The Fort Processor #5

Isn'tses noise synth circuit for Fort Process now has a name - "The Fort Processor" - and can be pre-ordered, as a full kit or just the PCB, on the festival's crowdfunding page: ​https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fort-process-2018#/

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We are playing around with a few ideas on touch pad shapes/patterns/mutations.  These shapes were developed by taking asemic drawings I had made and seeing how they worked with the artwork. They are like mutations or organic forms.
​Drawings by Lisa McKendrick

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​Shoshana Zuboff​
I like the idea that the Fort Processor is a mutation like those described in this quote.

Stanislaw Lem - Solaris
How this ties in with the Fort Processor may seem fairly obvious. The disruption of signals and fragmented frequencies was something that we hoped we could achieve with this synth.

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Here is a screen shot of KiCad and shows the connections between the chips and other parts of the circuit. An asymmetriad is forming.

We had to abandon the radio chip. The interference and noise that was being generated by the chip was not the "right kind" of noise.  However the other sounds we were getting from the synth were better than expected, and we decided to use an audio input instead, making it possible to use an external radio via the input. This also opened up the possibility of connecting a range of devices though the audio input.  While our initial idea was to have a synth that was a radio, we decided that it was best left for another project, and it was nevertheless instrumental in helping us to achieve the result we ended up with.  The development process was eye opening and we have a much better idea on how certain elements work and do not work in this setting.  Also influencing this decision was that the components required would mean that the space would start to get cramped on such a small PCB. We decided that it is okay to give up on the part of the circuit that initially inspired the idea.  Problem solving can end up going around in circles and we had to eliminate the part that was not working, so that we could move forward.  One of the advantages of having  a deadline to work towards is that there is no option to let things drag on forever.  So what we now have is four CMOS chips: 4040, 4093, 4066, 4049. We have a very interesting circuit that will take a signal and cut up or process the sound with oscillation, delay, pitch shifting and speed control.  A Fort Processor emerged!