In the Studio

Build a Remote Trigger for Your Eurorack CV Gear by Music Orange

I use a Strymon Magneto delay unit and recently had need to trigger it from across the room. It uses a CV input that looks for ± 5V to cycle through it’s loop record start, stop, and reset functions. I ended up building a remote trigger from purchased parts that was inexpensive, easy to build, and worked great. So, in case you find yourself in a similar situation, here is my solution.

What you’ll need:

  • (1) tap tempo box (NO, or “normally open”). You can get these for less than $20. I wanted a metal unit so bought a used MXR version for $30. It’s built like a tank and should last forever.

  • (1) guitar cable you don’t mind dedicating to the project. Any cheap one will do.

  • (1) shortish eurorack patch cable you also don’t mind dedicating to the project.

  • Soldering iron.

  • Voltmeter.

  • Any eurorack module that outputs a DC voltage. I used one of the attenuverters that is part of Make Noise Maths.

How to build:

Cut the jack off one end of the guitar cable and strip/expose the wires. Cut the eurorack patch cable in half and strip/expose the wires.

You’re essentially making a regular patch cord, but with a momentary switch spliced in the middle of it. And that switch is at the end of a long cable which means that you can place it wherever you need. Tap the switch and it will allow the voltage to get from the attenuverter output to whatever module input you need to trigger (in my case, the tap function on the Magneto). Using your voltmeter, check the eurorack patch cables to see which wires correspond to the jacks’ tip and sleeve (TS), then wire the cables together as follows:

  • Eurorack cable #1 tip (T) -> One side of the 1/4” cable

  • Eurorack cable #2 tip (T) -> The other side of the 1/4” cable

  • Eurorack cable sleeves (S) -> To each other

If your eurorack cables have a third wire, you can solder them both to the shield wire of the guitar cable. If not, you can cut off the shield that’s exposed at the end of the guitar cable.

In this photo, red is the tip (T), white is the sleeve (S), and yellow is the common/ground.

Tape or heat shrink the connections so they don’t short.

To use, plug either eurorack jack into the attenuverter (or other voltage supply module) and the other eurorack jack into your voltage input jack. That’s it!



At Home with the Aloneavirus by Music Orange

Recording Robin Bonnell at Michael’s house…

Recording Robin Bonnell at Michael’s house…

…and at Hector’s house.

…and at Hector’s house.

We’re starting week three of the Bay Area Shelter-in-Place Order. We’ve set up temporary home studios, have recorded musicians in our living rooms, and otherwise pushed through with composing jobs. We know we’re lucky to have them. Both of our wives are educators who now teach and work from home, and our kids are distance learning. These are crazy times. We hope all of you are staying safe and healthy and are able to weather the storm.

In the Studio: Adding Some Timbales, Without the Timbales. by Music Orange

Studio tip: When you don't have timbales at the studio, you can use a hand drum instead! Take a sneak peek as Hecdog works on finishing a new track for the Music Orange Library Online (MOLO).

You can check out the finished track, "Heat Wave" in our Music Orange Library Online (MOLO) under the 'Alt Latin...Ska' genre.