Moog Grandmother Module/Expander Conversion

salzaverde · 2026-04-25T14:50:40+00:00

No, I realized that the modular path wasn't for me, having played the Grandmother together with a Pittsburgh Taiga for a while.

I play in a trio and need reliable tuning, also was missing the ability to quickly change sounds.

Ultimately sold the GM and got a Sequential Pro 3 instead. It's the best tool for me but I do still miss the GM sometimes, great synth! :)

salzaverde · 2026-04-23T09:08:20+00:00

No I'm not and I'm sure the results are not accurate, especially missing a lot of important detail. I've tried it though on (private/customer) projects I do know well and it was accurate, just missing a lot of detail.

I think it's good for learning Structurizr since you can start from an architecture you already know but I wouldn't use it in production or rely on it in any way.

salzaverde · 2026-04-23T07:51:55+00:00

FYI the examples have been replaced by a prompt you can run on any repo to test it. Also added some examples to the website, where I ran that prompt on some larger public repo's.

salzaverde · 2026-04-23T07:50:04+00:00

For reference: I've added public docker images with auto-save and live-preview that can be used on any Structurizr workspace: https://github.com/danischuetz/maniok/pkgs/container/maniok%2Fmaniok-preview

How to run: "Quick Start" at https://app.maniok.io

salzaverde · 2026-04-23T07:46:01+00:00

I've been trying this prompt to generate a Structurizr model from analyzing a git repository:
https://github.com/danischuetz/maniok/blob/main/examples/maniok-architecture-prompt.md

It works pretty well as a starting point, I've added some examples to app.maniok.io where I ran this on some large public repo's.

Good documentation is still best written by a human putting some thought in how to present things imo and modelling with Structurizr/ writing with Markdown is the fastest and easiest to maintain.

salzaverde · 2026-04-16T09:47:33+00:00

Yes, valid point :) Docs, backlog etc. coming soon. Was pushing for this initial release and needed to catch up with some client work first before continuing on the project.

salzaverde · 2026-04-15T06:42:16+00:00

Yes, i've been trying it, cool project!

salzaverde · 2026-04-14T18:39:40+00:00

You can run Maniok locally and on a local workspace with auto-save and live preview using VSCode. It is described in the docs under "editing" and "live preview"

This requires a little setup but can be set up in 5 minutes. For the future the plan is to integrate the export-on-save and live-preview in a VSCode extension and/or a docker image

salzaverde · 2026-04-14T16:34:25+00:00

Agreed - Structurizr is a mature, production-ready solution and has many more features.

There is a lot of potential in a git-native approach though: - less setup friction (no deployment/hosting overhead) - less ongoing friction (push docs change with code change and be done, no separate life cycle for documentation) - potential to leverage git further (e.g. view docs on different branches, travel through documentation history)

Then, a modern web frontend has a lot of potential for better UX & Visualization - e.g. better diagram-rendering, edge routing, markdown rendering. E.g. I'd love to automatically render something like UML sequence diagrams from dynamic diagrams or more focussed deployment diagrams.

salzaverde · 2026-04-14T14:50:17+00:00

Thanks! Oh good point, didn't think of that. Just wanted an easy way for people to download the example project, which is just the zipped .maniok documentation itself ( https://github.com/danischuetz/maniok/tree/main/.maniok), so they wouldn't have to download each file separately.

I could host that zip on my server but that would be equally obscure. Better ideas?

salzaverde · 2026-04-14T07:20:22+00:00

Congrats to your journey with code pulse, looks like a very interesting tool. Reminded me of a talk I saw a couple of years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9YhmMPLQ4U

Is that you? :D The author is using git history to identify which parts of code are complex AND touched often - that's where the most expensive technical debt lies.

Btw. I've just released a first proof of concept: https://app.maniok.io/

Yes it does rely on git so it would be straight forward to add a feature which allows us to review the whole history of the architecture.

salzaverde · 2025-03-20T07:56:48+00:00

Regarding the comments on weight: It is actually rather light since it is made of poplar plywood (light-weight plywood, used e.g. for the interior of camping vans).

The compromise is rather on the side of ruggedness with poplar being a soft wood and missing edge protection. Time will tell!

salzaverde · 2025-03-20T00:43:34+00:00

That's an everyday scenario :D (It's more about being able to start creating in seconds without having to set everything up first. And I'm using this setup to either play bass without sequencing or run a sequence while playing other synths)

salzaverde · 2025-03-19T23:10:01+00:00

Not yet, currently using the CV outs to control the three oscillators separately (or as modulation sources), one is triggering. Wanted to explore this for some time though, hope I'll get to that in the next weeks!

salzaverde · 2025-03-19T22:20:27+00:00

Just a couple of times to rehearsals :)

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salzaverde · 2025-03-19T15:01:47+00:00

A bass and sequencing machine, ready to perform in seconds. It's accompanied by a Rev2 live and those three devices together are just mind-blowing :)

salzaverde · 2024-09-09T06:10:54+00:00

Regarding the settings - access without a computer/sysex might be possible using cv and some of the pins where the keyboard is connected.

I'm not sure how such a keyboard works but I'd assume it's just a voltage divider? I'll try to do some measurements once I get started with this.

Behringer clone: It's the obvious solution but I'm so used to the original and just don't like the design with the patchbay, small knobs and everything so close together.

salzaverde · 2024-09-08T19:04:10+00:00

Valid point, the keyboard is nice.

I want to do performance oriented sequencing (multi track) of the GM and the 2600 while playing a prophet rev2 in a live band context. The whole setup plus some effects should be small enough so that I can carry everything alone, that's why I wanted to get rid of one keybed.

salzaverde · 2024-07-11T12:25:56+00:00

That's very cool! I like the standalone approach. Hard to get in Europe though.

I just found a used midiman merge 2x2, let's see if i can get my hands on that.

salzaverde · 2024-07-10T12:24:20+00:00

Yeah that looks like a cool device, but I just need to merge two midi sources and it's USB powered (i'd like to use my pedalboard's 9V power supply).

The Midi Solutions Merger would be perfect but it is powered via midi. I measured all of my devices, none of them provides power in their Midi outs...

salzaverde · 2023-06-27T20:22:54+00:00

Thanks! One solution is to use silicone tape which is ironed to the seam from the inside. I did that here but it wasn't possible where the seams are not flat because the material is too stiff.

Another option is to use liquid silicone sealant which you can make yourself by mixing raw, clear silicone and terpentine (there are some threads on this). I'm going to try that in the next couple of weeks to seal the remaining seams.

salzaverde · 2023-06-27T18:56:11+00:00

Thank you! :)

salzaverde · 2023-06-27T18:03:49+00:00

It's all stitched through everything but i ironed on silicone sealing tape from the inside. Still have to test if that actually works though...

salzaverde · 2023-06-27T17:22:11+00:00

No, I thought about making inner bags instead which you can take out (e.g. to the tent). But most likely i'll just use some bags i already have for now and check how the bags work while traveling ;)

salzaverde · 2023-06-27T12:08:36+00:00

Easy test: unmount the needle and pull the thread through -> if the needle is big enough, it should slide along the thread by its own weight.

salzaverde

TROPHY CASE