[{"content":"Building Benjiao Modular\u0026rsquo;s Eurorack Mixer Module Goal Every eurorack system needs at least one mixer and I don\u0026rsquo;t have any Order a known good PCB from an online supplier If successful, I will have the KiCAD project, PCB and front panel as reference for my own projects moving forwards and know who to order PCBs from Status Complete\nProgress ","permalink":"https://www.barkertrax.com/projects/eurorack-mixer/","summary":"Build log for the Benjiao eurorack mixer module.","title":"Building Benjiao Modular's Eurorack Mixer Module"},{"content":"Roland SH-101 Goal Keep the old girl alive and kicking!\nCurrent Issues Noisy volume control Resonance knob doesn\u0026rsquo;t fit very snugly on the slider shaft History Let\u0026rsquo;s rewind - how did I get to own this synth and why do I love it so much?\nLog 2026-03-01 Filter Cutoff Closed Unless ENV slider is turned up 2025-09-01 Power Switch Replacement 2025-08-01 Resonance Issue One strength of the SH-101 is that the filter will happily self oscillate. Whilst this isn\u0026rsquo;t anything special in the world of synths, there\u0026rsquo;s no doubt that this expands the available sound pallette just that little bit further.\nI don\u0026rsquo;t remember the exact timeline here, but at some point through the 2010\u0026rsquo;s the resonance slider stopped doing what it does best when dialled to max.\nArmed with the service manual - here was the best copy I could find, which I\u0026rsquo;m mirrorring here for future posterity, just in case - I took to the task of working out where the issue lay.\n2014? VCO Problems In 2011 I moved to Japan with my wife for a few years and due to shipping restraints all my music gear was left in the UK. Rather than leave the 101 languishing in the garage with all our other stuff that got left behind, it went to stay with my good friend, Steve.\nSome time during the stewardship Steve reported that all was not well and the 101 was sounding not good. Steve and I go back a long way and I trust him with my\u0026hellip;. well, my prized SH-101, so after some diagnosis, the CEM3340 VCO was identified as the culprit. As this happened in the days before cheap clones of the chip, a moderately expensive ebay purchase was required in order for Steve to do what needed to be done.\n1995? Novamod Fitting the Novamod was terrifying, but an absolute game changer.\nIn summary, copy-pasting from the instructions, it adds:\nVCF FM: Amazing new sounds are now added through this feature. Six FM sources are available. LFO Clock Input: Syncing the Arpeggiator and LFO to external drum modules and sequencers is now possible. As well, interesting feedback loops can be created. PW Modulation Source Selection: Now you can choose a pulse width source. It is independent from the LFO’s waveform setting. OSC sources are included. Pulse width to near 0%: Pulse width effects are now made more extreme and powerful. External Audio Input: The ability to do FM of the VCF by an external audio source or to simply route a signal into the audio path is now provided. Don’t forget feedback loops!! VCF CV Input: Just plug in a foot pedal or a CV from a midi converter and your SH-101 will sing! LFO Rate Scalar: Ever hear a bell sound out of a 101? Try this on Hi!! Want a really slow sweep\u0026hellip;you got it too! In particular, the LFO rate extension and VCF FM were where the fun was to be had and particularly useful for percussion sounds.\nLooking at the work of my 20-year old self, I\u0026rsquo;m impressed that I had the patience to be as neat as I was, which wasn\u0026rsquo;t super neat. However, here we are 30 years later and it\u0026rsquo;s still fully functional. Everytime there\u0026rsquo;s a problem with the 101, the Novamod is always the first thing I suspect but so far it hasn\u0026rsquo;t turned out to be a root cause.\nThe original Novamod instruction document used to be pretty easy to find online, but many of the links are dead now. This is the best online source I could find.\nFor posterity, I\u0026rsquo;ve uploaded my copy to the site. Download here .\n1993?? VCF CV Input I have no recollection where I read about this, or how I knew how to do it, given that there was no internet and I only knew one other person in the world who owned a 101.\nEither way, the mod was done (a socket, a wire and a resistor) and from that day on I was able to sequence the 101\u0026rsquo;s filter cutoff rather than relying on real-time movements at the point of recording. In those days, I was sequencing with Music-X running on an Amiga A500, sending CV through a Kenton Pro2.\n","permalink":"https://www.barkertrax.com/projects/roland-sh101/","summary":"Ongoing repairs and maintainance relating to my Roland SH-101 monosynth.","title":"Roland SH-101"},{"content":"My Days I work for DTS, creating audio post-processing technology for PC laptops — making those tiny speakers sound better than they really have any right to sound.\nMy background is in audio software engineering, having worked across areas including DSP, games audio and mobile applications. In recent years I\u0026rsquo;ve moved into engineering leadership, where I currently lead two development teams. Learning how to help other people succeed has been a rewarding challenge and has given me an entirely new perspective on the industry.\nMy CV is available elsewhere on the site.\nMy Evenings Most of the topics covered on the site can be traced back to a single source: music.\nTo cut a long story short:\nMusic led to synthesisers. Synthesisers led to electronics. Electronics led to software. Software led to a career in audio technology. Along the way I picked up some other interests in hi-fi and repair.\nAll of this has resulted in a variety of projects centred around understanding how things work, building things, fixing things and occasionally not fixing things.\nI value craftsmanship, enjoy understanding how things work and love the process of working something out for myself.\nMy Weekends Beyond the scope of the site, I have a few other interests going on.\nOverlanding One of the more significant projects in recent years involved driving my 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser from Japan to the United Kingdom after spending five years living in Japan.\nThe journey took my wife and me across deserts, mountains, border crossings and mechanical uncertainties, and remains one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.\nThe full story is documented over on our blog .\nSkateboarding Skateboarding is something of an outlier amongst my interests, but it\u0026rsquo;s influenced how I view the world more than almost anything else.\nAlthough I rarely skate these days, I continue to follow it closely and dust off the board once in a while.\nThe central lesson skateboarding taught me is the importance of perspective. Concrete steps, curbs, banks and ledges look different when viewed through the eyes of a skateboarder.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve found this lesson applies to pretty much everything: engineering, electronics, repair and life in general.\nMore Experience ","permalink":"https://www.barkertrax.com/about/","summary":"Audio software engineer working in DSP, audio technology, electronics and making things.","title":"About Me"},{"content":"Mark Barton Audio Software Engineer \u0026amp; Engineering Leader 25+ years in audio software development, games audio, DSP and consumer audio.\nEmail: barkertrax@gmail.com Website: https://www.barkertrax.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-barton-b4282016 Professional Summary I\u0026rsquo;ve spent more than 25 years developing audio software and DSP solutions across games, mobile applications, consumer electronics and PC platforms.\nMy background combines hands-on engineering with engineering leadership, having led multiple software teams while remaining closely involved in product development and technical direction.\nI\u0026rsquo;m particularly interested in helping organisations develop audio products, solve difficult technical problems and build effective engineering teams.\nWhat I Bring Developing audio products and technologies Solving complex DSP and software engineering problems Building and mentoring engineering teams Defining technical direction for software projects Balancing long-term vision against short-term commitments Bringing audio products from development through release Experience DTS Senior Manager · 2023–Present\nLead two software development teams responsible for audio technologies used by major PC manufacturers. Work with product managers and technical leads to define priorities and delivery plans. Created dedicated discovery time for engineers to experiment with new ideas and technologies. DTS Staff Software Engineer · 2019–2023\nProvided technical leadership for audio post-processing technologies deployed on consumer PC platforms. Designed and implemented DSP and software solutions for major OEM customers. Worked with product, DSP and software teams to deliver commercial audio features. Provided technical guidance and mentoring to other engineers. Electric Square Audio Programmer · 2017–2019\nPrimary Audio Programmer on Forza Street and Hot Wheels ID. Mytrax Audio Programmer · 2014–2016\nWorked on the IntraWave project, using high-frequency audio signals for high-precision indoor positioning. Helped develop a mobile application that applied the acoustic characteristics of Japanese live music venues to personal music libraries in real time. Tsugi Studio Audio Programmer · 2011–2014\nDeveloped Tsugi AudioBot and Tsugi QuickAudio, taking both products from development through commercial release. Earlier Career Software and audio technology roles at:\nSony Interactive Entertainment Datamine Pivotal Games Radiodetection ERG Transit Systems Digital Studio Processing Sony Broadcast \u0026amp; Professional Education Leeds Beckett University BEng Electronics, Music and Media Technology\nFirst Class Honours\nKey areas:\nElectronics Digital Signal Processing Music Theory Industrial placement year in Malaysia London Metropolitan University Certificate of Higher Education, Music Technology\nDistinction\nKey areas:\nElectronics Recording Woodworking Personal Projects Barkertrax Articles and project documentation covering:\nAudio technology Synthesisers Electronics Repair Engineering projects Frome Ward Bound Documentation of a 25,000 km overland journey from Japan to the United Kingdom in a 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser.\n","permalink":"https://www.barkertrax.com/experience/","summary":"\u003ch1 id=\"mark-barton\"\u003eMark Barton\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"audio-software-engineer--engineering-leader\"\u003eAudio Software Engineer \u0026amp; Engineering Leader\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e25+ years in audio software development, games audio, DSP and consumer audio.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEmail: \n\n\n\u003ca href=\"mailto:barkertrax@gmail.com\"\n   \n   \u003e\n  barkertrax@gmail.com\n\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWebsite: \n\n\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.barkertrax.com\"\n   \n   target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\n  https://www.barkertrax.com\n\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLinkedIn: \n\n\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-barton-b4282016\"\n   \n   target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\n  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-barton-b4282016\n\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"professional-summary\"\u003eProfessional Summary\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve spent more than 25 years developing audio software and DSP solutions across games, mobile applications, consumer electronics and PC platforms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy background combines hands-on engineering with engineering leadership, having led multiple software teams while remaining closely involved in product development and technical direction.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Experience"}]