From frankj5205@aol.com Tue Jun 06 10:11:03 2000
Subject:Re: DMI-64

In a message dated 6/6/00 5:43:25 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
VoceSupportGroup@egroups.com writes:

<< What can you guys tell me about the DMI-64 vs. V3? >>

Hey, I've got one. Bought mine at a garage sale about three years ago. Used
it on several gigs/theatricals. Got to talk to Dave Amels about it a couple
times -- I think he really loved the old box.

Here's what I know / remember / guess.

The DMI-64 (Digital Musical Instrument, 64 oscillators??) Mark II (there was
no Mark I released that I have ever heard of) was Voce's first product. At
the time, its sound seemed to be a pretty credible recreation of a tonewheel
organ (whoops*, see below). Its operating system is kinda funky, partly since
its display is just two (three?) numbers on a LCD. There is good control of
the sound available through MIDI and through the dedicated drawbars. The
output level is pretty low. The Micro B and (I believe) B-II used
(essentially) the same engine (or synth algorithms) as the DMI. Percussion is
handled correctly, in the later O/S versions foldback is available and
variable(?).

The V3 used synth algorithms which differed from the predecessors in one
MAJOR way and many, many others. In the earlier versions, the sound is
constructed from sine waves, with the drawbars adding the 'partials,' BUT ...
the partials are pure. That is, the frequencies of the partials at the fifths
and thirds are integral multiples of the 8' frequency. In the V3, they are
'tempered' (matching the equivalent pitches in a tempered scale) rather than
pure. This second method reproduces the tonewheel sound much more accurately.

-Frank