Hey hey, I've got the video bug too. No builds as of yet, still sorting out the arcane while trying to cobble relics together. Hopefully I'll have some content to share one of these months.

Those faders are a work of art. Good luck with it!

Most organs I've interacted with have multipin connectors between sections. These multipin connectors will OFTEN carry the various low voltage supplies from the PSU, etc. I have also seen these multibuss lines carry AC mains from the wall.

Be aware, older organs are very complex devices and without a service manual you'll need to be able to identify hazardous elements.

That said, I would look for a REVERB or TAPE send/return, as those were both common elements in later units. Tape will deal primarily with line level, reverb send is probably going to be at a level similar to a headphones send, so a touch hot but still within reason more or less.

You may luck out and find RCA connector feeds for all your audio needs, but, just be careful - you can find AC in surprising places.

[figure out what the receiving device is expecting to "hear" and configure your source to deliver that.]

I think you're after a nominal +5 volt pulse, line level audio stuff is going to be well under that.

I've done some syncing off audio signal to tubed oscillators, which, while a different animal exhibited a similar problem. Straight audio did nothing, amplifier outputs into the 28 volt range (100 watt amplifier) would run it, but only wide open, and I was losing a lot of nuance..  a 70 volt commercial amplifier drives them like a champ.

The moral of my story: figure out what the receiving device is expecting to "hear" and configure your source to deliver that. Don't go too crazy with boosting for logic, it might behoove you to deploy a diode to block negative excursions of your signal from reaching the logic on the synth, and only use as much voltage amplification as you need to get the job done..

I wonder if something like the voice frequency to CV circuit on page 10 of this would work as an appropriate interface to Arduino: http://www.loscha.com/scans/Polyphony-1978-10.pdf

Or even to bang out a VCO to drive the delay clock..

D'oh! I just now saw this...

Yes, it does have a function that will clock delay repeat based on pitch at input. I'll see if I can manage an audio demo of that function, it is cool.

It's also very old tech, by a company that no longer exists and I was unable to locate much of anything about them due to the VERY generic terms that comprise the company name (damn you Audio Digital!).

Seems like there would be a few ways to go about recreating the effect these days, depending on what your delay unit uses to reference the front panel control for repeat speed. I'm not well versed in using Arduino, but that's the sort of thing that seems tailor fit...

I'm not sure if the MIDI process & the sound banks share a clock reference or not. I have heard bent MIDI machines play, so I'd guess you stand a chance of being OK. If your work is going to impede the functionality of the device, all bets are off...

I'm not a circuit bender though, so I really can't say.

Good luck!

Fuuuck, RIP. 

The HR16 can be set to sync to external MIDI clock or follow it's own. I imagine the SR is similar, just set one to follow clock (but ignore note commands, which the "master" can send, unless....)

Been about 15 years since I've owned an SR-16, I've fond memories of it.

Many moons ago I was sold an Alesis MMT-8 (same general unit and identical power supply requirements) with a DC supply of 9 volts. It didn't work.

However, that probably had more to do with the voltage drop in the rectifier stage starving the MMT-8 than not allowing DC to pass through the rectifier...

The original Nintendo NES was an AC powered device, and I know first hand that DC supplies (of large enough capability) work fine with it.

i have an alesis hr16 that i am modifying, and it runs on the 9v AC supply... would there be any possible way that i can power a dc motor off of the alesis hr16? is it possible to use a 9v DC supply? if not, is it possible to strobe around the board of the alesis and find a 9v source that would be DC, or is AC flowing all around it? thank you in advance!

If you can identify the output of the rectifier in the HR-16 you could, THEORETICALLY tap DC there. Here are some considerations you may want to factor in:
The motor may pull enough current to starve the HR electronics or tax power supply components.
Certain motors can produce back EMF, and in certain instances MAY produce a voltage - that when attached to the logic Vcc supply may cause you problems.

A lot of maybe and perhaps there, I'm a huge proponent of experimentation, but I wouldn't put a motor in the supply side of something I couldn't live without (if you're picking up what I'm laying down..)

A 1 amp power supply does not force 1 amp on the circuit, it is built to safely operate in conditions in which it will be passing up to 1 amp.

The circuit itself is what dictates actual current based on the voltage supplied.

Therefore, fixating on 80mA vs 1A is chasing a red herring. I would start by checking voltages, polarity & wiring.

Something else is happening.

Perhaps the 1A supply is delivering AC instead of DC? That would account for the symptoms you describe...

A lot of it is not the device or circuit itself, but how it is wired up and what else is in the chain.

That subject is incredibly open ended, and everyone will have a different approach. I like having a compressor (doesn't need to be "nice") in a feedback loop to rein everything in a bit, makes finding pockets and returning to them easier (for me). Everyone is going to have a different angle on this.

That particular track could have been anything, the time element makes me think there may have been a delay involved, possibly looping something that then tickled a feedback circuit that was more or less balanced at the point between heavily effecting signal and sustained oscillation.

But, it really could have been anything.

I'd look up a mounting board, it's essentially a self adhesive backing material used to mount prints for framing. Basically this stuff:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/crescent-perfect-mount-self-adhesive-mounting-board/

Art supply store, framing store, maybe even a craft store...

Honestly, I would inquire at framers first, SOMETIMES they are run by cool people, and there is usually odds and ends in the cut-off scrap bins that are too small for their purposes and probably more than enough for yours. Most also wind up with broken glass in their dumpster, so be understanding about liability and they may let you dig. (I got free art supplies for YEARS doing this)

A three head deck should do this right out of the box, the third head being a dedicated playback head (instead of a record/play head) that will allow you to monitor what you're recording as you record it. There is the aspect of latency.

I've heard people posit the question "well, what about recording/playback with the same head?" and at that point the tape is not part of the equation, and it's FAR SIMPLER to just use a transformer, which is what that idea would amount to, if it was possible (which it is not, due to a single winding in the head that is used for either recording, or playback).

Realistically, this is why I like recording to tape in the first place. You don't have to chase cockamamie  ideas to secure the tape sound, it's already there. I've yet to meet a  live sound system that is nice enough that it really matters.

Of course, I'm making suppositions on the hifi end of the audio spectrum, maybe you're after something more akin to the walkman distortion? Walkman distortion is pretty much just blowing out your signal with the tape preamps..  good clean fun.

Too many projects, with too little time! 

QFT!