The TyCoon Synthesizer

[analogmonster]

Hello everyone,

after completion of my Oberheim SEM Clone activities I started with a keyboard synthesizer project, the TyCoon, a Synton Syrinx inspired synthesizer.

The first idea was to build a clone, but then I decided to keep the Syrinx architecture just in general, but with some enhancements, gadgets and additional stuff.

Not knowing how far I will come with that, I will show the steps and achievements of analysing the original, the famous Synton Syrinx, the specials and technical details and how far I got in cloning and reverse engineering them.

Part 1 that I completed was the keyboard interface. And that was already a point where I deviated from the Syrinx: See Build Pictures 2025 for details.

In the meantime I produced a YouTube video:

TyCoon Keyboard Interface

[analogmonster]

Part 2 was to provide a stereo output panner as output. The original just provided a direct VCA out, which was mono and just a line out with rather poor headphone capabilities.

So I decided to implement an external interface with 4 stereo outputs, 2 x headphone and 2 x line outputs. 4 stereo audio channels serve as input lines and will be provided with the TyCoon sound forming outputs to be placed somewhere in the stereo space.

See demo video on YouTube:

TyCoon Output Unit

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TyCoonOutSchema.pdf
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[analogmonster]

State 05.05.2025

Analogmonster · Phased

I decided to replace the power distributor of the external power supply by a real PSU, old school, with a toroidal transformer and two ua723 regulators pimped with 2n3055 transistors.



Regulator


Power Terminals

[analogmonster]

Alright, after a pretty long hiatus (and crushing a few modules for HaJo Helmstedt), the TyCoon is back in the game! Since I already gutted the poor thing and hooked it up to its own custom power supply, it’s finally time for the first new ‘module’.

Though calling it a ‘module’ is honestly giving it too much credit—it’s just a generic Fatar scanner. A primitive that does absolutely nothing except babysit the 4-octave keyboard and spit out MIDI data.



Back to old-school construction, just the way I like it. And I mean seriously old-school—I actually dug up some ancient resistors that look like they survived World War II (giggle). The kind that still has the actual resistance value printed in plain text instead of color codes.

Right now, it’s only scanning monophonic and without velocity detection, so let’s see how much more I’m gonna pimp it. After all, it’s just a software thing.

Front panel? Non-existent. It’s just squatting down there in the TyCoon chassis, doing its job. I tested the beast with my SEM clone, but long-term, that MIDI data will obviously be processed internally right inside the TyCoon.

Analogmonster · Sina

[analogmonster]

[analogmonster]

After extensive discussion rounds with the AI regarding the software, my TyCoon Keyboard Interface is finally finished!

It scans the Fatar keyboard or processes external MIDI, switchable on the front panel ("KBD / MIDI").

For export (MIDI OUT on the back of the device), it generates 4-voice polyphonic MIDI with velocity. Internally for the TyCoon itself, it generates 1 x CV / GATE / TRIGGER.

The velocity itself and the velocity sensitivity for export (MIDI OUT) can be turned on via the front panel ("Velocity" switch) and adjusted ("Velocity" pot).

Portamento can be switched on for the internal CV.

[analogmonster]

I developed an Oberheim Two Voice Pro Sequencer inspired MIDI and CV sequencer for my TyCoon system. Smartass I am I added improvements and additional features:

• The sequencer manages several sequences in parallel, limited by the EEPROM size only.
• There is no sequence maximum length. The sequence lengths are limited by EEPROM size only.
• The sequencer operates with two different sequence types: Voltage sequences and MIDI sequences. Voltage steps are created via CV / NOTE potentiometer and STEP STORE trigger, MIDI steps via TEACH IN. The last records a MIDI sequence from an external source (other MIDI sequencer, keyboard etc.).
The steps are defined as voltage step or MIDI step by a corresponding step attribute bit.
The sequences are defined as voltage sequence or MIDI sequence by the corresponding attribute bit of its first steps.
• All sequence(r) data are kept in EEPROM automatically.

Videos will follow.

[analogmonster]