Monotribe CV control

[Mattew96]

So we all know now that Korg claims we can control our Monotribes modification free with CV over the sync jack.
I am right now going to admit I don't know much about electronics and CV (my Dad is the expert, but I'm learning...)
Here's what (I think) I know.

I was experimenting a bit with a power supply and the sync cable. I know (because I used a mono cable in the sync jack in the past) that the tip carries the +-5V peak for stepping the sequencer, and I managed to trigger it successfully. However I applied varying voltage with virtually no current to the ring with no result. Even when I was triggering a note from the ribbon the pitch didn't change when applying voltage on the ring. I didn't have the sleeve connected to ground, but I don't think it should matter because the Monotribe has a floating ground.
I probably sound like an idiot here.
I also don't know how much current CV requires or if it is based on potential alone. But if it does need current, I guess hooking up ground is important. I'm also wondering if the pulse on the tip will become the gate signal when using CV.

Another possibility I considered is that what Korg calls CV could just be a fancy name for whatever protocol they use to communicate with the Monotribe (like when they update the OS), but then they also say it can control an MS-20, so once more I'm at a loss, since the MS-20 mini is supposedly all analog (but the keyboard is digital and can handle midi, similarly the monotribe uses it internally).

Now if I sound like an idiot, or have the totally wrong idea, please let me know. I'm just excited to see this work and it'd be cool to learn and figure this out!

[sequentialsoftshock]

The king korg might also be able to put out different messages..?

[JayEm]

Im fairly certain the only "cv" the monotribe is sporting out of the box is the pulse sync. I'd love someone to prove me wrong though.

[ravenmek]

Maybe there'll be a new OS that handles by a software switch (like S&H) that instead of using the clock, uses the sync for receiving CV

[loungedumore]

It has to be something proprietary as the one cable in sending both "gate" and " CV" no ?

[Mattew96]

The hardware switching is another possibility.
Just so everyone's on the same page:

[volumetrik]

The CV/Gate on the KingKorg is unusual

[Stab Frenzy]

I was experimenting a bit with a power supply and the sync cable. I know (because I used a mono cable in the sync jack in the past) that the tip carries the +-5V peak for stepping the sequencer, and I managed to trigger it successfully. However I applied varying voltage with virtually no current to the ring with no result. Even when I was triggering a note from the ribbon the pitch didn't change when applying voltage on the ring. I didn't have the sleeve connected to ground, but I don't think it should matter because the Monotribe has a floating ground.
I probably sound like an idiot here.
I also don't know how much current CV requires or if it is based on potential alone. But if it does need current, I guess hooking up ground is important. I'm also wondering if the pulse on the tip will become the gate signal when using CV.

If you don't have the ground connected then you're not applying a voltage, just like how birds can sit on high voltage power lines and not get shocked because they're not completing a circuit with anything.

The CV/Gate on the KingKorg is unusual

It appears to be a TRS jack; I'd say ground on the sleeve, CV on the ring, gate on the tip. It's not an uncommon way to do things.

There's always the possibility that there will be a Monotribe update which adds the CV/gate functionality when the KK is released. They've already added a heap of stuff once with the 2.0 update.

[JayEm]

Then the next question will be will an update make cv control only work with the king korg or will it possible to use it with any cv gear so long as you have the appropriate cable?

[sequentialsoftshock]

Then the next question will be will an update make cv control only work with the king korg or will it possible to use it with any cv gear so long as you have the appropriate cable?

Probably other gear if it is,t a proprietary voltage. Surely they aren't going to get people to buy the KK solely to control a monotribe. In fact, controlling the monotribe is really just a novelty. I doubt there's any reason to use that when you have the king korg which can probably sound the same.

[JayEm]

Yeah, but does the monotribe take 1v/oct? If it does, awesome. I'll hook it to my minibrute.

[Mattew96]

Thanks for the help guys!
I took out my Dad's trusty power supply today and did some testing on my Slim Phatty so I could get a knowledge of how this stuff works...

On the Slim Phatty with the power supply connected to the same ground point:

Normal CV (pitch and filter cutoff) with a TS cable:
Requires a circuit between tip and sleeve, +- connection between them. As voltage increases, so does pitch/cutoff change
Gate TS cable:
When both tip and sleeve are unconnected, gate is "open" and note is heard, tip is hot. Upon grounding the tip, gate closes. Voltage does not affect this (obviously).

On the Monotribe:

All combinations of grounding sleeve/applying negative or positive polarity, grounding tip, applying opposing voltage on the ring (from the sleeve) failed to produce any change in pitch (when gate is triggered on the monotribe) or change in state of the gate.
I've come to assume that a software update is imminent

[masstronaut]

If this is a thing at all it makes sense that there would be an option to enable it, and most likely disable the input from the sequencer. Who knows, maybe it's already in there - try a bunch of key combinations at start up...

[JayEm]

has anyone heard anything else about this? aside from the ms20 the cv control possibility got me more excited than anything else.
i checked the king korg manual on korg's site and all it shows and says is that the included cable is capable of controlling an analog synth (with a pic of the monotribe). i'm still unsure if they just mean it can send clock though :p

I NEED TO KNOW!

[Mattew96]

We've been looking at this all wrong!

Note the TRRRS jack!
And though it could just be a coincidence, and Korg was lazy when making the diagram, but it looks like it goes into the ext. in jack, not sync in.
Anyone have a picture of the jacks on the pcb?