Walter Miller's
Millioniser 2000
Summary by Wim Dijkgraaf
Since Oktober 1996, I study intensively the usage of the Millioniser 2000. An indepth description of the M2000 will be published in Richard Martin's magazine "The Harmonica Educator".
The M2000 was developed between 1979 and 1984 by Ronald Schlimmer of SM Elektronik, from an idea by Swiss harmonica player Walter Muller (Walt Miller). Although the first models were assembled by the English company Acorn Computers, manufacturers of the BBC Micro, "mass" production is done by Suzuki. The M2000 is still available!
The hardware didn't change very much since the first released model, but there are several software versions on the market. The latest software update is from April 16, 1987 and includes a MIDI out implementation.
The Millioniser 2000 really was a revolutionary instrument. It was the second breath controlled synth ever produced, and for those times very sophisticated (the lyricon being the first but this instrument had a lot of technical problems).
The M2000 consists of two units, the control unit which is the actual 'harmonica' and the main unit, which contains the built in synthesizer, main operating system, pre-amplifier and MIDI out controllers.
The control unit (C.U.) is about 10 inches wide, with a sliding mouthpiece and a number of programming and performance controls on the top and sides. Besides the numerous buttons, there are several sensors inside of the C.U. The player blows into a one hole mouthpiece, which is connected with a very sensitive air/pressure sensor. The position of the moveable mouthpiece is sensored by optical sensors. So, there is no mechanical contact, only optical sensors are used for optimum reliability over a long period of time. The slide knob is also an optical switch, so no mechanical problems! The C.U. also has a pitch-bend control, volume lever and a filter lever. A Motorola 68705 Micro Controller controls the data from the sensors and sends this data to the main unit over a multicore (14) lead (parallel communication).
The main unit interprets this information and sends it to the built-in synth and to the MIDI out port.
The built-in synth is based on the once very popular monophonic analogue synthesizer The MiniMoog. The synth is fully programmable, has 64 presets which can be stored on tape (or more reliable media like MiniDisc, CD-R or DAT). For those of you who are familiar with analogue synths, here is some technical information:
Millioniser 2000 Synthesizer Diagram.
DCO = Digital Controlled Oscillator
CV TNR = Control Voltage Tone Number
Global Inputs:
Pitch Bender switch ON/OFF
Halftone Transposition of CV TNR (up & down over 1 octave)
Envelope Generator:
- Attack 0..255
- Decay 0..255
- Sustain 0..255
- Release 0..255
Low Frequency Oscillator (sine wave & triangle wave) :
- Rate 0..255
Start of Synthesizer diagram (from input to output):
DCO I & II (Block Wave of DCO I is inverted DCO II)
DCO switch ON/OFF
CV TNR switch ON/OFF
Fine Detune 0..7FH (only up)
Halftone Detune 0..7 (only up)
Octave Position 0..7 (only up)
Triangle Wave Output Volume 0..255
Block Wave Output Volume 0..255
DCO I&II Block Wave Pulse Width 0..255
LFO II Pulse Width Modulation Volume 0..255
DCO III
DCO switch ON/OFF
CV TNR switch ON/OFF
Fine Detune 0..7FH (only up)
Halftone Detune 0..7 (only up)
Octave Position 0..7 (only up)
Triangle Wave Output Volume 0..255
Block Wave Output Volume 0..255
DCO III Block Wave Pulse Width 0..255
High Pass Filter 12 Db
Cut Off 0..255
CV TNR switch ON/OFF
Noise
Noise volume 0..255
Low Pass Filter 24 Db
Resonance 0..255
Freequency:
- Noise volume 0..255
- LFO I (Sine Wave) volume 0..255
- DCO III Triangle Wave:
* Shift 0..255
* Volume 0..255
- Envelope Generator (ADSR):
* Switch +/-
* Volume 0..255
- Blow Sensor switch:
* OFF
* Medium
* Normal
* High
- Voltage Controled Filter Slider switch:
* Low
* Mid
* Normal
* High
- CV TNR volume 0..255
- Cut Off 0..255
Band Pass Filter I
Gain 0..255
Resonance 0..255
Frequency 0..255
Band Pass Filter II
Gain 0..255
Resonance 0..255
Frequency 0..255
Voltage Controled Amplifier I
Envelope Generator Volume 0..255
Blow Sensor switch:
- OFF
- MID
- NORM
- HIGH
Noise
Color Filter 0..255
volume 0..255
Voltage Controled Amplifier II
Preset Volume 0..255
LFO I (Triangle) volume 0..255
VCA Slider switch:
* Half
* Full
I don't think this synth is very interesting. I've programmed some nice presets but you really have to use the synth in combination with a multi-effect processor. Because a good multi-effect processor costs a considerable amount of money and because of the fact that the standard presets are not very useful (it's more of a demonstration of the capabilities of the synth rather than a useful set of musical sounds), it is more interesting to use the M2000 in combination with a modern synth module by using the MIDI out port.
The MIDI out implementation is very good. The M2000 can function in both OMNI MODE ON/OFF (Bn 7D/7C) and MONO/POLY MODE (Bn 7E/7F). The M2000 can function as a master controller because it is able to store data in every preset with information about the channel of two synths (+ preset select), an effect unit and a reverb unit. The last two components will be one unit now-days. So, by selecting a preset on the M2000's Control Unit, one is able to select the presets of two additional synths AND two effect units. The breath values are normally sent by Breath Control Change numbers but it is also possible to program the M2000 to send after-touch values. It is also possible to send only Note On/Off in situation where no breath-control is allowed. The pitch bend values are sent as Pitch Bend Control Values (MIDI function En,vv,vv). The filter-control slider value is being transmitted and can be switched on/off (the different synth channels can be switched on/off individualy!). The main volume lever values are being transitted by MIDI function Bn,07,vv.
I use the M2000 in combination with a YAMAHA VL70m Virtual Acoustic Synthesizer Module. Unlike previous tone generation systems which use oscillators, function generators, preset waveforms or samples to produce sound, Yamaha Virtual Acoustic Synthesis applies sophisticated computer-based physical modeling technology to musical sound synthesis. In the same way that computer models are used to simulate weather systems or the flight characteristics of aircraft in the design stage, the VL70m simulates the very complex vibrations, resonances, reflections and other acoustic phenomena that occur in a real wind or string instrument.
The VL70m has the following Controller Parameters:
- - Amount of breath pressure
- - The tightness of the lips against the reed or against each other or how strongly the bow is pressed against the string
- - Simulates the half-tonguing technique used by wind instrument players
- - Volume of sound without timbre variation
- - Driving the entire system in chaotic oscillation
- - Breath Noise
- - A periodic pressure modulation which produces the growl effect often heard in wind instruments
- - Throat Formant controls the characteristics of the simulated player's lungs, trachea and oral cavity
- - Filter, similar to the dynamic filter found in many conventional synths
- - Harmonica Enhancer can vary the harmonic structure of the sound over a wide range
- - Damping, simulates the effect of damping due to losses within the body of a wind instrument or in a string due to air friction
- - Absorption, simulates the effect of high-frequency loss at the end of the air column or string
All of these parameters can be controlled by the M2000 MIDI output. For instance, vibrato can be simulated by using the pitch bend control as input for lip-pressure, pitch bend and throat-formant (and breath noise timbre) to get a very realistic vibrato. A saxophone gets out of tune if the pressure applied to the reed is not in relation to the pitch! Reed pressure also influences the timbre. By using the Filter Lever Output as input for the reed pressure variable, the player has full control over the timbre of individual notes.
You see, to get a very flexible and highly expressive 'instrument', one needs a MIDI controller with a lot of MIDI Control Change outputs. I think the future of the harmonica system as a MIDI controller is very bright! Most of the MIDI controllers are based on keyboard systems or wind instrument systems like the saxophone and clarinet. One big disadvantage of this type of MIDI controller, is the fact that the player needs his fingers to play. A harmonica player does play by using his breath in both directions (blow and draw) and by horizontaly positioning the instrument AND by using only one finger to control the slide.
So, a lot of fingers are free to control MIDI Control Change controllers for maximum expression. For instance, the right hand index finger controls slide button ONE which raises the pitch by a semi-tone. The right hand third finger controls slide button TWO which raises the pitch by a whole-tone (think of a MIDI harmonica based on the whole tone system with two slide buttons, one for semi-tones and one for whole tones!!!!!), while the fourth finger controls the Pitch Bender. The index finger and thumb of the left hand control a pressure sensor which can be used as input for Reed Pressure Control. The left hand third finger controls a filter lever and the remaining two fingers control the DAMPER input!!!
This way, the harmonica system is very, very, very flexible and musically very interesting.
Wim Dijkgraaf
The Netherlands
Webmaster: BassHarp
Update: December 19, 1997
Copyright © 1997 Danny Wilson
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