow scraping and such, but I can sometimes get near the flavor of a specific one.  Anyway, while playing with the 0_OSC:vmod knob (harmonic level modulation with the volume hand) the violin suddenly started sounding really reedy, which was totally unexpected. What instrument does this sound like to you?

https://d-lev.com/audio/2023-04-26_in_the_mood.mp3

You can see what I'm up against when making presets, sometimes the least little thing can toss them into the uncanny valley (or over the ersatz cliff).

I'm trying for a new violin preset. What instrument does this sound like to you?

Cello?

Open FPGA tooling for the Tang Nano 9K now supports the PLL blocks: https://github.com/YosysHQ/apicula/pull/160

No BRAM support so far. Work is in progress. https://github.com/YosysHQ/apicula/pull/45
BRAM is essential for many projects.

Recent news from Sipeed tweets:

First batch of Nano 20K is ready. Will start selling after new GowinIDE version is ready (beginning of May)
https://twitter.com/SipeedIO/status/1648205790338228224

Gowin 138K based board will be ready in 2 months.

UPD: some details about upcoming 138K board in tweet

Investigation for 138K luts #FPGA, which one do you preferred?
SOM have 2xDDR3, Dev Board have dual-GbE, PCIe, HDMI in + HDMI out, RGB/MIPI DSI, DVP/MIPI CSI, 4~6 PMOD, etc.
BGA676 chip have 2 group serdes that can make PCIe + 2xSFP, BGA484 have 1 group can only make PCIe.

There is a poll in this tweet.

BGA484 SOM ~$72        15.9%
BGA676 SOM ~$89        19.5%
BGA484 dev board ~$99  19.5%
BGA676 dev board ~$119 45.1%

Most likely, dev board will use SOM with board-to-board connector.
So it should be possible to make custom carrier board (e.g. digital theremin) with btb connector. Of course, btb connectors usually use fine hard to solder pins pitch.

Fast SERDES or MIPI D-PHI could allow better resolution of theremin sensor if used for AFE connection (up to 12.5 or 20 Gsps).

Probably, FPGA chip will have hardcore RiscV (if GW5AST chip chosen)

GW5AST series of FPGA products provide a hardcore processor RiscV AE350_SOC

138K seems to be a lot of resources for synthesizer. 

| Thanks, I haven't been following this very closely at all.  Don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but does it seem like it might be ready for prime time any time soon?

No clue - probably not, honestly, but worth keeping an eye on and at some point might make a nice afternoon project.
I'm also not sure what the state of SystemVerilog is in yosys/nextpnr, the examples all seem to be Verilog based.

Colorlight i5 is probably a better development platform for the time being, but not as cheap as Sipeed models. Of course you could always use the Gowin EDA suite rather than open tooling, but that sort of defeats the purpose of using their parts in the first place unless optimizing aggressively for size.

(Eric knows this already, but) I have ordered several samples of the Xiaomeige EP4CE10 solder-down modules you posted earlier in the thread, and have successfully compiled D-Lev gateware for it - a few more pins, plenty of BRAM and LUTs free compared to EP4CE6, and it comes with an external SRAM chip should that ever prove useful in the future. About $58 US /each.

Coil Swap

It was really electrically noisy upstairs today, which led to this interesting experiment: https://youtu.be/hV9YMgJ8Hxs